Ugly Betty – Episode 3-2 Review

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This week’s episode saw many changes.  While some were believable progressions in the world of Betty, for the most part the episode was a combination of head-shaking and eyebrow furrowing as characters did and said things so out of place that even an audience accustomed to the dramatic world of fashion couldn’t quite believe them.

Daniel stops being a man driven to prove himself to his father and live up to the memory of his brother.  Now, he seems comfortable with mediocrity as the editor of Player Magazine.  His change is understandable; the same father he tried to impress is dead, and his brother is now the sister who betrayed him.

 

We also see some happier changes.  Gone is the careless playboy who hopped from bed to bed.  In his place is a caring father.  His son DJ’s grandparents want to bring DJ back to France.  Daniel spends time reminding his son of their new bond, explains the situation, and lets DJ decide where to live.  To the relief of Daniel, young DJ chooses his father.  This evolution in Daniel’s character and maturity is a refreshing change.

Alexis, thanks to Betty’s persistence, finally sees the light with regard to Daniel.  She reads his notes on Willie’s first edition of Mode and “suggests” Willie look them over.  Alexis begins to value her brother for his potential and the intelligence he tries to hide.  This is also a welcome change that is a little overdue!

After realizing Betty’s influence over the Meades, Wilhelmina shows a desire to woo Betty that is a vast departure from the norm.  She lures Betty to be her assistant by offering more money and a chance to leave Player Magazine.  With those paltry offers balanced against fact that Wilhelmina is evil incarnate, one would think the choice clear.  Sadly, Betty gives in.

After setting Betty some impossible tasks (a la Miranda from The Devil Wears Prada), Willie is pleasantly surprised that Betty achieves all of them.  She decides that Betty has the potential to go far – to even be the next Wilhelmina Slater.  She plans to “groom” Betty and to make Betty her new protégé.  Is this newfound respect for Betty just a ploy to harm Daniel, or does she really see Betty’s worth?

Christina McKinney (the bearer of Wilhelmina’s heir) goes from being a happy, drunken Scotswoman to a lonely, sober, surrogate.  Not only is she uncertain about her choice to help Wilhelmina, but she finds that her husband – for whom she agreed to carry Wilhelmina’s devil spawn – is in fact spending her hard earned money on drugs.  After threatening to report him to INS, Christina is pushed down the stairs by a mysterious figure and we are left to agonize over whether she will lose the baby (and consequently Willie’s claim to a share in Mode) and whether the figure who pushed Christina was her angry husband.

 

Fortunately, Mark and Amanda remain as cruel, greedy, selfish and judgmental as ever.  These two are actually the most honest and open of any characters in this episode.  They make no effort to hide or justify themselves, and they are wonderfully hilarious.

Betty is the most disappointing this week.  She’s either suffering from temporary amnesia, or a secondary personality!  She sternly judges Hilda for her lurid affair, despite Betty’s own affair with Henry, a man with a pregnant girlfriend.  Then Betty forgets all that Daniel has done for her, and every lie, betrayal and cruel remark of Wilhelmina’s, and becomes Willie’s assistant!  What happened to the determined Betty who resisted Mode‘s attempts to teach her fashion and eyebrow waxing?  What happened to the Betty who turned down Wilhelmina’s rather sizable bribe during a time when her family needed money most?  Has the world gone mad??

Fortunately, the most outrageous changes are temporary.  Betty has a hilarious dream of herself as a Wilhelmina-type years down the road.  She is cruel, she is arbitrary, and she kicks a puppy.  Upon awakening, she realizes her mistake.  Just as she’s handing Wilhelmina her two week’s notice, the Meade trio march down the corridor and corner Wilhelmina.  Circling like sharks they explain to Willie the reality of the situation – her first solo edition flopped, and while she is an excellent Creative Director, she doesn’t have the talent to edit.  Daniel will be reinstated as Editor-in-Chief.  A sheepish Betty approaches Daniel with congratulations, and after he offers her the assistant position she accepts.  Whew, the universe felt wrong and now is right.

 

While some change in a TV show is welcome, the change has to fall within the realm of believability.  Betty’s departure from her sweet and loyal nature was disappointing and rang false.  Hopefully the writers will shape up and next week we’ll be back on track as Betty and Daniel return to Mode to make the world a better place, one edition at a time.

Susan Kearl is a university student with too much time on her hands who loves to watch TV.  She’s happy to contribute her opinions to the world of television viewers like you.

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