Critics commended John Slattery for his directing work. It was met with rave reviews, with many commentators calling it the best episode of the season so far. 'Signal 30' received 2.69 million viewers and a 1.0 in the coveted 18-49 demographic. The film, shown widely to high school students across the country during the 1960s, was produced by the Ohio State Highway Patrol and takes its name from the police radio code used by that agency for a fatal traffic accident. The episode's title is derived from the infamous 1959 driving safety film of the same name, which Pete Campbell is required to watch as part of his driver's education class.

Pete's emasculation continues after a routine office meeting ends in fisticuffs. Pete discovers that Ken is writing science fiction under a pseudonym, which angers Roger Sterling. Business and pleasure converge on each other at both a dinner party thrown by the Campbells and a misguided whorehouse visit intended to woo a client. The episode takes place between July 1966 and August 1966, with references to the 1966 World Cup Final, the Charles Whitman shooting rampage, and the crash of Braniff Flight 250. It originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on April 15, 2012. It was written by series creator and executive producer Matthew Weiner and writer Frank Pierson, and directed by main cast member John Slattery. ' Signal 30' is the fifth episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series Mad Men and the 57th episode of the series overall. Lane Pryce ( Jared Harris) and Pete Campbell ( Vincent Kartheiser) prepare to fight as Bertram ( Robert Morse), Roger ( John Slattery), and Don ( Jon Hamm) look on during the climax of 'Signal 30'.

Signal 23 climax