Betty Applewhite

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Betty Applewhite
Remember (Part 2)"
2x24, May 21, 2006
ClassificationMain
Created byMarc Cherry
In-universe information
OccupationFormer concert pianist
HusbandVirgil Applewhite (divorced)
SonsMatthew Applewhite (deceased)
Caleb Applewhite

Betty Applewhite is a fictional character played by actress

second season, along with her two sons, Matthew and Caleb
.

Development and casting

Regarding Betty Applewhite and the mystery storyline of her family, series creator

first season finale but saved for "Next" instead.[3] While the Applewhites are regarded as the first major black characters on the series,[4][5] Cherry stated that the role of Betty was originally offered to two white film actresses, both of whom turned it down due to financial and time commitment issues.[2] He clarified: "There's nothing strategically black about her character. Her color is incidental."[6] Woodard stated that she had never seen the show before accepting the role, something that led the producers to send her fifteen episodes of the show, which she divided amongst various family members. After they compared storylines, Woodard recalled that she became "instantly hooked" on the series.[2]

Storylines

Betty Applewhite is the first

African-American housewife to be a major character on Desperate Housewives, and is described as a "deeply religious, overbearing single mother".[4] Betty grew up in a very religious household, and is a gifted pianist. Betty married young to a man named Virgil Applewhite. Betty and Virgil had two sons named Matthew and Caleb Applewhite. Virgil started being abusive which led to Betty leaving him. She took Matthew and Caleb with her. Matthew lied to Bree and Danielle Van de Kamp saying that Virgil was dead when the Applewhites first meet the Van de Kamps. While living in Chicago
, Matthew had an off and on relationship with a girl named Melanie Foster. One night he broke up with her for good. Melanie wanted to make it a real goodbye so they decided to meet in a lumberyard. Caleb got there first and said that he could be her boyfriend. After Melanie laughed in his face, he started beating her with an axe. He ran away covered in blood. Matthew killed her for real when she threatened to send Caleb away forever. Matthew had Caleb blamed.

Betty begins her recurring role in the final two episodes of the show's first season, when she buys a house on Wisteria Lane from

Bree Van de Kamp
.

Betty is an astute woman not to be trifled with, as revealed in unpleasant and threatening exchanges with Bree. Her reasons for moving from Chicago to Wisteria Lane are mysterious due to the fact she has locked up her son Caleb, who is somewhat "slow" and lacking in social skills, in her basement. Because of the way she bought her house, she arouses the suspicions of the housewives. She eventually reveals to Bree that Caleb murdered Melanie Foster.

Meanwhile, her son Matthew has been dating

Danielle Van de Kamp
, Bree's daughter. Matthew wants a "normal life" without the secrets and pressures of keeping a fugitive out of sight. He and Danielle hatch a scheme to have Caleb put down. Matthew tricks his brother into going to Danielle's house to rape her. Bree finds out and informs Betty that she will call the cops and send Caleb away forever. Betty will not have this and decides to poison Caleb because she refuses to have him locked away. By poisoning him, she thinks she will give him peace.

Betty takes Caleb on a picnic where she treats him to a bowl of ice cream that she has poisoned. Caleb asks if Matthew is mad at him, and Betty asks why. He tells her what really happened, and Betty stops Caleb from eating the ice cream. Back on Wisteria Lane, she tricks Matthew into going into the basement, where she locks him in for punishment.

Danielle comes to Matthew's aid and strikes Betty with a crowbar. She and Matthew flee, leaving Betty on the basement floor. After she comes to, Betty decides to leave Wisteria Lane. She packs her belongings and prepares to depart with Caleb in the middle of the night. However, the police show up and arrest her before she can leave.

In jail, Betty learns that it wasn't Caleb behind Melanie Foster's murder—it was Matthew. Betty calls Bree, who is in a psychiatric hospital, and warns her that they need to get Danielle to safety. As Bree escapes the hospital, Matthew and Danielle head back to the neighborhood to grab some things. While Danielle attempts to break into her mother's safe, Matthew heads to the Applewhite home to pick up some cash. Betty is there to confront him and reveals that she has learned the shocking truth and is even more shocked that he has placed the blame on his brother.

According to Matthew, Betty loved Caleb more than she loved him. Betty argues that she was the only person Caleb was going to receive love from. Matthew leaves to get Danielle from her house before Betty alerts the authorities. As Matthew prepares to flee with Danielle, they are confronted by Bree. In the resulting confrontation, Matthew pulls a gun on Bree, and just as he is about to pull the trigger, he is shot dead by a police sniper. Betty decides that this dark chapter of her life is over. She packs and leaves Wisteria Lane with Caleb.

Reception

As soon as Woodard accepted the role of Betty Applewhite, she reported experiencing heavy media attention.[7] Woodard's portrayal of Betty was praised and resulted in a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. However, her mystery as a whole had mixed reviews. In a review of the second-season premiere, Michael Slezak of Entertainment Weekly thought that the Applewhite mystery would help reduce the show's chances of falling into a sophomore slump. He praised Woodard's acting as well as her character's storyline, opining, "there's something so inherently warm and maternal in Woodard's performance, such apple-pie wholesomeness, that it makes her touches of menace all the more chilling."[8] However, as the season progressed, there were many complaints about Betty's lack of interaction with the other housewives.[While reviewing the Extra Juicy Edition of the DVD of the second season, Kristopowitz noted that many of the bad reviews received by the second season were because of Betty.[9]

Even several seasons after Betty's departure, her mystery was a target of negative reviews and comparisons. In his review of the

African-American housewife to be a major character on the series, she admitted to having been a fan of the series during its first year, but stopped watching because of the racially insensitive Applewhite mystery storyline. Williams explained to Entertainment Weekly, "[Betty] had her son in chains in the basement. It was like, 'Really? Do we have to go there with our first Black character?' I honestly fell off the show after that. I think it was just so implausible and just an image that Black folks don't want to see: their child chained and shackled in the basement."[13]

References

  1. ^ Keck, William (May 5, 2005). "'Housewives' in suspense". USA Today. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c Keck, William (September 29, 2005). "Alfre Woodard has a secret". USA Today. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  3. ^ Audio commentary on "One Wonderful Day" with Marc Cherry and Larry Shaw. Desperate Housewives: The Complete First Season. [DVD]. Touchstone Pictures. Retrieved July 31, 2011.
  4. ^ a b Kaplan, Don (April 13, 2005). "Alfre Woodard Joins 'Desperate Housewives'". Fox News. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  5. ^ Cooper, Gael Fashingbauer (September 26, 2005). "Now that's a 'Desperate Housewives'". MSNBC. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  6. ^ Mitchell, Sean (September 24, 2005). "With the Secrets Revealed, 'Housewives' Turns to New Mysteries". The New York Times. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  7. ^ Rice, Lynette (2 September 2005). "'Housewives' gets even more mysterious in Fall '05". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  8. ^ Slezak, Michael (September 24, 2005). "Desperate Housewives: Sending Rex off in style". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  9. ^ Kristopowitz, Bryan (May 10, 2006). Desperate Housewives Season 2: The Extra Juicy Edition DVD Review Archived January 9, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. 411mania.com. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  10. ^ Roush, Matt (October 5, 2007). "I have enjoyed your take on ..." Archived 2010-10-09 at the Wayback Machine. TV Guide. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  11. ^ Stransky, Tanner (September 29, 2008). "'Desperate Housewives' recap: Vegeterian [sic] Delight". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  12. ^ Tucker, Ken (October 18, 2009). "Desperate Housewives: Is it too soon to say that Drea de Matteo's storyline isn't working?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  13. BET
    . Retrieved October 23, 2010.
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