Mad Men: The Real Meaning Of Don Draper's Breakthrough With Leonard
After hearing Leonard's story at the end of Mad Men, Donald Draper has arguably his biggest breakthrough—here's why. Donald Draper is an immensely intriguing character played masterfully by Jon Hamm during the seven-season run of AMC's Mad Men. What makes Donald Draper so fascinating is the duality of his character. Don was born as Dick Whitman, an unloved child with a grueling upbringing who leaves his poverty-stricken life to fight in the Korean war. After an explosion kills his commanding officer, a man named Donald Draper, Dick assumes his identity, gifting himself a shot at the American dream and a new start as the talented womanizer Ad Executive Donald Draper.
Over the course of Mad Men's seven seasons, very few people ever find out Don Draper's real identity, despite Dick Whitman's tragedy occasionally leaking through Don's cool, calculated stare. As the show progresses, Don finds it hard to keep his life on the rails as he drinks more excessively, and pushes away the people who are closest to him. By the end ofMad Men's seventh season, Don has fled from work at McCann, the ad agency where he's employed, and finds himself in a retreat where he joins a group therapy session, leading to his biggest breakthrough.
Related: John Hamm's Favorite Episode Of Mad Men Explained
During Mad Men's series finale, a man named Leonard (played by Evan Arnold) begins speaking in the group session. He talks about how he is essentially invisible to those around him, even to his family who he says, "Don't look up when I sit down." He goes on to describe a dream he had where he's sitting on a shelf in the refrigerator and the light turns on when the door opens to reveal a person who looks happy, but then the door closes and he's once
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