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Beth vs Diane's circumstances....agai n (spoilers)

posted 16 years ago by Cheena71
5 replies | jump to latest

**Most of the posts I'm responding to where left almost a year ago however since this movie was on Lifetime this weekend, I'm sure others will comment.**

There are posts who say Diane was awful and Beth was correct in her actions, others say Beth was responsible for everything and Diane was reacting. Here's what we know...

Beth could've been more alert, she could've been more prepared on her job. This movie was only a slice of her life. Beth appeared to be the best mom she could be. Her "babby's daddy" had the opportunity to go to college and get into a career, that's applauded however Beth was at home being a fulltime mom. We don't know how life would've turned out if the father had full responsibility. I'm certain he would have taken a break at least or maybe not taken as many classes at one time. Beth and the father were responsible for the child, she made a decision to be raise him. Other posters have said the father was there but who knows if there were instances where she asked him to come and care for him but he declined because of homework or a preparation for a test. I don't think he's a terrible father, however I will see the mom made a lot of sacrifices.

Diane was a jerk as a driver. She did have the attitude that everyone's driving ability was an inconvenience. True, she had major responsibilities at her job. I'm someone who suffers from road rage and I have to remind myself while being out that its not the other drivers' fault because of traffic if I left later than I should. At any rate, Diane was rude to Beth, which was at the time of Beth's breaking point. Not Diane's fault but she did add to the situation. What isn't mentioned is that Diane flew by Beth almost hitting her when Beth leaned into her car) so though Beth could've paid attention while driving, Diane was not the safest driver either. With regard to her life, Diane was under a lot of pressure, just as Beth was. She was pulled from so many different angles with, seemingly, very little support. Diane's finances were very different from Beth but their aggitations seemed to be pretty similar however, its probable that she would've had more assistance than Beth. In other words, the loss of Beth's job is very different than the loss of Diane's promotion. (Its been concluded that Beth pushed people away and we just don't have enough information about why she does that.)

Some posters have cruely stated that Beth should've been aware of the problems in being a single mother. That's unfair to state, maybe family claimed they would be there and left her to fend for her child. Maybe others didn't want to be bothered with a child having a disability. Raising a child on your own is difficult but especially when the child has special needs. Yes, she got pregnant out of high school but she chose to raise the child which is commendable. Its clear, in the movie, she adored her son! I'll allow that argument to say this. Diane could've known her situation ahead of time as well. Who knows? Maybe her husband has had problems getting jobs for most of their marriage. She chose to stay in her situation just as Beth did. It doesn't make them wrong, does it?

At the end, Beth clearly saw the err of her ways. I think she realized that her behavior lead to a disaster and want to try to make it right. She didn't have to call 911 and admit to being wrong (it is a recorded line), she could've even tried to give a diferent version of accounts....well, maybe that's a stretch. :-) I believe if Beth had lived, she would've had a lot of regrets, I also think she would've tried to set a different path for herself. Maybe allow her ex to take her son so that she can return to school, etc.

Diane survived and though she lived to tell the story, I think she has regrets for shooting Beth. Maybe she asked about her (in the hospital) to see if she'd cause more problems or maybe she really wondered about Beth's well-being. I'm sure once all the information got out, Diane would've felt guilty that Ben doesn't have his mom anymore, that she was trying to help and that Beth was at a low point in her life. What no one has mentioned is when her family helps Diane get into the wheelchair, she looks very frustrated, sad, and regretful because of her now physical outcome. Even though she is still "with child," she lost her leg and who knows what other injuries she may suffer from. Its possible that Diane won't be able to work in her field anymore, maybe she won't want to. Even if she doesn't go to jail, her life is very different now and may be feeling guilty because she took a life. Who's comfortable with that?

One poster said both women should've been more understanding. In theory, that's great but sometimes the obstacles and weights of life can get to you and you do lose control. Unfortunately, this scenario ended in the loss of a life and complete changes for both families!

[–] taylorje 16 years ago

I love this movie and recorded it because I'm not sure it will ever come out on DVD. So many Lifetime movies don't.

I noticed, as you wrote, how frustrated and sad Diana looked when her family helped her into the wheelchair. I wish the movie had showed more of what happened after the shooting -- maybe scenes of Beth's funeral, or what happened with Diana's job. I felt Diana was very close to being fired for losing that account, and since she would be out on sick leave for a long time that would be the perfect excuse to get rid of her. I also wondered why she didn't have a prosthetic leg by that time, as it had been two months since the accident.

A scene with Benjy and his father talking about Beth would have been good, sharing memories of her.

I think it's likely that Diana had a good lawyer and got off with probation and community service. There were many witnesses to Beth's attack on Diana's car (which was my favorite part of the movie, I kept cheering her on!). The accident happened moments later, and I think a good lawyer could prove Diana was justified in feeling that Beth was trying to kill her. Plus, since she was severely injured, Diana was not capable of making rational decisions. I'm sure Diana expressed great remorse at the trial. Of course, Benjy could still sue her in civil court.

I somehow feel that Diana did not return to her old job. Since she now had a criminal record, and with all the publicity, the company would probably not want her back. I can envision her doing consulting jobs from home.

[–] Moviegoer Dan 16 years ago

I felt Diana was very close to being fired for losing that account, and since she would be out on sick leave for a long time that would be the perfect excuse to get rid of her.

This reads a bit much into Diana's actions and their likely consequences. It's true that she did things her own way on this particular day, made lots of bad mistakes, and didn't take direction from Catherine, her superior. However, this was all within the context of being somebody who had proved herself to be very worthy and was ready to be promoted, as shown in Catherine's telling her that once she, Catherine, had moved to the London office Diana would have her job. I hardly think that one bad day was going to get her fired. It may have been, as you point out, implausible for her to continue working at the advertising agency after the road rage incident, that would have been bad publicity that her company would not have been able to live down.

Prosthetics take quite a while to be measured and tested, two months may be a bit early for one to be using one.

[–] Moviegoer Dan 16 years ago

Some posters have cruely stated that Beth should've been aware of the problems in being a single mother. That's unfair to state, maybe family claimed they would be there and left her to fend for her child. Maybe others didn't want to be bothered with a child having a disability. Raising a child on your own is difficult but especially when the child has special needs. Yes, she got pregnant out of high school but she chose to raise the child which is commendable. Its clear, in the movie, she adored her son! I'll allow that argument to say this. Diane could've known her situation ahead of time as well. Who knows? Maybe her husband has had problems getting jobs for most of their marriage. She chose to stay in her situation just as Beth did. It doesn't make them wrong, does it?

The movie addressed Beth's outlook on other peoples' involvement with her raising her child. She pushed them all away, including the child's father as well as Beth's parents, who had lived in Montreal while raising her but now lived far away, far enough to have to take an airplane back at that point. Her getting pregnant in high school and closing doors on her possibilities is something that she tried to lash back at David about, implying that he, somebody who had gone out to make something of himself by going off to college and "partying," was doing something wrong by not being there for her at that time. I've previously posited that Beth's behavior was illustrative of an epidemic about how teenage girls with low self-esteem think that having a baby will change all that and improve their lives. I reassert that position here.

Scott Burke did get that job in the end, saying that he wanted a second printout of the sonogram of his son to be, to pin it up at work. The only other indications of his previous work history were when Diana mentioned that much of what he'd interviewed for were things that he was overqualified for. In modern times this is how things can be. The Burkes were an upper middle class couple with modern problems, including a fancy house, two cars, two kids, and lots of bills to pay. Scott was just experiencing another phenomenon attached to all of that, being laid off.

[–] jabberttp 16 years ago

Nice analysis, wendypatrice71.

As I said in other posts here, the main thought I got was both of these women were way too inattentive to the task of driving.

As women are generally put in a good light on Lifetime, I found it interesting this movie almost reinforced the stereotype (please no hate mail, I don't necessarily agree with the stereotype) of bad women drivers.

Even if both of their lives were going *beep* that day, if there were more attentive (and courteous) drivers, these tragedies could've been avoided.

Neither of the female leads in this movie, IMO, were bad people by any stretch of the imagination.

Both, however had the same downfall: inattentive driving. Which proved fatal.

[–] ooohhhmmyyyy 16 years ago

They were both in the wrong. They should have driven safely and Diane shouldn't have cut Beth off and she shouldn't have tried to get her revenge on her or else she wouldn't have gotten shot. I mean what if you had ticked someone off on the road and that person was going after you and trying to run you off the road and then all of a sudden you crash and you are injured so you are defenseless. The person is pounding on your car door and wouldn't you be scared because you don't know if that person is trying to hurt you? She probably couldn't hear Beth's words when she was yelling if she was alright.

Also Diane should have driven around Beth's car and not be a bitch about it. I mean how hard is it to drive around someone's car who is parked in the middle of the road? Beth also shouldn't have been hitting at her car and wrecking her mirror for revenge.

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