Mad Men is filled with some fantastic characters - some good people, some bad people, and a lot of in-between characters. Pete is one of those in-between characters as he often veers into the "bad" camp. Pete is one of the most complex characters on the show, beginning his story arc as a bratty, spoiled, and entitled kid who thinks himself more important than he actually is and ends it as a studious family man looking to make up for past mistakes.

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It's a wonderful bit of character development, and as annoying and unbearable as he may be, there are some instances where the audience can't help feeling a little bad for him.

His Awful Office

Pete's crappy office

Pete is one of the biggest players at SCDP, and while his name isn't on the door, he is of monumental importance in terms of the company's business. While fans may disagree with Pete during his whiney moments, he does have a point in wanting a better office for the sake of entertaining clients. His original office was quite bad - small, windowless, and with a massive support beam that proves both annoying and dangerous (as shown when Pete accidentally tripped into it and nearly broke his nose).

Going Bald

Vincent Kartheiser's shaved hairline

Pete's receding hairline is made one of the biggest visual jokes of the later seasons. And while it's mostly played for laughs, there is a small degree of sympathy to be garnered from the situation - especially considering Pete's relatively young age. In the beginning of the series, Pete has a beautiful head of hair and a solid hairline. By season seven, his hairline has significantly retreated and he has grown some less-than-remarkable sideburns that don't do him any favors.

The Dripping Faucet

Pete Signal 30

If some fans never felt bad for Pete Campbell, then that probably changed with season five's "Signal 30." Often hailed as one of the greatest episodes of the show, "Signal 30" mostly concerns the emasculation of Pete. At home, Pete is emasculated when Don upstages him and fixes his sink. At work, Pete is emasculated when Lane handily beats him in a fistfight. And he's even emasculated in driving school when a younger, more attractive man begins flirting with the woman that Pete proved interested in.

"I Have Nothing, Don."

I have nothing

"Signal 30" also contains one of the most brutal lines in Mad Men history. After having been beaten up by Lane, a bruised and battered Pete enters the elevator with Don and begins to cry. He then utters, "I have nothing, Don," offering both Don and the audience a glimpse into his shallow, empty life.

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Pete seemingly has it all - a beautiful wife, a loving family, a good home, and a good job. But it does nothing for him, and like many characters throughout Mad Men, he remains deeply unhappy and unfulfilled.

Watching Beth Wither Away

Beth and Pete

On one hand, Pete's brief fling with Beth is not very sympathetic, considering Pete is cheating on Trudy. But on the other hand, this storyline culminates in a beautifully tragic fashion. Beth admits to Pete that she is going to undergo electric shock therapy, and when Pete visits her at the hospital, she doesn't remember who he is. It's devastating for Pete to see his fling resorted to a mere shell of her former self,  and it leads to a beautiful speech in which Pete admits his transgressions and the empty feelings he's been experiencing.

Sabotaged By Bob

Mad Men General Motors

While it's mostly played for laughs, it was still somewhat upsetting watching Pete be so thoroughly humiliated in the meeting with Chevy. Pete and Bob Benson were constantly at each others' throats, and it culminated in Bob asking Pete to drive a fancy car in front of the Chevy execs - knowing full well that Pete doesn't know how to operate a manual car. Pete was forced into either not driving the car and upsetting the Chevy execs or attempting to drive it and causing a disaster. He went with the latter, and it proved suitably disastrous.

Listening To Music By Himself

Pete Campbell

Mad Men knew how to craft a stellar season finale, and season five's The Phantom may be the best of them all. The episode ends with a spectacular montage set to Nancy Sinatra's "You Only Live Twice," and one of the images that audiences see is the tragic sight of Pete sitting alone and listening to music through headphones. Like "Signal 30," this one single shot establishes Pete's character in a wonderful, and ultimately tragic, manner. Despite his seemingly perfect life, Pete shuts out the world around him and wallows in loneliness and misery.

Dumping Clearasil

Pete tries telling Tom

Going into business with family must be incredibly tricky, and Pete learned that first hand when he was forced to drop Clearasil. Pete controls the Clearasil account, as it is run by his father-in-law, Tom Vogel.

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However, when SCDP acquires the bigger and more profitable Ponds through Freddy Rumsen, Pete is forced to drop Clearasil (and his father-in-law) owing to a conflict of interest. And while Pete doesn't tackle the problem in the nicest and most amicable manner, being put in that position must have been truly terrible.

His Good Ideas Are Ignored

pete campbell

For all his problems, Pete is actually quite the forward thinker. In season three's "The Fog," both Pete and Paul realize that Admiral Television is doing well in the African American market. As such, Pete wishes to advertise directly to black consumers. This being the early 1960s, the idea does not go over well. Pete is chastised by both Admiral executives and Bert Cooper for his suggestion, with the latter saying, "Admiral Television has no interest in becoming a colored television company."

Taken Away From Tammy

The Campbell family reunited

While the divorce with Trudy was entirely Pete's fault, it's still devastating to see a father taken away from his daughter. Following Pete and Trudy's separation, Pete becomes estranged from Tammy. In one particularly brutal shot, Pete watches Tammy sleep while Trudy watches Pete from the doorway, knowing that her husband is deeply missing his daughter. Luckily, everything works out after Pete makes up for his past transgressions, gets back together with Trudy, reunites with Tammy, and moves the family to Kansas.

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