S5E7 – 'At the Codfish Ball'

S5E7 – 'At the Codfish Ball'

From Mad Men Men by InBetweenDrafts

March 18, 2026 · 49 min · Season 5 · Episode 7

About this episode

The episode explores themes of growing up and disappointment through family dynamics and professional experiences.

On this week’s Mad Men Men, we unpack "At the Codfish Ball." The episode centers on dinners, children, in-laws, and professional wins. More importantly, it asks what growing up really means. Usually, it means learning how badly adults can disappoint you. We talk about Megan as her own person, not just Don’s fantasy. We also explore how the episode uses her family to sharpen that point. Her father resents Don for political and personal reasons. Her mother reads everyone in seconds and acts on it. And Don, for once, feels like a stranger in his own home. Meanwhile, Peggy sees what success looks like when someone else gets it first. Then Roger treats spiritual enlightenment like a new sport coat. And Sally gets one of the show’s best storylines. She starts to see that adulthood does not mean sophistication. Instead, it means mess, compromise, and contamination. Along the way, we dig into the Heinz beans pitch. We also talk about the sadness of professional validation. Then we get into Roger’s post-LSD self-regard and the comic horror of Glenn. Finally, we explain why this episode feels quieter than "Far Away Places" but hits just as hard. Every social ritual…

People in this episode

Host: InBetweenDrafts

Topics covered

  • growing up
  • family dynamics
  • professional success
  • disappointment
  • adulthood
  • social rituals

Keywords

  • Mad Men
  • Megan
  • Don
  • Peggy
  • Roger
  • Sally
  • Heinz
  • adulthood
  • social rituals

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Heinz

Books & works: At the Codfish Ball, Far Away Places

More episodes of Mad Men Men

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Mad Men Men podcast page.