Once Upon a Time Dating

This post is dedicated to the housewives of (in my opinion) the three best shows of all time: The Sopranos, Mad Men, and Breaking Bad. Carmela, Betty, and Skyler- this one’s for you depressed betches.

Even though these three shows seem vastly different, they are actually quite similar. They all star leading men keeping secrets from the world: Tony Soprano is a mob boss, Don Draper is really Dick Whitman, and Walter White is a meth kingpin. The shows examine how their secrets alter how they relate to others, but mostly how they relate to their families. This is where their wives come in- the blonde bombshells.

Of all of the wives, Carmela is undoubtedly the most screwed up. Which is interesting, considering she is also the only one who went into her marriage completely aware of who her husband really is. In fact, it was Tony’s money and flashiness that drew her in to begin with. The series featured Carmela’s struggle between her materialism and her desire for a normal life not constantly surrounded by danger.

Skyler has a similar struggle, but it is easier to sympathize with her because unlike Carmela, she didn’t ask for it. She married a nerdy, doting, uncomplicated high school chemistry teacher who was unexpectedly diagnosed with cancer. This, in addition to a midlife crisis, led him to start cooking meth and ultimately becoming “the one who knocks”: Heisenberg. The major difference between Carmela and Skyler is that Carmela turned the other cheek to Tony’s business, but Skyler got involved. Upon learning her husband’s secret, Skyler started laundering their money and demanded to be in the know.

Betty is the most similar to Carmela. Although Betty didn’t know her husband was casually faking his identity when she married him, she was attracted to his mysterious nature and his money. Don is also (obviously) the sexiest of all the husbands, and Betty understandably couldn’t resist his looks and charm. Betty always knew something was off with Don though. But, like Carmela, she turned the other cheek for a while because he gave her everything she wanted: a beautiful home and an easy lifestyle. Carmela and Betty both also attended therapy, but Skyler never did (or hasn’t, yet).

Each of the women left their husbands at one point for other men. Carmela left Tony for a while and slept with her son’s guidance counselor, Skyler left Walt and slept with her boss, and Betty full on divorced Don and married Henry. But Carmela and Skyler took their husbands back, and if you ask me Betty will eventually wind up with Don again too. What keeps drawing these women back in? Are they just dumb blondes, or are they being smart and acting out of self-interest? What do you think their similarities say about pop culture’s representations of women?