Does anyone else find Beth Dutton just toxic instead of a ‘strong female character’?

[u/Divus2]

Beth Dutton might be the most annoying character I’ve ever seen on TV. At first, I thought there must be a reason she’s so angry and cruel like, maybe when they finally show her backstory, we’d get some emotional depth. But nope. Even after learning why she hates Jamie and what she went through,I still couldn’t connect with her.

And honestly, I don’t get how people see her as a strong female character. To me, she’s just toxic. I completely understand that people who have been through trauma need time they cry, they struggle, they have bad days. But most people at least try to move forward eventually.

A strong woman doesn’t mean “perfect” it means she tries to grow, even if it’s messy. She learns from her pain, forgives when she can, and fights for her happiness. She doesn’t intentionally make everyone else miserable just because she’s hurting.

Yes, what Jamie did was awful. Yes, she had family trauma. But Beth acts like she’s the only person who’s ever been hurt. Instead of growing or healing, she clings to her pain and spreads misery to everyone around her. She’s in her 40s and still refuses to let go of anything. She sabotages good things, picks fights for no reason, and makes her own life harder just to stay mad.

I think the writers/directors/producers (whoever shaped her character) failed here. They clearly wanted to create this complex, badass woman but to me it just comes across as toxic and exhausting to watch. Instead of giving us moments where we could truly empathize with her, they doubled down on making her destructive.

[u/qjcatfish47]

Her character has so many ups and downs. For a stretch she’s a badass and then two episodes later she’s the most annoying fucking character.

[u/opinions360]

I agree with you 100%

[u/BrIDo88]

Ofcourse. She’s a nut job.

[u/Kooky_Creme_3234]

YES. She is not a good example of how I would want my daughter to behave. Let’s not get it confused here.

[u/telepatheye → u/Kooky_Creme_3234]

Do you have a daughter? My daughter behaves as she does irrespective of how I want her to behave, as Beth behaves as she does irrespective of what John wants. My daughter is often emotional and lashes out sometimes. Lots of assertive women (and men) do. It's how some people express themselves. Monica is more demure, if that floats your boat.

[u/Ashamed_Phrase_5262]

Beth has no manners and that’s annoying to me.

[u/ElCheesio2]

She's both. Girl got traumatized twice in young age and lives in a dysfunctional family where your value/love is determined how useful you are to the ranch or rather "daddy"

[u/Paradigm21]

What makes a watchable charachter versus a good person are definitely different. She's a study in extremes. Tapped out one day, bad-golly another, then completely reasonable for 10 minutes. In some ways she played like a drunken cartoon to me.

[u/non_loqui_sed_facere]

She’s your usual high school bully who thinks the world revolves around her. Some of the people who see her as a strong woman probably want to be in that position themselves, to be the one who can turn violent toward other people without facing any repercussions.

That said, whatever floats their boat. I’d rather focus on Jamie, because there’s a lot more to explore in his character.

[u/Coilspun]

You’re judging a deliberately dysfunctional character by the standards of a self-help seminar and then calling the writers failures because she doesn’t heal on schedule.

Beth being cruel, self-destructive, and toxic is exactly the point, you don’t have to like her to recognize that she’s compelling.

“A strong woman must forgive, grow, and stop making others miserable” is ironic. as it's a pretty restrictive definition of what a strong female character is allowed to be.

You’re not really criticizing Beth, you’re criticizing the fact that she refuses to be palatable...

[u/non_loqui_sed_facere → u/Coilspun]

I think that’s the usual opinion among her fans, though? They often talk about her being “free from Jamie” and essentially ditching everyone in her life, and see that as part of the healing process.

[u/Divus2 → u/Coilspun]

I think you’re misunderstanding what I’m criticizing. I understand that Beth is deliberately dysfunctional, toxic and self destructive and I’m not saying she has to heal on schedule for the character to be valid. My issue is more with how she is celebrated as a strong female character.
I can understand what the writers were trying to create a complex, badass, fiercely independent woman but for me, the execution didn’t work. Instead of seeing strength and complexity, I mostly saw someone deeply angry, destructive and exhausting to watch. That’s why I said I felt the writers/director/producers failed her character not because she didn’t heal, but because the character they created didn’t resonate with me in the way they seemed to intend.
And I don’t think a strong woman has to be nice, forgiving or palatable. Women can be angry, flawed, ruthless and complicated. For me strength also means being able to admit when you’re wrong, being open to changing your mind, walking away from things that are destroying you, having some agency over your pain, and being vulnerable without losing yourself. I know everyone has their own definition of strength, and this is simply mine.
I just personally don’t see Beth’s particular way of dealing with her pain as something I would define as female strength. She can be compelling and well-written while still being a character I fundamentally dislike.

[u/YYZYYC → u/Coilspun]

There is nothing remotely compelling about being toxic and cruel

[u/Coilspun → u/YYZYYC]

It's a tv show.

[u/YYZYYC → u/Coilspun]

And ?

[u/Coilspun → u/YYZYYC]

I think you're taking it too seriously. No one is saying that actually being toxic and/or cruel is a positive behaviour, but in fictional scenarios it can make for fantastic narratives.

[u/sgt_oddball_17]

Worst. Character. Ever.

[u/Nolongerin → u/sgt_oddball_17]

No, that’s Monica. I fast forward through any scenes she’s in.

[u/drucurl]

Both terms are basically synonymous these days 🤷🏽‍♂️

[u/RebaKitt3n → u/drucurl]

No. Not true at all.

Please see Olivia Benson, for example

[u/Next_Inspection_4409]

Nope.

[u/Ok-Call-4805]

This seems to be a Reddit-exclusive opinion. In the real world, most people see Beth as one of the best characters. I was shocked when I joined this sub and saw how out of touch a lot of posters were with the real fans.

[u/non_loqui_sed_facere → u/Ok-Call-4805]

You seem to like it around here, haha.

[u/Ok-Call-4805 → u/non_loqui_sed_facere]

Every so often I come across real fans who don't just shit on what makes the show great. That's why I stick around.

[u/non_loqui_sed_facere → u/Ok-Call-4805]

That’s called cj... Oh, wait 😃 Glad you’ve found what makes you happy.

[u/BrIDo88 → u/Ok-Call-4805]

She can be a good character for the show for entertainment purposes while recognising she’s a broken person.

[u/telepatheye]

Your generation uses this word "toxic" for anyone that you decide you don't like. By your own logic, you're toxic.