"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.
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
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 Emile (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, Emile 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 arrives for dinner with Abe in a new dress, 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.