Roger played his hand beautifully when it came to diffusing the drama over his daughter's wedding. He and Mona went all in: "Do you want to cancel the wedding or not?" Once she admitted that she didn't, the whining more or less stopped (well, of course, until ...).

Contrast that with Betty. What was Betty looking for from Don? She bursts in on him, complaining that she doesn't love him, and that it's too late for him to fix it.

And ... ? And ... ?

And, what? You want me to argue the point? You want me to pack my things and leave my home and kids and go get a hotel room in the city? You want me to give you a ride to your boyfriend's house in Albany?

Betty didn't get anything out of the conversation because she didn't ask for anything. If she wants to run off and marry Henry Francis, then she should just go already. If she wants Don to leave, she should tell him so and see what happens. But if she just wants to scream at him about how miserable her life is, then why should she be surprised that he doesn't want to listen?

There's a difference between a kid whining because she isn't getting her way and a woman contemplating ending her marriage, and all that such an action entails, because she's just learned that her husband of 10+ years is living illegally under an assumed identity (in addition to the other lies, infidelity, etc.). In the latter instance, a little ambivalence is understandable. Maybe if Don had said "Do you want a divorce?" Betty would have said "Yes." But you know that Don isn't going to ask that question because he doesn't want to hear the answer.

Very True-and Betty was not screaming. She may have had a short preamble but she'd been thinking about it a long time. Sometimes when things are hard to say you want to get it out while you have the strength to do so. I'm surprised Don didn't go to Suzanne's.

Granted -- but she knows that Don doesn't want to get a divorce, so she's going to have to make a request of some kind, because he's not going to leave of his own accord.

So -- what does Betty want?

I was so grateful he didn't go to suzanne's. Their screen time together just draaaaaags.

I doubt Suzanne would (or could) allow him to stay.

Her landlords are right next door, and would probably be shocked that an unmarried teacher had a bidie-in. Eviction and job loss would follow.

What an interesting thread.

Betty seems the least complex of all the characters in that she seems to simply want a loving husband and children who adore her. Her life plan called for her to be the perfect wife and mother and she was well on her way until Don's infidelities turned her into a child-like, petulant, and whiny woman who takes her frustration out on her children. Since Don has now completely proven her life to be a sham, she's confused as to what to do next. She no longer understands what it is she wants, where she should go from this point. She still wants to love Don but can't get past his lies, and she's not ready to love Henry Francis either. Not yet anyway. She's just not *ready* to ask for anything because she can't see beyond the construct she's held onto. Of all of the female characters in the show, she is least equipped to move on, and that would hold true even if she didn't have three children. Her only career was as a model, and earlier episodes with the Coca Cola shoots have shown us how much she can rely on returning to that one.

How does a housecat (lap cat) move onto the streets?

Well said, evenser. Knowing what you want, when plan A doesn't work out, and you don't have a plan B, is difficult for anyone.

The burning question for three seasons now has been "What does Betty want?" Every time anyone asks her, she has no clue.

Ultimately, they're asking her the wrong question. What Betty can't figure out is what she needs. There is a big difference, and she's still to immature to figure it out. We rarely get what we want, but if we try sometimes, we might just get what we need.

"The burning question for three seasons now has been "What does Betty want?" Every time anyone asks her, she has no clue."

This fits with what was beginning to happen at the time. Women were supposed to feel completely fulfilled being the good mother, devoted wife, always attentive to everyone's needs...but their own. More women started asking themselves that question, and many of them didn't have a clue as to the answer.

Betty is not alone. She even has her own bottle of 'mother's little helpers' to keep those thoughts at bay...