I’ve always thought that Betty was emotionally immature, but it was never more clear than in this episode. Throughout the first two seasons of Mad Men, Betty has shown an almost clinical inability to face any unsavory situation. The fact that she was able to confront Don about his many dalliances last season was pretty much a minor miracle.
I think her dealings with her father, both in this season and the last, have proven that Betty just can’t face difficult situations. In this episode, it all came to a head.
It started when Gene sat Betty down to discuss the arrangements for his funeral and estate upon his death. She didn’t even want to discuss it, claiming that his planning was “selfish” because it clearly upset her. Being a grown woman, you would think that she would be able to recognize that her father was not a healthy man, already having suffered a stroke. It seems, in so many ways, that Betty is still a child.
At the end of the episode Gene died, leaving Betty to wallow and shut down. I loved the juxtaposition of Betty and Sally. It seemed that Sally was actually taking the news more naturally than Betty. Granted, we didn’t get to see Betty during much of her mourning, but she seemed to just shut off, whereas Sally let herself get emotional and upset at the loss. Truly, it appeared to be a much more mature response. It was particularly horrifying watching Betty dismiss her grieving daughter, telling her to go “watch TV,” instead of comforting her.
I, for one, am going to miss Grandpa Gene. I think he added a great dynamic to the Draper household, annoying Don and charming his grandchildren. I think it’s going to be interesting in the upcoming episodes to see how Betty deals with this loss. Will she be able to grow up a little through her mourning? Will she actually comfort her children?
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Sep 07, 2009 @ 11:30 EST5EDT
