Mad Men Recap: ‘The Forecast’

7 minute read

Mad Men returned for its final stretch two weeks ago with Peggy Lee’s classic “Is That All There Is?” but the song — which Mad Men creator Matt Weiner once considered making the show’s theme song — was even more suited for Sunday’s episode, “The Forecast,” considering how many times characters seemed to ask that question.

Don isn’t in great shape since Megan took all his furniture (and a million dollars) last week. Roger’s making comments about his appearance, and his real estate agent (whom you might recognize from ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat — don’t tell Jessica Huang she’s got some competition selling properties) is having trouble selling the place because it “reeks of failure” and sadness. That wine stain on the floor is the mark of a man who cares so little for himself that he doesn’t even bother to clean up.

When Roger tasks Don with writing a speech about the future of the company for a corporate event, Don uses the occasion to take stock of his life—and struggles to come to any conclusions. “It’s supposed to get better…” he trails off into a dictaphone during one brainstorming session. What, exactly, is supposed to get better? What should he be striving for at this point in life? He’s been pondering these questions since crashing Rachel Menken’s shiva. There, her sister told Don that his former flame had “everything” she wanted in life before her death. All Don knows is that whatever “everything” means, he doesn’t have it—or, at least, it wasn’t what he thought it was.

When he’s not helping Mathis navigate a pitch meeting gone bad, Don looks to his co-workers for clues about the meaning of life. Don inquires about Ted’s vision for the future, but he’s disappointed to learn Ted dreams of little more than landing pharmaceutical client. When Peggy asks Don for a performance review, he decides to pick her brain and see what he can learn from her goals. She wants to be the company’s first female creative director, but Don pushes her for more. She wants to leave her mark on advertising; she wants to create a catchphrase; she wants fame. She wants “to create something of lasting value,” she says, but Don isn’t satisfied with that answer as it doesn’t do anything to solve his own crisis. Peggy believes he’s belittling her dreams with his questioning, though, so she storms out. “Why don’t you just write down all of your dreams so I can shit on them?” she barks.

Don faces even harsher words from Mathis, who lashes out at Don after incorrectly following his advice and damaging the client relationship beyond repair. Mathis tells Don he lacks character, only gets by on his looks and doesn’t know when to admit he’s wrong. Don promptly fires him, but he also seems to actually hear him. The first words out of Don’s mouth aren’t a knee-jerk defense or an outright dismissal, but rather, an almost humble so-what: “Everybody has problems,” he says.

While Don continues his search, Joan gets what looks like the first happy ending of the finale episodes (though with four more to go, that’s obviously subject to change). While on a business trip to the West Coast, she meets a man named Richard who’s wandered in into the L.A. office by mistake. They flirt, and the charming encounter leads to a more passionate one back in her hotel room that night. The only problem is that Joan doesn’t mention her four-year-old son when she and Richard swap divorce stories. “So you have mouths to feed?” Richard asks about why she’s working. “No, I just finally got the job I’ve always wanted,” Joan grins.

'Mad Men' Up Close: Photos From the Set of the Celebrated Show

Mad Men Matthew Weiner Christina Hendricks TV 2014 Advertising Alex Majoli (L-R) John Hamm as Don Draper, Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson and Vincent Kartheiser as Pete Campbell behind the scenes on set of Mad Men’s seventh and final season.
February 2014. From left: Vincent Kartheiser as Pete Campbell, Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson and John Hamm as Don Draper behind the scenes on set of Mad Men’s seventh and final season, Los Angeles. Alex Majoli—Magnum for TIME
USA. Los Angeles, 2014. On the set of madmen (7th season).
February 2014. From center: Vincent Kartheiser as Pete Campbell and Christina Hendricks as Joan Harris behind the scenes on set of Mad Men’s seventh and final season, Los Angeles. Alex Majoli—Magnum for TIME
USA. Los Angeles, 2014. On the set of madmen (7th season).
February 2014. From left: Aaron Staton as Ken Cosgrove, Robert Morse as Bertram Cooper and other cast members behind the scenes on set of Mad Men’s seventh and final season, Los Angeles. Alex Majoli—Magnum for TIME
USA. Los Angeles, 2014. On the set of madmen (7th season).
February 2014. From left: Christina Hendricks as Joan Harris, January Jones as Betty Draper, Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson, and Vincent Kartheiser as Pete Campbell on the set of Mad Men’s seventh and final season, Los Angeles.Alex Majoli—Magnum for TIME
USA. Los Angeles, 2014. On the set of madmen (7th season).
February 2014. From left: Matthew Weiner, Creator of Mad Men and Robert Morse who plays Bertram Cooper, behind the scenes of Mad Men’s seventh and final season, Los Angeles. Alex Majoli—Magnum for TIME
USA. Los Angeles, 2014. On the set of madmen (7th season).
February 2014. Christina Hendricks, who plays Joan Harris, has makeup applied on the set of Mad Men’s seventh and final season, Los Angeles. Alex Majoli—Magnum for TIME
USA. Los Angeles, 2014. On the set of madmen (7th season).
February 2014. From center: John Slattery as Roger Sterling and Rich Sommer as Harry Crane behind the scenes on set of Mad Men’s seventh and final season, Los Angeles. Alex Majoli—Magnum for TIME
USA. Los Angeles, 2014. On the set of madmen (7th season).
February 2014. Matthew Weiner behind the scenes on set of Mad Men’s seventh and final season, Los Angeles. Alex Majoli—Magnum for TIME
USA. Los Angeles, 2014. On the set of madmen (7th season).
February 2014. Christina Hendricks as Joan Harris behind the scenes on set of Mad Men’s seventh and final season, Los Angeles. Alex Majoli—Magnum for TIME
USA. Los Angeles, 2014. On the set of madmen (7th season).
February 2014. From center: Elisabeth Moss, who plays Peggy Olson, and Matthew Weiner, Creator of Mad Men behind the scenes on the set of Mad Men’s seventh and final season, Los Angeles. Alex Majoli—Magnum for TIME
USA. Los Angeles, 2014. On the set of madmen (7th season).
February 2014. John Hamm as Don Draper behind the scenes on set of Mad Men’s seventh and final season, Los Angeles. Alex Majoli—Magnum for TIME

It’s not exactly a lie—she is filthy rich, remember?—but Richard doesn’t take it so well when he visits her in New York and Joan decides to tell him the truth . Richard, you see, wants to travel the world and live his single-again life without plans or commitments—taking care of a small child stands in the way of that. Joan recognizes this the next morning, too, when she’s frustrated by a scheduling mix-up with the babysitter and shouts, “You’re ruining my life!” as she walks out the door. Ostensibly, the remark was directed at the babysitter, but the pause between the outburst and the sweet goodbye she gives her son suggests Joan wasn’t sure whom her anger was directed at. Fortunately, Joan doesn’t have to choose between romance and family, as Richard shows up at her office with flowers and the offer to be apart of her and her son’s life. Is that all it takes for Joan to find the love she dreamed of?

Back at the Francis residence, the Vietnam War comes into focus after being in the background so far this season. Betty and Sally are paid a visit by a grown-up Glen Bishop, who’s rocking some serious 1970 sideburns, as well as some serious sexual tension with Betty. But as Sally quickly learns, there is something more upsetting than the sight of your friend and your mom having a moment in front of you—having that friend tell you he’s enlisting in the army. Or worse—that your friend could be enlisting because of your mom. That’s what happens one afternoon when Glen appears in Betty’s kitchen to make a move on her and tell her she’s the reason he’s enlisting.

Their relationship has always disturbed me, and Betty takes a little too long to reject his advances on account of being married (come on, Betty, you can’t think of any other reasons to say no?). But it’s thanks to Glen that we get the episode’s most moving scene (Sally’s tearful goodbye phone call), so perhaps we should feel grateful to get something out of Glen that didn’t result in a hardcore case of the heebie-jeebies.

Thinking about whether Glen was going to live or die reminded me just how open-ended the fates of Mad Men characters might be in the end. Unless there’s a flash-forward in the works, we’ll never know if Glen survives the war and comes back for Betty. We’ll never know in what ways Sally will follow in her parents’ footsteps, as Don warns will happen in the bus station. Heck, we might not ever see Don figure out the questions he’s been wrestling with this whole time. The episode ends with Don coming home and walking in on his real estate agent, who has found a buyer for his apartment, to their mutual surprise. Just like that, the place is sold. Just like that, Don’s untethered from his belongings and his baggage with Megan. And just like that, he’s left with a look on his face that seems to wonder: Now what? Is that all there is?

The 10 Best Outfits From Mad Men

Betty Draper (January Jones) - Mad Men - Season 3, Episode 7 - Photo Credit: Carin Baer/AMC
Betty’s floral dress Her outfit for lunch with future husband Henry is quintessential Betty, with soft colors and a fitted silhouette.Carin Baer—AMC
Lane Pryce (Jared Harris) and Joan Harris (Christina Hendricks) - Mad Men - Season 4, Episode 2 - Photo Credit: Michael Yarish/AMC
Joan’s pen necklace There are few television accessories as iconic as Joan's pen, always dangling over her chest and eventually insulted by a snarky young copywriter who sees its placement as a power play.Michael Yarish—AMC
Megan Draper (Jessica Pare) - Mad Men_Season 6, Episode 5_"The Flood" - Photo Credit: Michael Yarish/AMC
Megan’s metallic dress Megan has all the glamour Peggy lacks, with a more fashion-forward sensibility than Betty.Michael Yarish—AMC
Trudy Campbell (Alison Brie) - Mad Men - Season 3, Episode 3 - Photo Credit: Carin Baer/AMC
Trudy’s floral dress Trudy’s garden party outfit is put to good use when she and Pete impress guests with a mean performance of the Charleston.Carin Baer—AMC
Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) - Mad Men _ Season 6, Episode 13 _ 'In Care of' - Photo Credit: Jamie Trueblood/AMC
Peggy’s pantsuit Peggy may not be a style icon, but she was well suited for ladder climbing in a loud vest and trouser set at a pivotal moment in her professional ascent.Jaimie Trueblood—AMC
Mad Men (Season 5)
Megan’s Zou Bisou Bisou dress Megan surprises Don and her party guests with a performance as sultry as her little black dress.Ron Jaffe—AMC
Joan Harris (Christina Hendricks) - Mad Men - Season 3, Episode 3 - Photo Credit: Carin Baer/AMC
Joan’s accordion-playing dress Dresses are like armor for Joan, who wears this form-fitting number while entertaining her husband’s colleagues on the accordion—despite their marital problems.Carin Baer—AMC
Kiernan Shipka as Sally Draper - Mad Men _ Season 5, Episode 7 - Photo Credit: Courtesy of AMC
Sally’s go-go boots Sally tries on a very grown-up look for an awards ceremony with Don and Megan, and finds herself in a grown-up situation when she witnesses Roger in a compromising position with Megan’s mother.AMC
John Slattery as Roger Sterling - Mad Men _ Season 7, Episode 4 - Photo Credit: Michael Yarish/AMC
Roger’s blue suit Roger always looks sharp in a suit, but his sartorial gifts look even more impressive when surrounded by hippies on the farm where his daughter joined a commune.Michael Yarish—AMC
Betty Draper (January Jones) - Mad Men - Season 3, Episode 8 - Photo Credit: Carin Baer/AMC
Betty’s Italian dress For a trip to Italy with Don, Betty gives herself a makeover more befitting of her days as a model than her life as a Westchester mom.Carin Baer—AMC

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Write to Nolan Feeney at nolan.feeney@time.com