I don’t know why I feel the need to blog about Bethenny Frankel today, but I do. When I started blogging I was bemused at first and later a bit appalled at the level of …let’s call it hysteria, that surrounded Bethenny Frankel and Jill Zarin on the blogs. Both women have/had frothing at the mouth fans and frothing at the mouth haters with blogs catering to both camps. Fans and bloggers alike were/are not just spewing their hatred towards one or the other, but literally hunting them down in real life. It’s a level of insanity I try to avoid. That said, I’ve been watching
Bethenny Ever After and I wanted to see what y’all think about the show. Maybe. I already feel like I may regret this blog. But here goes.
I kinda like the show. Bethenny is crazy. She knows that, and we know that. Jason has his own issues. I think initially he thought he could “fix” Bethenny. It is easier for men to try to fix their partner rather than look at their own issues. Jason seems incredibly frustrated that they love each other and have buckets of money and no one is cheating, yet they aren’t happy. Bethenny feels exactly the same way. Jason seems to feel like Bethenny is blaming him for his inability to fix her. I don’t think Bethenny really feels that way at all. Bethenny knows she is crazy and has been since well before Jason arrived on the scene. I think Bethenny just wants Jason to accept the crazy. Jason wants to fix the crazy and feels like he failed as a man because he can’t. Jason is doing that thing that most men do at age 50 at age 40. He’s having a mid-life crisis. That’s a cute term for a not so cute experience that men (and women) have when mortality hits home and they look back on life and have regrets and want a do-over. Despite Jason’s successes he sees failure. Bethenny’s huge success only amplifies his issues.
Basically, this is a relationship where despite loving each other they unintentionally push each others buttons. Which is great for us and not so great for them. I may be naive but I actually believe Bethenny and Jason. I believe the boat story despite some coast guard guy saying they were never in danger. I don’t think it was a life or death trauma, despite Bethenny’s over reaction. But I believe the TV therapist had a broken GPS and didn’t know how to get through the water without running aground. I think that while there are “scenes” where the producers tell them what they want them to talk about or where they want them to go, that we see the real Bethenny. I think we see the real Jason too. At least as real as you can be on a “reality show.” I also don’t see more product placement on the show than any of the others. I guess I am pulling for Bethenny to get better, to get happier, to enjoy all the great things she has. Am I the only one? The ratings for this show are not good. Am I the only one watching?
