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"At the Codfish Ball"
Mad Men episode
(from left to right) Émile Calvet (Ronald Guttman), Marie Calvet (Julia Ormond), Megan (Jessica Paré), Don (Jon Hamm), and Sally Draper (Kiernan Shipka) reflect on recent events at the American Cancer Society dinner.
Episode no.Season 5
Episode 7
Directed byMichael Uppendahl
Written byJonathan Igla
Original air dateApril 29, 2012 (2012-04-29)
Running time48 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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Mad Men season 5
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"At the Codfish Ball" is the seventh episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series Mad Men and the 59th episode of the series overall.

The episode is named after the 1936 popular novelty song of the same name by Lew Pollack and Sidney Mitchell. The song recorded by artists of the era including Mae Questel, Bob Crosby, and Tommy Dorsey, as well as decades later by Maria Muldaur. It was featured in a song and dance routine performed by Shirley Temple in the 1936 film Captain January.[1]

The episode was written by Jonathan Igla and directed by Michael Uppendahl. It originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on April 29, 2012. This episode takes place from late September to early October 1966. In the episode, Megan comes up with a last-minute pitch to save the Heinz account. Peggy thinks Abe is going to propose to her, but he instead suggests they move in together, a decision that does not go over well with her mother. The extended Draper family convenes to attend a banquet in which Don is honored by the American Cancer Society. At the banquet, Sally is exposed to the world of adults. "At the Codfish Ball" was watched by 2.31 million viewers, a decline from the previous episode. It pulled in 700,000 viewers in the 18–49 demographic. Nevertheless, the episode was well received by television critics.

Plot

[edit]

Sally Draper (Kiernan Shipka) calls Glen Bishop (Marten Weiner) to complain about Pauline Francis (Pamela Dunlap), who is babysitting her and Bobby while the rest of the family is on vacation, calling her step-grandmother "Bluto" and saying she smells like a toilet. Pauline trips on the telephone cord outside the door and falls.

Don (Jon Hamm) hauls Megan's parents' luggage into the apartment. Her father Émile (Ronald Guttman) and mother Marie (Julia Ormond), visiting from Montreal, argue in French. Megan (Jessica Paré) asks them to speak English. Don takes a phone call from Sally about Pauline's accident. Later, during dinner while Don is absent, Émile criticizes Don and Megan takes offense. Don arrives with the kids, saying that Pauline broke her ankle. Sally says that Pauline tripped over a toy, and Don praises his daughter for how she handled the situation. Marie excuses herself from dinner. Megan goes to check on her and, finding her mother asleep with a burning cigarette still in hand, sadly takes the flammable object away and leaves her alone to slumber.

Roger (John Slattery) and his ex-wife Mona (Talia Balsam) meet, and he tells her about how his recent LSD experience has changed his life. He requests her assistance arranging meetings with prospective clients he will be meeting at an upcoming American Cancer Society dinner to honor Don for his published anti-smoking letter. She knows about his forthcoming divorce and is amused by it, but implies she will help him out with business anyway.

The next day, Megan approaches Don with an idea for the Heinz campaign: a mother serving her child beans in various historical contexts, from caveman times through to the future. They discuss different tag lines, and an excited Don tells Stan Rizzo (Jay R. Ferguson) and Michael Ginsberg (Ben Feldman) about the idea. Abe Drexler (Charlie Hofheimer) calls Peggy (Elisabeth Moss) and insists on meeting her for dinner. Stan and Ginsberg complain about the last-minute Heinz change but Stan admits it's better than anything they'd come up with before.

Peggy tells Joan (Christina Hendricks) she thinks Abe is going to break up with her over dinner, but Joan tells her that perhaps he is going to propose to her, telling her that if he breaks up with her she already knows her response, but if he is going to propose, that she needs to have her answer prepared, especially if it is no. Peggy, in a new dress, arrives for dinner with Abe, who doesn't ask if she will marry him but rather if she would like to move in together. She hesitates but says "I do".

At a dinner with Heinz, Megan learns the Heinz client, Raymond Geiger (John Sloman), is planning to fire the agency. She secretly tells this to Don and prompts him to pitch the new concept at the table. Raymond is impressed and finally gives the plan a thumbs-up. Later in a cab, Don lavishes his wife with praise and kisses. Since their apartment is currently crowded, she suggests they have sex at the office.

The next morning, Peggy tells Joan that she and Abe are moving in together, worried that Joan will be disappointed for her. Joan calls it a romantic notion and suggests marriage may be overrated, noting that Greg had decided his commitment to the U.S. Army is more important than his commitment to her. Ken Cosgrove (Aaron Staton) recounts the Heinz meeting to everyone in the conference room, but Harry Crane takes credit he doesn't deserve, while Pete Campbell notes they still are out of thousands of dollars spent wooing Heinz. Don credits his wife, who calls it beginner's luck. Peggy congratulates Megan, telling her "This is as good as this job gets." Megan looks melancholic, not being enthusiastic about it as she is being told she should be.

The next day, Sally asks her father if she can go to the awards dinner. Émile and Marie quarrel again, and Megan lets Don know that her father is cheating on her mother.

That evening, Roger arrives and Marie helps him with his bow tie. Sally shows off her dress. Don tells his daughter to remove her makeup and go-go boots before they leave, with Émile making a comment about daughters growing up. Later in the award room Don affectionately tells her that she is a beautiful girl who will one day wear makeup but not tonight.

Peggy and Abe prepare dinner at her apartment. Her mother Katherine (Myra Turley) arrives, and Peggy tells her that she and Abe are moving in together. Katherine opposes the idea and says she would rather Peggy just lie about it. She tells Peggy that Abe is just using her as practice before he decides to marry and have a family with another woman in the future, and snidely advises her to just "get a cat" if she's lonely.

At the ACS dinner, Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser) introduces Don and Megan to Ed Baxter (Ray Wise), Ken’s father-in-law. Ed compliments Don's talent and Megan's contribution to the Heinz campaign. Roger shows a genuine side when he spends the night with Sally on his arm, telling her about the event's attendees; Marie watches him from across the room. Later at the bar, Marie approaches Roger. Meanwhile, Émile tells Megan she has changed, that her marriage to Don has ultimately allowed her to take a shortcut in life instead of working for it, reminding her of her acting dreams she was once so driven about. She rebuffs him but is visibly bothered by this truth. Sally later enters a room down the hall and sees Marie fellating Roger. Back in the showroom, Ed tells Don the companies at the event love his talent and will shower him with awards but, because of the letter he wrote against Lucky Strike, will never hire him. Don looks stunned. As he returns to the table and rejoins Megan, her parents, and Sally, they each look crestfallen.

Back at Don’s apartment while everyone is sleeping, Sally sneaks out in her pajamas and calls Glen. He asks her how the city was and she replies “dirty”.

Reception

[edit]

Ratings

[edit]

"At the Codfish Ball" was viewed by 2.31 million viewers on the night of its original airing. It drew 700,000 viewers in the 18-49 demographic.[2]

Critical reception

[edit]

The episode received high praise from television critics. Alan Sepinwall of HitFix called the Draper Heinz pitch "a glorious moment", adding "the best Don Draper pitch in ages. It is also, unfortunately, the last moment in this terrific episode where the rug is pulled out from under someone and they respond remotely that well ... [the episode's] proper conclusion is that beautiful shot of Megan's parents, Megan, Don and Sally sitting around that fancy table, some combination of disappointment, pain, betrayal and disgust washing over all their faces."[3] The Hollywood Reporter's Tim Goodman stated: "There were a series of gears seamlessly interlocking in 'At the Codfish Ball,' an episode of Mad Men that very creatively dissected the way men talk to and interact with women and women talk to and interact with each other. It was a nuanced play on generations that also—separately—was funny, sexy and had a very intriguing idea dropped so casually into the mix [that companies don't want to work with Don] it could easily have gone unnoticed."[4]

Emily VanderWerff of The A.V. Club gave the episode an A− grade, adding "'At the Codfish Ball' is an episode brimming with scenes between parents and children—both real and imagined. If the fifth season of Mad Men has dealt with generational divides in a more abstract sense—the 'youth' movement versus the old guard—then 'At the Codfish Ball' dealt with this on a hyper-personal level."[5] Time magazine writer Nate Rawlings liked the episode's three solid plot lines for Peggy, Megan and Sally. About the latter two, he stated: "For the first 50 minutes of [the] episode, I thought this would be the chapter where Megan really came into her own. She ... out-Draper's [sic] Draper when the chips are on the table. She seems born for the job (and she’s even really sweet when Don's kids show up unexpectedly). But she’s also painfully aware that her parents aren't happy, either with each other or her chosen profession. Yet as bad as things seem for ... Megan, Sally's venture into the adult world could charitably be called a disappointment (traumatic experience is more like it)."[6]

Awards

[edit]

"At the Codfish Ball" was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series.[7]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

At the Codfish Ball

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
"At the Codfish Ball" is the seventh episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series and the 59th overall episode of the series. It was written by and directed by , and originally aired on AMC on April 29, 2012. In the episode, receives a visit from his in-laws and children as he prepares to accept a prestigious award, while SCDP faces a crisis with the ketchup account. Meanwhile, deals with professional pressures and takes Sally to the event.

Episode Overview

Synopsis

Don Draper receives an invitation to accept an award from the for his anti-smoking advocacy, highlighting ongoing family tensions as his daughter Sally accidentally causes her grandmother Pauline to trip over a cord and break her ankle while chatting with her friend on the phone. With Pauline sidelined, Sally is sent to stay with Don and his wife in their apartment over the weekend, where she observes glimpses of adult life, including rehearsing lines for a commercial audition. Meanwhile, at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, Megan Draper steps up to salvage the faltering account by pitching an innovative commercial concept inspired by a nostalgic dinner scene, emphasizing a timeless mother-son bond over the product to appeal across generations; Don refines her idea during a tense client , ultimately securing Geiger's approval and preserving the business relationship. In parallel, copywriter navigates personal upheaval when her boyfriend Abe Drexler invites her to and proposes they move in together, a decision she accepts despite her Catholic mother's vehement disapproval, who warns that without will leave Peggy unmarried and abandoned. Complicating matters, Megan's parents, Emile and Marie Calvet, arrive unexpectedly from , bringing marital discord and cultural clashes into Don and Megan's home, just as Sally settles in and witnesses further adult intricacies. The narrative builds to the prestigious codfish ball gala, where Don delivers a poignant anti-smoking speech to the audience, underscoring his evolving public persona, while Sally, dressed up and accompanying the group, inadvertently stumbles upon an illicit encounter between and Marie in a private room, shattering her innocence. In the resolution, family dynamics begin to mend as Don comforts a disillusioned Sally during their return home, fostering a rare moment of connection amid the weekend's chaos; professionally, Megan's triumph bolsters her confidence at the agency, while Peggy agrees to move in with Abe, navigating her mother's disapproval.

Cast and Crew

The episode features in the lead role as , who navigates family tensions while being honored with a prestigious award at the banquet, underscoring his evolving professional reputation. portrays in a centered on her , where she grapples with her relationship with boyfriend Abe Drexler and agrees to move in together. plays Megan Draper, who takes center stage in the Heinz account pitch by improvising a generational commercial concept that saves the campaign, while also demonstrating her performative skills in an audition-like office scene. appears as Sally Draper, accompanying her father to the banquet and inadvertently witnessing an intimate adult interaction between and Megan's mother. Recurring cast members include as Stan Rizzo, who contributes creative brainstorming during the high-stakes Heinz meeting, and as , whose frustrations with media department dynamics add tension to the account handling. Other notable appearances feature John Sloman as Raymond Geiger, the demanding Heinz executive whose dissatisfaction drives the episode's advertising conflict, and as Abe Drexler, whose radical views influence Peggy's decisions. This installment provides the first detailed glimpse into Draper's acting ambitions, as her instinctive in the pitch reveals underlying talents and desires beyond . On the crew side, directed the episode, employing elegant tracking shots and intimate framing to capture the opulence of the codfish ball banquet and the awkwardness of family dinner interactions. wrote the teleplay, crafting sharp dialogue that highlights generational clashes and marital strains, particularly in scenes involving the Calvet family.

Production

Development and Writing

, a on , penned the first draft of "At the Codfish Ball" on September 19, 2011, following an outline dated August 29, 2011, drawing from the show's extensive research into historical events to craft authentic period details. Igla integrated real 1966 developments, such as the escalating anti-smoking initiatives by the in response to the 1964 Surgeon General's report, which informed the episode's portrayal of Don Draper's public address and the advertising industry's shifting dynamics around tobacco. This approach aligned with the series' commitment to historical accuracy, incorporating contemporaneous advertising practices like client pitches and award ceremonies to ground the narrative in the era's professional culture. Show creator provided key input on balancing the episode's personal and professional subplots, emphasizing season 5's overarching themes of societal and individual change, including the rise of and eroding traditional manners. drew from the season's exploration of to a "new normal" amid cultural upheavals, ensuring subplots like family tensions and career ambitions reflected broader transformations without overshadowing character-driven storytelling. As the seventh episode, "At the Codfish Ball" served as a mid-season pivot, resolving tensions in the ongoing account storyline—where Don and Megan's collaborative pitch salvages the client relationship—while propelling character growth, particularly in Don's evolving public persona and family dynamics. 's oversight maintained the season's focus on and professional reinvention, informed by meticulous research into ad agency rituals, such as high-stakes pitches and industry accolades.

Filming and Design

The episode was primarily filmed at Los Angeles Center Studios in , where interior scenes such as those in the Draper apartment and Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce offices were constructed on soundstages to replicate mid-1960s New York environments. Practical locations were utilized for select exterior and dining sequences, including in for the intimate dinner involving Don, Megan, , and Marie Calvet, which contributed to the episode's authentic urban atmosphere. Costume designer Janie Bryant crafted outfits that captured the shifting fashions of the mid-1960s, particularly emphasizing Megan Draper's youthful, modern sensibility through mod-inspired dresses featuring shorter hemlines, bold silhouettes, and European influences like accordion-sleeved minis to reflect her Canadian roots and aspirational style. For the formal award event, Bryant's designs incorporated elegant , such as sophisticated gowns and tuxedos, that bridged traditional elegance with emerging era transitions, highlighting character dynamics through fabric choices like blends and structured tailoring. Production designer Dan Bishop's art direction for the episode earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Art Direction in a Single-Camera Series, recognizing the meticulous recreation of mid- domesticity and professional spaces. Set pieces like the Draper apartment, with its sunken floor and white carpeting, evoked a luxurious yet transitional lifestyle, while the Heinz meeting room within the SCDP offices utilized glass partitions and period-appropriate furnishings to convey corporate ambition and interpersonal tensions in a maturing office aesthetic. Cinematographer Christopher Manley served as director of photography, employing subtle lighting techniques throughout the episode to enhance visual storytelling in line with the series' signature style.

Title and Cultural Context

Origin of the Title

The title "At the Codfish Ball" originates from a composed in 1935 and first popularized in 1936. Music was written by Lew Pollack, with by Sidney D. Mitchell, and the tune debuted in the Corporation's musical Captain January, directed by David Butler. In the film, child actress , playing the orphaned Helen 'Star' Mason, performs the song in a lively tap-dance with dancer as Paul Roberts; the sequence features Temple in a sailor outfit, emphasizing the song's nautical whimsy. The lyrics evoke a surreal, joyful underwater gathering where fish don formal attire for a dance: "Next Friday night, you're all invited / Said the catfish to the crawfish at the door / To dance from eight to five, all the fishes still alive / At the codfish ball." This playful imagery of aquatic revelry lent itself to the era's escapist entertainment trends, as Captain January was released amid the ongoing Great Depression, when Shirley Temple's films offered audiences uplifting diversions through song and dance. The song quickly entered during the 1930s and 1940s, appearing in radio broadcasts, sales, and recordings that adapted its bouncy rhythm for swing ensembles. Notable covers included and His Clambake Seven's 1936 Victor Records version, featuring vocalist Edythe Wright, which captured the tune's fox-trot energy and helped propagate it in and settings. It also featured in later compilations, such as Disney's 1990 Sing-Along Songs: video series, where the Temple performance was repurposed to engage younger audiences with its infectious melody. For the Mad Men episode, the title draws directly from this song, which briefly appears in the opening scene, played on guitar, creating an ironic juxtaposition between the track's childlike innocence and the evening's adult tensions.

References to the Song

In the episode "At the Codfish Ball," which aired on April 29, 2012, as the seventh episode of the fifth , the 1936 song serves as the namesake for the central event: a formal banquet attended by and his associates, evoking a sense of mid-1960s through its reference to Depression-era entertainment. The dinner highlights interpersonal tensions among guests, including business pitches and family dynamics, without a literal performance of the song by attendees; instead, the title underscores the event's whimsical yet ironic formality amid the era's social shifts. The song's playful lyrics, depicting an underwater , create a symbolic contrast with the episode's darker undertones, particularly the anti-smoking organization's event juxtaposed against Don's past with clients, as well as underlying family strife like parental and generational clashes. This irony amplifies themes of disillusionment, where lighthearted nostalgia clashes with harsh adult realities, such as the professional fallout from Don's public anti-smoking letter. Production choices emphasized period authenticity by incorporating the song's title for the banquet, a decision aligned with the show's music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas's approach to selecting era-appropriate references that enhance immersion without direct playback. This licensing of the title and conceptual nod to the song's origins bolsters the 1966 setting's cultural texture, drawing from its film history in Captain January to parallel character experiences. A brief connection to the song's film legacy appears in Sally Draper's interactions, as the young character navigates the adult dinner environment, mirroring Shirley Temple's childlike innocence in the 1936 movie; this culminates in Sally's unintended exposure to explicit adult behavior when she interrupts Roger Sterling and Megan's mother, Marie Calvet, in a sexual encounter.

Themes and Analysis

Generational Dynamics

In the "At the Codfish Ball," Sally Draper's encounters underscore a poignant of adult hypocrisies through the lens of a child's disillusionment. Accompanying her father Don and stepmother to a formal benefit dinner, Sally inadvertently witnesses Megan's mother, Marie Calvet, performing oral sex on in a private room, an act that shatters her idealized view of the adult world. This incident highlights the generational gap where adults impose moral standards on youth while flouting them themselves. As analyzed in a study of trauma in , this exposure contributes to Sally's accumulating sense of betrayal by parental figures, prompting her to confide in family friend over the phone, describing as simply "dirty." Parental shortcomings further exacerbate these dynamics, particularly through Don's absenteeism and Megan's evolving career choices that defy mid-20th-century gender norms. Don's pride in receiving an advertising award brings Sally into a high-society environment, but his preoccupation with professional accolades leaves her unsupervised amid unfamiliar adults, culminating in her traumatic discovery; he later downplays the event to protect his image rather than addressing her distress. Meanwhile, Megan's dual role as a copywriter at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce and aspiring actress draws criticism from her father, Émile Calvet, who urges her to abandon the agency for a "respectable" artistic pursuit, viewing her office work as beneath her and a deviation from traditional wifely duties. This tension reflects broader failures in parental guidance, where Don's emotional unavailability and Megan's non-conformist path challenge the era's expectations of stable, authoritative family roles. Parallel conflicts emerge in Peggy Olson's relationship with her mother, , illustrating clashes between modern independence and entrenched Catholic values. When Peggy announces her purchase of a co-op apartment and her decision to live with boyfriend Abe Drexler, Katherine reacts with disdain, labeling the unmarried as mere "practice" for a proper and implying Abe's unsuitability due to his Jewish heritage and progressive views. This exchange encapsulates a mother-daughter rift rooted in generational differences: Peggy's embrace of urban autonomy and professional success versus Katherine's adherence to conservative religious norms that prioritize matrimony and domestic stability. As noted in critiques, Katherine's rebukes stem from lived experience of similar disappointments, yet they only widen the divide, leaving Peggy to navigate her choices without familial endorsement. These interpersonal tensions are situated within the broader context of youth rebellion against postwar conformity, influencing character behaviors amid accelerating . By , the setting of the episode, the counterculture's rise—marked by challenges to , sexual liberation, and shifting structures—mirrors the characters' struggles, as younger figures like Sally and Peggy confront the hypocrisies of their elders' generation, shaped by and the early . Mad Men's portrayal in season 5 highlights this era's "end of an era" for traditional hierarchies, where adult indulgences (such as Marie's affair) parallel the decade's growing licentiousness, while youth like Sally seek authenticity beyond parental facades. This generational unrest, though not fully revolutionary in the characters' lives, underscores the episode's exploration of disillusionment as a catalyst for personal evolution.

Professional and Personal Conflicts

In the episode "At the Codfish Ball," Don Draper's receipt of an award from the American Cancer Society for his anti-smoking stance serves as professional validation, yet it underscores his personal isolation amid family tensions. The honor, stemming from his bold New York Times letter denouncing tobacco, positions him as an industry iconoclast, but at the banquet, Don feels sidelined by Megan's French-speaking parents, who critique American capitalism and exclude him linguistically, highlighting the emotional distance in his marriage despite outward success. This juxtaposition intensifies with the simultaneous Heinz crisis, where the agency's secret pitch for Heinz Ketchup threatens to alienate their longstanding baked beans client, Raymond Geiger, forcing Don to navigate ethical tightropes in client relations. Megan's pivotal role in salvaging the account reveals the strains of her evolving professional identity and her aspirations to transition from to . Over dinner with the Heinz executives, Megan overhears plans to drop the agency and devises a nostalgic pitch centered on unchanging mother-son rituals across generations—"a mother and a child at dinner, that will never change"—which Don delivers successfully, crediting her insight. This triumph, however, amplifies her disillusionment with advertising's superficiality, as her father Émile condemns her involvement as a of her artistic dreams and socialist roots, foreshadowing marital friction with Don, who initially celebrates her contributions but grapples with her shifting priorities. Her success thus blurs the lines between professional acclaim and personal sacrifice, straining their relationship as she contemplates leaving the agency for . Peggy Olson's arc embodies the clash between career ambition and romantic partnership, particularly as she navigates her relationship with Abe Drexler amid a potential and workplace advancement. Expecting during dinner, Peggy is surprised when Abe instead suggests they move in together in a gritty neighborhood to embrace authenticity, a decision she accepts despite her mother's vehement opposition and her own upward mobility at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. This personal commitment coincides with professional recognition, as Peggy mentors Megan through the Heinz pitch and receives implied validation in her role, yet it exposes tensions: Abe's bohemian ideals conflict with her drive for stability and success in the male-dominated ad world. The episode's exploration of in , exemplified by the pitches, mirrors the characters' personal facades and the industry's reliance on illusion. The agency's covert pursuit of the Heinz account without informing the team exemplifies professional duplicity, as Don and 's improvisational beans pitch—framed as timeless nostalgia—manipulates client emotions to retain business, much like the idealized family images sold to consumers. This thematic parallel extends to individual lives, where Don masks vulnerability behind accolades, Megan hides her ambitions under wifely duties, and Peggy projects confidence amid relational uncertainty, illustrating how work's performative deceptions infiltrate private spheres.

Reception

Viewership and Ratings

The episode "At the Codfish Ball" aired on April 29, 2012, on AMC, drawing 2.31 million total viewers and a 0.7 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic. This figure marked a decline from the previous episode's 2.66 million viewers and the season premiere's 3.54 million viewers (for the two-hour premiere) but aligned with mid-season averages for the series. Live-plus-seven day metrics for the season showed strong DVR usage, with season averages increasing to 4.2 million viewers. Airing in the competitive Sunday night time slot at 10 p.m. ET/PT, the episode faced significant broadcast competition, including ABC's (9.2 million viewers, 3.0 rating in adults 18-49) and CBS's (8.6 million viewers, 2.6 rating in adults 18-49), which dominated the evening's overall viewership. Season 5 overall achieved the highest viewership in history, averaging strong performance across episodes despite the challenging cable landscape.

Critical Response

The episode garnered widespread praise from critics for its nuanced exploration of family dynamics and interpersonal tensions. Emily VanDerWerff of awarded it an A- grade, lauding the subtle character development in parent-child interactions and the skillful direction in building emotional tension through unexpected narrative turns. In , Ginia Bellafante highlighted the episode's effective incorporation of 1966 historical context, including casual smoking as a period detail—such as Megan extinguishing her mother's to avert a —and the era's evolving social norms. Critics offered some reservations, with of HitFix (now Uproxx) noting that while Don's arc was compelling, certain subplots, including Peggy's personal transitions, felt somewhat underdeveloped amid the episode's broader focus on generational conflicts. Similarly, Eric Goldman of described the narrative as occasionally meandering, with a few scenes appearing to serve filler rather than advancing secondary storylines. Overall, the episode was well-regarded, reflected in its 8.7/10 IMDb rating from over 2,900 user votes, signaling strong professional consensus on its execution despite minor critiques of pacing.

Awards and Nominations

"At the Codfish Ball," the seventh episode of Mad Men season 5, received a nomination for the 64th Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series. The nomination recognized production designer Dan Bishop, art director Christopher L. Brown, and set decorator Claudette Didul for their work recreating the 1960s period setting, particularly in scenes depicting a formal dinner event and Don Draper's new apartment. The award ultimately went to for the episode "Peg of Old," highlighting the competitive field of period dramas in . Despite not securing a win, the nomination underscored the episode's strong production values, with noting in interviews that the visual storytelling through set design and , including the apartment's modern minimalist aesthetic, played a key role in its recognition. This accolade contributed to season 5's total of 17 Primetime Emmy nominations, the most for any series that year, though the season itself yielded no wins. The episode's nod emphasized its success in authentically capturing mid-century American social and professional environments, aligning with the series' broader acclaim for historical accuracy.

References

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  37. https://archive.nytimes.com/artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/30/mad-men-recap-season-5-episode-6-mother-issues-and-a-proposal-of-sorts/
  38. https://www.ign.com/articles/2012/04/30/mad-men-at-the-codfish-ball-review
  39. https://www.televisionacademy.com/awards/nominees-winners/2012/outstanding-art-direction-for-a-single-camera-series
  40. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/emmy-nominations-american-horror-story-downton-abbey-mad-men-351698/
  41. http://blogs.amctv.com/mad-men/2012/09/dan-bishop-interview.php
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