Finalewatch '08: 'Ugly Betty' doesn't play it safe
The finale of the second season of Ugly Betty brings us two Mean Girls -- Lindsay Lohan and Naomi Campbell -- a puppy-eyed French orphan, and some life-changing decisions for Hilda, Daniel and of course our girl Betty, who is torn between two good guys. Who does she choose?
Spoilers ahead, natch.
In a flashback, we learn why Betty is anti-team sports and orange uniforms in general (really, with brown shorts?). Back in school, a pre-orthodontia Betty with huge glasses and unruly hair is positioned by blonde girl Kimberly (Lohan) to be the human shield in a dodgeball game. Trauma ensues.
LiLo was decent (as she often is) in the tiny role, and I look forward to more since she's supposed to be in a guest arc at the beginning of next season. Perhaps the flashbacks will give way to present-day Kimberly, and there will be a reckoning for her treatment of Betty? Maybe Kim will gain weight or have a horrible drinking problem landing her in rehab in Utah? We can only hope!
Anyway, all of this is an excuse for Betty to avoid the annual Elle vs. Mode charity softball game. But after seeing her Hot Flash article rewritten because her style was "safe," Betty takes Claire's advice to heart about taking risks in her writing and in life. Hmmm, I wonder where this is going? By the way, I'm very happy that Claire still retains her kooky wealthy persona, but has found a niche as Betty's mentor. We needed a strong female for her to look up to.
(BTW, how is using words like "natch" taking risks? Doesn't that skew old ... or cheesy?)
Betty immediately decides to take two risks: play in the softball game and go with Gio to Rome. He's right. That would be the most romantic first date ever!! By now, most of us are properly in the Gio camp, so of course we want her to go. Well, I'd rather go instead, but since this is fiction, never mind. Henry the killjoy arrives just in time to confuse her by asking her to marry him and move to Tucson where a great writing job is waiting for her. The girl is torn. Rome, Tucson. Tucson, Rome. I don't get it.
All comes to a head when each of her men discovers each other's proposals at the softball game. After some softball silliness (Love MarcManda as cheerleaders, and Naomi Campbell spoofing herself with a phone while everyone ducks was worth a chuckle), Betty gets conked -- either by the ball or her two men running to try to catch said ball -- has a quickie dream sequence and then comes to with a decision. Later, we see her packing luggage, hugging Papi and Justin goodbye and leaving ... but to where?
Yup, people, it's a cliffhanger. The first of many.
Meanwhile, Daniel is still paranoid about Wilhelmina's scheming to get his job, which makes him more incompetent than usual. Wasn't it just two episodes ago that he found his passion after talking to Papi? WTF? To further confuse matters, a cute French tyke arrives on the Mode doorstep cuz Daniel is his bio-dad after sleeping with hand model mom Lucy back in Paris several years ago.
Everything becomes a huge mess with the end result being that Alexis gives Wil the editor-in-chief position, leaving Daniel blowing in the wind. He and Daniel, Jr. pack up a box at the Mode offices and leave ... but to where?
Yes, it's another cliffhanger.
Finally, Hilda decides to stop playing hard-to-get with the Coach, but when she swoops in for first base, he has to confess: He's married. It's a little more complicated than that, with a whole separation, reconciliation thing, but really he's still technically married with an uncertain relationship with his wife and feelings developing for Hilda. That was quick.
In the end, she decides to take a risk since she had lost Santos before, so might as well grab love now, right? Hilda makes her decision known when she accosts Coach Tony at the basketball court and plants one on him. I guess it was somewhat romantic, but I was really just distracted by his bare chest!
Other highlights, lowlights and chunky bits:
- Justin is losing his Justin-ness. He had a couple good lines about the Coach being called Lizard Man cuz he doesn't sweat and catching the recap about Betty's virginity, but nothing seems like him. It's just been generic teenager stuff. I hope he gets a plotline next season.
- Loved how Papi was so distraught about Betty growing up that he became a domestic demon! I was also happy about his heart-to-heart with Betty with a look at some badly Photoshopped pics of her mom.
- What's better than Marc and Amanda together? Marc and Amanda teasing Betty! Do the herky!
- Aww moment: Daniel tells Betty to choose Rome because "I can't imagine being here without you."
- I was worried about French boy Danny being too precious, but there were some good lines or situations there, beginning with Amanda wanting to put makeup on him (and Betty later commented, "Why are you wearing eye shadow?") to his observation that in Transformers, "Shia LaBeouf no good. Megan Fox very hot."
Your thoughts? Satisfied with this finale? Did Betty choose Henry, Gio or herself? Is Hilda's romance doomed? How will Daniel come back?
Santos not Sancho.
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Even with the "cliffhangers" I thought it was a very lackluster finale.
I agree with Erica, although I'd go so far as to use the phrase "ridden on rails" to describe the finale, given how generally predictable the whole thing was. Unlike last season, which ended with a rather shocking (and somewhat cruel) twist, everything this time around just pointed to how mediocre the sop****re season of Ugly Betty was. With the creators getting back to the core of the show next season (we hope), maybe some of the fun and chicanery of the first season will return.
As for this episode, in no particular order, here's what I liked about it: Kimberly using Betty as a "human shield," which was both typical of the breed and a good introduction of Lind-Lo's potential character next season; the French boy slamming Shia LaBoeuf, who I absolutely loathe--he is at least one reason why I'll likely not go see the fourth Indy movie in theaters (he's worse than River Phoenix, and I didn't think that was possible); everyone in the stands and on the field ducking in horror when Naomi Campbell pulled out her cell phone (pitch-perfect humor there); Vanessa Williams showing a pretty damn good softball pitch, which makes me wonder if she played when she was in college; Claire's disappointed look at her former-son/now-daughter when Alexis was revealed to be nowhere near as loyal as Claire thought; and the near-constant presence of Ignacio, who, even though he is really not a main character, is the moral center of the entire show.
What I didn't like? The fact that Justin has somehow grown about fourteen inches since the season began, yet still sounds/acts like he's eleven; the young French boy as illegitimate son of Daniel just smacked of jump-the-shark, let's-bring-in-a-youngster-to-shake-things-up plot twist (although I will admit quite freely that the lad is rather handsome; the girls in the cl***es in which I sub were likely drooling if they were watching); the continued defection and, dare I say, un-manning of Alexis, who just seems to be slipping slowly into a sniveling pile of whiny, disloyal snot, which is nothing like she was at the beginning of the season; and the return of Henry, who needs to be tied to the bottom of that plane that was flying overhead in the final shot, especially if it's going somewhere like, oh, Siberia maybe?
Don't get me wrong, I still love this show and will until they say goodbye for good. But this was not a great season at all, even though there were some favish moments. The heart needs to come back in season three in order for Ugly Betty to continue to be the wonderful show it can be. Right now, it's still fun to watch, but it's like eating chocolate brownies made with Splenda; sure it seems to be the same, but you can still tell something's missing. Ah, well, at least nobody died this time, eh?
Oh, and Erica? Sancho was Hilda's boyfriend/fiancee/former ex who was killed at the end of season one.
His name was Santos not Sancho ...
Yep, so it were. Dammit, now all the voices in my head are confused...gonna be a long night! :P
I LOVED IT.
I mean, it defintly was a lot more simple than I hoped but I lived the whole "Jump" message. It was a sweet episode filled with heart.
Episode was what it was, but I think that Betty ends up with Gio b/c she wasn't wearing the ring at the end of the show.
I think the French kid is gonna turn out to be Alexis' kid.
I wasn't wild about it, but it was all right. I hope Betty dumps Henry. He's become too creepy for me to like. That story with the baby is a big turnoff and she can definitely do better than Henry. I don't know if Gio is right for her but Henry isn't, IMO.
Also, Hilda? Stay away from the married man! Yes, his feelings for her basically seemed to come from out of nowhere. And when he told her he was still married, she should have told him to look her up after his divorce. Period.
Daniel and that kid? Annoying plot. I hope it gets cut short and the kid leaves fast.
The stuff with Betty and her father was very nicely done. Good job there. Also saw some sweet moments with Daniel and Betty, and parts of the game amused.
I think Betty is either going to Rome by herself or with Hilda. If its with Hilda, I think Hilda may have been saying goodbye to the coach and giving back the necklace or she is just starting an affair but still going with Betty.
I think Betty decided to choose herself and she had the paid trip that Daniel gave her.