What is it about Ugly Betty that we love so much? Well, if you’re looking for chuckles, check. If it’s family drama you crave, pull up a chair. Maybe you look for excitement, action, daring car chases in your shows? Betty’s got those too. The thing about Ugly Betty is that it has a little something for everyone, and all done so quickly you don’t have time to be bored.
This week sees Daniel through both his sister’s arraignment and the ongoing custody battle for young DJ. The Meades are trying to weather the storm Alexis’ actions created, both her violence toward Christina and the revelation that her disloyal hanky-panky while she was still Alex means DJ is actually Daniel’s nephew, not his son. These new developments leave room for DJ’s grandparents to once again make a grab for guardianship. One would feel a little more sympathy for Daniel if this kind of exhausting dilemma wasn’t a regular occurrence. Can Alexis’ cuckoldry of her brother still be surprising to Daniel (or the viewers)? After all her other betrayals, why should Daniel’s girlfriends have been out of bounds?
While Daniel is trying to fend off DJ’s grandparents, Alexis herself is fending off serious charges. The original charges against her are changed to attempted murder after Wilhelmina pays an S&M booty call to the district attorney. You have to hand it to Willie; Claire Meade attempted to merely buy Alexis’ way out of trouble, but Willie found a way to top even money. All she asks in return for the charges dropped is a controlling share of Meade Industries. Alexis has made it clear in the past that she has no qualms about screwing over her family for her own salvation, what will she say this time? No! If Rebecca Romijn wasn’t pregnant this would be a shocking turn, but since the actress is leaving it looks like the writers are letting Alexis bow out gracefully. Ultimately she splits her shares equally between Daniel and Wilhelmina in a compromise that lets her off the hook but doesn’t put Willie in full control… yet!
Daniel, meanwhile, finally meets the infamous grandparents. While he recognizes their grief at losing both a daughter and a grandson, he still wants DJ to stay with him. He instructs Betty hide DJ, but Amanda spills the “secret” location (Betty’s apartment). Betty and DJ make a run for it in a thrilling street chase – well, as thrilling as a chase in a van can get – before meeting Daniel at Coney Island. Finally Daniel has to bite the bullet when DJ overhears the truth, and after a touching talk (only slightly marred by DJ’s horrific “French” accent) Daniel and DJ decide they still love each other as father and son, no matter their true relationship. Daniel also sacrifices his feelings, letting DJ’s grandparents take him back to France for a while. Is this an opportunity for new storylines and dramas, or did the writers just get tired of hearing DJ’s accent? Either way, for the time being Daniel is once again childless.
In Betty’s personal life she must face the consequences of turning down Gio’s offer of love. Betty remembers a rose-tinted version of parting with Gio that involves them being BFFs forever. Thankfully, the blunt and frank Gio we knew and loved in season two hasn’t changed. He resists all her charms and her plots to win him over again, and heatedly tells Betty that she lives in her own “Betty Suarez Land” (hence the title of the episode), a sentiment many viewers have long felt. In the end, she admits that he’s right and extends the courtesy of healing time and distance. Hooray for Gio!
Hilda also has her fantasy bubble burst when her lover’s wife finds her way to Hilda’s salon. After seeing the devastation she has caused, Hilda finally breaks off the relationship which, frankly, is a surprise. Infidelity has been a constant theme throughout with Betty’s first boyfriend cheating, Wilhelmina’s enticement of Bradford Meade from the loving (if crazy) arms of Claire, Alexis knocking up Daniel’s girlfriend (back when she still could!), Poppy Ignacio stealing his wife from another man, and Betty sneaking around with Henry while his baby-mama waited in Arizona. To have a character encourage sticking it out through a rough patch is a refreshing change.
Betty Suarez Land fits nicely into the Ugly Betty collection. The departures of Alexis and DJ might change things a little, but they won’t leave us bereft. Wilhelmina’s new bid for power was right on schedule, and although unsurprising, it still sets fans a-buzzing about the future. Even the ended relationships fit the bill. While the episode didn’t stand out from the other episodes, it certainly didn’t fail to entertain and isn’t that what we really love about Betty?
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.
