Betty’s ongoing struggle is for someone to desire her; and when her written flirtations with Henry Francis result in a cover-up of a fundraiser that he doesn’t attend, she reacts like the petulant child she always has bubbling just under her manicured surface. Francis seems skilled at this type of thing (an older version of Miss Farrell). He’s not surprised when Betty shows up at his office with the strongbox full of donations for Rockefeller’s campaign (that was part of his plan), and is probably turned on when she throws it at him. But, at the end of the day, Betty’s more of a tease (how very fourteen-year-old girl of her!) and after a passionate kiss in his office, she shuts him down, saying it would be “tawdry” to consummate the affair. This woman is profoundly screwed up, but she’s also so frustrating. She’s beautiful, educated and sharp; plus she has domestic help. Is she really stuck in her life? Or is she just such a drama queen that she refuses to do anything that might help her overcome her unhappiness?
