'Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story' Episode 1 Review: Amanda Peet and Christian Slater are a deadly match
Spoilers for 'Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story' Season 2 Episode 1 'No Fault'
'Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story' is exciting. We first meet them during the decline of their marriage in the middle of a pretty messy divorce. There doesn't seem to be anything left between them or anything left to say that could possibly save the marriage. Now, after decades of being together, Betty and Dan Broderick's marriage must come to an end. But there is only one party who thinks that way.
Betty (Amanda Peet) firmly believes that her husband cannot divorce her without her consent. Refusing to believe that her marriage has now come to an end, Betty goes the distance in trying to make amends. Not one but on several occasions, she tries to make things better with her estranged, bitter husband. The audience isn't immediately told what went wrong between the two. As is the case with most marriages that go sour, it is the result of a long-overdue series of events that have disturbed one or both parties. Trouble in their marriage seems to have started a long time ago, it's just that one person was more aware of it than the other. In the first episode, we are drawn into the irreparable situation between Dan and Betty. Dan doesn't want anything to do with Betty — he doesn't as much as give her any time of his day to even listen to her grievances.
On the other hand, in this hopeless situation, a very hopeful Betty clings to age-old, traditional values of marriage and the promises of love. She does everything in her control. First not hiring a lawyer and then not showing up to court hearings where the judge eventually sways Dan's way. Actually, in this divorce, Dan has an upper hand owing to the fact that he is a medical malpractice lawyer. From possibly the first event that marked the downfall of their marriage, Betty is quickly tagged as the overemotional, neurotic woman who doesn't have a grip over herself and is growing delusional by the minute. It is not like Betty has no idea that these assumptions are made against her. But that is hardly her priority. Right now, she must ensure that Dan doesn't just up and leave.
You can't walk out on your marriage — your wife, your kids, the whole life that you built around the relationship. You cannot walk out on something you spent a lifetime working towards. So she gets working on saving her marriage. On one instance, she goes to desperately plea with him. But eventually, overtaken by anger, ends up ramming her car in his front door with the children still inside. Dan then gets her to spend the weekend in a psychiatric ward. Dan never once cares to cushion the blow either, leaving his wife forlorn and humiliated. And it doesn't look like Betty is going to be mum about this. Amanda Peet is impressive as Betty Broderick, displaying her desperation and futile efforts with brilliance. On the other hand, Slater expresses his desire to separate without any mercy. Together, they form a dangerous combination on screen, depicting one of the most deadly divorces in America.
