‘Mad Men’ Finale Recap: Don Draper Confronts Alcoholism At Intervention, Suspended By The Firm

Mad Men’s season six finale episode, “In Care Of,” sees Don Draper (Jon Hamm) trying to fix the damage he’s done to his life in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. At long last, the ad man seems to suffer the consequences he's been so deft at avoiding, as those around him continue to suffer for his flaws. And of course, he's not the only one in his family or firm dealing with self-destructive tendencies during Sunday night's finale.

Peggy (Elisabeth Moss) had gotten back into the dating game in an attempt to get some kind of revenge on Ted (Kevin Rahm) , who had cut off their affair to recommit himself to his marriage. But when Ted returns to her for a late night romp, she lets him in. He lofts the idea of leaving his wife for her and spends the night, but when he wakes up, he breaks up with her again. He even has the nerve to add, “Someday you’ll be glad I made this decision,” before walking out the door.

Pete (Vincent Kartheiser) and Bob (James Wolk) head to Detroit, where Pete is less than pleasant after Bob’s recent come-on and Bob's old friend Manolo’s relationship with his mother. Manolo and Pete’s mother were on a cruise with one another, when she went missing. In a petty bit of revenge for his poor treatment, Bob fooled Pete into driving a car he couldn’t drive in the showroom – causing an accident in the process. By the end of the episode, it’s learned that Pete’s mother is dead. "You're free of everything," Trudy tells Pete.

Don’s initial plan to start his life over is to steal Stan’s plan to open up a solo office for the firm out in California. Eventually, Don thinks better of it and offers the idea to Ted, who feels the need to get away from Peggy in order to get over her. Then Don, after punching a preacher in the face at a bar, finds himself in jail. The experience encourages him to quit drinking – he tells Megan (Jessica Pare), dumps out the liquor bottles and begins abstaining at once. Earlier in the episode, Don had learned that Sally (Kiernan Shipka) had gotten in trouble for being drunk and supplying the booze for her friends at boarding school as well. He's resolved to get clean and come clean about his past.

When Don has to pitch the Hershey executives, Ted, whose father was an alcoholic, encourages him to have one drink to stop the shaking. During the meeting, Don opted to go full on confessional – revealing all the dirty secrets of his formative years. Afterwards, the partners hold an intervention in Don’s office, and essentially tell him that he’s going to be sidelined for a while. Not only do they suggest he take the time to deal with his alcohol problem, but also to basically undergo an attitude adjustment. No one wants to deal with the arrogant self-centered jerk all the time.

As the episode neared the end, Don is shown taking his children to see the home where he grew up. Where once was the neighborhood that held his whorehouse-home, now is an urban ghetto. Sally, putting aside the disappointment she felt for her father catching him with Sylvia, looks up him with a newfound understanding and affection.

Will Mad Men season 7 reveal a truly reformed Don Draper? Will he hold onto his job and Megan?

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