Why is this new show about Betty Broderick called Dirty John Season 2. I distinctly recall recapping Dirty John here for season one and I can’t find a recap anywhere. So weird. This will have to be our scripted show to take the place of Killing Eve now. I guess they will be oddly called Dirty John recaps. Also, I know this story, or I used to, but I’ve forgotten it all so this will all be brand new to me.
We begin with Betty and Dan Broderick divorcing in 1986. Betty and her divorce attorney head to Dan’s attorney’s office to sign some paperwork regarding the sale of her house. She refuses to get out of the car and then when her attorney brings the paperwork for her to sign, she refuses to sign it. What is wrong with Christian Slater’s face? It looks like it is made out of wax. Despite Betty not signing the consent to sell the house, Dan went to a judge and was able to sell the house out from under her. She’s furious. And a little bit psycho.
Burning Down The House
Okay, maybe a lot psycho. She goes to their old house. Oddly there is still stuff there like a giant gas can for one. Is she going to burn the house down? What good would that do? Just when you think she has come to her senses and is driving away, the turns the car around and floors it driving it straight into the house. Dayum, burning it down would have at least saved her from wrecking her car as well. Oh wait, she didn’t drive the car into their old house. She drove it into the house where Dan lives with the girls. The girls call the cops. Dan tries to get her placed on a psychiatric hold for observation rather than jail. There seems to be sufficient evidence to support that plan of action. So into a straight jacket she goes.
After 72 hours in the looney bin, Betty returns home to her crappy, empty house. Her parents who were visiting have gone back home to the east coast. Her mother has taken to her bed and isn’t speaking to anyone. Her dad lectures her for shaming herself and shaming the family. And of course all the town busybodies are talking about her. Is this show going to always be on Bravo or will be on USA? I’m confused. And a little bored.
Dan Seems To Send Mixed Signals
Betty’s attorney calls to inquire about a bill from Dan for structural damage to his home. And also, Dan is not paying her $10,000 retainer for his services and she is going to need to pay that himself. She basically hangs up on him. Her kids then arrive for a visit. She has two older teen girls and two young elementary school aged boys. Is the actress playing Betty wearing fake teeth? Betty’s lawyer withdraws as her council because she won’t listen to him or pay his retainer.
Dan is kind of giving Betty mixed signals. She is convinced they will not be getting a divorce. The two meet at a restaurant to discuss the divorce, but Betty is treating it like a date. Dan only stays a few minutes. He says he should talk to her until she has representation. Betty tells him about her new job at an art gallery. She promises to get a new lawyer. It seems no lawyers will take her call. When my brother got divorce, he met with every decent lawyer in town to insure that his wife could not have decent representation. Because, petty. Perhaps that is what is going on?
Dirty Deeds, Done Dirt Cheap
I miss Izods and Ralph Lauren polos. And going to clubs and getting picked up. Ah, the 80s. After Betty has a miserable time at the bar with a widowed girlfriend, she comes home and calls Dan. They laugh over some inside jokes about some guy as if they are best friends. These are the types of thing that make women go insane. Also, why are the kids with him? She really needs a divorce attorney. She finds out that the boys are missing most of their soccer games to go to a therapist. The inference was that the boys are afraid of Betty. Betty calls Dan and leaves a scathing message on his answering machine. I’m sure that will show up in court. And the three kids that showed up for visitation heard the whole thing. Nice.
Next we see Dan and his lawyers yucking it up with the judge. Apparently, Betty thinks the hearing has been postponed. But it hasn’t been. So they have the hearing without her. Also, for some reason Dan is wearing a red rose boutonnière. WTF? The divorce was bifurcated from the other issues surrounding property and support The judge granted the divorce in Betty’s absence. He also got full custody of all four kids.
So did you watch? What to do you think? I’m not sure there will be enough interest in this to make it worth recapping. It moves kind of slow for me.
I was thinking about watching but it does sound pretty slow.
It’s actually not bad. A lot like my divorce albeit without driving the car into the house and then killing him. Lol
I saw the Meredith Baxter Birney version waaaay back in the day. Poor woman’s life was wrecked.
I remember watching the original also. My memory was that she was a domestic violence victim sentenced way too harshly but apparently not.
In my defense there were two or three movies a week on Lifetime at that time that dealt with DV so it gets confusing.
I’m not sure why they are using the Dirty John label. I’m guessing it’s because it got good ratings and the target audience remembers the original.
I actually screwed up and watched episode 2 before episode 1 and it made no difference. The actor that plays Betty looks so much like Jillian Michaels from Biggest Loser that it’s distracting to me… but I’ll still watch!
Yes I watched that one as well. He did pretty much wreck her life after she worked while he went to school and got his degrees. Then, he was ready for a new life with a new younger wife. It kinda was enough to make a woman crazy.
So biased in Dan’s favor, good movie but garbage, he was a POS!, ALL about himself, dirty john version, way more accurate, especially how they keep showing Betty eating…the lawyers, the judges, the whole system against her, she didn’t stand a chance, and Linda, a horrible bitch to Betty….I would have lost my mind back then as well the way they treated her..
Such a complicated true-crime story that uses the success of the Dirty John franchise to lure we watchers in. It is hard for me to watch personally because I am unsure if Betty is being partly gaslighted by her well connected husband OR if she is just a straight up crazy bitch. The way it’s unfolding is leading me to think the latter but I do wonder if Betty will have any redeeming qualities. Up to you about the recap but so far I prefer your reaction to the story over the show itself. I am most interested in finding out if this runaway train of an ex husband and wife relationship could have been salvaged, if Betty’s voice hadn’t been totally obliterated.
I watched it, and the Meredith Baxter Birney version. So far I’m leaning towards MBB but I will stick it out. Caught it on Bravo, but it will be on USA going forward. It’s no killing eve yet I’m planning on watching.
I actually lived in San Diego when this was happening, Dan was a POS! She couldn’t get a lawyer because of him and he lied about the value of his assets, also the damn judge went to his 2nd wedding, maybe want to recuse yourself, she didn’t stand a chance…
I like it so far. Betty Broderick isn’t the easiest person to portray, she’s a little extra to begin with. I don’t think I’d say she was full on crazy beforehand. I watched her trial and think most people would feel some sympathy toward her for the issues she had with her ex-husband. Not necessarily excuse her for murder, but you could definitely see how it came to that. She thought she had a great marriage. Worked her ass off to put him through medical and law school, raising 4 kids and then he left her for his younger, prettier assistant. It wasn’t just a typical nasty divorce. He kept screwing her over with money, the house and the kids making her even more pissed. He knew all the local lawyers and judges so she couldn’t even defend herself properly. Her husband and his girlfriend mocked her looks, her teeth, her weight and she gave as good as she got in return. I think she was even fined with deductions on her spousal support for every curse word she said. Betty never got past the anger and stewed in it until she cracked. Unless you’re defending your own life, I don’t know what happens inside someone that allows them to believe killing 2 people, leaving your kids with no father and living your life in prison is worth it.
He deducted money from her spousal support, at one point she owed him $1300. Betty will never get past her angry or take responsibility for her actions.
What her husband did to her was appalling however you reap what you sow and she was no saint.
Her next parole date is 2032 and I doubt she will live that long.
She is missing out on time with her kids and grand kids, if she just said ” I fucked up” and I’m sorry she would have been let out of prison and allowed to live with her daughter.
So sad.
I think she won’t admit she fucked up because in her mind she feels as though they deserved it or at least uses that to justify murder and just won’t let go of it. Maybe that’s how she lives with what she did inside. Very sad that she would rather hold on to that misery than have her freedom.
I totally agree.
I’m not sure if my DVR will tape it on USA the way I set it to record. We shall see. It’s fairly easy to recap unlike Killing Eve. I’m fine with doing short recaps if y’all are interested but if there is not much interest I’ll just watch and not recap.
I feel like most of us saw the original but I’m in for those who don’t know the story.
I am also loving MAFS Australia! All four couples seem like they will be interesting.
Another I’m watching is Labor of Love on Fox. I thought it would be super cheesy but it’s actually not bad. The woman who stars was on one of the early Bachelor seasons and is 41 and wanting to start a family. She froze her eggs awhile back and now needs to find the right guy to father said child. It seems kind of open for either romance or co-parenting, not sure. Episodes are on demand and they are only on ep 3 or 4.
TT I’m watching it and interested in your recaps. Thanks for doing them. I like the actress Amanda Peet.
I’d love it if you keep going, but I am only one! I also remember the original with MBB. She was a much more sympathetic Betty than Amanda Peet. And Amanda Peet doesn’t look like Amanda Peet anymore. I will keep watching though.
I am hooked. Like you I saw the MBB version when I was younger so I don’t remember a whole lot of it. I think the red rose was addressed in one of the flash backs. She put one in his lapel when he was going off to his first big job and said it was to remind him he was fighting for them and for good in the world. I don’t remember exactly what she said but that was the gist I think. Idk why he kept wearing them tho that seemed kinda like overkill to me but whatever. Just one more thing he seemed to do to make her think she was important to him. So far I can totally understand her anger toward him and his new younger version of her. The actress playing the woman looked an awful lot like the young version of Betty they portrayed.
I would love to read your recaps. I read all your recaps of my shows so definitely keep on doing it girlfriend!
I think the reason she couldn’t find a lawyer in town was because he was a powerful lawyer there. So either conflict of interest if they worked with him, nobody wanted to go against him, or they were his friends. That was my impression anyway.
I am watching! I have always been interested in the Betty Broderick story and fascinated by her over-the-top borderline crazy behavior.
I think those are Amanda Peet’s real teeth
Oh, well now I feel bad. 🙁
In an off topic question, how bad would it be for me to go get a mani pedi? I am high risk and actually HATE mani pedis. But Us old folks need them for basic maintenance from time to time I just want very short fingernails with clear polish and need a lot of pedicure work for my old crusty feets. And a nice “Boston Bean shade on the toes) Am I gonna die if I do it? It is not relaxing for me at all because of the two people doing shit at once. I finde the whole process over stimulating. And Somehow I have manage to drop canned food on both of my big toes resulting in bruises under the nail. I am trying to think. I think my nail techs wear masks anyway, And I would be wearing one… Thoughts?
If they keep the front and backs doors open for circulation I’d risk it with a mask. But for gawd sake woman have them do two separate services… toes and fingernails. I have a hard enough time keeping my ticklish feet steady, throw in the fingernails and I’m just screwed!
I agree with BeetsWhy. Get mani separate from pedi. You can LEAN way back in the pedi chair and gauge how comfortable you may be getting a mani, where it may be closer. Plus, mani is easier to do yourself if you decide not to get both at once and not to go back. You can LEAN back there too but the chair isn’t set up for it to be comfortable like the pedi chair.
As a person who loves massages and pedis and other touchy things, I would not be comfortable getting both at once. Too claustrophobic.
In California, hair salons are open, but not nail salons. But the threading place next to Trader Joe’s was open today. And WTF are all the WeHoes doing without their Brazilian waxes? Guys might have to deal with grownass women pubes! Bwahahahahahahaha.
You made me almost choke on my morning tea with guys dealing with pubes. Didn’t we watch Rinna get her asshole waxed a season or two ago?
I kind of want to do the fish eating all the crud off your feet thing.
I actually HATE getting mani pedis on a good day. I think it is my Internet addiction. lol. I don’t like just sitting with myself. I try to read magazines but that’s not really possible. I’ll probably just buy some heavy duty pedi equipment from Walmart online. And some clear polish for my finger nails. I’m keeping them very short and clear during the pandemic so I can see that my nails are clean. I do like the massage chair though.
Maybe the Kid can do a pedi for you!
Ha! I just need a break from him for a few days. Then we are going to go over THE RULES for the umpteenth time.
I agree with BeetsWhy – Mani first then Pedi…give those big toes a little breathing space unless they do a nail polish to match the bruises.
I go to a one person shop with a gal who is also immune-compromised so we both know we have to be considerate. I would never go to one of those multiple chair places and my place does not do gel nails, etc so I avoid those chemicals. Double check on those bruises. Skin cancer on toes looks like bruises.
The place we go to still is closed. California hasn’t let them reopen. But we can see inside and there are plastic dividers between the chairs and between where the faces would be.
Yesterday, I was at the bank and couldn’t see the denominations as she counted and then I went to a drug store and told the cashier I couldn’t see the amount on the register. “I used to be able to see OK farther away. I guess my eyes got worse during the shutdown.” She said, “Me too!” We both started laughing at the same time as we realized it was THE PLASTIC making things blurry.
I am sitting here waiting for my toenail polish to dry. I am NOT AS GOOD at painting toenails anymore because I can barely reach them!
I have gone deaf and blind during this pandemic. I had to ask a local friend to go buy me stronger readers at the dollar store. SUDDENLY THEY ARE TWO DOLLARS! Still a deal but NOT A DOLLAR. I got six or seven pairs because I can’t find them. And the volume on the TV has gone up by 10 numbers and I struggle mightily when there is music playing.
I actually did my own mani pedi today! I ordered some nail stuff off amazon awhile back and I’ve been doing it myself. I keep my nails short too. But I hadn’t done my own in forever. Its like riding a bike and while time consuming the first time I did it, I feel so much better! I haven’t even been wearing polish-even on my toes, and my nails are actually the healthiest they’ve been in decades! Even when this is over I think I’m going to keep doing them myself, although I’ll probably put color on my toes. At this point I’m realizing how much money I’m saving by not paying to have them done and once you do it the first time, it gets easier bc you just have to file down the growth instead of clipping. Plus it’s nice to be able to do it exactly when I need to instead of waiting for an appointment. YMMV 🙂
This is ALMOST embarrassing to admit, but SO young teen… I have nails that people who like long fingernails nails would kill for. I quit having long fingernails because … JAMES BOND didn’t like them! Yes, I KNEW he was a fictional character. It went from because James Bond didn’t like them to me thinking they are kind of creepy ON ME. I don’t look at other people and think they look creepy. With the gardening and the animals, I keep them semi-short and unpolished and still get compliments on them.
On the opposite end of the spectrum … when I ran away to the Haight-Ashbury during the Summer of Love, I brought my manicure scissors AND NAIL POLISH. Like my fingernails, my toenails are too thick to cut with clippers — I need heavy scissors — and I wanted to be a PRETTY HIPPIE. Bwahahaha!
NOOO! Don’t. Just wait, as much as it sucks. Or, if you know someone, they could come over to your house and do your nails outside, with fresh air and masks. That’s what I did today for my hair. I hadn’t seen my
Hairdresser since November due to other stuff. So she came over and colored my hair on the porch, I showered it out and then she cut my hair out on the lawn! No cleanup! Worked well.
I live in Massachusetts and things are still really strict here. Salons are open but really strict time limits and a million other rules making it impossible to get a cut and color at the same time.
I’ve been coating my feet (really it is only the right one that was getting gnarly for some reason) in German Nivea at night and sleeping in sock. Seems to be helping. It’s not because I want my feet to look cute. It’s because they are just getting calloused.
I remember this trial. No excuse to kill someone BUT it was easy to see why it came to that. She had NO CONTROL over anything going on in her life, EXCEPT her own actions. But everything she did had been controlled for SO MANY YEARS, that she REALLY didn’t have control over that. A combo of gaslighting, Stockholm Syndrome and PTSD (here’s your bill, Charlie Brown) for years led to her actions. Plus, she was VERY YOUNG when she married him.
Even at the beginning, he spends beaucoup bucks on himself and denies his wife and children basics. I bet she would have appreciated getting orthodontia, but HE needed fancy shit, never mind her health. Fucker.
Dan Broderick fucked with her in every way. Way before his affair (or before any affairs she found out about). NOTHING is worse than someone trying (and sometimes succeeding) in making you believe you are crazy. Because then you have no control over YOUR OWN MIND.
Dan was not content to cheat on her and humiliate her. He had to take ALL OF THE THINGS. He is that guy who if she had ever found a chance with love would have destroyed that for her too.
If you watch the extras On Demand, Christian Slater has some choice words about Dan.
Dan Broderick was a predator and she was young…I believe in a weird way that he groomed her.
Sucked her dry physically, mentally and emotionally and then wanted to upgrade to a younger model.
Betty believed he loved her and they would get back together….he groomed her.
I agree.
The summary of of episode 4 says: Betty sees her life has been a sham for years.
Imagine what a wake-up that was.
I felt like there should have been at least some sort of explanation about how he took the kids. How did that happen?
There will be. That was the FINAL straw when he did that. It’s coming. Where we are in the story, she still has some custody. Even after the looney bin setup. That changes.
As Nanette said, she had no control,so through crazy angry she left the kids with him, she blamed one of her daughters, I think the eldest girl for fucking up her life.
Feck!!, Men had so much power and control back then,
I do wonder if Betty and Dan’s story played out now how the trial would go?
I was thinking the same thing. Betty became enamored of her status with Dan thinking it would go on forever and could not believe when it didn’t. I liked the Meredith Baxter Birney version but am watching this one as well.
Apparently it’s all going to be told to us in comments so you won’t have to wonder long.
There are so many articles on Betty Broderick. When they got married her husband treated her like a baby machine. Catholic upbringing. She grew resentful that she took care of the kids, had several rough pregnancies, a miscarriage, and one died after birth and she got screwed in the divorce. The getting screwed was her fault. Anyway, she actually dumped the kids on his doorstep-literally. With her antics the judge really had no choice but to give him custody.
I think the phone call after the nightclub is with her dad. About smelling carrots (see, she wasn’t a psychopath!). Some guy before Dan, I bet she wished she had married Carrotboy.
I think Dan wore the red rose buttonaire because Betty (the loving wife) started it years ago. “Image = confidence = success,” echoing his words to her on why he needed ALL OF THE FANCY THINGS,
She summed it up succinctly when she said, “I’m just surprised it took only one bullet to kill Dan Broderick.“ He was as evil as OJ. But he didn’t kill two people because he had the legal power system zipped up. But I think he had enough evil to do it. She may have disappeared if he lost anything in court.
It was with her husband.
Oh HELL WTF? Thanks to you, I don’t need to go back and search, good. THAT REALLY shows how fucked up Dan was. Carrying on over the phone being phoney (NPI).
Yes it was the husband. I think your confusion was because she asked to speak to Daddy. One of her girls answered the phone.
That explains it. Looking back, that IS why I thought that. That seemed like the most bonding thing they had. Over a mean thing.
I really enjoyed the first two episodes. I wasn’t going to watch because I thought it was dumb they were doing a season 2 of Dirty John. That story was as over as you can get and I thought they were going to try to add to it just because it did so well, but I think this is really well done. I don’t remember the details of the case either so I’m enjoying watching it play out. But also what I liked about last season was the way they sort of jump back in time to show the history. It’s kind of confusing as it airs, but when you watch it all together, I think it’s really good. Just my small opinion but my vote is for recaps!
One of my favorite parts of Dirty John is when they show daughter Terra in the first episode asking her boyfriend where he first would go in a Zombie Apocalypse.
That alludes to her self-defense when John attacked her. She survived using tactics she learned watching The Walking Dead. With help from her mini-Aussie, Cash. For real. I DM’d her about it.
Terra was in survival mode, and I love that she got the better of her attacker. That she learned it from The Walking Dead, all the better.
I loved the Meredith Baxer “Betty” movies. I’ve also read books on this case & seen the ‘documentaries’ on TV. But I could not get into this. I watched the two hours of it, but it didn’t grab me. I’ll try the next two, but I don’t know.
I enjoyed this and hope you will do recaps, TT. I remember this trial being one of the ones I watched back in the day. I had hope she would get manslaughter or something, but the prosecution really played up the stunts she pulled which really were because of all the gaslighting Dan did to her. I agree about the grooming mentioned above. I really think today, the trial would have turned out differently. TT, this will air regularly on USA on Tuesday nights if that helps you fix your DVR. Also, was anyone else creeper the eff out by the actor who plays younger Dan?
Yes. But was it the actor, or his portrayal of an abuser in the making? Creepy for sure.
It was really more his acting and how creepily he has Slater’s voice cadence down so well. The actor did a really good job. I had a bit where I thought CS dubbed in the dialog. Anyway, so far young Dan is way creepier than older Dan, but yeah there were so many red flags waving with him the bull had no idea where to charge first…..
I wish she’d have walked away when he was late for their first date..
I tried to watch it but I have seen the Meredith Baxter portrayal way too many times. She played BB perfectly so I can’t see anyone even trying to do so.
Exactly how I feel. MBB was a revelation, no need for me to watch Amanda Peet
I lived in So. California as the Broderick situation played out, & even interviewed the prosecutor for a magazine article. My take on Betty is not only that she was betrayed & gaslighted by Dan, but that he & his girlfriend/new wife took delight in continuing until their demise in jointly torturing her. Betty was also, in my opinion, suffering from estrogen deprivation rage, intensified by their behavior, & truly with the right defense in another jurisdiction, should have walked or been confined to a mental institution until she was physically & mentally stabilized, which should have taken only a few months with proper non-psychiatric medication. Note that her 1st trial ended in a hung jury. The prosecutor, during my interview, called her a “bitch,” & when I brought up the fact that Dan had illegally sold their jointly held house, dismissed that by saying “Well, she wanted to sell it, anyway.” Dan was not only a physician, but a well-known well-connected lawyer (thanks to Betty) in San Diego, & the legal community deck was stacked against her from the beginning. Dan killed Betty before she shot him, & she will never receive justice or probably the simple medicine she has needed for over 30 years. Dan even took her children, physically & emotionally. Feminists everywhere should have rallied to her cause. It isn’t too late.
I still live in So Cal, ( which ain’t easy ) and watched this unfold.
Long story short…I believe she was majorly railroaded.
This cements what I thought all along. Not that I am a genius, just that Betty nit only suffered at the hands of Dan, but by outdated mores and the good old boy culture. But saddest of all to me, was the lack of understanding from the psychiatric community. A lot has changed since then.
I did not know you were a professional reporter/writer, but it doesn’t surprise me, based on the excellent quality of writing in your posts.
I didn’t realize that the Dirty John was about Broderick! I thought it was going to be a repeat of the first one. I’m totally going to watch this! I remember this case well as it impacted me at the time. My dad was a Dr and my best childhood friends were those who were kids of his classmates in Med school (yes I was an oops child born when my parents were undergrads) But, once all these Drs finished their residencies and fellowships and finally were able to start practicing (while all the wives worked and put them through school during the lean years), there were so many men that divorced and took the kids since they had the money and traded in for younger women and started new families—some continued to do this multiple times. But, I remember losing all my playmates and closest friends when they all took off for greener pastures. One was my Godfather and I never saw him again nor his kids. There was also one wife in our circle that killed her husband too! I was fortunate in that my parents stayed together. It still happens all too often (well not the killing part) and I’m definitely going to watch this series! If they keep doing different cases from the 80’s, I hope they do one about sunny/claus von beulow (sp?) I remember being obsessed with that case too for some reason. I watched both of the other movies made about both cases but it’s been so long… looking forward to watching this! Thanks for recap or I wouldn’t have known to watch it!
Because you mention the Sunny/Claus von Bulow, if you haven’t read this already, Dominick Dunne wrote extensively about the case for Vanity Fair. He would occasionally write tidbits from sources in his VF column. Dunne Met von Bulow during the murder second trial, after his conviction in the first was overturned. The main series was later reprinted in Dunne’s “Fatal Charms and Mansions of Limbo.”
Dunne’s “fictional” account of the OJ trial in “Another City, Not My Own,” is excellent. Because it is presented as the fictional memoir of fictional crime writer Gus Bailey, he legally can say things he could not print as true crime. But it is true. One of my favorite parts is at the end, when he finally learns the identity of the person who had been slipping him secrets from the OJ camp. No spoilers, because it’s worth the surprise.
Thanks for the recommendation! I can see myself really getting into these books!
Everything Dunne wrote is good. Excellent writer AND he was connected to the rich and powerful in L.A. so he gets good info. He got wrapped up in cocaine (he was in movie production before he returned to Hollywood as a writer). EXCEPT for two people, all of his rich and powerful friends dumped him. The two loyal friends — Elizabeth Taylor and Nancy Reagan. Made me look at Nancy with new eyes — I value loyalty more than politics.
I also love his writing, NNN.
A favorite is “The Two Mrs Grenvilles”.
He was a national treasure!
Def recommend Dunne. All of his books are great and the based on the OJ was great.
I loved this. It was a little slow going, but I also watched the lifetime movie and was fascinated with Betty. I’m hoping this shows us a different side. I’m already learning things I didn’t know from the movie so I’m hopeful. I was hoping they would keep it on Bravo after RHOBH as I probably won’t remember to watch it, but I can always watch it On Demand later.
I can’t watch it. I watched the Lifetime one with MBB and with what I’ve gone through and continue to live with, I don’t need to see that played out or get any ideas. I do have to say that the only thing I disagreed with (from my memory watching it years ago), is the way she involved the kids. They were really the victims in all this. I understand she was going through hell but I’ve always tried to keep it in check for my kids benefit. Dan obviously didn’t care about them enough to respect their mother or put an end to the crazy. Wining at all costs makes the kids lose big time.
The kids lost both parents along with all the stuff the parents held dear. I think today, the counselors would have realized that Dan was brainwashing the kids while he was systematically destroying what was left of Betty.
You must be very strong to be able to hold your own in the middle of the hell for the benefit of the kids. Perhaps in the future, as they get older and gain perspective, you finally will be of the father. Faith.
Watching episode two on demand now. I didn’t know it had already aired until I read your comments. The period scene evoked childhood trauma. LOL. I was at home, I thought I was dying when I saw the blood. I started screaming. My mother came and handed me a pad the size of a brick, with no explanation. She insisted I call down and said, “This will happen for the rest of your life.” I took that mean I would bleed forever. End of discussion. I was 11.
I was 12. I told my mom I was bleeding out of there, I got handed the belt and brick sized pad. Now we know that you don’t need periods and can take the pill year round. We went through that when we didn’t have to.
We learned from a 7th- and 8th-grade GIRLS ONLY viewing of a film, “Growing Up and Liking It,” which as produced by Modess. In the film, Mom tells the bleeding teen, “Your father will be so proud.” An Audible gasp was heard throughout the auditorium. I thought that weird then and still do. Proud? Because his daughter reached puberty? It’s not like she won a major award.
There was a Q&A session afterward. A pad attached to a belt was passed around. Most of us held it by the tips of our fingernails, as if it were USED, or had cooties. Afterward, I concocted a plan that next year, when we were the veterans, I would sneak in some red food coloring and slyly put it on the pad as it was passed around. My plan was thwarted when they redrew the school boundaries and my woukd-be accomplice was transferred. We were some of those “innocent” kids who were quietly devious. For laughs, not meanness.
Childhood period trauma. Raises hand. My mom was useless in teaching me about it and it happened when no parents home. One of my neighbors who was a classmate gave me a tampon. (Of course it was a super one and I didn’t even think about it expanding) I locked myself in the bathroom crying bc I couldn’t pull it out. When my dad came home I had to cry through the door humiliated to tell him what the problem was. I remember him yelling that I was gonna get toxic shock and if I didn’t get it out in 5 minutes either he was coming in to get it out or taking me to the ER. I got it out within the 5 minutes but couldn’t use a tampon for years after that. Sooo fucked up! Lol, still cringe thinking about it.
I didn’t even know anything about periods. I often wonder if there were not ads for tampons and kotex on TV then or if I just didn’t pay attention blue I was utterly clueless. And my mother never told me about tampons. When I was in high school the toxic shock stuff came out and by then I was buying them on my own. She was constantly preaching that tampons would kill me. These are the kinds of situations children find themselves in when your mother is almost 40 years older than you are. All these old housewives having babies don’t know all the repercussions of that choice. They are going to look like grandmas compared to their classmates parents and also be very out of the loop. Plus, they will die much sooner than their child’s contemporaries. The children of older parents have much less time with their parents. In my case in my early twenties, my parents were in their early sixties and since my siblings where also much older with kids of their own, I felt to guilty to move away as I was their caretaker.These are things these mothers giving birth in their 40s don’t think about.
I forgot how creepy looking christian Slater really is…. Yuck!
When he is talking about playing Dan Broderick, he looks “not creepy.” I started thinking about the creepy factor after watching it and decided that I most know him from playing creepy roles.
Before Dexter, Mom and I were in an elevator with Michael C. Hall during a performance of After the Fall with Peter Krause. It was the night before the series finale of Six Feet Under, where he played uptight gay funeral director David Fisher. Hall looked so different and I realized it was all body language and physical nuance because it wasn’t makeup or prosthetics or wigs. (He was really nice and I told him he was much cuter in person.)
I think it’s kind of the same with Slater.
I loved Slater and Arquette in the Movie True Romance and of course Christopher Walken, now he understood body language and physical nuance
One of my favorite movies is Around the Bend where Walken plays a father/grandfather on a road trip with his son/grandson. Sweet, but will bring tears. Good tears. Good birthday movie.
Michael Caine played the Great Grandfather…Excellent Movie, one of my Xmas movies.
Do you know how TT got my photo?
Don’t answer that!
I went to school with the older Broderick sister. Between both her parents antics before Dan was shot, she was already severely affected. I won’t get into that because it wasn’t her fault. Her mom had some type of issue or imbalance that played into Dan’s hand well. It was also very hard to feel sorry for her mom as a result. (Self absorbed and irrational antics.) having said that, Dan really did have the justice system zipped up in his favor against her and she was screwed over. She also invested a lot in their domestic life and was abandoned and left with far less than fair share. He was also very good at smear campaign. He did it in a way that garnered him more sympathy as the guy with the crazy ex but he was also gaslighting and marginalizing her. His new wife was very pretty, young, smitten and from what I’ve been told, kind. She got swept up and believed the ex was crazy. Which wasn’t untrue. Betty also had very little remorse. One interesting thing about Dan. When another classmate of his daughter could not pay for Freshman year of college because her dad lost all his money, Dan stepped in to help out. Her knew she worked hard and was a good kid and also one of his daughters best friends. The truth was that it was very hard to sympathize with Betty because of her own personality quirks AND she was screwed over by a very talented and very connected lawyer in a rich town. She was replaced by a younger hotter woman who assumed the role she was supposed to have and she was kind of thrown away. Not just by her husband but by his system and their little society. But she was always a difficult woman.
Very enlightening, thank you. I wonder how those four kids are doing today. I hope they’ve healed. As much as one can heal from all that.
Yes. I am unable to watch the show because of what you have pointed out what I understand to be the truth.
I watched the twoo hours premier ,found distracting the back and forth of the series and the fact the used different actress to portray the caracter of Broderick when young and then present in the series..Interseting and some bad acting mix ,I will continue to watch though…
I sincerely hope that Beau dumps STACY (real name) for the quivering insecure woman that she is.
Beau seem to be a nice guy.
Dude, look at how she treats her “friends”.
This how she will treat your girl child.
Think about it…
Sorry to be a dark buzzkill, and I do think that Stassi is beautiful and witty, but I also think she is desperate to be married for the sake of being married
Dude Groom is inconsequential and interchangeable.
Lots and lots of wimmen out there like this, even in the Year if our Lord 2920.
It’s pretty amazing!
I want what you drank or smoked when posting! Please share asap!
Just wine, Joey!
Cavit Pinot Grigio to be exact.
The big bottle, hence the hyperbole.
And of course I meant 2020.
I have a janky burner phone with a dreadful keyboard!
This Betty is a little off, but she got the job done at home! Like a BOSS!!! If I was her her I’d probably flip out too after all those years putting up with all that crap and supporting that munckin all those year!
I have this show on my DVR because I remember the case and I love Amanda Peet. She was fabulous in Brockmire. I miss that show! Maybe I’ll start this one since the rain is still pouring and my street is still flooded.