5 Reasons Pete Campbell is the 'Mad Men' Character We Love to Hate

Culture

Most of the characters on Mad Men are pretty horrible people. But one of them stands out above all, and that person is Pete Campbell. He was always insolent and whiny, but this season's Pete is the worst.

He's finally become a version of Don Draper like he always wanted, cheating on his wife and living in an apartment in the city. Except Pete, of course, doesn't have half the charm or suaveness to maneuver that kind of two-faced life with any sort of success. His life is falling apart around him.

And yet, one thing Pete has always been good at it is being terrible to people. Without spoiling it for anyone who hasn't seen this past Sunday's episode, suffice it to say that Pete Campbell may very well be hatching another plot against one Bob Benson in the office, but until we find out what becomes of their relationship, let's take a look back at all the other people Pete has wronged in the past:

1. He Constantly Insulted Peggy

The constant put-downs on her clothing, the leading on when he was engaged, the cheating on his wife with her, and the pregnancy. Pete's treatment of Peggy in season one was horrible, but the best that can be said about that is that Peggy became stronger, was promoted to copywriter, and has become just as essential to the company as Pete.

2. He Tried to Blackmail Don

Pete finds out that Don isn't really who he says he is, which is a problem indeed. But instead of alerting the bosses or staying silent, Pete attempts to blackmail Don into giving him a promotion. Of course, like many of Pete's plans, it fails.

3. He Helped Pimp Out Joan

PEasily one of the most dramatic and heart-wrenching moments of season five, SCDP essentially pimped Joan out to seal the deal with Jaguar. The mastermind behind the plan? Pete, of course. And when Joan protested that it was prostitution, Pete stated, "I'm talking about business at a very high level. Was Cleopatra a prostitute? She was a queen. What would it take to make you a queen?" Disgusting.

4. He Called Lane "A Homo"

After humiliatingly ending up in a high-class brothel, Lane furiously walks into the partners' meeting only to have Pete call him "a homo" and tell him "our need for you [has] disappeared." Lane handles it in 18th century style, but it is still satisfying.

5. He's Tormented Trudy

They may have their cute moments, but Peter has cheated on her from the beginning and when she found out and ditched his sorry self, he had the audacity to tell her that she was the one in the wrong. Thankfully, Trudy is better than that.