Season 2 – Episode 4: Ugly is beautiful again!
For the first time this season I felt that old pace-around-the-room gasp-audibly and laugh-out-loud feeling that I had during the entire first season of Ugly Betty. Tonight’s episode was up to the show’s fiery best.
Oh, where to begin, gentle readers! Well, Alex is struggling to relearn how to be Alexis. Rebecca Romijn is so damned vulnerable and likable she makes it work. When she first arrives at the Mode offices teetering on high heels with clown-like make-up and her shirt open to her navel you really buy it. I must say I really prefer this Alexis to the pre-amnesia model (as I’m certain I’m supposed to). Daniel confesses to her that he is responsible for their accident (though we all know it was her since she had the brake lines cut in an attempt to kill their father… phew!) and instead of rejecting him, Alexis embraces and forgives him. Their growing relationship is really quite lovely.
Meanwhile, Daniel is struggling with his confidence about his abilities as editor. Their top advertiser threatens to pull their campaign if Alexis isn’t fired—seems they have some issue with transgender folk. With Wilhelmina’s agenda-laden encouragement, Daniel tells the bigoted advertiser that he doesn’t want their business, setting off a string of advertisers who consider pulling out. The poor boy finally grows a pair of cajones, and he ends up putting the magazine’s future in jeopardy.
After interviewing the hilarious and freakish collection of magazine editors who run the full menu of Meade Publications, Wilhelmina decides she will work towards destroying Mode and starting her own mag, a la Oprah, entitled Slater. And then there’s wooden Bradford playing golf in his office. Does the man ever work? Does he ever have a line of any value? He could easily be replaced with a cardboard cutout, and I don’t think I would notice. I mean, come on people, this is Alan Dale, Toothpick Man from the X-Files! Let’s not waste him!
And holy paternity, Batman! Amanda has a breakthrough in the search for her father. When Marc suggests she research back issues of Mode from the year before she was born, she discovers a photograph of her mother Fey at Studio 54 with her rather homely assistant. With some help from PhotoShop, Amanda discovers that the ugly assistant was, in fact, Wilhelmina! She tearfully admits to Wilhelmina that she’ll keep her secret identity… secret, she’s only looking for her father (and I will have to paraphrase my favorite line of the night since I don’t have TIVO or any such thing, I love when Willy says, “If I wanted to express sympathy I couldn’t—I’m not capable”).
Article comments
1 - Diane Kokes
Episode (10/18/07):
I am seriously concerned that the show Ugly Betty used a college professor to state that the students in the class should try to commit suicide and if they succeeded they would be out of their pain and if they did not succeed - they would have something to write about.
Teenage suicide is a big problem as it is with adults. A TV show should not promote this terrible act - which I know from being a survivor of someone who did that it is NOT funny.
I would like to complain to the writers and I will consider not watching this show in the future if they allow this type of writing on their show.
Any efforts to promote life especially in a popular sitcom are important steps to help stop the large problem of suicide.
I currently watch ABC - but will not watch if the show Ugly Betty continues to take a downward slide in the messages it promotes to the public.
Thanks and please let my concern be known to all you can.
2 - Mimi
Well in my opinion you shouldn't take it so personally. They make jokes about girls with eating disorders, doesn't that concern you at all then?
Making fun of models is actually speaking up for normal sizes. AND!! The joke you talk about WASN'T a joke about suicide. It was a joke about the teacher that was taking things too seriously. It was a message for audience to think about what is actually important and what isn't. Understand?
3 - Diane Kokes
You did not understand the comment. Anyways the show got cancelled.