It's all coming to a head, crowning if you will, in Ugly Betty land. Betty and Henry feel the pressure of their imminent split, Christina has learned the truth about carrying Wilhelmina's baby and Daniel is finally emerging from his cluelessness on the road to becoming a real man.

Like green corn tamales flown first class, spoiling will occur.

Desperation comes into play when Betty and Henry's quality time is constantly interrupted by the very pregnant and conniving Charlie. Finally Betty, no doubt addled by an incomplete yoga workout, decides to throw Charlie a baby shower in order to gain her friendship and thereby earn more quality time with Henry. This "love thy enemy," "kill them with kindness" thing never works out. See evidence below.

Well, Charlie is a total bee-yotch to Betty during the shower, criticizing everything, including Escobar's green corn tamales that Betty had flown first-class from Tucson to keep them fresh. Where is Betty getting the money for this? It's New York! They only start to bond when Charlie goes into labor and is forced to give birth in Casa Suarez. It turns out all her snotty actions (like cheating on Henry) were the result of seeing him fall for Betty.

I thought Betty was finally getting some perspective when Claire pinched her and woke her up to the fact that there was no future with Henry, but said geek has been doing some thinking and believes that he and Betty don't have to end their relationship. Hey, it's the cyber age, so why can't they be together long distance? Betty happily agrees, but boy, that end scene where Henry is holding his newborn son is ominous. Betty, who he called the "most important thing in the world" to him, has just been supplanted. Didn't Papi call it?

Papi is just full of sage advice this episode. Ignacio gets called on to dispense his wisdom like empanadas when Daniel comes a-callin'. It appears that after Renee got re-committed, he was at a loss and was acting out by seducing every woman in sight, including his shrink. Papi's advice: find your passion, and you won't want to fill that void with the wrong women. Daniel discovers that his job is what drives him just in time for next episode when Wilhelmina threatens his position.

Speaking of ol' Willie, her baby-making plans have hit a bump (get it?) when Christina discovers the true parentage. Having corpse-Bradford's baby is just a little icky, but she realizes the implications and worries that the baby will just be a pawn, not a loved child. When she tells Stuart, he uses the knowledge to blackmail Wilhelmina for more money. And credit to Christina, who has acted in the grey area in the past, who feels appropriately bad about the whole mess.

Finally, Hilda -- who is looking really hot lately with those bangs and hair -- clashes with Justin's PE coach who wants to fail the budding fashionista for lack of participation. When she confronts Coach Tony Diaz, sparks fly, and not just in anger. In the end, although they don't acknowledge any chemistry, he does offer a compromise: Justin can choreograph the cheerleaders' routines in exchange for a passing grade.

Thoughts and highlights:

- Charlie is the queen of unsubtle guilt trips: "I can't wear a watch because my arms are so bloated from carrying your child."
- I want Amanda to crash my friend's baby shower and make snide comments about her being fat! Mandy was in fine form tonight.
- I'm hoping Hilda can have a relatively unimpeded love interest in Coach Diaz since she's been through so much already.
- Henry has been made increasingly less sympathetic as a love interest, this time because of his delusion that Betty and Charlie should be friends. Let the phasing out begin.
- Perhaps the wardrobe department had an explosion of gratitude to be working, but post-strike everyone looks really fabulous, most notably Marc tonight with his black-fitted jackets with white accents -- first with white edged trim, then with a black and white-striped scarf and  black fedora.
- I like the more romantic lines in the clothes: Alexis' orange top with flutter sleeves and Wil's ruffled-neck blouse.
- Wil: "I'll be the greatest comeback since Jesus." Marc: "Blasphemous ... and sexy." Agreed.
- I'm glad the Suarezes got more action tonight, and hopefully Justin has more coming.

Do Henry and Betty have a chance with long distance? What's going to be surprising about Coach Diaz? Anybody ever had an Arizona green corn tamale?

Comments

Yes, I've had a green corn tamale, and they're nothing to write home about, unless you're really, really into that sort of thing. Flying them in from Arizona first class? The last resort of the terminally nice. I'd have told Charlie to eat her own toenails before I'd have gone to that expense and bother, especially given how brutal Charlie's been to Betty during the whole pregnancy. As for Henry, Ignacio needed to insert a rope with hook attached and hang him from the ceiling to use in place of the somewhat-ratty looking pinata. I agree with Hanh, by the way...where is Betty getting all this money? Maybe after last week's episode, Daniel ponied up the bucks and gave her a substantial raise.

It was nice that Ignacio was the one to set Daniel straight this week...sure, Betty has been his guardian angel throughout the show, but it took a man (who also happens to be a great father) to kick him back on the right path, since Daniel's own father couldn't be bothered with that sort of thing while he was alive. While I think a Betty-Daniel match-up would not only be jumping the shark, it would be feeding the show to the shark in bite-sized chunks, having Ignacio be something of a fill-in father for Daniel would be quite cool. Plus, he'd always be well-fed.

Favorite moments--Claire Meade resorting to a 7th grade-style "WAKE UP, STUPID!" stunt and giving Betty's arm a good hard pinch. I get the feeling that Judith Light didn't hold back on that, either, because America Ferrera's reaction looked painfully genuine. Also, it was great to see Justin for more than a few seconds. And I also agree that Amanda was a complete hoot...where does she put all that food she inhales? Still need some more Amanda-Marc scenes, though, or I might start getting bored.

Fun fact--the actors who played Coach Diaz and the therapist that Daniel saw (and subsequently misused the couch with) were both on the too-soon-canceled show Invasion. Always nice to see actors I like doing different things (like seeing an old episode of NCIS last night with Josh Holloway from Lost in it).

Dark Disciple | May 8, 2008 8:34:38 PM | #

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What was the song that played at the end of the show? Thanks

mernagrace | May 8, 2008 8:46:10 PM | #

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I agree. It's definitely time to phase out Henry and Betty's relationship. If last night wasn't the death toll, I don't know what is.

wooster182 | May 9, 2008 5:53:10 AM | #

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More Justin Please. But Im glad he gets to work with the Cheerleaders. I hope we can see some of that!!

Bob | May 9, 2008 6:42:25 AM | #

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It was interesting to see a home birth on tv even if it was still done with all of the hysterical dramatics television shows usually utilize in birth scenes.

I don't buy that Charlie cheated on Henry because she felt his interest in Betty growing. What a crock of bull. No excuse is a good excuse to cheat on someone you love. Charlie is bad news even if her baby with Henry is super sweet.

Phase Henry out? Maybe. I think the writers need to just decide what they're going to do with their love story -- either make it a Tragic Love that Ends, or a Love that Conquers All. The limbo treatment -- for this long a time period -- is seriously tiresome and amateurish.

I love Claire, but did she really need to pinch Betty to remind her of something she was already saying herself? "We only have three weeks left ..." PINCH! "Get a grip, honey, your love affair with Henry will end."

Uh, thanks. Repeat much?

Poor Daniel. I hope he finds his way soon and stops being such a slut. Otherwise, he won't be good enough for Betty once the writers hook them up as a romantic couple .....

I loved that Christina got more time this week and I love that she found out about the scheme. 'Bout time.

I also love her hair. Someone's gotten on the good side of the hairdressing team, methinks.

I like Hilda's new man. She has every right to be giddy around him. He's very cute and he's got a graduate degree. He's also creative. His idea for Justin to choreograph cheers to make up his skipped P.E. classes was clever. Can't wait to see where this one goes.

Separately Amanda and Mark were hysterical this week: 1) Amanda inviting herself to the shower and then claiming her water broke once too when she was really drunk and 2) Mark claiming glory for himself in Wilhemina's plans and then covering by acting like the glory was just for her. I heart those two.

And Amanda's mini silver beaded disco dress was great!

Where's Cliff?!?!? (Besides moonlighting on Moonlight?)

Justin was funny too with his fear that he'll have to be a so-called quarterback for the hockey team (or some other such mixed sports metaphor) if evil Coach Diaz got his way ...

Yes, and that would be just awful now, wouldn't it?

Good episode. Good recap.

Berlin | May 9, 2008 7:07:16 AM | #

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Oh! And I also dug the production fade out they did with scenes slipping off to the side and then down as new scenes filled the screen. Super visually thrilling!

Berlin | May 9, 2008 7:13:08 AM | #

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Clair Meade is an amazing addition to the show.
Just saying.

Cody | May 9, 2008 7:35:46 AM | #

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I hope that once the post-strike viewer alienation wears off that viewers will return to Ugly Betty in droves because the show has been superb since returning from hiatus. I was very pleased to see Ignacio getting so much screen time this week playing father to Daniel. More Suarez family, please!

John | May 12, 2008 8:00:46 AM | #

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