Pete will be the first one to pick up on something rumbling across the Atalntic called The Beatles.
He will see the future and grow his hair into a mop top.He will wear beads and flowery shirts at Monterey in 1967, fight at Altamont and die at 11.59.59 on 31st December 1969 - the 60s were HIS decade. HE defined it..
But then again, it's Pete and he won't do any of this. He will be stuck in the 50s for the rest of his life. He was an adult one day after he was born. We call then Young Fogeys in the UK - prematurely and perpetually old before their time.

The biggest obstacle to Pete embracing what would become the 60s is that he really doesn't have much imagination, genuine talent or most important of all, guts.
He surfs on other people's waves.

Or am I being too harsh...?

Carousel, no I don't think you're being harsh. It's just that Pete's SUCH A WEASEL. If any new or old characters embrace some of the "new" shaping up as the sixties move along, don't you think Pete will be the embarrassing opportunist who will try to be "with it" even a little to capitalize on it, and fall flat on his ass. Because you're right, he is the Man in the Grey Flannel Suit of the fifties, but he's also quite a fool. Pete at least has to show up in a Nehru jacket with a gold chain.

Any man that decides it is "take your gun to work day" will not be hangin' with the hippies by any means. Pete is from money and good ivy league boys behave themselves and always will...on the surface. I totally agree, he most definately rides on other people's waves. Pete keeps everyone in the office hoodwinked about how valuable he is to SC. The conflict between him and Don is mainly from Don not falling for his crap. Don still hasn't forgot about Pete (and Harry - but Don likes Harry) going over his head to buy up TV air time for Nixon's pretty face to be all over the nation. Bert Cooper came in and Pete was ready to let Harry take the heat. At the last minute he fessed up and admitted he was in on it. Bert Cooper gave him some good kudos and Don was definately not happy. Pete didn't check with Don first and going over your boss' head and doing what you please, shows how stupid, spoiled and wet behind the ears he really is. Don will get even with Pete for that one, we can be assured. As much as we all dislike Pete, we have to admit...there is always a Pete in every office isn't there? And he (or she) always seems to weasel their way out of anything, right?

Well, luvmadmen, you are right about the gun-totin' Pete. He probably wouldn't be participating in a love-in anytime soon. I just view Pete as a desperate whacko. He's like an uncharted missile on so many levels, who could rocket off in weird directions. And I do think he's going to get more desperate as time goes on. Especially, as carousel pointed out, he has no imagination, talent or guts.

I missed Don's reaction about the Nixon tv ads. Mad, huh?

You're right, no one with an eye to climbing the corporate ladder would jump over their boss to impress a higher up, unless they're looking to receive longtime retaliation or find the nearest exit door - which Pete isn't.

Poor Pete. He's just the victim of his father's nastiness, a rich family, and a spoiled frat boy education. But, I don't see Pete turning into a "Woodstock" hippie, clothes off and turning on. I think he will just plod along in the corporate world, getting more bitter and eventually, turning into his father, with a wife he loathes and a child he will ignore-like his father did him. It always goes back to the father syndrome...trying to find, or please Dad, but like George Bush, it doesn't work, Pete.

Was there only one episode where Pete's parents were shown? Yes, MPR, you hit it on the head. The father acted like he actively disliked his son (but it wasn't elaborated on), and the mother was just passive. Both his parents seemed detached, and the dad was very cynical about him. Was Pete the only child? I never did understand the one comment his dad made to him "We gave you our name" after Pete was complaining about their disregard and lack of love.

JAMM54, If I recall it right, when Don was fuming over Pete going over his head, he told him to "Go get a box and put his things in it" Pete then went pale and walked in a daze back to his office to drink away his shock at being fired. You never saw such groveling as when he ended up being spared and realized he wasn't on the chopping block after all. It was classic! I may have all this mixed up with some other Pete-mess that Don got fumed over, but I think it was the one you mentioned above.

@SCFAN, that's right! I remember the absolutely speechless Pete (for once) in an episode, but forgot what it was related to.I get that scene mixed up with the blackmail scene, because in both of them Pete does the looonnng walk (scurries after Don in the blackmail scene like the rat that he is) to Cooper's office.

The episode where Pete went over Don's head is when they were trying to get the Bethlehem Steel account. Pete was smoozing the clients at the hotel and pitched an ad to them without Don's approval. The next day in the meeting the client told Don that he liked Pete's idea. That is the episode that Don told him to pack his things in a box. Pete went over Don's head again when he convinced the "Nixon supporting clients" to buy up air time on TV so Kennedy would be left with only radio as his only campaign tool. That's when Cooper came in and congratulated whom ever was responsible for the idea. Harry fessed up and later Pete. Meanwhile Don gives the look and with a tone of anger states "I wasn't aware of this". Don doesn't reprimand Pete for going over his head, so that is why I think Don will act like a stealth with his revenge. It will come out of nowhere and it will know Pete blind sided. I re-watched the episode where the boys were talking about Duck. They said that Duck "had problems with a woman at the Museum in London" and that "he discinigrated in the UK". They said he was living out of a hotel and was divorced and called him "damaged goods". Pete later went into Don's office to check into whether or not they were going to hire Duck and said, "Duck fell apart in England". What exactly "discinigrated and fell apart" means in 1960's language is what we will find out this season. There was no mention of Duck being an alcoholic, but maybe his affair was due to his drinking. Everyone in the bar gets better looking after 2:00am. LOL It sounds to me more like Duck fell apart due to his getting caught in an affair with the woman in London. Maybe Bert wants to bring in Duck to share his story with Don? Maybe to show Don the error of his ways? Especially after Bert found out Don was taking a roll in the hay with Rachel. Bert wants to make sure Don doesn't mix business with pleasure. I even like the way Bert talked to him about Rachel. At the end, the line..."that's all cowboy". That was so unlike Bert to use that kind of reference towards Don. Almost like a "you're a white collar worker, don't be acting like a blue collar worker". Poor cowboys, they have never gotten enough respect throughout history!!

Oops, had a typo error....Don's revenge will come out of nowhere and knock Pete blind-sided!!

@luvmadmen: You think Don likes his revenge cold? So far, his most "emotional" scenes were chastising Betty when Roger hit on her; losing an account and swiping his desk clean; bribing the elevator guy so Roger could vomit; and running to Rachael when Pete serves up the blackmail.

Rachael, sadly, isn't destined to be in the picture much in Season 2, I think. The actress who plays her, Maggie Siff, has signed on as a full cast member for another series this fall. I really liked the Rachael/Don chemistry/dynamic, so I don't know how they're going to fill that hole in the storyline. It was a great storyline, too! Darn!

And, please, don't have Don hitting on Peggy! That would be so NOT right. I hope they don't bring Midge back in as sex kitten outlet for Don - would rather see him move on. Maybe a strangers on a commuter train hookup or the divorcee on their block.

Don will have his revenge cold with Pete because what Pete did turned out to benefit SC and their clients. Pete got lucky, but he still went over Don's head by not advising Don - bitter sweet. The others did not bring about anything good for Don. The first time Pete went over his head, he instantly fired Pete as his revenge to show him who was boss. Then Bert convinced him to maybe NOT fire Pete, yet in the same breath said, "go ahead and fire him if you like". I think Don knows Pete must be handled with kid gloves when it comes to striking back. He strikes too quickly on Pete again and Don's revenge will be too obvious. I think maybe Don will do it very slow by pressing Pete's buttons one at a time to make him quit. This should make a good story line while we watch Pete build with anger towards Don. Maybe Pete's rifle will make another appearance in the office for the season finale? Don doesn't want to deal with Bert about Pete again because he is being groomed as a partner. He can't afford to be careless and lose his partnership because of a weasel like Pete.

You're right luvmadmen, Don wouldn't look too professional in front of Bert, if he lost his cool over Pete. There is something quite hysterically funny about Pete and that rifle. Actually, though, I'd love to have a pic of Betty looking up with the cigarette hanging out of her mouth, taking aim at the pigeons. I laughed so hard over that scene. Poor Betty, that's probably about as extreme as she's going to get. By the consensus of the board, it looks like everyone thinks Betty is going to be heading to Prozac Nation pretty soon.

Betty and that BB gun was the best scene they had all season!! My favorite movie every Christmas is A Christmas Story. I think about how every kids wants a BB gun for Christmas. When they get their first BB gun, they vow never to shoot any animals. But you know they will secretly go outside and take pop shots at birds. And pigeons are definately the bottom feeders of the bird world. I think MM should sell pictures of that scene with Betty and her BB gun/cigarette. It was hysterical! As far as Betty going to Prozac Nation, I think she will have an affair with Prince Valium!!

Yeah, Betty and the BB gun was in the top two best scenes...the top one for me was Don walking away after Roger's puke scene with that self-satisfied smirk "I-sure-got-him-back!" look...soooo funny. Then again, Pete sitting there with his rifle listening to Trudy's berating him for trading the chip and dip for it! There are too many to list!