Sorry for the delay in this week’s Betty Broderick recap. I picked a really bad time to be under the weather. With only two episodes left I feel like it’s time for a couple of people get the killing that is coming to them. I’m still a bit wonky today but I am dying to see this episode, so bear with me.
Dan is still being a pompous ass and probably picking out his third wife from the population of female law students before he even marries his second wife. Linda is planning her wedding and a trip to Cabo. But Betty, Betty has lost everything and has nothing left to lose. Then, to make matters worse, Dan and Linda’s wedding is going to be pretty much identical to her wedding to Dan. She gets this information from one of her daughters.
Betty Begins To Sabotage The Wedding
After visitation with her two sons, Betty returns the boys to their father’s house. However, the only one there is the housekeeper. During the visitation, we were led to believe she showed the boys her gun. Upon dropping them off she asks one of the boys to get a dress for her. While she waits, she enters the house. She takes a pink t-shirt out of a box. The shirts are apparently for Linda’s bachelorette trip to Cabo. She also takes a pink envelope off the table in the foyer. The kid comes back with the dress, and she leaves. The pink envelope was the guest list and seating chart. Linda immediately assumes Linda took it. Betty starts uninviting the guests. Meanwhile, one of the boys tells Dan about the gun.
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Linda is not going to let Betty get away with this. She goes into Betty’s house while she is at work. She gets busted by the maid. She took Betty’s diary but I don’t think she found the guest list. Dan tells Linda she has to put the book where she found it.
Meanwhile, Dan has managed to get a court hearing over the stolen guest list in a matter of mere hours. Somehow, Betty has a lawyer for this. But he isn’t much help. The judge basically just assumes Betty has the list and is taking away her spousal support until she produces it. This is definitely illegal. Betty hands the judge the list. But now she is even more furious. The book is back on her table when she comes home. Betty assumes Linda read the diary to Dan and they laughed at her.
Dan & Linda Start To Get Nervous
Dan and Linda hire security to keep Betty away from the wedding. Meanwhile, Betty talks to her friend about getting a diamond watch engraved with Dan and Linda’s wedding date. It would be for her to wear. The date of her independence perhaps? Then she opens a cake box, and takes out a 20th anniversary cake. Two of Betty’s friends who apparently are also friends with Dan come up with a plan. Remember beepers? Well, apparently one friend is going to be in charge of babysitting Betty during the wedding. 666 will mean “stay ready” and 911 will mean Betty is on the loose.
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At Dan’s bachelor party, one of Dan’s friends suggests that Betty is threatening to shoot people. Dan is sure that Betty won’t kill him because all she cares about is money. That would be counterproductive for her. But everything Betty has done so far was counterproductive. Why does he think this would be any different. Some people aren’t coming to the wedding out of fear. What happened to the Cabo trip? Is that the honeymoon? Because the wedding is starting. And Betty and the friend assigned to babysit her are going through Betty’s wedding album. This can’t be a healthy endeavor at this time. But then they have a dance off to a mixed tape that Betty made. Then it is back to Betty crying over a baby that died at four days.
The Honeymoon Is Over
As soon as Dan and Linda get back from their honeymoon, Linda leaves the outgoing message on the answering machine. She’s not the girlfriend anymore, she’s the wife. At her place, Betty continues to struggle with news from her boys. Dan and Linda are taking the kids to Indiana for the big Notre Dame – USC rivalry where the winning team get the jeweled Shillelagh for the year. Betty has a lot of emotions about this as she met Dan for the first time in South Bend. And it seems that was supposed to be her weekend with the kids. Instead, she goes to a bar to watch the game.
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Betty crashes a luncheon with three of her “friends.” And immediately starts talking about Dan and Linda. They are going to the Greek Isles for two weeks and leaving the boys with the housekeeper during the week and then on weekends with some friend of Linda’s. When Betty gets her lawyer involved, Dan has plenty of reasons to keep the kids away from Betty. She’s been leaving obscene messages on the answering machine in contempt of the judges orders. He threatens her with more jail time for violating the restraining orders if she pushes the issue. Later, Betty steals her daughter’s house keys.
Betty Broderick Goes Over The Edge
The next weekend of visitation with the boys, only the youngest is with her. He sacrificed an outing with his friend to be there an this caused Betty to have a breakdown. While the kid slept, she got the keys to the house and headed over to Dan and Linda’s. I wonder if she was really wearing a pink designer looking suit when she went. It’s dark outside. They don’t show the murders. Just a lot of people that Betty called afterward. She was hysterical and incoherent. Betty wasn’t sure that she hit anyone because it was dark.
Betty goes directly to jail and was charged with two counts of first degree murder. I doubt she ever got out of jail again. Next week is the last episode. And Betty gets tons of fan mail in jail from other abused women.
So they took some artistic license in depicting Dan’s and Linda’s last days, but the core of the story is definitely true. I don’t remember Betty stealing a shirt, but she definitely stole the wedding guest list, and the court definitely punished Betty for that.
And I believe Betty wore some pajama get-up the night of the double homicide, but it was definitely a fancy-ass pajama get-up.
But yes, Betty was definitely losing it during those final months. She could tell Dan was fully replacing her with Linda, and she probably needed immediate help but didn’t get any. (Ironically, she’d later volunteer with the mental health clinic once she was in prison.)
Also, I’m totally convinced that Dan was a serial abuser who would have later done to Linda what he did to Betty.
I also believe Dan drove her to this. He used her. And then he used her again. And then again. He got the lucrative career and four kids that were pretty much on his side and the young side piece. Making the side piece the wife while denying her pretty much everything would put many ex-spouses over the edge. He literally did nothing to help her. #FREEBETTY
Dan was a piece of shit but lets be honest. She wanted that piece of shit to continue being her husband, so how bad could have been? Idk. Thats just a question i would have asked Betty if I knew her back then. She was delaying the divorce and harrassing his new girlfriend. I would have told Linda that Dans cheatting butt is her problem now and dont hire a cute secretary. Betty ruined her relationship with her kids. The movie covers it lightly by showing how she hounded them non stop about their father and Linda and then shamed them for not hating Linda. She also was reportedly abusive to them and Dan got custoydy Betty would often dump the kids off at his front door out of spite when he would be out with Linda. The only victims in this situation are the kids.
Betty was raised a strict Catholic. They don’t divorce, period. She expected to remain married no matter what. And she still loved him, which is why she couldn’t let go. Dan left her in the dust after she devoted her whole life to him and his success can be atrributed to her, in part. If she didn’t love him anymore and not been raised Catholic, she probably would have moved on much sooner. We knew a lady who played tennis with Betty every week. It was only discussed in hushed tones, if at all. It was very painful to them because it could happen to any one of them, not just Betty.
I am not a priest, but between divorce and murdering your spouse and his new wife, divorce seems more acceptable, sin-wise though, right?
Well, yeah… 🙂
I understand her beliefs but Like the movie show Dan became atheist/agnostic. He said is didnt believe on religion. What did she want him to keep pretending to be a strict Catholic when he wasnt any longer? Sounds like they both outgrew each other but Betty still wanted to pretend like they were on the same page.
I am intrigued by (Ironically, she’d later volunteer with the mental health clinic once she was in prison.) that just confirms to me that Betty will never take responsibility for her actions.
I am totally convinced Dan was a groomer as well as a serial abuser and would probably be on wife number 5 if Betty hadn’t killed him.
I rewatched old Souther Charm episodes over the weekend and felt like the Kathryn x Thomas toxic relationship has a lot of parallels and I’m glad they haven’t killed each other yet. K believed that Thomas would provide for her and was so excited by his wealth. She wound up cooking and cleaning on a plantation with a baby. When he left her, went on a campaign to paint her as crazy. They ignited really scary behavior in each other.
Is it wrong/really really bad that I was disappointed we didn’t see the shootings?
lol same exact comment at same exact time. Glad I’m not alone.
I was kinda glad they didn’t show the shootings. This is about what was done that led her to that point, showing the shootings would distract from that imo.
No I did want that too. But I guess IRL they didn’t know what happened.
No That is not wrong. . I think the last episode will show the murders in flashbacks
No.
I wanted to see the scene where she ripped the phone out of the wall, so he couldn’t call for help.
I guess I’m so jaded by all the violence on tv and in the real world, I was somewhat disappointed we didn’t get to watch her put a cap in his ass.
Hahaha!!!!!
Lord forgive me but they deserved it 🙏
Sorry she could only do it once. Can only push people so far.
I remember all of this from her trial way back but the series shows how Dan systematically bullied and reduced her value. I just so wish she’d have apologized or something something so she’d be out of prison, enjoying her kids and grandkids. Then she would be the “winner” in this very sad story.
True. No one has made that documentary yet… she can’t profit but I’m guessing she could participate? I’d be front and center to watch that!
That’s exactly how I feel I don’t understand why at her last parole she could not take responsibility for her actions, apologized and she might be out enjoying quality time with her family.
Betty is not the type of woman to sit back quietly! She snapped and rightfully so! Dan took her children her home and all the money! He continously tormented her! And he was so confident in the fact that she wouldn’t kill him! She warned him! He didn’t believe her! Well jokes on you Dan! And Betty would rather rot in jail than take accountability!
But she punished herself. Not fair but Adam is gone; she is living this life and has a chance at some happiness. Which she deserves.
I meant Dan is gone. I hate autocorrect!
Because she’s mentally ill. She doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with her, nor what she did.
Even a scumbag sociopath like OJ had enough sense to pay attention to his lawyers and pretend to feel sorry for the Vegas robberies and boom – granted parole.
It’s a sign of severe mental illness when one cannot even fake their way into showing remorse, even to help themselves. Sad.
I saw a lawyer on tv the other day..he was saying what I’ve been thinking. Why didnt she at least fake it and pretend to be remorseful? So she had a chance of getting out. But she still hasn’t moved on from any of it..the anger and hatred. She’s only hurting herself at this point .
Each time Betty has been up for parole at Chino but she keeps getting denied because she shows no remorse. There is also an online petition for her release. Betty has served 21 years.
I admire her for basically sayin “I’d do it again TOMORROW.” She has served enough time.
I do respect that she isnt playing to “im sorry” route if she really isnt. I think Betty finally killed them because she thought Linda was pregnant or would be pregnant soon. If Linda became pregnant Dan would have definitely put a stop to Betty’s shananigans to keep Linda and the baby safe and Betty knew that.
She’s actually served 29 years. She was convicted in 1991. Not to mention the years prior to that since 89 that she was jailed, awaiting trial. That puts her over 30.
Betty allowed hatred, jealousy and revenge to steal her life from her, Dan didnt do that. Betty was still young 42 and wealthy at the time of her divorce. She just couldn’t move beyond her marriage to Dan. Yes rejection and being used hurts. Its hurts bad AF. Weve have all been there. I wonder why she didnt move to another state or area in CA where Dan didnt have so much power, like Orange County or L.A, or Beverly Hills. Hey is Kris Jenner could land a rich Beverly Hills guy im sure Betty could have done the same back then and still lived close to her kids. With thr type of money she was getting she could have kept a small apartment in San Diego to see her kids and owned a house in Seatttle or Utah. Im not a glutton for punishment. Im like a cat clawing at the door trying to escape a sadistic person. Im a Sagittarius and we value freedom over everything. She already gsve Dan 20 yrs in a bad marriage. I wouldnt give up 30 more years in prison over Dan. Betty was a Scorpio.
That maybe why im yelling at the tv saying “DONT DO IT, BETTS, HE AINT WORTH IT, GUUUUUURRLLLL!”
Do you know how much she was worth when she committed the murders? It seems like he took most everything but I’m not as well versed on this as you are.
The original reports back in 1989 say she was getting over $16,000 a month. This was the first case aired on Xpurt TV.Her settlement amount made headlines because that was alot of bread in the 90’s
The money and power involved is what made this story headline news. Dan was very wealthy.
Thank you! I remember the judge saying that number on the show but I thought he said till either party gets remarried. Which would mean he could’ve stopped paying her when he got married. I found that really confusing. Especially with him saying last night that he was her cash cow ( or whatever words he used). Did I get that wrong? I feel like I must have…
I took the judges comment about remarriage to be if Betty remarried, not Dan. I think that’s customary if there isn’t any other time limit put on alimony- which Dan wanted and didn’t get. Think of the life she could have lived on his dime had she been able to regain control of her emotional health. This version of the story makes Linda look pretty awful, and it goes without saying that Dan was a pig. But Betty could literally have had the second half of her life be a huge victory.
Yes!
I believe he was to pay alimony until she remarried. However, he was deducting from that amount for every thing she did to piss him off. I’m not sure but I assume he was also deducting for child support x 4. The number sounds good until he gets into the manipulations.
He should have put the mental wellness of his kids mom first but he was enjoying his power too much.
She got money for child support. The alimony and child suppokrt2 was over $18,000. Dan fining her was for harrassment was within Betty control. She just needed to stop calling. Dan could have sued her for harrassment because that is illegal. Linda wanted to get a restraining order on Betty but Dan wouldn’t allow her. The more i read about the transcripts the more i realzed3 Dan probably just wanted Betty to keave him alone. He was a newly wed in love and planning to have babies. I really think Dan just wanted enjoy his new life and not be bothered with Betty. She was an out of control stalker. If Betty had tried some of those stunts in states with the Castle Doctoring she would have gotten shot. Dan was an asshat and a narcissitic, sociopath. Sociopaths dont really care about revenge. They just want you to stay out of their way. Once you are out of there way you become an after thought to ego centric people. Linda particilated in the tit for tat with Betty but I dont think Dan did
No your right! Which would mean she got nothing! No alimony and no child support because he took complete custody! And he also never allowed her to see her kids! The boys cried for their mother and Dan left them with nannies and head lice!
Thanks for posting this Tamara. I remember some of the details from the trials and Betty was a handful. Sometimes it seems like the kids had to act like the parent to Betty. I just remeber thinking how dysfunctional the kids lives were even though they were rich and now theyve lost the only sane parent they had.
Betty was groomed and abused for many years, starting when she was young. She never developed self-care skills. Dan wanted her pregnant, using Catholicism for an excuse until it didn’t suit him anymore. With back-to-back pregnancies, her hormones must have been boomeranging inside. Then he systematically stripped her of any autonomy as only a controlling abuser can do. He couldn’t even let their wedding be unique and special. He couldn’t leave her THAT ONE THING. He not only repeated it, he kicked her in the face wearing what he refused to wear at their wedding.
I think that ALL OF THOSE FUCKING JUDGES who did all those illegal and/or biased things should have been under review. They were complicit in Betty’s meltdown. AND we did not have the type of therapy then we do now. FREUDIAN shit was still popular. PENIS ENVY. Chalk one more up for Dan. Dan, who BTW, was starting to exert his controlling ways in Linda. Bradshaw Wedding Redux was not Linda’s idea.
Speaking of Freud, where were Dan’s parents in all this? I just remember that he had Betty’s parents turning against her.
I couldn’t agree more, Nanette! Dan was a Narcissistic abuser who used Betty until he felt that she had nothing left that he wanted from her. By then, she no longer had a sense of self and had lost her self esteem as well. His lies and manipulation made her feel crazy, and he consistently told her she WAS crazy! He told the children she was crazy too, and very evilly practice a pattern of parental alienation against Betty. He didn’t allow his new wife to get a restraining order because he actually loved the attention in a sick, demented way that all narcissists do. She never had a chance. If all of this had happened today, I think there would have been a very different outcome for Betty. She would have come across as a far more sympathetic person, and Dan would not have seemed quite the victim.
Betty was a grown woman in college when they met how was she groomed by Dan? Betty was a smart college educated women. I think youre painting her to be an incompetent weakling. Her anger and hurt may have been justified but her actions were not. Sorry but i cant justify her breaking into someone’s home and shooting two people in their sleep. Mental illness or not it just not okay. If the tables were turned and this was a man that stalked his abusive cheating ex we wouldnt be cheering. You have women use with men,cheat and are abusive but the man is expected to be a man and walk away not harrass the woman and eventuallly kill them. Alot of men are crushed financially by crazy high child support and aliminy. They dont go kill anybody over it. Kate Gosselin abused and humilated John every change she got. She left him broke in the divorce and keep the children from him. Similar situation but different outcomes. Betty murdered those people because she couldnt get her way.
Didn’t Dan and Betty meet when she was 17?
I dont know how old she was but they met in college. Im not gonna split hairs about her age and play that she was 17 yr and 11 months old game.
Sorry I wasn’t trying to split hairs, you had a lot of information about the case and
I thought you may have known if my query was correct.
As a European I am not aware of what age Americans are when they start college or university.
It really was a genuine question.
Typically US college age is 18. Students who attend for undergraduate degrees are usually 18-22 or so. Especially in the time frame referred to in the Betty Broderick story. She & I are around the same age.
She was kind of young. And even at college age people are still finding themselves. If I could go back there are several things I’d say to my 20 something self. Mostly about confidence and believing in yourself. Betty did not have that.
Thanks Tam, If I went back to my 20 something self, it would be an extremely long conversation.
She killed two people. Yes, they were terrible humans but they didn’t deserve to die, at her hand. For that reason coupled with the fact that she has shown no remorse, she deserves to stay where she is. If my children begged me to stop because my actions were affecting when they could see me, I would stop. Betty had many choices and in my opinion, she picked the wrong one. She lived in Southern California…of course, she had therapy options. She chose to buy a gun and shoot two people in their sleep rather than seek professional help. She doesn’t deserve freedom.
Dan pushed her into a state of temporary insanity and hatred, no excuse. She is still so filled will unresolved anger that it’s really sad. I believe she is dangerous bc she is not remorseful & if someone were to approach her & confront her she would probably lose it again! Dan did a number on her plus by replacing her which was so obvious & using underhanded tactics she felt she had no other choice! It’s a shame for the kids. Plus no one ( other lawyers) reached out to help her! The writing was on the wall!! How stupid were these so called friends!!
Linda well married men is a losing proposition!!
☠💀👎
She blew her chances for parole because of her lack of remorse. She really can’t let go. The next parole is several years away.
I really wish I could have contacted Betty back then, I tried when she was in jail and never heard back. I was going through a divorce at 18 and minus the money Dan is my 1st husband. What I learned very quickly is the better I did in life, the more I flourished and enjoyed myself that madder he got. It became a game honestly to me. It is years later and #1 is on wife #4 and he still gets pissy every single time I accomplish a goal or he sees that I’m flourishing and yep I still enjoy rubbing his nose in it. Petty…probably but I have managed to use it to accomplish my goals and enjoy my life so for me there isn’t a down side. I got lucky though at 18, my lawyer told me flat out that the best revenge is a happy successful life and I listened.
Good for you! I too walked away from every body that tried to play mind games to get me to react. Men arent to only ones who do that. I have had alot of female friends do it too. Every person i quit is misersble today and i am smiling as I type this.
Good for you!!!!!!💪
You are great!
I feel torn by the tv show and the court tapes TT posted. I do not like Dan and Linda, but I don’t like how Betts is handling the situation. She seriously bought a $40,000 fur coat after the divorce?!?! Sometimes it is best to send a cheap toaster as a wedding gift and move on.
I have always loved everything Christian Slater has done as an actor. He is killing it as Dan! He deserves an Emmy for his performance. He plays evil so well.
Yes. Christian Slater is so good as Dan that I pretty much hate him right now! Amanda Peet really shows Bettys confusion and vulnerability.
And i think Amanda Peet is doing an excellent job in her portrayal of Betty. I truly feel she deserves an Emmy for her performance!