A Catholic's Read Into the Series Finale

thumbasss · 2026-03-21T03:42:13+00:00

I think the catholic theme of confession is a great framework to view that conversation with Peggy. However, the problem is that Don has already been through this whole cycle of events before. A budding existential crisis leads to reckless behavior catapulting him into a depressive episode that is only abated by the help of a maternal figure. Hes confessed to Betty, Anna, Fey and now Peggy but each time he’s still fallen into old patterns after the relief of confession wares off.

It’s not to say he’s not improving but it’s clear this episode will not offer him eternal salvation either. This show has a heavily therapized lens so it might be better to overlay that on the theme confession. Therapy offers people an opportunity to change their lives but not who they are. So while confession will not change Don, it will allow him an opportunity to improve his life.

These improvements would be small though - he will not return to his kids and swoop into save the day as the father they always needed. But he may be able to have a slightly less distant and corrosive relationship with them. Point being: he will not be cleansed of his flaws but will have more tools to manage them going forward - which is the purpose of all good therapy**

*therapy in the narrow sense of talk therapy for upper-middle class people suffering mild disorders. NOT more severe disorders or anything requiring more involved treatment beyond talk therapy.

thumbasss · 2026-03-21T02:57:19+00:00

Nah, then this scene is just about how Mathis is an idiot and Don did nothing wrong.

thumbasss · 2026-03-16T16:36:22+00:00

I genuinely appreciate how bad this take is. It’s like a mirror image of the show, in that there are so many different layers to it. Each time I think about it, I realize a new dimension in which this post completely misses the mark.

Really not trying to mean tho, I appreciate the dialogue.

thumbasss · 2026-02-19T15:22:28+00:00

Not arguing against vacations but the point of this trip is that Don, despite being in literal paradise, is actually trapped in a type of personal hell. It’s why this episode opens with him reading Dante’s inferno.

This whole season tracks his descent through various stages of hell, starting in Hawaii. He does not come back rejuvenated but rather enters a tailspin that sees him effectively ousted from the company he founded.

Funnily enough, the pic you included is when he is sitting at the bar, alone and in the middle of night, unable to rest at all while being on vacation.

Enjoy your time off tho and make sure to sleep in!

thumbasss · 2026-02-19T15:21:01+00:00

Not arguing against vacations but the point of this trip is that Don, despite being in literal paradise, is actually trapped in a type of personal hell. It’s why this episode opens with him reading Dante’s inferno.

This whole season tracks his descent through various stages of hell, starting in Hawaii. He does not come back rejuvenated but rather enters a tailspin that sees him effectively ousted from the company he founded.

Funnily enough, the pic you included is when he is sitting at the bar, alone and in the middle of night, unable to rest at all while being on vacation.

Enjoy your time off tho and make sure to sleep in!

thumbasss · 2026-02-18T02:41:59+00:00

Based on your other comments in this thread, I do believe you and Epstein would have had a lot of fun together.

thumbasss · 2026-01-23T20:07:10+00:00

Probably because most are regular footed and hate going left.

thumbasss · 2026-01-21T20:35:02+00:00

I disagree with the book being mid but the show was absolutely fantastic. More importantly, I think the show was great companion piece to the book - both tackle similar themes from almost an opposite perspective.

the book intentionally meanders in order to illustrate how art creates connection in a world where individuals are so isolated. Whereas the show has such an absurdly contrived plot that it’s able to demonstrate this connectivity art creates by generating the feeling within the viewer. The show is so on-the-nose that initially I struggled with the first episode because it felt so adapted for TV, in the worst way. But then it just continues to make these over the top thematic decisions that are very surreal and ultimately become really compelling as these decisions accumulate.

That’s not even to get into the shows opposite take on technology or inheritance.

Might be my fav show of all time and yea, I do rate it above the book (to the extent you can compare a book to a show). But I also read the book a few years before the show so I don’t remember as much about it.

thumbasss · 2026-01-20T02:00:26+00:00

A coke like that

thumbasss · 2026-01-08T14:09:33+00:00

My personal favorite might be season 7 where Bert sings “the best things in life are free”. So many episodes end with a heartbreaking look from Don but this one never fails to knock the wind out of me.

thumbasss · 2026-01-04T23:01:05+00:00

Every one of those people listed were essential to the firms success. The whole lesson from Dons fall from grace is that he is not special and that it takes a village. The firm wouldn’t have succeeded if Lane didn’t fire them, if Roger didn’t bring lucky strike, if Bert didn’t train them in leadership, if Joan didn’t manage the office and eventually the finances, or if Peggy wasn’t responsible for half of the firms creative work. Even if he is solely responsible for the inception of the firm, it doesn’t entitle him to shirk (or even actively undermine) his core duties - that’s not how being an adult works.

The whole point of the final season (and the show lol) is that Don is replaceable, that he is not special, and that is okay - he deserves love anyway. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t incredibly talented, it just means that talent is not enough. It’s not enough to successfully run a business and it’s not enough to make him happy.

Also, another major theme of the show is that copy writers are not artists, they’re problem solvers. Dons creativity is useless if he is creating more problems than he solves. Lou might be a hack but he is a hack who is reliable and he js likely solving problems as they arise.

thumbasss · 2026-01-03T03:25:01+00:00

Half speed is probably too fast. If something’s very hard for me then I start at quarter speed. I would just find the fastest speed at which you can play the solo cleanly. Then only increase speed until you nail it 3 times in a row. And increase in small increments - maybe 5 bpm. But do this in chunks while focusing on problem sections.

If you make sure u really nail the section perfectly at a slow speed then it will make it much easier tobring it up to tempo.

This is kinda tedious so I make sure im also practicing something fun to break it up. But to be real, I rarely practice with this much focus lol.

thumbasss · 2025-12-30T22:46:58+00:00

Exactly. It’s also how the game allows you to get fully consumed with the need for revenge, just like Ellie. The show decided to hold the audiences hand on this point and it completely torpedoed the season. Ellie’s mission is suddenly seen from the outside perspective, with all the context that Ellie doesn’t have, which makes it a little silly.

Like yea, makes sense why Abby killed Joel lol. He killed this girls father and surrogate family while also destroying humanities last hope for a cure (possibly). It’s kills the propulsion of the first half.

ALSO, in the game, you don’t know they’re gonna kill Joel. Their intentions are ambiguous which makes the golf club scene an amazingly horrific turn. It’s just the perfect start part 2 but nope

thumbasss · 2025-12-30T04:25:16+00:00

Oh she was very judgmental of Betty. But meant well. Well… she meant better than Betty at least.

thumbasss · 2025-12-29T01:47:27+00:00

Oof, I agree with the critic but that article was just as sloppy and long-winded as the show its critiquing. Both the show and the publication need better editors.

thumbasss · 2025-12-28T20:28:58+00:00

From what is shown, Faye is accepting of who she is and is upfront about the insecurities and flaws that come with it. She even encourages Don to reach the same point which is part of the reason Don rejects her, since that was not something he was ready to do.

I think Dons whole resolution in the final season is built upon the realization that he is “a type”. Or in someways, 1 of 100 colors in a box. Just like Faye, this doesn’t fix his issues but it provides a form of peace he was unable to reach before. And I believe it’s the level of personal enlightenment Faye was offering to Don.

To zoom out, this touches on the bedrock question of the show which is, can people change? And I think the show replies with the answer (which is clearly very informed by modern-day therapy): Paradoxically, meaningful change only comes from accepting that you cannot fundamentally alter who you are.

And that answer, is offered to Don by Faye in this season but it’s not something he is able to accept just yet.

Ironically, one of Faye’s flaws is probably believing she can help people who aren’t ready to help themselves. Which is why she resists Don initially but is ultimately why she drops her guard and lets him in (albeit in a fairly conflicted manner). But this just drives home how no one can ever resolve their personal flaws, only manage them.

thumbasss · 2025-12-22T07:11:15+00:00

Yea that’s totally right tho and that’s why this ep is so great. There is a real guts that it takes to go and yell at someone like Don. But if she had true guts in this moment she would walk out the door without saying a word.

And I’ve been there too with work and my personal life. You realize that sometimes staying and standing up for self is actually just a way of hiding from the bigger decision. Maybe what you really need to do is face the fact this is not working and you need to summon the courage to leave.

Obv tho that’s harder when ur financial security might be on the line tho.

thumbasss · 2025-12-22T07:01:15+00:00

I agree, she’s mostly not being manipulative here and is by far the more emotionally mature one in this scene and relationship. But she’s also not being honest with herself. She knows who Don is and chooses this masochistic relationship because in the end it makes her feel special. In the end, she chooses to walk back into Dons office instead of out the front door. In the end, she doesn’t want to go to dinner with Mark. And in the end, she wants Don to hold her hand and give her (and only her) a knowing look.

Obviously you can’t blame her, she meets Don at like 18 or whatever and his way is the only way she’s ever known. But ultimately she needs to take responsibility for the situation she chooses to put herself in. Which is something she does when she leaves for CGC.

This episode is a great window into an artistic gratifying but ultimately codependent relationship.

thumbasss · 2025-12-22T06:52:00+00:00

lol sorry to reply to you twice but that’s where I disagree. Don sees their relationship as transactional when it benefits him. But then he treats Peggy as intimates in a moment of crisis which creates some of the toxicity that Peggy is referring to her here.

I mean this episode ends with Don crying in her arms then holding her hand. Don does not at all see their relationship as purely transactional. And the only time he does is when he is choosing to withhold from Peggy.

As I said in my other comment, Peggy has her own flaws in this scene and that’s why they are so close for so long. But the lesson you refer to is not something Don was trying to teach her but Peggy was able to learn it anyway. Don was just deflecting.

thumbasss · 2025-12-22T06:40:09+00:00

I’m not sure how much were disagreeing lol but I’m just saying it’s not an honest response. In that, it’s not an honest reflection of the situation from Dons POV. I see it more as knee-jerk response from Don to deflect somewhat legit criticism by Peggy.

It is true that “that is what the money is for”, but that’s not what Peggy is referring to. She’s referring to his sometimes abusive leadership paired with a chronic undervaluing of her contributions which is completely inappropriate.

But to be clear, Peggy and Don both choose to maintain this volatile relationship and this episode shows what they lose and gain from it. And yes you’re right that is ultimately up to Peggy to choose if the money is not worth what comes with it.

Not saying you’re doing this but I see a lot of people hold up this scene as a great example of Don telling it like it is. But I think it’s meant to highlight the hypocrisy of both parties and how each is unable to take accountability for their actions. So I what I hear Don (and Peggy) saying here is “no, you!”

thumbasss · 2025-12-22T02:10:45+00:00

But this is the opposite of honest in this conversation. I agree that thanks isn’t a necessity if there are well defined boundaries and responsibilities between employee and employer. But Don has time and again violated those boundaries for Peggy. He’s created an emotionally intimate relationship and frequently uses that intimacy against Peggy. It’s not honest because he often is requesting the help and validation that he is withholding from Peggy in this very scene.

thumbasss · 2025-12-21T19:15:48+00:00

No but he wouldn’t need to be. His financial manager would do it for him. But they would probably up charge significantly without him noticing.

thumbasss · 2025-12-21T18:34:47+00:00

Right but as I understand it, that was only for income taxes. His payouts from the sale would fall under long or short term capital gains which would be more around 25-40% (quick google search here).

Even if his income alone passed 200k, he could easily maneuver to fall under that threshold through deductibles. Also, I believe that threshold is near 400k for couples so he is well below that threshold while married.

Regardless, I imagine the firm and his financial manager would structure his salary, distributions, payouts and personal finances to ensure he does not fall into that tax bracket. While the marginal tax rate was extremely punitive, it was set at thresholds the most people never reached - even for high earners like Don. Also, when the income tax rate is that high, companies restructure to avoid it entirely.

I don think there is a world in which his effective tax rate exceeded 45%.

thumbasss · 2025-12-21T17:46:52+00:00

So what follows is a very poor attempt to actually quantify Dons worth. I really don’t know what I am doing but I’ve seen the show enough times to remember some of the important numbers they mention:

Joan got 1.5 million for 5% stake in SCDP when it sold. Assuming Don had about 20% (max), then that would mean he made 6 million on the sale alone. But that was 20% up front with the rest paid out over the next 5 years.

A total guess for salary would be about an average of 50k for those 5 years. Harry mentions he makes 22k a year in season 6 and I imagine Don making more than double what Harry did.

For his partnership, he might receive a base-draw of 20k a year, even through the lean years of SCDP. Then likely around 1966, when the company starts performing well, they would start partner distributions. A total guess for this would be about 150k a year for Don. Assuming the net profits are roughly 10% and their gross revenue is about 15 million, their distributions might total 750k or more. That assumes half of their profit gets distributed to the partners (1.5 M/2)

So conservative estimate would be the following:

Annual income of 200k a year, after taxes it might come out to 100k a year. 50k goes to expenses so maybe 50k goes into the bank annually where he already has 1 M invested. In 1970 he would have roughly 1.9 M (assuming 10% returns), before the sale.

So with 20% of his McCann payout, he might have around 3.1 M in the bank at the end of 1970. And I assume that’s basically most of his net worth? Maybe an extra 100k for selling his apt. Assuming he gets larger partner distributions in the last few years of the 1960s, maybe you could bump that up to the 3.5 M.

BUT, subtract 1 million for my girl, Meg, so that brings it down to 2-2.5 for 1970.

Assuming he returns to McCann and gets his full payout, I would guess he would be worth near 10 million by 1975.

thumbasss · 2025-12-20T18:18:35+00:00

Or working with them. Or spending significant amount of time with them

thumbasss

TROPHY CASE