Video

The Pete Campbell Receding Hairline Supercut

Watch Pete Campbell’s hairline recede over seven seasons of Mad Men

Pete Campbell’s transformation from an ambitious young skeezeball full of energy and promise to a sad middle-aged skeezeball full of bitterness and frustration has been one of Mad Men’s great low-key tragedies. In a masterpiece of styling and actor commitment, for seven seasons Pete’s hairline has diminished in direct proportion to his charm and youthful vigor. Mad Men’s hair team and actor Vincent Kartheiser began this transformation so subtly that at the beginning of Season 5 I felt bad watching this promising young actor bald on national TV, and was equal measures relieved and impressed to find out it was an intentional style choice (one that leads to hilarious promotional tour photos). To celebrate Pete’s legendarily weasely character arc and a feat of hair styling and continuity, here is a video chronology of Pete Campbell’s receding hairline.