'Dare Me' Season 1 Episode 2: Beth has more than teen angst to blame for her hostility towards coach Colette
This article contains spoilers for 'Dare me': Episode 1 - 'Coup d'état and Episode 2 - 'Acquired Mutual Destruction'
Teenagers go through a lot physically and mentally and it is these personal struggles which in some way end up shaping young minds. While teens can be impulsive and become hostile for no rhyme or reason, a psychological aspect should always be considered behind the teenage angst. Beth, played by Margo Kelly, has managed to portray a character that projects her personal struggles into her public life as well - she can't control the cards her family life has dealt her, but outside of that, Beth has to be in control. Although, episode 1 brought in a character that 'runs the show', episode 2 dove into why Beth may be the way she is - how much she has lost, and what she isn't willing to lose anymore.
Rebellion comes to easy to teenagers, now add in two cheating scandals, money and a title of Queen Bee and you'll have an ego that not even a best friend can tone down. What we know about Beth so far can almost justify her behavior, almost, but she's aware of what she's capable of. Coming from a broken family, young Beth has to somehow pull the reins in her life. With a mother that has pills for meals and a father aiming for the "#1 dad mug" with cash flow, Beth would rather deal with the fact that her squad is being taken away by Coach Colette.
On the surface, it's clear as day: a young girl is the top of her squad, an honorable pedestal to uphold and here comes, an all-knowing coach who believes a squad doesn't need a leader. While the coach has nothing but good hopes for her squad, the animosity between her and Beth only intensifies after Addy and Beth catch her cheating on her husband with Sargeant Will. Beth now has a one up on the person she thinks waltzed in and took over, but it looks like the anger stems more from the walls of her family mansion than the squad's gym. An additional blow? Beth's father got this coach for Beth, so the girls can make it big with cheerleading; the same father that cheated on her mother and moved across their home with his new woman and daughter. Beth's half-sister, Cassidy is also part of the squad and on her way up the pyramid - that's a lot of blocks falling at once for Beth.
Her dad cheated, coach cheated, her best friend is straying away from her, her father still occasionally hooks up with her mom and she has an all-access pass to all town mischief gatherings, so how sure are we that she won't upload the video she took of coach and Sargeant? We can probably guess that she would in the headspace she is, in this episode, but it's obvious why Beth may be the way she is - she has no one controlling her attitude, and the new coach has no patience for such drudgery, so who loses?
Beth looks to be a character that has a lot yet to unfold, and although we can see how her experiences have shaped and nurtured her delusional confidence, she seems to have no shame about her 'secrets'. But like she tells Addy, "don't be so sure" - so let's wait and watch.