Dirty John
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Theres that famousMaya Angelou-by-way-of-Oprah quotethat states when people show you who they are, believe them.
He is late to one of their early dates, leaving Betty stranded in front of the movie theater.
But does he get another job?
No, he goes to Harvard Law School.
Once there, he runs for student government, which precludes him from getting a part-time or work-study job.
Through all of this Betty is having childrenlots of them.
Pregnancy is hard on her body.
She has constant nausea and lots of problems with her veins.
She delivers a baby who dies shortly after birth.
The early years of raising a child are challenging.
Growing multiple human beings with your body is exhausting.
They dont use contraception.
Dan wont let her have an abortion.
Also its her body but she needs his permission to get her tubes tied.
The early days of their relationship are juxtaposed against Bettys murder trial.
The detective tells of the five bullets Betty shot that fateful nightincluding the one found in Lindas body.
Her friends testify that after Betty shot Dan and Linda she called them.
One friend didnt call 911 because she didnt believe Betty.
Framing the episode with the beginning and very tragic end of their relationship is an inspired decision.
In many other takes of this story, Bettys perspective isnt given the consideration it deserves.
Just getting phone calls from the opposite sex has her father calling her a slut.
They laugh about their early poverty while a pregnant Betty goes from her first job to her second job.
When they finally move to California and their life begins to change, Betty is so happy.
She encourages Dan to leave his firm to start his own medical malpractice firm.
Its the culmination of what theyve both been working for.
And the casting is fantastic.
Learning that Mason is British makes the fact that he nailed Slaters cadence and sound that much more impressive.
Could all of this been avoided?
The metaphor is a good one.
In a way I wouldnt have predicted,Dirty Johnis a good fit with the recentMrs.
At one point in the episode, Dan sneers Are you a feminist now?
