I loved the Betty angle. I had questioned if they'd have her have the baby, not for cheesy soap opera reasons, no, but because I just thought it would tie the Betty character down. I saw her as starting to come out of her shell at the end of last season, and I didn't think the character could expand like they started with her. The late blooming of Betty is so interesting so I figured it'd stifle her character. But check this out:
Betty is loopy on drugs. Yet it seems she's confessing the truth. Remember last year she told the Doc it's a bad time. She told Francine the same thing. They did some things to make us question is she trying to undermine her own self. So here a little drugged up, some things happen. She says in labor, "I don't want to be here". Then you see Gene with the bloody mop. You think of that quick shot of Sally smearing blood on her face during the teacher telling what happened at the water fountain. You think of the very first shot to open this season.
Then what happens...
At what appears to either be the brink, or simply a drug infused nothingness, she sees Daddy. He tells her she's like a housecat, you're very important and have little to do. On the surface of course it's that Mad Men demeaning yet interesting thing. We all probably focused on the "little to do" part. But, Betty focused on the word important. For the first time since we've known her, she has been told with veracity she is in fact important.
That's what turns her around. She's finally told she's important with meaning, even if in a roundabout way. She's important. And since then, she's completely reversed and everything is not only ok, but, opposite now. Baby born ok, we're all good. Betty is important.
Now, she takes on the responsability she formerly didn't want now that she's been emotionally through one simple phrase, that finally isn't fake and finally has meaning, and she's built up. Her husband never gave her that emotional support. No man in her life ever gave her what she really needed all these years deeper than simple attention. She now feels important. Everything now ends up ok.
Ahh but just when you think it's all good think again. Did you pay attention to the very last scene, how Betty hesitates to get out of bed, sighs, slinks down the hall and just stops, her head lowers, most importantly the gloomy music starts and she sighs again before going to to mother duty....? It's not exhaustion....
I'm seeing a very Don thing in her. It's all good when you make the decision, but do you have trouble immediately after your decision? Don takes on the responsibility of being better. He's having trouble. She takes on the responsibility of being better, and seemingly is already having trouble.
So I thought the baby angle would stifle her character. But no, it's actually way opened her character up, just in a different way than you'd think.
MAD MEN
1 comment:
Betty:
I loved the Betty angle. I had questioned if they'd have her have the baby, not for cheesy soap opera reasons, no, but because I just thought it would tie the Betty character down. I saw her as starting to come out of her shell at the end of last season, and I didn't think the character could expand like they started with her. The late blooming of Betty is so interesting so I figured it'd stifle her character. But check this out:
Betty is loopy on drugs. Yet it seems she's confessing the truth. Remember last year she told the Doc it's a bad time. She told Francine the same thing. They did some things to make us question is she trying to undermine her own self. So here a little drugged up, some things happen. She says in labor, "I don't want to be here". Then you see Gene with the bloody mop. You think of that quick shot of Sally smearing blood on her face during the teacher telling what happened at the water fountain. You think of the very first shot to open this season.
Then what happens...
At what appears to either be the brink, or simply a drug infused nothingness, she sees Daddy. He tells her she's like a housecat, you're very important and have little to do. On the surface of course it's that Mad Men demeaning yet interesting thing. We all probably focused on the "little to do" part. But, Betty focused on the word important. For the first time since we've known her, she has been told with veracity she is in fact important.
That's what turns her around. She's finally told she's important with meaning, even if in a roundabout way. She's important. And since then, she's completely reversed and everything is not only ok, but, opposite now. Baby born ok, we're all good. Betty is important.
Now, she takes on the responsability she formerly didn't want now that she's been emotionally through one simple phrase, that finally isn't fake and finally has meaning, and she's built up. Her husband never gave her that emotional support. No man in her life ever gave her what she really needed all these years deeper than simple attention. She now feels important. Everything now ends up ok.
Ahh but just when you think it's all good think again. Did you pay attention to the very last scene, how Betty hesitates to get out of bed, sighs, slinks down the hall and just stops, her head lowers, most importantly the gloomy music starts and she sighs again before going to to mother duty....? It's not exhaustion....
I'm seeing a very Don thing in her. It's all good when you make the decision, but do you have trouble immediately after your decision? Don takes on the responsibility of being better. He's having trouble. She takes on the responsibility of being better, and seemingly is already having trouble.
So I thought the baby angle would stifle her character. But no, it's actually way opened her character up, just in a different way than you'd think.
How do people not love this season?
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