# Mad-Men: 5.07 "At the Codfish Ball" (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 30, 2012, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-5-07-at-the-codfish-ball-open-spoilers/620380 "2012-04-30T01:50:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-5-07-at-the-codfish-ball-open-spoilers/620380/21 "2012-04-30T16:20:43Z")
This episode also had more foreshadowing that SDCP is not going to survive, when Ray Wise told Don that none of these big hitters at the ACS gala would ever work with him. They are getting a trickling of small clients. They were excited to get Heinz Baked Beans, not Heinz just Heinz baked Beans, an old fashioned somewhat backward looking client. They got Mohawk, which isn’t long for this world. What I thought was interesting in the client dinner/meeting was how Don’s first instinct was to buy some alcohol and try and shmooze. Why? Because that’s how it has always been done. It took Megan to realize that that was not the way to go. Don’s instincts, which have served him so well in the past are now failing him. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-5-07-at-the-codfish-ball-open-spoilers/620380/22 "2012-04-30T16:29:19Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > I didn’t think Sally saying the city was ‘dirty’ was hilarious at all. There was a hint of genuine sorrow and disillusionment in her voice. > > I felt sorry for her, after having to see that grossness. She had, earlier, so enjoyed being at the dinner, feeling grownup, learning how to act less of a child. All part of the dismantling of one’s childhood innocence. Sally wants to feel grown-up, but real life grown-up stuff isn’t all make-up and go-go boots. She’s coming of age, and that’s what a lot of this episode was about. Of course her situation wasn’t “hilarious” but the way that last scene was edited definitely was meant to add some humor to the situation. The black-screen cut right after she said “Dirty” was perfect comic timing by the editor. Much like if you’ve ever seen really good improv, the person running the lights will cut to black on just the right “end line.” How about instead of “hilarious” we use Sepinwall’s description of the scene as being “[darkly amusing](http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/whats-alan-watching/posts/review-mad-men-at-the-codfish-ball-the-dirty-city).” ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-5-07-at-the-codfish-ball-open-spoilers/620380/23 "2012-04-30T16:32:37Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > I found it kind of ridiculous that Roger was getting his bj behind an unlocked door in this big room sitting in a chair right on the center of the room. In reality they would have been a lot more discreet. He had his back to the door— what more do you expect a guy to do? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-5-07-at-the-codfish-ball-open-spoilers/620380/24 "2012-04-30T16:39:48Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > I found it kind of ridiculous that Roger was getting his bj behind an unlocked door in this big room sitting in a chair right on the center of the room. In reality they would have been a lot more discreet. Like nailing Joan in an outdoor stairwell? Discretion isn’t a big part of Roger’s sexual lexicon. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-5-07-at-the-codfish-ball-open-spoilers/620380/25 "2012-04-30T17:09:29Z")
> [@Implicit](#): > > Most compelling were the supportive gestures from Joan to Peggy and then Peggy to Megan. Solidarity was a key ingredient in the advancement of feminism after all. How did you take Megan’s reaction to Peggy and Peggy’s reaction to the reaction? Megan had other stuff going on in her head during Peggy’s (I feel genuine) “good job” speech, so I think Megan came off as unappreciative and receptive whether she was or not. As much as Peggy’s speech was congratulating Megan it was also backward praise for herself for paving the way. Peggy’s reaction shot after Megan walked away was definitely hurt and confused. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-5-07-at-the-codfish-ball-open-spoilers/620380/26 "2012-04-30T17:10:07Z")
I cannot \*wait \*until Megan finds out. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-5-07-at-the-codfish-ball-open-spoilers/620380/27 "2012-04-30T17:47:53Z")
The Codfish Ball title just [clicked](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpqt3zgdYUw). Way before my time, so forgive me if that was obvious to you. Roger’s drink order for Sally was not just practical, realistic, and charming then, but also a wink and a nudge for guys like me. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-5-07-at-the-codfish-ball-open-spoilers/620380/28 "2012-04-30T18:00:52Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > The Codfish Ball title just [clicked](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpqt3zgdYUw). Way before my time, so forgive me if that was obvious to you. Roger’s drink order for Sally was not just practical, realistic, and charming then, but also a wink and a nudge for guys like me. I know! And when I knew the title of this episode, I flashed right back to an utterly charming and adorable Disney cartoon sing-along version of “The Codfish Ball”. Its right there on Youtube! 🙂 and now I can’t get that darn song out of my head! ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-5-07-at-the-codfish-ball-open-spoilers/620380/29 "2012-04-30T18:04:11Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > The Codfish Ball title just [clicked](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpqt3zgdYUw). Way before my time, so forgive me if that was obvious to you. Roger’s drink order for Sally was not just practical, realistic, and charming then, but also a wink and a nudge for guys like me. Please explain the title. I’m stuck at the garage and can’t watch YouTube videos on my phone. Also please explain the “wink/nudge” reference, too. Thanks. (I’m going to be here for hours and will leave poor. ☹ ) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-5-07-at-the-codfish-ball-open-spoilers/620380/30 "2012-04-30T18:38:04Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > It just occurred that Sally had two big adventures with two step grandmas who could hardly be more different (her stepfather’s mother and her stepmother’s mother). And in fact the show was bookended with Sally watching each step-grandma go down in her own way. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-5-07-at-the-codfish-ball-open-spoilers/620380/31 "2012-04-30T18:42:36Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > The Codfish Ball title just [clicked](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpqt3zgdYUw). Way before my time, so forgive me if that was obvious to you. Roger’s drink order for Sally was not just practical, realistic, and charming then, but also a wink and a nudge for guys like me. Thanks for explaining this! Having never watched a Shirley Temple movie I would never have gotten that in 6,080 years of trying and thought it was either a reference to the fish that was being served or that I’d missed some piece of dialogue that explained it. (I _did_ miss the first three or four minutes here and there- was there any reference to Shirley Temple other than the drink?) ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-5-07-at-the-codfish-ball-open-spoilers/620380/32 "2012-04-30T18:47:27Z")
> [@shy\_guy](#): > > …One question - where was Glenn? A summer camp? It looked awful. And at the end, was he wearing _just_ a winter coat? Buh? I think he’s at school–it’s autumn 1966 now. Need to watch the episode again; somebody says they saw a “Hotchkiss” shirt. His mother remarried. If you were Glenn’s stepfather, wouldn’t _you_ want to send him to boarding school? ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-5-07-at-the-codfish-ball-open-spoilers/620380/33 "2012-04-30T19:52:36Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > I think it had something to do with the fact that earlier in the episode, they said that Sally didn’t eat fish, and they made the kids pasta for dinner. But here she was, all dressed up at a ball and she tried fish; she is becoming a grown up. Exactly. It’s a big change from the Thanksgiving episode last season where she literly spit the food Betty was force feeding out at the table. Regarding Sally’s go-go boots & makeup; I thought she looked adorable. I can see how Don would think it inappropriate and Megan (who obviously helped Sally pick her outfit out & do her makeup) would. Dr Calvert’s comment about Sally “spreading her _legs_ and flying away” didn’t help. It sure was funny though. 🙂 > [@Mr\_Downtown](#): > > …And how is Sally getting away with LONG DISTANCE phone calls to Glenn? I don’t think Sally understands what exactly what long distance is or realizes she’s going to be caught. We don’t know how long she’s been doing this either. Even if she’s been doing it longer than a month it’s possible that the Francises haven’t noticed yet. I can buy that they just have their accountant paying their bills & neither actually looks that their phone bill; just the bank statement saying a check of X was issued to the phone company. She’ll probally get caught at Don’s though. [QUOTE=drastic\_quench] …re: shacking up and the times: I got it much worse from my parents in the early 2000s, and I was only shacked up AFTER the proposal. Sheesh! [/QUOTE] What exactly did Peggy think would happen with that dinner? :dubious: Of course her mother would be outraged; and Peggy didn’t help by setting her mother up for news of an engagement. On the plus side at least Abe will be able to answer the phone now. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-5-07-at-the-codfish-ball-open-spoilers/620380/34 "2012-04-30T20:20:26Z")
Glenn says he should be studying for trig, but Sally also says “aren’t you going back to the same camp next summer?” That made me think he was at camp. But, Sally might be talking about a camp he was at in the summer before boarding school started, where he met the girl that he just broke up with. So he is in boarding school and the reference to camp was about the girl not his current locale. [Hotchkiss](http://www.hotchkiss.org/) is a boarding school in CT. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-5-07-at-the-codfish-ball-open-spoilers/620380/35 "2012-04-30T20:22:35Z")
The Charles Whitman shooting was 8/1/66. So it’s the tail end of summer by now. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-5-07-at-the-codfish-ball-open-spoilers/620380/36 "2012-04-30T21:14:39Z")
As mentioned, I missed about four minutes off and on during the show (due to a mini dryer crisis). Why didn’t the baby come with Sally and Bobby? ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-5-07-at-the-codfish-ball-open-spoilers/620380/37 "2012-04-30T21:32:30Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > As mentioned, I missed about four minutes off and on during the show (due to a mini dryer crisis). Why didn’t the baby come with Sally and Bobby? Baby Gene was with Betty and her husband wherever it was they went to. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-5-07-at-the-codfish-ball-open-spoilers/620380/38 "2012-04-30T21:57:41Z")
Michigan. ---
**Author:** ![PigArcher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@PigArcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigArcher)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-5-07-at-the-codfish-ball-open-spoilers/620380/39 "2012-04-30T22:33:50Z")
Did they ever say what Dr. Calvet is a professor of? Economics maybe? It’s strongly implied that he’s some sort of Marxist. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-5-07-at-the-codfish-ball-open-spoilers/620380/40 "2012-04-30T23:11:04Z")
> [@kenetic](#): > > Did they ever say what Dr. Calvet is a professor of? Economics maybe? It’s strongly implied that he’s some sort of Marxist. I think either economics or political science. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-5-07-at-the-codfish-ball-open-spoilers/620380.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-5-07-at-the-codfish-ball-open-spoilers/620380.md?page=3)