Sure, technically, Mad Men is in its final season. But with AMC stretching the end point across two years, that means there’s plenty of time for more classic Mad Men memes. The latest comes from comedian and songwriter Rob Paravonian, who has devised a Mad Men YouTube montage and created an accompanying song. The subject: Those tracking shots that pensively end many an episode. The lyrics to Paravonian’s catchy tune are both witty and a handy summary of the show’s mise en scene. As he sings,
It’s at the end of the hour
You need a visual with power
To show your character’s desolation
But there’s no crying and there’s no screaming
When you’re battling inner demons
So they just sit in isolation
That’s why the camera can’t be static
We need a shot that’s more dramatic
We need to watch them as we walk away
All the while, the montage catalogues the various examples from over the years. Here’s Don closing his home office door in season one, episode two (“Ladies Room”), to get the scoop from Betty’s psychiatrist as the camera moves away from the door. And there’s Joan, Peggy, and Dr. Faye Miller pondering recent events in their lives at the end of season four, episode nine (“The Beautiful Girls”), as they become subtly more prominent in the frame. Paravonian’s video is as cleverly insightful as the song, including the captions for notable motifs. Still there are four more episodes this year, and then seven more in 2015, so maybe there will be cause to update the video in a year or so.