After Mad Men

My theories as to what happened to the characters of Mad Men after the show and a way for me to cope with the show ending. My main URL is itsblosseybitch.

[aftermadmen]

Megan Calvet, formerly Draper, meets Brooks Hargrove shortly after coming back to New York. Hargrove, at the time, was in the middle of his divorce with Roger’s daughter, Margaret, who up and left her family to live in a hippie commune.

Only a couple of years fresh off her marriage with Don, Megan and Brooks initially bond over the parallels in their respective divorces. Megan finds Brooks’ stability attractive and a breath of fresh air after the bad crowd she left behind in LA. Brooks, in turn, loves how attentive she is to his son, Ellery.

Their friendship soon turns romantic, with her now stepfather Roger giving his blessing in spite of (or perhaps because of) the circumstances.

Megan and Brooks married shortly after the highly publicized custody battle was resolved, with Ellery being legally adopted by Megan. The couple would go on to have three beautiful daughters, and are married to this day.

Megan is famously tight-lipped about her first husband, even after his death. Though she has stayed on good terms with her former stepdaughter, Sally.

“He was a troubled man, and I wasn’t part of the last thirty years of his life.”

[behindthegrooves-deactivated202]

On this day in music history: March 1, 1975 - “Shame, Shame, Shame” by Shirley & Company hits #1 on the Billboard R&B singles chart for 1 week, also topping the Dance chart for 4 weeks on January 18, 1975, and peaking at #12 on the Hot 100 on March 29, 1975. Written and produced by Sylvia Robinson, it is the second R&B chart topper the veteran Rhythm & Blues singer. Friends for nearly twenty years, Robinson writes the song for her friend Shirley Goodman, formerly of the 50’s R&B duo Shirley & Lee. Paired with vocalist Jesus Alvarez, the song becomes an instant smash in discos in the US, and the record (released on The Robinson’s Vibration Records imprint in the US, and licensed to Philips Records internationally) quickly spreads to both R&B and pop radio in late 1974. “Shame, Shame, Shame” also becomes a huge hit internationally, becoming a smash on radio and dance floors across Europe peaking at #6 on the UK singles chart. “Shame, Shame, Shame” tops the R&B chart eighteen and a half years after Goodman hit first hit number one with “Let The Good Times Roll” in September 1956.

[aftermadmen]

This is Peggy and Stan's go-to song on Karoake Night!

[aftermadmen]

I feel like Joan would be a prominent CEO by the late 1970s, or at least well on her way to becoming one. Likely from that film production company she was starting at the end of the show.

An influential figure, Joan publishes a best-selling but controversial memoir in the late 2000s, a move inspired by her experience being interviewed about Don Draper's real identity for a book on his life.

"There were so many things I didn't know about him, and then I started thinking about MY life and the secrets I was keeping. And I realized I didn't want them to die with me."

Joan was also motivated to come forward with her stories in order to bring awareness to various social issues.

"People act like my life was really shocking for 'back then', and yes, I had been through a lot, but you would be surprised by the number of women that came forward to me and said 'this also happened to me'."

Writing the memoir didn't come without its challenges though. Joan started to see a therapist in order to process her more traumatic experiences. She almost left out how her second husband had raped her in a Sterling Cooper office, but ultimately kept it in because it would defeat the purpose of her memoir.

The family of Greg Harris, who was already deceased by publication, attempted to sue Joan for slander. Yet the suit was dropped after Roger Sterling and Kevin Harris, as well as a few others, confirmed the allegation.

As for Joan's son, Kevin found out who his real father was when he was 12. Roger gave Joan full permission to reveal this in her memoir.

[aftermadmen]

When Peggy tells Stan who the father of her child was, he can't stop laughing.

"Campbell?! I thought it was DON."

[aftermadmen]

I think Peggy would feel too guilty about meeting her kid with Pete and never bothered to find them. Pete, however, does track them down and meet them, though tells neither Trudy or Peggy about it.

[aftermadmen]

I mentioned Sally's future husband being someone important in the music biz, but he's not a big rock star or hotshot producer. I feel like this man would be a session musician or songwriter (or both) that, while not a headline name in the news, is quite popular and well-respected for his talents in the industry. As a photographer and journalist, Sally has had her fair share of big rock stars and hotshot producers making a pass at her. Because she's surrounded by big egos constantly, she immediately notices this man's humility and unassuming manners. He's soft-spoken, but finds he has a great sense of humor when she starts to get to know him better.

[aftermadmen]

Joan is a big fan of Jane Fonda, and becomes one during the 1970s at the height of Fonda's social activism. In the 80s, Jane gets all of her workout videos but doesn't have the chance to meet her until the 90s, which is one of Joan's happiest memories.

[saintemry]

[violent-darts]

…I am literally all of the neutrals. All of them. It just depends on my mood. (OF COURSE I have aus of my aus.)

[aftermadmen]

Roger Sterling doesn't talk much about his estranged daughter, Margaret, or the custody battle in the mid-70s after it's over. It was a very diffcult time for him, and understandably so, because he had to testify against his own daughter for being a heroin addict and unfit mother for his grandson, Ellery. Before Margaret became a hippie, Roger used to have very traditional views on parenthood, even if he himself didn't always live up to those views. When he tried to get her to leave a hippie retreat, he said to her that "a boy needs his mother", even if the mother in question had other priorities. He knew his daughter was lost, but privately held onto the hope that Margaret would find her way back. When she finally did appear out of the blue, he just figured that this was finally the time. And then Margaret left Ellery at Central Park. For hours. It was supposed to be a Mom-and-Son day. It was near sunset before the Sterlings realized something was up. Roger went along with Megan to try and figure out what happened. Luckily, Ellery was unhurt, but he was crying when they got there and wondering where his biological mother went. Megan, always great with kids, manages to soothe him and make him feel better. They take him to a restaurant because he hadn't eaten since the early afternoon. "Ellery, did your mother say where she was going?" Holding back tears, he says she didn't but that she would be right back. They get home safely, and Margaret doesn't turn up until three days later. Of course the rest of the family is furious, and grill her almost immediately. Margaret goes on like nothing happened and evades questions. Megan starts to notices the track marks, and knows they were recent. "You were shooting up," Megan states with an eerie calm. Margaret denies it and even goes far as to ask what she means by "shooting up." Megan goes beserk. "Do you think I'm stupid?! I may not be some hippie flower power child, but I know a track mark when I see one. You're not the first deadbeat hippie I've met-" "EXCUSE me?!" "You preach free love and all these flowery ideals but you can't even raise a goddamn child. He could've been kidnapped in Central Park, we're lucky he was okay." Margaret dismisses Megan as over-reacting and it becomes clear the only reason she came back was to "reclaim" Ellery. "Margaret, I don't think that's a good idea..." Roger says somewhat timidly. "WHAT?! I'm his MOTHER!" "And you left him the middle of Central Park! I won't let anything like that happen to him again." "He NEEDS his Mother, Daddy. Who's going to raise him?" "Well, Megan's pretty good with him..." "You've GOT to be kidding me!" "Look, Margaret, I don't really want to do this, but it's the right thing." Margaret storms out and threatens to get a lawyer. Everybody dismisses it, because she'll be too high to even know how to get a lawyer, right? And with that, a year-long but highly publicized custody battle ensued in New York 1973.

[aftermadmen]

I could see Joan ending up with someone that is unlike the men she's been with in the past. I could see her with a black man, actually. Someone like Emerson Thorne in Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is what I have in mind. It will surprise people around her, but this man will be good for her.

[aftermadmen]

Excerpt From Sally Draper's Interview About Her Father

Sally: Yeah, I knew. I wasn't going to say anything, and I was kind of reluctant to do this interview. I definitely wouldn't have said this if he was still alive. He even told me that if this happened to come out to just deny it. I was going to do the same thing now, but I realized that everyone directly involved is dead now, and I couldn't think of a reason why I couldn't tell the truth now. But yes, my father's real name was Dick Whitman and he took another man's name.

Interviewer: How did you find out?

Sally:

It was bits and pieces at first. My dad took me and my brothers to California and to the house where Anna Draper lived. She was already dead by that time. On the wall, I saw "Dick + Anna '64" with a plus sign written at the bottom of the wall. I asked "Who's Dick?" And my dad said it was his nickname. I later found out from my mom that Anna was married to my father before he met my mom. I remember confronting Megan about it, and she said they got married to "help each other out", which can be interpreted in a number of ways without context [laughs]. Another time, my dad took my brothers and I outside of this old, beaten-up house and he said "this is where I grew up." I found out the whole story a couple of weeks before my mom died from lung cancer. She called me to her room and I sat on the bed with her. It was just me and my mom then. She took both of my hands and said "Your father's real name is Dick Whitman" and then proceeded to tell me about the real Don Draper, about Anna, and about his brother Adam, who committed suicide after my father told him to go away. My mom said she thought I should know who my father was.

Interviewer:Did your Dad know you knew all of this?

Sally:A couple of years after my mom died. I don't remember how it came up, but I let it slip that I knew.

Interviewer:How did he react?

Sally:He panicked a little, but then I told him who told me and why and that I hadn't talked to anyone about it afterwards, and he started to calm down. And I haven't told anyone else about it until now.

Interviewer: You didn't tell your brothers?

Sally: I left that to my dad. They found out when they were old enough to know to keep it a secret.

[aftermadmen]

When Stan dies from terminal cancer in 1996, Peggy Olson-Rizzo retires from McCann and her advertising career. While Don's departure from McCann was met with shock and bewilderment, Peggy's departure is met with an outpouring of sympathy and understanding at McCann. Everyone at McCann loved and respected the husband-wife team, who helped create some of McCann's best work in the past two decades. On Peggy's last day, the entire company throws a surprise party, which makes Peggy tear up. People at the company buy her presents and help pay for Stan's funeral. She regularly keeps in touch with people at McCann to this day. Peggy writes Stan's obituary in the New York Times, describing him as the funniest man she knew and one of the most talented people she worked with. "Even on the worst days, he could still make me laugh. He knew how to disarm people and to put them at ease." When interviewed about Donald Draper's true identity and past life after his death, she is asked whether she knew these things: "You know, it's funny: I did and I didn't. He never told me his real name was Dick or anything like that, but he had told me or alluded to some details. That he took another man's identity. I saw and heard things, but I didn't have all the pieces. I never thought or had any desire to dig deeper. I know it's strange, but I just accepted that he had this inner life that I and many other people weren't aware of. And in my experience, that's how most people are anyway. That's how most of the people I worked with at Sterling-Cooper were like. If they told you, they told you, but you would never ask." When asked if she was surprised by the revelation: "Again, I was and I wasn't. I mean, I knew part of it already, I just didn't have the big picture."

[aftermadmen]

I think Stan takes it very personally that Peggy’s mom didn’t like him, and while she’s still alive he goes out of his way to try and gain her approval. It’s not until after Peggy’s mom passes away that Peggy learns that Stan felt this way. Stan rarely cares what anyone thinks of him, and Peggy is amused by this discovery. “That’s not funny!”, Stan says defensively, when Peggy starts to chuckle.

“Stan, I don’t think my mother liked anybody, aside from Father Gill and JFK. She didn’t even like me.”

“That’s ridiculous, of course she liked you!”

“She never liked anything I did. No matter what it was, she would always get pissed. Even my life was exactly like hers, she would’ve been pissed that I didn’t move to Manhattan and work at advertising agency. I’m not sure if my mother was ever happy a day in her life. I can’t even remember her being loving towards my father.”

“What about Anita?”

“I think my mom just tolerated her. I think Anita is going to have the hardest time of anybody. I’m glad you wanted to get along with my mother, and you’ve gotten along with most of my family, but you shouldn’t take it personally.”

[aftermadmen]

The horrifying incident that prompts Megan to move back to New York is when a random dude at a hippie party tried to inject heroin into her veins without her permission (I've heard it called "needle popping" and this reportedly happened to the late and great model Gia Carangi). She manages to realize what is happening before she is injected and is rightfully angered. However, her hippie friends side with the random dude, and it becomes clear that they see nothing wrong with randomly injecting heroin into the veins of unsuspecting party goers, saying that it happens to everyone. Her hippie friends see it as another sign that Megan is square (remember, their relationship was already falling apart). Megan promptly leaves the party and goes back to her house. In the middle of the night, she phones her stepfather, Roger Sterling, horrified and screaming and crying, telling him that she's coming back to New York and leaving LA ASAP. She doesn't tell Roger exactly what happened, but he figures Megan has a damn good reason to be coming back. Roger knows that Megan is an emotionally intelligent person. After the phone call, Megan throws everything together in her car and hauls ass to New York, leaving her LA life behind. Roger and Marie Sterling accept her return and she stays with them temporarily until she becomes more settled. Marie senses it had to do with her bum friends in LA, who she met and disliked from the start, and is glad that Megan came around to reach the same conclusions she did.

[aftermadmen]

When Roger hears “Je T’aime...Moi Non Plus” for the first time:

[aftermadmen]

Shortly before Betty dies of lung cancer, she and her husband, Henry, manage to track down her former housekeeper, Carla. Betty doesn’t see Carla in person, but instead makes a phone call. Betty apologizes for suddenly firing Carla years ago. She explains a little bit of why she did it (though doesn’t go into too much detail), but also adds that it was wrong on her part and that she would try her best to make up for it. Betty and Carla have a very amicable conversation, and Betty thanks her for being a positive influence on her life and for helping to take care of her family. 

Carla is invited to Betty’s funeral, and there, Henry presents her a check full of money. It’s the amount of money that Carla would’ve gotten for her job as a housekeeper, from the time she was fired in 1965 to Betty’s death in 1970. It’s the most money Carla has seen in her life, and she breaks down crying. Henry also starts to cry, saying that Betty was going to mail her the check but that she passed away before doing so. “Betts would’ve wanted you to be here, and I figured now would be the time to give you this.” Henry even offers to rehire Carla as a housekeeper at the Francis residence, yet Carla politely declines. Carla managed to get a higher-paying job after being fired by Betty (some office or other white-collar job), and has even learned some entrepreneurial skills along the way. Henry gracefully accepts her decision, and she stays in touch.

I’m not sure what happens to Carla after this, but I think she’s doing okay.

[aftermadmen]

Joan and Greg Expansion

Joan finds out Greg went AWOL not from a message in the mail, but from a relative of his that she runs into (probably his mom and her former mother-in-law). She doesn’t think much of the news until she starts having nightmares about Greg coming back and kidnapping her son, Kevin. Sometimes, Greg in the dream knows that’s not his kid and threatens to kill him as revenge for Joan’s infidelity. Sometimes, she’s running after Greg and Kevin but can’t catch up to them. These nightmares happen for several months and prompts Joan to go to therapy. What Joan and everyone else in the Mad Men universe don’t know is that while Greg went AWOL, he became psychologically damaged from his time in Vietnam and died doing something incredibly reckless and stupid (doing what, I can’t say, probably involved running over something). 

What finally helps Joan is not finding out what happened to him, which only the audience finds out, but from talking to Don. When she tells him what she’s been going through, the following exchange occurs:

Don: Joanie, he’s not coming back. I know  he’s not coming back. Do you know the consequences for men who go Absent Without Official Leave?

Joan: You assume Greg’s more intelligent than he is.

Don: That may be true, and you knew him better than I did. But I guarantee that if he does come back, it won’t be as Greg. 

Joan: What do you mean?

Don: He’ll go under a different name, get a new life and maybe even a new family. He won’t go anywhere near you or Kevin or any of his  family. If you’re crossing the same street from opposite directions, he’ll run away first.

Joan: ...you really think so?

Don: *nods* And that’s assuming he’s still alive. A lot of weird things are happening to our men there.

After this exchange, the nightmares stop for Joan and she’s finally able to move on with her life. It never occurred to Joan to ask how Don could have possibly known all that he said, until after his death and the truth about his life comes out. The moment she finds out is one of the most earth-shattering discoveries in her life. To her, not only did it explain that conversation, but also how he was a man when she worked with him over the years.