--- title: Mad Men Finale: Jon Hamm Says There's a Right Interpretation description: The actor says it's all about a moment of self-realization. canonical: https://time.com/3883496/mad-men-finale-jon-hamm/ author: Sarah Begley article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-05-19T00:27:30.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:59:13.697Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Here's What Jon Hamm Thinks About the End of 'Mad Men' og:description: The actor says it's all about a moment of self-realization og:url: https://time.com/3883496/mad-men-finale-jon-hamm/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt70d27ff6c51e110a/69884d00428a9e0542cccf0c/madmen4.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Jon Hamm as Don Draper - Season 7, Episode 14 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here's What Jon Hamm Thinks About the End of 'Mad Men' twitter:description: The actor says it's all about a moment of self-realization twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt70d27ff6c51e110a/69884d00428a9e0542cccf0c/madmen4.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Jon Hamm Thinks There's a Correct Interpretation of the End of _Mad Men_ > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: Behind the Scenes of 'Mad Men' [Watch (HLS stream): Behind the Scenes of 'Mad Men'](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/iDVLbkAz.m3u8) (3:31)  _Published 2014-03-19. TIME gained rare access to the set of 'Mad Men' before its final season. TV critic James Poniewozik narrates. Photographs by Alex Majoli._ by [Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley May 19, 2015 12:27 AM UTC  Jon Hamm as Don Draper - Season 7, Episode 14 Jon Hamm as Don Draper - Season 7, Episode 14Courtesy of AMC by [Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley May 19, 2015 12:27 AM UTC _Mad Men_ fans have made much of the show’s final moments on Sunday night, with many agreeing that Don Draper had a moment of meditative clarity that led to the iconic Coca-Cola jingle “[I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke](http://time.com/3882114/mad-men-finale-id-like-to-buy-the-world-a-coke-ad/).” Jon Hamm weighed in on his character Monday in [an interview with the New York _Times_](http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/05/18/mad-men-finale-jon-hamm-interview/), and it sounds like he agrees with that interpretation. Asked whether there’s a correct way to view the scene, he said “I think there probably is. But I think, like most stories that we go back to, that it’s a little bit ambiguous.” In his interpretation, Hamm says Don wakes up the day after his emotional group therapy session and “has this serene moment of understanding, and realizes who he is. And who he is, is an advertising man. And so, this thing comes to him.” Nevertheless, Hamm doesn’t necessarily see that as a cynical conclusion, but as a moment of self-acceptance. He also pointed out, contrary to some of the episode’s critics, that the happy endings for certain characters shouldn’t be interpreted as sappy: “No one is suggesting that Stan and Peggy live happily ever after,” he said, “or that Joan’s business is a rousing success, or that Roger and Marie come back from Paris together … these aren’t the last moments of any of these characters’ lives.” Read more at the [New York _Times_](http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/05/18/mad-men-finale-jon-hamm-interview/). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3883496/mad-men-finale-jon-hamm/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3883496/mad-men-finale-jon-hamm/"},"headline":"Jon Hamm Thinks There's a Correct Interpretation of the End of Mad Men","datePublished":"2015-05-19T00:27:30.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:59:13.697Z","description":"The actor says it's all about a moment of self-realization. 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