'Ugly Betty' moves back home
It felt like Ugly Betty had completely derailed at the beginning of the episode -- and believe me, I still have some issues -- but by the end, there were a couple of resolutions that finally felt right.
Spoilers that missed you, Betty Rocker.
Let's start with the most positive plot, shall we? Papi hires the nurse Elena (the lovely Lauren Velez of Dexter fame) because he thinks this will neutralize his family's fussy overprotectiveness and allow him some autonomy. Idiota. The two butt heads, and she lets him know in no uncertain terms that she's not just a seat filler, but will monitor his diet and exercise properly. After a bit of mule-headed resistance, he finally bows to her wisdom.
The no butter, no salt, no yolks omelet I'll pass on though. Hey, there's no real proof that consuming dietary cholesterol in yolks actually raises your body's cholesterol. I'll stand by this until my next physical.
Meanwhile, Daniel and Molly continue to get cosy, and she's even come up with a cute nickname for him: RJ, short for Rich Jerk. Damn straight. Why did he have to throw away 7 cents of change? There's tons of homeless he could have given that to!
Unfortunately, Connor has been obsessing about the picture of Molly he saw in the tabloid -- you know, the one where an unidentified man's hand is holding hers. So Connor enlists Daniel's help to stakeout her place in hopes of determining the identity of her new squeeze. A silly chain of events involving Betty, flowers and a T-shirt eventually lets Connor know that Daniel is the guy, and he gets KO'd during a sparring session at the gym.
Oddly enough, in guy fashion, that means everything is square between them. You lie, you get hit. End. Connor goes back to Wilhelmina and grovels a bit, and she welcomes him back into her cold, bitchy embrace.
Finally, Betty has her own romantic dilemma. She's determined to move back home but makes excuse after excuse -- she can't find a roommate for Amanda to sublet the apartment, she has unfinished business with Jesse. Yup, artsy, sensitive musician dude has come back into the picture. After a two-wine bottle session and an impetuous kiss, Betty is more confused than ever.
When Jesse starts avoiding her, she's had it and confronts him at one of his coffee house gigs. He apologizes -- he's so confused, he's such a girl! -- and asks her on a date. Later, on said date, the other shoe drops. He's a total user. She's warm and sweet, and he totally needs that right now. He's a self-indulgent, self-involved artiste who funnels everything into his songs but gives very little in return. (Makes sense now how he was blind enough to her crush in the first place so that he made out with Amanda that other time).
Anyway, so Betty is not down with it. She tells him so in a very classy but unambiguous way. Wow. Then she goes back to her apartment and tells Amanda that she's selected Marc as the perfect roommate to sublet the place. Back home Betty goes.
Highlights and musings:
- I really didn't want Betty to give up her apartment, but now that it's done, I better get some quality Familia Suarez action!
- Marc, on what Wil and Connor share a love for: "Fine dining, capitalism and late-night covert surveillances."
- Is there such a thing as champagne pink? Cuz Willy looks amazing in that color.
- Still not feeling any of the D/M W/C romances.
- A huge relief that Jesse is done for good. Now then, writers, please bring back Gio. Kthxbye.
- How freaking weird/incestuous/hilarious was the MarcManda make out session? Love that they're roomies now.
Your thoughts?
Connor was unlikeable in this episodes. If Wilhelmina had any sense she'd dump him; anyone who gets that obsessed and violent about an ex-girlfriend (especially since he's already moved on himself) is bad news.
I am angry at Ignacio for stomping all over Betty's ambitions for no good reason. Why should she come home, when she's within driving distance and he has a nurse, a daughter and a grandson all looking after him? Doesn't he want her to have her own life?
I hope that they don't pair off Elena with Ignacio. He is a fussy old hen who won't let his chicks leave the nest. I can't help thinking she's way too young for him, and much too lively.
Too many cheap gay jokes this episode. I think they need to cut back and give Marc a bit of a break. How about some promiscuous Daniel or airhead Amanda jokes instead?
Im going to miss Betty when the take this show off the air until Summer. :(
If ABC brings Betty back next year, then I have a feeling that it will be the last season. You can carry this story line only so long. So, the show needs to end with Betty and Daniel getting married (and Betty finally getting a real sense of style. She works at Mode for crying out loud!).
I never quite understood Betty's fashionably funky outfits. She'd have to really look hard for stuff like that. You'd think Mode would have some sort of dress standard for client facing employees, and friends from work could easily help her make better choices.
It's amazing how quickly this show has run out of steam. Isn't this the 3rd season?
They should have kept Betty in her apartment and FINALLY updated her wardrobe, hair and teeth. Maybe, you-know, show that she has mature some since taking a job at a fashion magazine. DUH Instead they continue to make her look like a circus clown. That got old after the first season.
With her moving back to the house, it means we'll be seeing more inept storylines based around the house. It's obvious the nurse and Papi are heading towards some sort of relationship (dumb). That nephew has become an annoying chariacature of swishyness.
And Wil has become too 'nice. Bring back nasty scheming Wil!
With ratings for new episodes so low (and repeats absolutely dismal), it may be too late to save this show. Too bad. With new writers it might have had a chance.
What is with all of the negativity surrounding Betty's appearance? That is the whole thing about the show - inner beauty and what not. And now people are demanding she dressed better, fixes her hair and teeth? That's completely going against what the entire show is about...
The show's going off "temporarily" because of low ratings and so they can bring back Samantha Who. It's probably okay - I really have problems watching it any more - too much Amanda and Marc; too much silliness, and not enough of why I started watching in the first place - to see the REAL evolution of Betty. She hasn't evolved, she just dresses worse than in the beginning, and she has lost her wistful charm.
Too much Marc and Amanda? Sorry to disagree, Jan, but those two are the reason I still watch. Add Betty and focus on this trio, and this show will KICK!
This episode was directed by Rose Troche, better known for lesbian films and her work on the L Word, so when Daniel and Connor were parking outside Molly's apartment and Betty was showing up with flowers, I thought we might get a few gay gags! COnnor did comment on the feminine hand holding Molly's in the photo, plus Willy and Marc were watching Connor and Daniel leaning into each other in that car..! However, it all sort of fizzled. I still enjoy the show, but it seems to have lost some of its zing. Not sure why. Maybe its just not possible to continue to be fresh. However, I think there has been a marked decline in the sharp one liners that characterised the show. Marc and Amanda were fun, but Amanda is not as much fun when she's nice!
I have a theory: Connor's relationship with Wilhelmina started off as rebound sex. His declaration of "unthinkable to live without you" came out of the blue - Although she is in love with him, we've never seen anything to indicate that he feels the same. For that reason, I think Connor has a revenge scenario in mind that requires Wilhelmina.
(And I still expect Christina to give birth to a baby with different parentage than planned.)