'Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story' Ending Explained: Dramatization mirrors true-crime narrative
Spoilers for 'Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story'
The last episode of 'Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story' titled 'Perception is Reality' chronicled the murder trial of Betty Broderick (Amanda Peet) who was convicted of murdering her ex-husband Dan Broderick (Christian Slater) and his second wife Linda Broderick (Rachel Keller) on November 5, 1989. Since the series is based on a true crime story, viewers were aware that the finale would see Betty convicted of the murders, but we think the series wanted to showcase the trial from Betty's perspective, hence the title.
According to USA Network's dramatization of the story, Dan Broderick never thought he had ever faulted his ex-wife, Betty. Meanwhile, we were shown the 'legal terrorism and corruption' that Dan had put Betty through using his intelligence as both a doctor and a lawyer as his crutch along with acting on the conniving advice he'd received from his big shot friends. The series explains how Betty was provoked deeply by Dan, and how her reactions to his incessant court bindings and orders and affair had her fall off the edge. The ending of the episode sees a reporter ask Betty indirectly if she had remorse for what she had done, and the wink she gave the reporter said more about her mental health than it did about her remorse. It almost insinuated that Betty Broderick didn't regret killing the man who left her for Linda Kolkena years ago.
In jail, it seems that Betty was enjoying the support and attention she received from the media and her fans. Along with writing back to her fans, Betty had said she felt more peaceful in jail. The ending alluded to the fact that a huge chapter of Betty's life was over and she absolutely did not mind it. While Betty did try to prove her side of the story during the trial, she claimed she did not remember what had happened that night, blatantly lying that she had stolen her daughter's keys to enter Dan's home. The flashbacks of what happened that night in Dan's and Linda's bedroom show us that Betty may have remembered more than she was letting on. She had said she had only walked into the home to confront Dan of all the legalities and had intended to kill herself afterward, but was startled when Dan had started to reach for the phone leading her to fire five bullets. She said she didn't have enough bullets left to commit her planned suicide.
The real Betty had revealed that Dan had said "OK, OK, you got me," after she had shot him in an interview with The Los Angeles Times. "He was on the floor, and the phone was right next to him. I thought, 'Oh, my God! He is going to be on that phone before I'm down the stairs," said Betty who had then pulled the phone cord out of the wall socket before leaving the scene of the crime. Betty's first trial was a mistrial due to hung jury, but she was found guilty on two counts of second-degree murder at a second trial in 1991. So what really happened after that?
Betty was now to spend 32 years to life in prison and even though she had become eligible for parole in 2010. It was reported that Betty's parole was denied twice in 2010 and 2019. Her lack of remorse was also pointed out by a parole commissioner who had told her, "Your heart is still bitter, and you are still angry." In 2017 after the second denial of parole, Betty had written, "I have met all criteria for parole and my release date was 2010. Now I am only a political prisoner. They have no reason to deny my parole." It seems that many still believe Betty lacks the remorse that would get her a parole hearing but it is also important to remember that Dan Broderick was not an angel. His manipulation and gaslighting of the situation and his ex-wife reeked of egotism, sadism, and patriarchy.
The series didn't aim to show if Betty had regretted the murders she had committed, instead, it showed how after the murders Betty was no longer bothered by the hell she suffered for years. She was content with answering her fan letters and dwelling in their support. While the ending is obvious, the matter of question would have to be if Betty had remorse for her actions, and from what we were shown, it may have been that she was more upset she was caught. There are always many interpretations of a true crime story and any dramatization of it can lead to not only more opinions but more questions as well. In this series, it seems that Betty's perspective of the crime was given more importance, and we were left wondering if the woman would do it again if she was given the chance to.