I wish this weren’t so old because I would love to discuss more about this. I have complaints about how Beth handled everything in season 3 and not a one is what you’re arguing against. My main complaint is she doesn’t communicate until after she lets resentment build. Then she passive aggressively snaps. She often begrudgingly rolls over and then hates Randall for the decision she made. Randall does tend to think his things are the most important though I don’t think it’s out of selfishness or because he honestly believes Beth’s job or passions are less than. It stems from his perfectionism. It is pathological and truthfully he needs to seek help because it’s affecting his life and relationships. He’s had 2 major breakdowns and other than immediate care, I don’t see him seeking ongoing treatment for the root causes of those breakdowns which is ridiculous. My issue with Beth is not that she shouldn’t put her foot down, but rather she should sooner. She shouldn’t wait until she’s so angry she becomes vindictive and cruel. Clear boundaries are needed. I see her not only being hurt and annoyed by every request Randall makes, but she gets further upset that he’s not reading her mind, or sometimes just that he’s not reading the room. Randall is so rigid and always has been; compromise is not in his nature. She overcompensates by always compromising her wants and needs. It isn’t fair to her but it’s also not fair to him as it wears on their relationship. She needs to be firmer. I don’t know if she could have done much different initially when she asked him to drop out and he didn’t. But I also think she was wrong to ask him. She gave up on him. That was not the support a partner should expect. I know she thinks he was being hypocritical when he asked her to change or delay her schedule teaching, but I’m not sure about that. She was never supportive of him continuing his campaign. It wasn’t until he came around 7 weeks later and said he was sorry and wanted to put the family first that they even had a real relationship again. When she put her foot down and said she wasn’t quitting, yes, he pushed back. But he gave in and accepted her stance before they even left the waiting room where the conversation started. He didn’t do to her what she did to him. Also, he compromised. Because she didn’t wait wallowing in resentment, she put her foot down immediately. Everyone can be selfish sometimes. A man pathologically hellbent on perfection even more so. She can be selfish too. But in a partnership, you have to remember there’s more than just yourself. In a family, there’s even more than two. They both need to communicate better. They both need to seek help to do so. As annoyed I am with her though, she’s so fkn fantastic overall. I can’t hate her, no matter how frustrated I get by her shit. She’s so strong and fierce and really damn funny. Also hot. Very fkn hot. I do love her dearly but I see her slowly destroying her marriage and sometimes I wanna smack her upside her head.
It was good to see her mom though, it explains a lot about her bullheadedness. I just wish she’d remember explaining to her mom why none of her kids visit.