I found the scene on the sofa where Henry's mother brandishes a knife because she has frightened herself and Sally about the mass murderer, then gives the child--and herself--a Seconal (do you know how to take a pill?) extremely disturbing and not at all a grandmotherly event.
I read the scene differently; I thought that the Grandmother was being there for Sally exactly as she should through most of the episode: stern and disciplined, but when Sally was scared, she created the girl like an adult and told her what happens. In short, the Grandmother showed Sally a level of respect that neither Betty nor Don have ever afforded her. And once they had the talk, I don't think Sally was scared anymore, at least not of the news item. She stays under the couch because she's scared of Betty, as we've known for a long time.
I saw nothing wrong with the Grandmother wielding a knife. She's worried about her granddaughter's safety, and has a weapon. She's not using it on the child. She's not using it at all. It's just a precaution. A little bit odd, perhaps? Yeah, sure, but not disturbing.
As for the Seconal, no, that's not good parenting behavior by our standards, but for an elderly woman in 1966, it wouldn't be the big deal we'd see it as today. She was just trying to help her granddaughter sleep - in that time period, she wouldn't be considering things like pill addiction, or overdosing, or dependency, or any of the other issues most people are fully aware of today. It's similar to when Sally tried smoking in (I believe) season 2, and Betty was worried about her making a mess, not about irreparable damage to her daughter's lungs. It's just the times.
I found the scene on the sofa where Henry's mother brandishes a knife because she has frightened herself and Sally about the mass murderer, then gives the child--and herself--a Seconal (do you know how to take a pill?) extremely disturbing and not at all a grandmotherly event.
ReplyDeleteI read the scene differently; I thought that the Grandmother was being there for Sally exactly as she should through most of the episode: stern and disciplined, but when Sally was scared, she created the girl like an adult and told her what happens. In short, the Grandmother showed Sally a level of respect that neither Betty nor Don have ever afforded her. And once they had the talk, I don't think Sally was scared anymore, at least not of the news item. She stays under the couch because she's scared of Betty, as we've known for a long time.
ReplyDeleteI saw nothing wrong with the Grandmother wielding a knife. She's worried about her granddaughter's safety, and has a weapon. She's not using it on the child. She's not using it at all. It's just a precaution. A little bit odd, perhaps? Yeah, sure, but not disturbing.
As for the Seconal, no, that's not good parenting behavior by our standards, but for an elderly woman in 1966, it wouldn't be the big deal we'd see it as today. She was just trying to help her granddaughter sleep - in that time period, she wouldn't be considering things like pill addiction, or overdosing, or dependency, or any of the other issues most people are fully aware of today. It's similar to when Sally tried smoking in (I believe) season 2, and Betty was worried about her making a mess, not about irreparable damage to her daughter's lungs. It's just the times.