Life & Beth season one received lukewarm responses, but the show captured the essence of women in their mid-thirties trying to find a balance between having a successful career and a productive personal life. The last season ended with Beth and John coming together as a couple and acknowledging their love for each other. Beth, along with her sister Ann, threw a proper send-off for their deceased mother Jane by hosting a lunch. Ann and Beth were on good terms by the end of Life & Beth season 1, and they were looking forward to coming closer as a family.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Was Beth Looking Forward To Her Date With John?
Beth and John officially began dating. Beth was working full-time for a rich man named Cole, and John was still a farmer. All the vanity around each other had vanished, but Beth somehow expected their first date would be romantic. She was surprised to see John show up on the date in a shabby manner. Beth quickly understood she had to bring down her expectations in regard to John, and she voiced this concern as well because, unlike her previous relationships, this one seemed real. John was honest about wanting to spend all his free time with Beth and even considered marrying her. John loved Beth, as he figured she was the only woman who knew what his job as a farmer entailed. He admitted not wanting to see other people. Beth was excited after John’s proposal, and they decided to get married.
Where Do Beth And John Get Married?
Beth and John chose New Orleans as their wedding destination. New Orleans was her best friend Maya’s hometown, and all of them found a reason to visit the place. John, on reaching New Orleans, met a man with a colorful history. The same man got them in touch with a woman who ran a small shop that could be turned into a wedding space who offered to do Beth’s hair and makeup. Every close family member and friend jumped on the wagon and reached New Orleans. Everything went as planned at the wedding except for Beth’s hair and makeup, which were awful. She could not see herself in the mirror because there were none at the venue. The wedding took place, but not before John freaked out a little bit at the idea of living with someone possibly forever.
How Was John Diagnosed With High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder?
A few months into their marriage, Beth noticed John’s unusual behavioral pattern, something that reminded her of Maya’s son, Skylar. On checking with Skylar’s father, she was made aware of autism spectrum disorder. She calmly requested that John carry out personality tests online and maybe speak to certain psychologists to understand how and why his brain behaves in a certain way. After meeting up with several psychologists who seemed more interested in being judgmental than helping John with the diagnosis. Finally a doctor managed to explain how John suffered from a high-functioning autism spectrum disorder. John was calm and quiet about the diagnosis and wanted to understand how he could better function as a person and a spouse. John described how he often made people angry with his honest remarks, and explained how he managed to remain unaffected by them. His communication and social skills were limited, and both decided to bring some changes into their lives going forward.
What Happened To Beth During Her High School Days?
The story in the show goes back to the year 1999 several times to showcase the kind of life Beth and Ann had with their parents while growing up. Jane and Leonard were not together anymore, which meant the girls had to split the amount of time they spent with their mother and father, respectively. The separation did cause a good amount of trauma for the girls, and it affected their adult relationships as well.
Tim, Beth’s first boyfriend in high school, was awful to her and did not treat her right. She dated Caleb, who initially seemed like a decent boy. The young boy ended up sexually molesting Beth while she was sleeping. Beth was hardly aware of the concept, as this was never discussed with her at home or school. Beth remained oblivious to what happened to her for a long time, which contributed to her shutting out her partner. Beth was also a fierce sister who always protected Ann. As an older sister, she stopped Ann’s classmates from bullying her and carrying out hurtful pranks. Beth was also subjected to bullying during her days in middle school, and she had no one who would defend her. She chose to help Ann to make sure she was never left alone while being cornered by the bullies.
Did Ann And Beth Have A Falling Out?
Beth was in New York City for work, but on hearing about her distressed sister, she took it upon herself to spend some time with her. Ann was in a relationship with Kylie, but Beth suspected that her sister had broken up and was not interested in talking about it. Beth and Ann took a trip to a haunted house, and on the way to the destination, Beth tried to help her younger sister find perspective and process the pain they faced as children. Beth claimed their childhood experiences manifested themselves into something ugly as they became adults. Instead of blaming others for the relationship having gone sour, she wanted Ann to understand and possibly heal from the pain of her childhood, and that would help her find some contentment.
Ann was in no mood to hear any advice from her sister, especially when she believed Beth had manipulated her a lot. There was a reason Ann stayed away from Beth and their mother. They had taken it upon themselves to protect her instead of letting Ann experience the world on her terms. The sisters have a falling out over Beth’s decision to have a child with John only a year into the wedding.
Ann claimed Beth would be a bad parent because she was exactly like their mother. Ann and Beth were hurtful to each other, and the former ended up leaving Beth alone at the haunted house to pick up the pieces of their relationship. The sisters did not speak to each other, and the argument possibly changed them as people. Beth decided not to have a child because she resonated with Ann’s words, but it was too late.
Was Beth Pregnant?
Beth was pregnant, and all statements she made to John about not wanting a child were thrown out of the window. They were now a married couple, and having kids was a part of their plan. The couple moved back to their home and spent most of the nine months together. John carried out a massive overhaul of their home to accommodate the new human being. As a couple, Beth and John had their first major falling out because the wife was having trouble dealing with the noise at home. The falling out led to nine months’ worth of anger and resentment in the form of harsh words. John was worried if Beth had plans to leave him. A heavily pregnant Beth had to move to a hotel with her friend Jess to get away from the clutter and the noise. Beth and John had come a long way since their wedding. Certain insecurities were bound to show up, but as mature adults, they had learned to sort the matter out amicably.
Why Was Jess Having An Affair?
At Beth’s baby shower, Jess reveals her affair with Beau, a New Orleans-based cop. Instead of getting arrested for a petty crime, she began to sleep with him and Jess’ life was never the same. At the beginning of Life & Beth season 2, Jess and Jen had complained of leading a slow married life, and nothing could bring back the excitement. Jess was married with kids but began a long-distance affair to keep her life exciting. Maya was furious at Jess for having an affair and possibly hurting her partner in the process. Maya and her husband had fallen out over his affair with another woman. She did not encourage Jess’ choices because of her experience. Jess heard Maya’s concern and decided to call it off. Beau visited New York City one last time, and Jess ended the affair.
How Did Beth Help Jess?
Beth and Jess ended up spending the night at the hotel. Beth was tired of the home remodelling, and the noise bothered her and caused friction between the husband and the wife. Jess discovered she was pregnant. The child was Beau’s, and she never wanted any trouble since the affair had ceased. She chose not to inform her ex-lover about it. Jess and Beth headed to the free clinic for the abortion procedure. A heavily pregnant Beth did not try to change Jess’ mind because, as friends, they had always supported each other’s decisions.
Jess was sure having a child would mean ending her marriage. She could not afford the divorce and losing custody of the other children in that process. Abortion was the only way, even though she cried while deciding to terminate the pregnancy. Beth was a good friend because she stayed with her till the end of the procedure. After Jess’ procedure, Beth came home as a person willing to work on the marriage. Beth never judged Jess and her spouse, but she never wanted herself and John to reach a point where there was no intimacy and friendship between them.
Did Beth Have The Child At Home Or In The Hospital?
Beth and John had gone through regular counseling ever since he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Beth wanted some peace and quiet and suggested she move to her employer’s home upstate until the baby was born. She wanted a home birth that would be away from the noise of the hospital and the smell of medication. The couple moved upstate as planned, but things didn’t work out as they wanted them to. Beth faced a false alarm, which changed their plans effectively. As a husband, John wanted to provide the best for Beth and went out of his way to accommodate her plans for the child. He was in the game for the home birth but changed the plan the moment they experienced a false alarm a few weeks before the actual delivery date.
Beth decided to change her mind and move to the hospital for delivery, surrounded by doctors and nurses. John agreed to it immediately, and the couple moved back to their home, which was now fully renovated. John and Beth were back to being a happy couple after their stint of living upstate. Beth requested a C-section that might help them further in planning things for the child beforehand. As Beth goes into surgery for childbirth, many discrepancies take place, as expected. No delivery has ever been smooth, and Beth’s was not flawless. To Beth’s surprise, Ann was at the hospital at the time of the delivery, which meant there was some love left between the siblings. Ann probably never wanted to put Beth’s infant through the trauma they faced as children. It would be a fresh start for both adults responsible for the child.
Life & Beth season 2 ended with Beth giving birth to a baby boy. The child would bring major changes to their life. Beth and John would not be able to be their old selves and would have to make accommodations for changes and patience in their lives. It would be a test for them as a couple and parents to understand how raising a child works.
