Dirty John

Finally started this year and this season watching the real life and love crime anthology "Dirty John". I must say that season 2 "The Betty Broderick Story" is tense and on fire with drama as the star turn from Amanda Peet as Betty is near perfect with her shining turn as a selfish win at all cost trophy socialite housewife. Based on a true real life case from the 80's the series spans thru the 80's in Southern California to show the stormy life of Dan(Christian Slater) and Betty(Amanda). The series also has flashbacks to their time of meeting and college days on the east coast. Each episode explores how marriage relationships can become toxic as Peet scorches on the screen and she acts out her pain and rage in very loose ways which slowly leads to self pity and tragedy. As her past time of raising four children and watching husband Dan become both a doctor and lawyer becomes distant memories when Betty is left for a young employee(Rachel Keller) of Dan's. Maybe the viewer could call this tabloid TV at it's best!

Still each episode shows pain, loss, and grief and the 80's are captured well with the music and clothing as Betty sports the best of shoulder pads. And Amanda shines and looks so fine in her shiny colored silk satin blouses and plus the scenes in which she sports sexy colored bras is an eye candy treat! The series is a spin on success and vanity showing what it's like to have it all yet it crumbles without emotional love and understanding as it's a moral cautionary tale on greed and mental illness as a midlife crisis becomes the norm. Overall this is a well done shameless dirty true crime story told with drama that shines with the work of Amanda Peet's cold cruel sexy turn as a woman scorned.

I had rated this series a 7 during the first season. It was certainly interesting but everyone was so hard to relate to and empathize with that I had a hard time with it at times. Season 2 has changed my rating from a 7 to a 10 though.

The costume and aesthetic of the eras are so good. The story takes you from the 60s to the 90s and you really feel like you're actually in those decades.

The characters have so many layers and the actors are so good. I have a love/hate relationship with every single main character which proves how well developed they are.

I was familiar with both stories and I immediately thought the Broderick story would be a great pick for this series. So I had a feeling it would better than the first season, but this is better than I even thought it'd be. I can't wait to find out what season will be about.

Almost all the low star ratings are either w/regards to the voicing of the daughters or the dumbness of the mom. But, remember this is a well researched true story and the actors represent real life people. Especially the mom who wants to believe in love/nurturing/forgiveness so much she loses some objectivity - perfectly normal. As for the story itself: Well, poor John so misunderstood & taken advantage of especially by so many women infatuated w/his charms & good looks: oh, and medical institutions too. They can be so cruel. Anyway, watch & see how this true life drama plays out - if you don't know (then don't before hand look elsewhere or ask) as to how John satisfies his journey through life. Interesting, unique& well done acting by all - kudos. But, why a season 2?

What a talented actress, I am spell binded and flanked with grief by her powerful performance. All hail Amanda peet

First, anyone giving this miniseries a low rating and calling Connie Britton's character "dumb" or "stupid" has obviously never been in or been close to anyone in an emotionally/physically/psychologically abusive relationship. If they had, they would understand that, unfortunately, situations like this do happen, and much more frequently than would be expected. They also would understand how difficult it can be to extract yourself from abusive relationships, even if the abused realizes how bad the relationship/situation is. While I read the published story, I have not heard the podcast, which is supposed to be fantastic. The tv show is pretty faithful to the published story, although some of the characters (primarily her two daughters) are a little exaggerated for tv purposes. While I, like most viewers, feel frustrated with Connie Britton's character due to her repeated poor choices, I easily can see that she is a very sweet, giving, compassionate person who is naive and too trusting of others due to the way she was raised and her own honesty - she simply can't fathom that anyone could be so malicious and dishonest because it isn't in her character makeup. If you've been "around" in the real world at all, you'll quickly realize that most people highly suspicious of others tend to disbelieve so easily due to their own tendency towards dishonesty and deception, as well as low self esteem.

After saying all of that, we (my husband and I) find this show very entertaining and extremely well done. Both Eric Bana and Connie Britton are excellent in their portrayals of their characters, and I would figuratively "kill" to have Connie's character decorate our house - she has exceptional (decorating) taste!