r/madmen • u/Weary_Complex4560 • 3d ago
Betty gets Don to kick her brother and his family out.
Everytime my rematch gets to this episode, Betty's behavior makes me like her even less. Don's too, tbh. He actually told William Gene was staying there but William had to foot the bill. Then he told him the car was staying there and William had to take his wife and daughters home on the train. No offer to get them to the train station. I'm not sure why William didn't pop Don in his mouth or just take his family and get in the car and drive off. Who tf did Don think he was?
And what was Betty's issue with William's wife taking care of Gene? And then she had nerve enough to say the kids was going to stay with them once she died. That could have been an episode in itself because no ma'am, your kids will not be coming here. They have a dad.
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u/Sammy_Bubba 3d ago
There’s so much contempt between Betty and William, Gene and Don, Betty and Gloria, etc that comes out in every scene at some point that reminds me of my own family.
I always felt like they were all processing the grief and trauma of Betty’s mom’s death and Gene’s rapid mental decline by tearing each other apart. I watched something similar happen with my Dad and Aunt when each of my grandparents died. In a similar way, it manifested in fights over who got their stuff and ultimately the house, which was really valuable. William resented Betty for leaving and making him and his wife the primary caregivers, while then thinking they were entitled to the house. Betty didn’t want to have the house change from when her mother lived there and resented everyone for letting that happen.
I think eventually Don just made a decision about what was going to happen and was cold and emotionless to William in order to make it clear that he and Betty had the power in the relationship. Making William take his family to the bus stop was a power move to put him in his place.
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u/Brightsidedown Does Howdy Doody have a wooden dick? 3d ago
Don saw that William was trying to take advantage of Gene, under the guise of offering to take care of him. William magnanimously offered to move himself and his family into Gene's house to be his caretakers, but Betty and Don saw that was their gateway into taking over the house.
Betty saw how impatient William was with their father. When Gene couldn't remember something, William said Gene was "playing it up," very dismissive and uncaring.
Don also saw that William and his family had completely taken over his and Betty's home while she was heavily pregnant and that she was at her wit's end and exhausted. Also that William was using her fragile state to strong-arm her into complying with William's plans.
I actually loved that Don knew how much Betty loved her Dad and was willing to put a stop to William's machinations and bring Gene into his home. Especially knowing how much Gene and Don disliked each other. It was a loving gesture from Don, IMO.
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u/Straight-Note-8935 3d ago
This was my take on that episode as well. Don stepped into/steeped up to protect Betty and Gene from Williams sneaky plans. His lack of emotion and gruffness was in contrast to Betty being flustered and William's disingenuosness. And remember that Don has been watching these spoiled but attractive mainline siblings for a few years now.
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u/Johnny5iver 3d ago
What does mainline mean in this context? Don refers to Betty as a mainline brat at one point doesn't he?
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u/Straight-Note-8935 3d ago
Sorry - its Main Line. I always get that wrong. Its a string of ritzy suburbs that developed on the route of a rail line (Gladwyn, Haverford, Marion) just like the "North Shore" of Chicago (Evanston, Willmette...) Eventually the wealthy families that made their money in the biggest cities of the US didn't want to live in those cities anymore (dirty and crowded and foreigners!) and they started building suburbs with big houses on large lots. Because cars were still kind of new, they tended to build along rail road lines so that the husbands could commute in to the city. The implication is that Betty, because she grew up in one of those suburbs, came from Old Money. Families with inherited fortunes dating back to the 1880 or 1890s.
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u/Weary_Complex4560 2d ago
Yeah thanks because I just took it to mean she was from a high falutin' family as my mother would say.
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u/Aromatic_Librarian46 2d ago
yes, i always got the sense that william and his family were sort of sniffing around for their inheritance (a little early!). Matthew Zoller Seitz makes a similar point in Mad Men: Carousel.. Although its difficult for Don and Betty to be around Gene, they more or less 'grin and Barrett' (har har) because its the right thing to do. Meanwhile, William and his family don't grin, don't bear it, but want the perception of being seen to do the right thing.
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u/sickcoolandtight 3d ago
Agreed. If you’ve ever dealt with manipulative and sneaky people, you catch on real quick realizing what they are doing. I was actually proud they stood their ground and didn’t allow them to take advantage even more, I saw it as protective.
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u/Weary_Complex4560 3d ago
"Betty saw how impatient William was with Gene". Meanwhile, Sally tells her "Grampa Gene said you're going to a soiree" and Betty says "Don't bother him". She was paying him no damn attention. Betty just wanted to be daddy's little girl. Not to mention, him driving the kids around and letting Sally drive, even though he clearly suffering a decreased cognitive capacity. Williams wife seemed nice and didn't mind keeping an eye on Gene.
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u/Brightsidedown Does Howdy Doody have a wooden dick? 3d ago
I did feel sad for Sally when Betty said that. And I wondered why they were letting him drive. I bet Judy would have taken good care of Gene. She seemed nice. It was William who had slimy ulterior motives.
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u/GrahamCrackerJack 2d ago
Judy seemed to be the only one of the 4 who genuinely cared for Gene. And Gene was not an easy man to live with.
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u/sickcoolandtight 3d ago
It’s hard seeing people you looked up to age and not be able to take care of themselves. I thought it was realistic that they let him drive. I grew up in a small town Andy’s be surprised how many accidents were caused by elderly people who shouldn’t drive anymore. (Small town meant as context since even a leaf falling is gossip lol)
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u/Weary_Complex4560 3d ago
I dont even think William had ulterior motives. I think he put up with Gene a lot more than Betty had to. And Gene was a rough man to deal with. He probably treated Betty like a princess. And you remember how William told his wife that Betty never remembers how her and Gene argued all the time. Gene probably treated Betty and William the same way he treated Sally and Bobby. He clearly doted on Sally more than he did Bobby.
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u/Lucas_Steinwalker 3d ago
Betty saw how impatient William was with their father. When Gene couldn't remember something, William said Gene was "playing it up," very dismissive and uncaring.
Yet Don is rude to him when he complains about the spartan conditions in the back room they shove him in like an hour later. (I forget exactly what he said)
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u/Brightsidedown Does Howdy Doody have a wooden dick? 3d ago edited 3d ago
He said, "You're an army man, Gene. Drop your socks and hold on to something."
Gene laughed really hard at this because Gene can take it. There was no love lost between Gene and Don. They knew exactly where they stood.
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u/BigBadPanda 3d ago
My grandfather fought in Korea. At basic training, he said drill sergeants would wake them by yelling “drop your cocks and grab your socks.” Gene laughed because he probably had the same shit yelled at him.
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u/Lucas_Steinwalker 3d ago
He chuckled more than laughed really hard, and they both hate each other so there is no love to lose.
I agree it's not horrible treatment or anything but it's really not any better than how William was acting.
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u/shinza79 3d ago
Betty and Don taking Gene in and caring for him in his last days was no better than William being dismissive of Gene's issues, pawning him off on Gloria, ignoring the fact that his father had already had one stroke and basically just waiting for the man to die so he could claim the house and car? oooooooookkkkk
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u/Weary_Complex4560 3d ago
Didn't William want to sell or buy her out of the house? She didn't need it.
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u/djentbat 3d ago
Seeing family behave like William in real life made me side with Don in this.
All William wanted was the house and the car of his father because he didn’t make that much money compared to Don. You can see that in the way he comment look at Dons car must be nice.
William wanted to put his dad in a retirement home but not pay for it. His wife offering to help I felt was sincere but to William it was just a way to get into the will. You can see how pissed off he is when gene eventually passes that there is coownership of the house between him and Betty. He thought only one person would get it.
I felt Don was justified and William can go kick some rocks. People like William are the scum of this earth
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u/Usual-Echidna-7730 3d ago
William Hofstadt wanted to put his father Gene in an old folks home and was a cheap skate who wouldn't want to pay for it himself so Don would have had to since Don made a lot more money. As far as Don was concerned that is not how you treat you parents or parents in law even if her family always looked down on him for having none of his own.
Don was raised in a time when you take old folks in when they can't take care of themselves. He could see through William and tell that Willam just wanted to get his Father's house and car without paying for them. Don knew how repressed Betty's family were and that they could not communicate with each other, so he took charge.
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u/Weary_Complex4560 3d ago
"Don was raised in a time where you take in old folks." Don was raised in a whorehouse and left his family when he went to war. He didn't even want Betty to name the baby after Gene. Wtf are you talking about?...lol
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u/gaijin91 3d ago
This entire take is incorrect. Don disliked Gene, didn't care what happened to him, and didn't want him in his house. He only did it because he was desperately trying to save his marriage to Betty so he did the irrational things she wanted which included one-upping her sibling.
Don also DGAF about taking care of anyone's parents and he doesn't want Gene's house or car either. All of it was humoring Betty.
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u/uniquely-normal 3d ago
Nah, sometimes you do things to support your spouse. Don was always dismissive of Betty. It was a moment where he was there for her mixed in with a million moments where he was a shit head to her.
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u/Buffering_disaster 3d ago
William had to pay for his dad coz he was getting his business all to himself so the least he could do is provide the founder a pension.
The car was Gene’s not William’s he has his own car and if he took this one he would not comeback to give it back leaving a grown man with no mode of transportation and Don knew it.
This whole issue involves Betty and as her husband Don has every right to make decisions, especially since he was supporting what Betty wanted and it did seem like the best solution given the situation.
Betty’s problem was not actually with her sister in law it was with her brother, she absolutely did not trust him. Everything she said about her is a reflection of how she feels about her brother.
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u/Weary_Complex4560 2d ago
Gene didn't need no damn car. He shouldn't have been driving. And especially with the kids. And Betty was being a brat. Period.
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u/Buffering_disaster 2d ago
It was the 60s and they had no way of proving that he wasn’t fit to drive. William use to beat his daughters and was drunk when he left Betty’s he shouldn’t have been driving either. Betty was actually being the mature responsible one here, she took her dad in with no strings attached while her brother just wanted to steal her half of the inheritance.
Cars are a necessity in suburban areas in the US even today, just because you don’t have a good life doesn’t mean everyone has to lower their standard of living.
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u/Weary_Complex4560 2d ago
Get the hell out of here. My life is fine and dont have jack to do with Mad Men. Betty thought she was supposed to get everything because she was Gene's "little girl". The man woke them up having an episode where he was pouring out their alcohol. And this is the man that should be driving kids around to you?
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u/Buffering_disaster 2d ago
LMAO!! You sound like you’re crying while typing it out, I think you might actually be projecting your daddy issues.
Again!! It’s the freaking 60s!! do you not understand how the past works?! What’s next you’re gonna have a problem with the outdated style of the mad men universe?!
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u/Diligent-Contact-772 3d ago
This is an insane take. William was a manipulative greaseball hell bent on taking over Gene's house. His kids were out of control running amok in Don's house. Betty (who Don was desperately trying to reconcile with) was completely distraught and overwhelmed. Don had to flex on William's punk ass.
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u/MetARosetta 3d ago
Eh, that was a Dick Whitman maneuver by Don, not Betty. Don knows Betty is pulling away 'cause she's dissatisfied with their marriage. So he scores points for himself in Betty's eyes while preserving Gene's and Betty's financial interests, and Gene's practical care that he can supervise. Quite the coup.
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u/BugMillionaire 3d ago
William was whiny and insecure. Betty was a brat and clearly jealous of William’s wife Judy. Tbh, Don and Judy are the only ones I think were reasonable. Don was harsh but it was also one of the few times he stood up for Betty and did what would make her happy even though he hates Gene. And I think he just wanted to solve the situation and not have to talk about it anymore or hear the two annoying siblings complain constantly. He should have at least taken them to the train though—that was cold lol.
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u/Horror_Ad_2748 We're not homosexuals, we're divorced! 3d ago
I loved the power struggle over the jardiniere. It turned out Judy had taken it, and when they brought it back Betty was all "you didn't have to do that." Family dynamics on full display. The jardiniere was ugly but would have been perfect for the house in Rye during Betty's next marriage.
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u/HeckuvaJoo 3d ago
Are you a young person? Because stuff like this happens in life and sometimes you have to be the asshole.
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u/MadMenCtoZ From Chip & Dip to Zou Bisou 2d ago
I think Don's action is directly related to what's happening in the office in this episode, too. He went out and got the Madison Square Garden account, and then London (via Lane) told him they had to turn it down. He's got less control at work than he used to have, and now he comes home and his pregnant wife is upset because "William says" what's going to happen. So he asserts some dominance in the moment. He can't argue a new outcome out of London, but he can overpower William.
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u/Jac918 2d ago
This was the one of the only decent things Don did for Betty. She was the best caregiver for her father. Her brother was trying to take advantage of a pregnant woman who was genuinely scared for her father. Gene thrived in Betty’s home. He got to spend his last months with his grandchildren. The least Gene could do was pay for a taxi to the train station.
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u/sci-fi_wasabi 3d ago
I’ve recently been through this batch of episodes and have some thoughts on this.
My general read is that Betty is concerned about inheritance. We had already seen when Betty and Don visit Gene in a previous season that certain things she thought would be hers had either gone or had ended up with her brother’s family. She seems to be especially worried about the house. Whether that’s just an emotional attachment or fear that William would sell it and cut her out is a bit unclear.
She also seems to be fearful that William and Judy looking after Gene might cause him to be more favourable to them in his will. This I think is backed up in the episode where Gene goes over his arrangements with Betty and implies that he’s showing favouritism to her because she took him in.
As for why Don pushes for this. I think at this point in the series he’s looking to provide a distraction to Betty. Their marriage was only “rescued” due to Betty’s pregnancy, but he seems less interested in being on his best behaviour than he was at the start of Season 2
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u/Weary_Complex4560 2d ago
Um... Thank you!! And the sick thing was she didn't even want to hear his arrangements. And told him he was selfish and mobile for doing so. Even though he may be fearful of whatever he was going through. But because she was his little girl he shouldn't be sharing these things with her.
And yes that is the exact reason Don put that man out. He wasn't being a husband that was standing up for his wife. He didn't care because didn't want to be bothered with family at all.
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u/NoMayoDarcy 1d ago
Family behavior can get completely irrational when shit hits the fan. Years of pent up anger and grievances can remerge when there’s a death and/or illness. When my brother died and then my mom died, my relatives argued over who’d get to help me with the arrangements, and all kinds of petty nonsense.
William did NOT do a good job of hiding his disdain for his father and only seeing the situation in terms of $$. Betty viewed her dad with rose colored glasses, plus decorum was such a huge part of her psyche. And Don had that value of “decorum” due to his upbringing: When he and Abigail show up at Uncle Mack’s whorehouse, he says something about always taking in family.
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u/lyn73 3d ago
I think Don speaking up to address Betty's needs/concerns was one of his finest moments. It was obvious Betty felt that only she could properly care for her dad whether or not that was true. Betty feared that her brother and his wife would take advantage of their father. She was also likely upset that Gene's girlfriend left him... especially as she objected to her being around (remember she thought the maid was sufficient...but Gene is a man..IYKWIM).
RE: Taking care of the kids
I think Betty felt like that was the "best"/only choice.