I love how direct they're taking the characters this season. Pete seemed to have a well adjusted family life (for the most part) before this season. This latest episode, he cries in an elevator and glares at a teenage girl getting finger banged by an young, hot jock he unsuccessfully coerced. Pete was utterly, devastatingly emasculated this episode. Which is funny, because I always thought that's the "ad" of life that Pete bought into.
Pete wants to be the big alpha male like Don Draper. He starts the show seducing Peggy not only for the thrill, but because he wants to literally be Don Draper - or at least, that's my interpretation. It makes the character communication between the two even more interesting tonight. Here Don is, Pete's ideal, and he won't bang a hooker. Five or so years ago when Pete joined Sterling Cooper, Don probably would have been all over that. And now, after Don successfully fixes Pete's pipes (haha), he makes him look like a buffoon by taking the moral high road and it stings like a bee. "That's rich coming from you."
This point is made even further by his prostitute scene where HE becomes the king for a while. Finally, Pete does something no one can fault him at.
And yet we see Pete fail, continuously, as he tries to achieve that Draper "ideal". One that probably never existed to begin with. We see Pete emasculated in every single area Don won over time and time again (remember the "fight" with the comedian in season 2? Don ended that quick.)
Such a thrilling episode. I don't remember the series treating the other characters like it would Don before, but they really pulled their punches this episode.