Television Review: At the Codfish Ball (Mad Men, S5x07, 2012)
At the Codfish Ball (S5x07)
Airdate: 29 April 2012
Written by: Jonathan Igla
Directed by: Matthew Uppendahl
Running Time: 48 minutes
"Show, don't tell" is a principle that has served many film and television authors very well; Mad Men is not an exception, and one of the best examples can be seen near the end of Season 5 episode At the Codfish Ball, when a single image manages to connect various character and storylines strands in a way that any kind of explicit verbal exposition could not.
The title of the episode is borrowed from a 1936 novelty song, best known for Shirley Temple's dance and song number in the Classic Hollywood film Captain January. Shirley Temple is actually named as a reference in the episode, and her character equivalent is Sally Draper, who, among many things, has to deal with the issues of puberty and adulthood. The episode begins when she receives a call from some of the ghosts of her past – Glen Bishop, an eccentric and potentially disturbed boy with whom she remained good friends despite her mother’s hostility; during that very call, Pauline, who babysat her, slips and breaks an ankle.
This means Sally and her brother would have to go to New York City and stay with Don and Megan, creating some problems for Don because he also had to host his father-in-law Émile Calvet (Ronald Guttman) and his wife Marie (Julia Ormond) who arrived from Montreal. Émile is an academic and he came to New York to try publish a book; he is also a Marxist who despises capitalism, and, consequently, his son-in-law, while encouraging his daughter to try career different than advertising, is marked by troubled fights over his infidelity.
Megan, who is actually very serious about her job, gets a brilliant idea for a new Heinz campaign. When her and Don meet Geigers at business lunch, Geiger's wife Alice (Robin Pearson Rose), discreetly warns her that Heinz will give up on SCDP. In desperation, Megan warns Don who decides to pitch her idea at the very lunch instead of a formal meeting. Ronald Geiger is so impressed that he accepts the deal, and Megan is next day triumphantly greeted by her colleagues.
However, in the meantime, Roger, who is still riding high on his recent LSD experience and decision to leave Jane, is meeting his ex wife Mona. He asks her to help him meet prospective clients at the American Cancer Society gala where Don is about to receive an award for his anti-smoking op ed. Mona agrees and Don, Megan, her parents go there, accompanied by Sally who serves as Roger’s "date". During the course of the evening, Emile criticises Megan over abandoning her acting ambitions, and Ed Baxter tells Don that, while the business establishment publicly supports his anti-smoking stance, they won't forgive him for the ad. Sally briefly ventures in one of back rooms and takes a glimpse Roger receiving fellatio from Marie.When everyone returns at the table, with exception of Roger, they look miserable.
In a parallel storyline, Peggy becomes worried about next date with Abe, who insisted to meet her over the weekday, which means that he wants to tell her something important. This would mean either break-up or marriage proposal. Abe actually wants neither – he just proposes that two of them start living together, which Peggy enthusiastically accepts. Two of them later invite Peggy’s mother Katharine on lunch to tell her the news, but she reacts negatively, because, as devout Catholic, she can't accept her daughter to live in sin.
The episode ends with another phone conversation between Sally and Glen, during which she describes New York City as "dirty." This line encapsulates the thematic core of the episode: the loss of innocence and the inevitable grime of the adult world.
Although less experimental and more conventional than previous episode, At the Codfish Ball generally maintains generally high quality of the series; writing by Jonathan Igla is very good, and direction by Michael Uppendahl is also impressive, especially in the final image where characters sit on the table, each miserable in his or her special way. If there is a major flaw in the episode, it is return of Glen, whose presence some viewers might explain with nepotism and Matthew Weiner's desire to have his son Marten appear on screen, even when his character's presence isn't exactly warranted. The episode also plays with themes of sexuality in a ways that might make some audiences uncomfortable; Sally wants to arrive at gala wearing makeup and provocative boots – idea which is automatically nixed by her father; yet, Sally inadvertetntly gets exposed to adult sexuality in the scene, which, while not exactly unprecedented and probably very tame for today's streaming services standard, looked shockingly explicit and caused some complaints from more prudish segments of the audience.
The side storyline about Peggy moving in with Abe is also working well; it illustrates the immense social changes in America between 1966 and 1960, with newer version of Peggy being confident enough to defy tradition and her mother her older self never would. Abe eating ham also defines him as secular rather than observant Jew, and he shares abandonment of strict tradition with Peggy.
RATING: 7/10 (+++)
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