Michael Yarish/AMC

Warning: this post contains spoilers about Sunday’s season finale of “Mad Men.”

Previously, Matthew Weiner, the creator and show runner of “Mad Men,” checked in to talk about the first 12 episodes of Season 5: the marriage of Megan and Don Draper; Joan Harris’s indecent proposal; the exits of Peggy Olson and Lane Pryce; and who was meant to fall down that ominous elevator shaft (answer: no one).

True to his word, Mr. Weiner called back on Monday to talk about the season’s final episode, “The Phantom,” in which careers are advanced, new office space is gained, teeth are extracted, Pete Campbell is punched repeatedly and a couple of dogs behave very naughtily. (Some 2.7 million viewers watched the goings-on.) These are excerpts from that conversation.

Q.

You’ve spoken before about having the last visual image of your finale in mind when you sit down to plan a new season. What image – or images – did you envision for this finale?

A.

I envisioned in the beginning that Peggy would be in that hotel room, seeing those dogs [copulating] in the parking lot, and that she would be happy about being on her first business trip; and that Pete would have this moment of realizing what had happened to him, and this activity was a symbol that something bigger was wrong; Roger would long to get that feeling back, because it had worn off; and that Don would be in that bar. That was the last image, always, that someone would come up and say, “Are you alone?” And we wouldn’t know what he answers.

Q.

You may be aware, there’s another famous TV finale that cuts to black at a decisive moment. Was this a deliberate tribute to a previous employer of yours?

A.

No, it wasn’t, but it did strike me when I looked at it last night that it was cutting in the middle of something. I say this without any humility whatsoever, that anything that people find comparable to “The Sopranos” is flattering to me. It was not deliberate by any means — this not the end of the show. We have to come back next season and we don’t know how he’s going to answer but we know he’s in a different place. But you recognize that guy when he looks up. We haven’t seen him in a while.

Q.

So you’re not going to give a definitive answer now about whether Don accepts that invitation?

A.

You have to watch. It’s called “The Phantom.” It’s all about those ghosts. Lane’s name is never mentioned in the episode. We feel his presence in conversations with Joan in the office, certainly when Don goes to see Rebecca [Lane’s widow], we see his chair there in the background. And then of course there’s Adam, who is the ghost of someone else Don — at least in his own mind — feels he drove to suicide. And then there is this phantom that Megan is chasing, the success that her mother says is not going to happen and she says she should let it go.

Q.

Past season finales have ended with climactic moments, whether it’s the whole staff leaving to open a new agency or Don proposing to Megan. Was this finale a deliberate attempt to go against those expectations?

A.

Maybe it’s too early for people to absorb it. But I never think in terms of cliffhangers, I don’t. I always want it to be a satisfying ending to the story that we start to tell that year. To me it was very satisfying last year to see Don propose and Betty’s reaction to it and the office absorbing it. It could have been the end of the series and I like all of them to feel that way.

Q.

But this time we know for sure we’re getting more seasons.

A.

I guess between Seasons 3 and 4 we knew we were getting more. That’s the only time I’ve known, before now. I try to structure the season differently each time and not just turn the previous one on its head. Sometimes the finale is a denouement and sometimes it’s the climax. The one where they started the new agency, it was the climax. This one, the climax was definitely — in my mind — the one before, with Lane hanging himself. And here is the aftermath. We started in one place, with Don the newlywed trying to start this new life. We see him adjusting to the fact that she’s at work; then adjusting to the fact that she doesn’t want to be at work; and then adjusting to the fact that she’s moving on.

Q.

And he realizes it’s a good thing for him to help Megan in her career, or at least that’s what I took away from the scene of him watching her audition reel.

A.

It’s a nonverbal scene and I hate to put it into words, and if that’s your feeling about it, that’s great. I’m not arguing with it. In my mind, I think if you watch his reactions, you’ll see there’s someone there that’s seeing the person they love and seeing them in a very vulnerable, pained state and he wants to help her. Whether it’s good for him or not is another issue. You can definitely see that it’s some kind of sacrifice.

Q.

Can you say more about how you saw Pete Campbell this season? For a guy who’s a serial adulterer, he actually came across as sympathetic in the finale.

A.

I don’t know that he is a serial adulterer. He had an affair, a few seasons ago, with the au pair next door. And we saw him being down at work and having an affair with that model. But I don’t think that’s really been his temperament before this year, where he is looking to satisfy something and starts flirting with this very youthful girl at the driving school who he cannot have. At the same time, he goes to this prostitute who offers a fantasy that is very revealing, of his powerlessness. Then this thing happens with Beth, and he is in love with her. But what he realizes is the fact that he was even looking for something else was a symbol that his life was not in good shape. When he looks at those [pool] plans and says, “It’s so permanent,” he feels trapped. He feels that restlessness that goes along with middle age.

Q.

You certainly found plenty of opportunities to have him get punched in the face.

A.

[laughs] I don’t think he’s seeking punishment. It’s that frustration and powerlessness. He definitely has a right to take a swing at Howard, in his mind, and when he mouths off to the conductor, he’s beside himself. He came up against the world pretty hard.

Q.

You didn’t want to talk about this before the finale, but now that we’ve seen the resolution to Peggy’s arc, I knew that you couldn’t let her leave the show.

A.

Don’t dare me. [laughs] She’s still part of the show. So far. We want to know where she is in this world. I can’t tell you what’s planned for her, but there she was.

Q.

But that contrast between her and Don — those moments of their checking in with each other and the respect that he affords her are important to both characters.

A.

And his expressing his pain to her, of his regret, was a big step for him. But their lives have changed, right? There’s a new respect. He’s very frank with her and they’re much more like colleagues now that he doesn’t own her anymore.

Q.

I don’t know if you get involved at this micro level, but was it hard to find dog trainers for this episode?

A.

Of course I do. That stunt in particular, the animal wranglers who did that, they assured us it could happen. And it happened in one take. It was the easiest. I was prepared to be there for the night and it was the last night of shooting, and we went down to this location that we made look like the parking lot of this Holiday Inn. It was incredible to me — these dogs have been waiting for that moment their whole lives. We got what we needed, they got their treat, it was over.

Q.

I assume that, with whatever else is in store for next season, there will definitely be some new set designs coming?

A.

There is that second floor — I don’t know how new it’s going to be. But it’s fun to hear them talking about it as a lie to gain business, and now here they are, really having it. I hope that that “Avengers”-type pose lets you know how separate they are in this new success.

Q.

You’ve still got a movie to finish filming. How long do you have before you have to start thinking about the show again?

A.

I actually go open the writers’ room in July. So it’s not that long. The movie is helping, but I always try to give myself as much time as possible to heal from the experience and recharge the batteries and get back into whatever is next. It’s really important for me to not think about it. It’s been a very satisfying experience to come back after being off the air all that time, and to go to this next phase of Don’s life. I feel like we really took a huge risk and I’m very excited that the audience came along. I’m sure when we’re midway through next season, they’ll be talking about how much better this season was. [laughs]