I honestly thought when Henry pointed out he'd already suggested a possible solution, that that's what the solution was.

Ditto.

I'm actually finding Henry kind of interesting in that he obviously shares disdain for Don based on what he's heard from Betty and his limited interactions with him, yet at the same time, I think he's gradually feeling something of a kinship in that they both want he and Betty out of that house and think that Betty's treatment of Sally is excessive.

And I couldn't help but wonder, with the sleepover mom, if she would have dismissed Don the way she did Henry, because he's "only the stepfather."

I thought she dismissed him because she was embarrassed about the subject.

I didn't find Betty one-dimensional. She had a great scene with Doctor Edna. You see her trying to understand Sally a bit and the grief for her dad and her guilt. Lots going on there.

I didn't find Betty one-dimensional.

I don't think she's one-dimensional, and I've read some reviews that complained that she's becoming a caricature of a bad mom, or not recognizably human. But having gone through a divorce I know that you are yanked completely out of balance and shit comes flying out of your mouth that you never would have said before. The whole experience is raw and jagged and you have no sense of who you are or how to see yourself.

So, here's hoping Dr. Edna works some magic on Betty.

David,

your point is well taken, but Betty was acting like this before the divorce. She said some crazy things (threats of violence in a mild voice) to her daughter before she knew of Don's past.

Back then, I thought she was clinically depressed. Maybe she is still.

I wish there'd been a Dr. Edna for my family back then. (Maybe she'll turn out to be Joan's long-lost mother?)

Back then, I thought she was clinically depressed. Maybe she is still.

Oh, I definitely think she's depressed. Even though her circumstances have changed, she's still got the same basic problem she had in S1. She's too smart for the life laid out in front of her, but she can't figure out why she's so dissatisfied. She's got it all. She's had it all twice. It doesn't make her happy.

Think about how much Peggy and even Joan have changed since S1 compared to Betty. She really needs to have all the support beams torn down and stand in the rubble and have an opportunity to recreate herself. I just can't see that happening in 1965, unless something goes wrong with Henry.

You see her trying to understand Sally a bit and the grief for her dad and her guilt. Lots going on there.

See, I actually didn't see her as trying to understand Sally so much as "look at MEEEEEE, look at everything I've had to endure!" Sally's yet another trial for her and she's trying to understand why she should be subjected to this torment. You'll note how quickly she turned the whole session into it being About Her.

She's agreed to Sally seeing a therapist not because she's hoping to get at the root of Sally's issues and helping her become a happier, healthier child, but because she wants to "fix" Sally enough so she's no longer a burden on Betty and learns how to control herself the way she did.

And I think Dr. Edna zeroed in on that right away.

I agree with Barb. Betty's not going to empathize with anyone who isn't herself. Whatever else she is, she's a horrible narcissist, and it would require an enormous amount of therapy for her to even acknowledge that she has a problem. I love that her psychologist is a child psychologist, too.