‘Mad Men’ season 7 debate: What could Don Draper’s final episodes look like?

In just a matter of hours from now, we will be looking back at “Mad Men” season 6 like it is firmly planted in the rear-view mirror. This was a show that clearly did not have a 13-episode run that was well-received with every critic, though it did raise some interesting questions: Is Don Draper really doomed, and is he stuck in first gear while everyone else is moving past him?

What we expect to see in Sunday’s finale “In Care Of” could be the equivalent of rock bottom: As much as this show may love to delve into the world of the subtle, it is simply too hard to imagine a universe where we would not see Don finally starting to see his personal life enter a choke-hold after Sally Draper caught him in bed with Sylvia. This is an affair that seems almost certain to come back to haunt him, and potentially cost him a relationship with Megan in the process.

How we see season 7 unfolding is within a question of “where does Don go from here,” given that we already know that neither he nor anyone else dies during the finale. He’s going to have to re-evaluate not only his personal life, but the way in which business is conducted. People like Ted and Peggy are proving that there is a new, more productive way to do business that does not involve being drunk while getting work done. Can he keep up, or will he want to keep up?

As for some of the other characters, we imagine it being about planning for the future. Peggy, Joan, Ted, Roger, and even Pete are at least in a position where they can really plan for the next part of their lives, but they all need to figure out what this means to them. Roger and Peter are clearly two with the greatest need to change, but as with Don, they may be too far down the rabbit hole to come out the other side.

What do you want to see unfold over the course of “Mad Men’s” final season? If you want to check out some more preview coverage for tonight’s finale, all you have to do is visit the story over at the link here.

Photo: AMC