Betty is one of my favorite characters in Mad Men. I guess by the time her and Henry get married, she shifts into being a minor character for some time. But, I enjoy her relationship with Henry because while it's not perfect or even necessarily easy, I think their relationship is more balanced than her relationship with Don (by a huge landslide given his complete mistreatment of her).
One of my favorite scenes is in Season 5 Episode 9, titled "Dark Shadows." It's when we've seen her attending Weight Watchers meetings and later on she goes snooping around in the Megan and Don's apartment. Anyway, the particular scene I enjoy is when she and Henry are up in the middle of the night and they're eating that steak together. I really like it because it's a simple way of showing how she is now in a marriage where she can speak openly with her husband about his career without him saying "it's none of your business, stop worrying about my job" like Don would've done.
Henry appreciates her so much more than she had received in a long time. I feel like people need the chance to be supportive and caring to their friends or family, so seeing her have that chance is nice.
I feel that he was. Don’t see why she cheated
What do you think of the fact she did that? What do you think of how she thought Henry would think?
For once she has a husband who truly seemed to adore her, and not the idea of her.
Like the instance where she felt too fat to go out with him and he’s disappointed he had to go without her. He truly likes having her by his side.
I know they had their little tiffs throughout the show, but I do think they were really good for each other. I think it’s good they were shown having fairly “normal” little arguments (instead of arguing about having affairs or any disloyalty)
I have a lot of respect for Henry. (I don’t think he should have approached her when she was pregnant, of course) But besides that…the fact he was willing to marry her and stay in Don’s old house, and was able to let her have her moments and forgive her (when she slapped Sally for cutting her hair, or when she had that breakdown at the restaurant) overall he seemed really understanding and patient.
When we saw him break down at the end of the season and he said “What am I going to do? What am I going to do without her?” You just know he felt like he was losing his best friend.
I’d say Don, even though I think that her relationship w Henry was healthier in like… every possible way
I know that both Betty and Henry had children from their first marriages and I'm not saying that every couple needs to have children. However, it would have made made sense for them as a married couple, considering their values, beliefs, and what era they were from, for them to have more. Betty was only in her early thirties when she married Henry and the show regularly made a point about showing how (unhappily) old-fashioned she was.
This was explained quite thoroughly with Don and Megan when they were married. Even to a lesser extent with Roger and Jane as well.
Ep 4x1 After Don picked up the kids from the house Betty and Henry go into the car in the garage. Henry then initiates? Sex. It seemed like weird timing?
From what I could tell, Henry has been faithful to Betty during their marriage and has been a supportive husband. Betty hated Don after learning that he was cheating on her, so why was she so sure of herself when she slept with Don at Bobby's camp?
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... keep reading on reddit ➡Or was hoping?
I, for one, hoped for it and believed it as well.
Is Henry Francis typically liked or hated in r/madmen? IMO, Henry is one of the best MM side characters with good intentions. Sure, he came in and “seduced” a married mother of three, but in Betty’s case this was a good thing to happen to her. She just found out her emotionally stunted husband had lied to her (and everyone) about his true identity. She had been drowning for years with Don. After marrying Henry it takes about 2 seasons for Betty to get her groove back. Say what you will about her parenting skills, but she finally began to understand what feminism meant in 1970 and enrolled in school to get a medical degree. A lot of watchers hated Betty but I think she was misunderstood.
By the end, Henry seems so unhappy with Betty. Do you think that if he'd known how their relationship would be, he would have decided to marry her all over again? Or do you think he loved her unconditionally, no matter what?
It just looks so fake and I don’t think it adds much to the story.
What’s the significance of that moment? I never really understood it
…what it be? I would want either Don’s Knight cuff links, the Mets pennant in Lane and later Don’s office or Don’s Glo Coat Clio award.
I just watched the scene where Betty and Henry were in bed , and she said something about her holding this girl down for him so that he could have his way
That blew my socks off , what was that all’s about ?
The episode The Better Half opens with Betty being brazenly propositioned by one of Henry's colleagues. In the limo after the fact, Henry interrogates her about the interaction and Betty's admission leads to the two of them passionately kissing.
A few things stand out to me here. First, the way Betty handles the guy propositioning her. It's very teasing, yet aloof. Like she's enjoying the attention but has no intention of actually responding to his advances. Second, the interaction between Betty and Henry in the limo. It comes across as practiced and playful, as though they both know the rules of this game. Henry pretending to be jealous and angry, Betty pretending to be demure and reticent. It strikes me as a kinky roleplay that they both really enjoy and have done before.
I think it's telling that the episode where Don and Betty cheat on their spouses with each other opens with this scene. It makes me think that Henry likes the idea of Betty with another man and either has explicitly stated such or has strongly inferred it. I don't doubt that Betty is still attracted to Don, and the circumstances at the cabin presented a perfect opportunity to fulfill her and Henry's fantasy.
Betty doesn't seem to feel any apprehension or guilt about it, which may just be her compartmentalizing. But the fact that she left Don in her bed the next morning strikes me as extremely sloppy for someone having a secret affair. It's almost like she had no fear of getting caught.
Thoughts?
It doesn’t even seem something her character would say, I asume this is the writers way of saying how Betty barely has a sense of humour so when she’s trying to be funny she comes off way too strong?
I'm certainly not saying Betty isn't lovable, she's obviously stunningly beautiful and has a very sweet, charming side under the icy blonde veneer. But what I want to know is what attracted Henry in particular to her? Obviously her beauty, but it seems to me that Henry does have an emotional connection with her and she isn't just a trophy wife, because it doesn't bother him when she gains weight. (Although I don't think she suddenly became ugly when she was heavier, she still had a beautiful face and those lovely blue eyes.) Maybe she appeared vulnerable and he wanted to protect her, or maybe he was just lonely. The only reason I'm asking this is because they seem to have sort of opposite personalities. He's very warm and open, while Betty is cold and reserved. He's mature, calm, and reasonable, while Betty is prone to anxiety and immaturity. I'm just wondering if there's something I've missed that other people picked up on.
I was just rewatching the episode “Shiny Happy People.” Derek is chief, Owen did not recommend he give Teddy a contract. Meredith tells Cristina that something is going on with Teddy and Owen, but won’t say what. The patients are Henry Stamm and Betty Flynn. They reunite in Seattle Grace after haven’t seeing each other in half a century. They were each other’s true loves. But they married other people after having a one night stand. After their spouses are dead and they are old, they reunite in the hospital. They are so happy but Betty says she is got over him. Then he has a heart problem, and she says she will be with him.
Throughout the episode, Cristina is comparing Henry and Betty to Owen and Teddy. Thinking they are soulmates. Well guess what, they might be. Because Owen and Teddy didn’t get together when they obviously both had feelings for each other. They both went on to marry other people. Now that their spouses are gone, they have reunited.
Tada.
Sorry if this post is a mess. This all just came to me at once and I am on mobile.
I’m on my 3rd watch of the show and I’m really enjoying the posts & comments that have brought things to my attention that I definitely would have missed on my own.
I’m not sure I understand everyone’s hate for Henry. Personally I preferred Don & Betty together because they’re both broken and kind of deserved each other. I find Henry slightly arrogant and self-righteous. However, it seems like most people hate Henry simply because he flirted with a married, heavily pregnant Betty.
There are so many affairs with married participants in this show that I can’t see why this particular flirtation is unforgivable. I didn’t think they shared anything beyond a kiss until Betty was divorced (or at least I don’t think it was shown). So I guess my question is, is this so troublesome for so many people simply because she’s pregnant? Although Henry annoys me for the most part, I find it kind of endearing that he never seemed fazed by her pregnancy (or her 2 other kids).
They never addressed it again and it was weird as hell
What is going on with Betty suggesting to Henry that she gags Sally's violinist friend whilst he rapes her?!
Ditto for Don with Betty and Megan
So in Season 6 episode 9, Betty is at a political party with Henry. A man approaches her while she's waiting for Henry and tells her he wants to spend all night alone with her. Betty says she has kids, he doesn't care. Then she says "no look at me can you believe I've had 3 kids" and he looks shocked.
What the fuck did she mean by this and why was he shocked when he didn't care at first? Was she implying she's too good for him?
We're due our first in two months (we're not finding out sex beforehand) and have really enjoyed thinking up potential first names.
However, I'm now getting a bit stuck on how to put a full name together. Would really appreciate any thoughts. I feel like our first name choices are so similar in vibe, syllables etc, that they don't really work together as first/middle name scenarios!
The baby's last name will be Bithell, so "ith" and "ell" sounds can sound a bit weird ahead of them.
We like not too popular, but not too wacky/childish names - we're in the UK, I'm English and husband is Welsh, so we're particularly fond of those origins.
Husband has two middle names and I have one - we're undecided on how many baby will have!
Key things to note:
- both my husband, my dad, and husband's dad all have "John" as a middle name, so we would quite like to incorporate that if we have a boy
- I was very close to my Grandma Olive and love the name Olive. Husband feels that if we do that, we would have to incorporate his grandma's name too for fairness - Betty - which I don't think goes with last name Bithell and also I think baby should have at least one name that is theirs alone!
Does anyone have any suggestions for full names? Either combinations of the below we might not have thought of, or with other middle names we might not have thought of yet? Would appreciate any suggestions! Thanks in advance.
Our top girl first names:
Olive Clara Cecily Carys Matilda Gwendolyn (Gwen or Winnie for short?) Alwen Carwen Violet Lavender Arwyn Aedlin Cora Irina Inez Willow
Our top boy first names:
Hugh/Huw Alfred/Alfie Henry Arthur Owen Albie/Albert Jasper Eric Aron Steffan Caden Arlo Alvyn Leo Griffin Dewey Howell (Howie?)
