The Mad Men finale left us with many questions, but one remains burning in our brains: who wrote the iconic Coca-Cola ad: Don or Peggy?
The "I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke" ad campaign was actually written by Bill Backer at McCann-Erickson in 1971, but all Mad Men fans know that the show likes to take a few liberties with the historical time period it's set in.
The closing moments of the series finale end on Don, peacefully meditating with a simple smile before fading into the iconic ad. The soda brand has been Don's white whale for years, so the juxtaposition begs to question whether he actually went back to advertising.
Not to mention, the show's compelling visual evidence that was peppered into the show:
@annkpowers @nycjim nooo. The girl at the retreat and the girl in the commercial have the same exact outfit and pigtails. He went back!— KC Sledd (@kcesledd) May 18, 2015
So "ding", Don gets an idea and goes back to make the Coke Ad? #MadMadFinale pic.twitter.com/80hBAl5olg— David Clinch (@DavidClinchNews) May 18, 2015
Of course, to some fans it seems unlikely that Don would return to advertising. Rather, his protégé, Peggy is much more likely to take the wheel. After all, Mad Men is not entirely about Don's story. Plus, Peggy is the one who wanted to create something worthwhile in advertising, as she told Don in "The Forecast."
Peggy's final moment ended with her busily writing on her typewriter, and perhaps it was the Coke ad she was writing.
Think about it. The show trajectory: Peggy becomes Don. Right down to the office romance and the zeitgeist-channeling campaign #MadMen— annkpowers (@annkpowers) May 18, 2015
Wait what if the coke ad was Peggy's not Don's? #MadMenFinale— Charlotte Alter (@CharlotteAlter) May 18, 2015
Unfortunately, fans are simply left to wonder and decide for (and fight amongst) themselves.
Who do you think wrote the Coke ad in the Mad Men series finale? Vote below.