‘Mad Men’ season 7, episode 7 reaction: Robert Morse on Bert Cooper surprise
Going into this past episode of “Mad Men,” it was not that much of an unheard-of prediction that someone was going to die. However, we had long thought that it was either going to be Megan Draper (hence the frequent Sharon Tate theories) or Ted (who was extremely depressed and could have been Lane 2.0).
The death of Bert Cooper was really something that we should have seen coming, given that he was an older character and not necessarily in amazing health. But still, it came out of nowhere, and was then followed by a musical number set to “The Best Things in Life Are Free” that was certainly surprising. It was a tribute in a way to Robert Morse the actor, who had spent time in the 1960s performing similar numbers.
So what does the actor think now about the way in which he went out? Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in a new interview, Morse explained that he was thrilled to have a chance to go out here in the way that he did:
“Matt knew that the show was going to be about the moon landing, in a sense, and he told me, ‘You’re watching the moon landing, and you say ‘Bravo,’ and you pass away. We’re not going to shoot you. We’re not going to hang you. You’re just going to die gracefully. And Bobby, I have an idea. I got a gift for you.’ I said, ‘What’s that?’ ‘It’s going to be gift to you and to us. I don’t want to say what it is, but you’re going to sing in the end of the show.’ I said, ‘That’s brilliant, but you mean, like Robert Morse?’ ‘No, no, no, you’re going to be Bertram Cooper. In the end, after everything is happening, you confront Jon Hamm and you tell him the moon’s there for everyone, stars in the sky the moon on high, they’re there for you and me because they’re free. ‘You’ve been f–king around too long — another waitress here, another waitress there, married, divorced, you shouldn’t be doing all that. Calm down. Love is what you need. It’s not just where you go. It’s who you meet along the way.’’So that’s the idea. I feel that the song in that moment served to emphasize the episode’s message.”
Morse added that even though he was no longer on the show, he had an open invitation to come back to the set anytime and dine with the rest of the cast and crew. This is especially notable when you remember that creator Matthew Weiner is notoriously secretive about what happens during the show’s production.
What did you think about not just Morse’s exit, but the way that the character did end up leaving the show? Share your thoughts with a comment, and click here to get our most-recent podcast related to the show. Also, be sure to sign up to get more TV goodness via our CarterMatt Newsletter.
Photo: AMC