Ugly Betty Episode 2.14 Full Recap

Here is the full recap for Ugly Betty episode 2.14 (24 Candles).  Although there has been at least one semi-negative review of this episode because the focus was so much on Betty – I liked it.  It was much more clear and less “busy”.  There was a LOT of attention given to the Henry/Gio/Betty love triangle.

Benry fans have reason to be worried, I think.

Recap after the jump!

The episode begins with Betty’s alarm clock going off. As the camera pulls back past Betty and Pepito, we see that Betty is in a beautiful grassy field. Her bed is floating, and flowers are falling from the trees. She says, “Where am I?” Henry appears and answers, “You’re in the most amazing place ever.” He is by a lake in a romantic horse-drawn carriage.

He tells her she is going to have the best birthday of her life. She takes his hand and floats into the carriage, and kisses him. The setting changes to night, and fireworks start going off in the sky. We then hear an alarm.

Betty wakes up for real, in retainer, obviously feeling very good about her dream.

She comes downstairs into the kitchen, and the whole family wishes her a happy birthday. Hilda slaps Betty’s behind. Ignacio offers Betty some Birthday pancakes before “she and Henry take off for the Poconos”, but Betty says she wants to get an early start. Justin gives her a gift – he decorated her cell phone with glitter and a sequined “B”. She leaves, and Ignacio is sad because she forgot the cupcakes.

Wilhelmina shows up at Daniel’s apartment. He tries to slam the door on her. She says she’s there to warn him about Renee. She warns him that Renee will become needy and obsessive. Daniel says he doesn’t believe her. Wilhelmina tells him to ask Renee about “Stoney Brook”. He closes the door, and Wilhelmina asks Marc (who was hiding around the corner) how she did. He compliments her (especially on her breasts).

Cut to Christina trying unsuccessfully to open a window in Wilhelmina’s apartment. Renee comes in to help. As she’s doing this, Christina begins to light a candle. Renee freaks out, douses the candle and warns her, “NO CANDLES!”

Betty talks to Christina and the cell phone (with the beautiful inside joke, “repeat, please, and try to enunciate”). Christina is trying to tell Betty that Renee is wacky, but Justin’s modifications to Betty’s phone cause it to have a horrible reception. While Christina is talking to Betty, she puts a baby monitor in Wilhelmina’s pantry.

Betty walks up to Henry’s apartment, doing her birthday dance, and knocks on the door. Charlie answers the door in her usual, annoying way. She tells Betty she’s in town for a parenting seminar with baby guru Harvey Carp. She came for the weekend. Henry asks her to “give them a moment”. Charlie mentions that the baby kicked and says, he’s so excited to see his daddy, before she walks away.

Henry apologizes, and offers to still go away. Betty says “no”, and offers instead to arrange something in town. He tells her, “You’re unbelievable”. She replies, “Only when I’m with you”, and they kiss. We hear Charlie asking where the toothpaste is. Betty answers “Top left drawer!”

Daniel and Alexis discuss Hot Flash, (at first Alexis is in her underwear trying on new clothes, this makes Daniel uncomfortable). They agree that Hot Flash was just supposed to be a distraction for Claire, and that they can’t afford the magazine to be produced as full bore as Claire would like. Daniel tells Alexis that telling Claire is “her problem”.

Betty tells Amanda about her aborted planned weekend (Amanda asks if she was going to Des Moine, because Gene Simmons was going to Des Moines). Amanda is wearing a Gene Simmons shirt and has on way too much makeup. She teases Betty about turning 40. Betty asks her what is the best restaurant in NYC, and Amanda tells her the Pemberly Inn (and says if she had a patio table there she’d make out with Betty, then does a weird tongue thing). Betty walks away freaked out.

Betty walks into Daniel’s office as he is searching on his computer for “Stoney Brook”. She drops all kind of hints about it being her birthday, but Daniel doesn’t remember. She tells him his evening options, including tickets to the NY Philharmonic concert with fireworks, which she dissuades him from because she wants them.

Hilda tells Ignacio about Charlie ruining Betty’s weekend. Ignacio is upset that Betty is going to the concert instead of having a family gathering. Hilda offers to take the cupcakes over to Henry’s so he and Betty can enjoy them that evening.

Renee comes into Daniel’s office for a lunch date. She tells Daniel she has found the perfect apartment, near his. Daniel is obviously uncomfortable and says everything is happening so fast. He asks her about Stoney Brook. She says it’s a state college on Long Island she attended. Renee is angry that he doesn’t trust her, and walks out.

Betty is arranging reservations at the Pemberly Inn (sneakily invoking the possibility of scheduling Mode’s fashion week party there). As she does this, Gio walks up (he is delivering sandwiches). They discuss his new buzz cut (I want one of those!) They discuss Betty and Henry’s plans, and Gio says the only thing that is missing is a carriage ride. This spooks Betty somewhat.

Renee confronts Wilhelmina about interfering with Daniel. Wilhelmina says about Stoney Brook, “it took a lot of work to clean up that mess”. As Renee warns Wilhelmina to stay of of it, the camera cuts to Christina, who is listening in and writing down “Stoney Brook”.

Amanda calls Betty, and teases her about getting old again. She patches Henry through, although she keeps listening in. Henry is carrying flowers as he speaks to her. They say goodbye, and Daniel walks in with a present. Betty starts to open it, but it turns out Daniel bought it for Renee to make up with her.

Hilda brings the cupcakes to Henry’s apartment, and Charlie accepts them. Charlie asks Hilda if she had heard that there won’t be any “birthday date” for Betty. Hilda asks if Charlie has heard that, yes there would be, in NYC. Hilda threatens Charlie, telling her that she has Betty’s “back”. She then displays her nails, which have the ability to scratch the paint off walls. After Hilda leaves, she takes a bite, and obviously gets an idea.

Claire is excitedly showing off the cover of Hot Flash to Alexis. Alexis tells her they don’t have the budget to continue. Claire begs Alexis not to cut her off.

Marc brings a bunch of baby supplies into Wilhelmina’s apartment, and Renee is there. Wilhelmina is not there, so Marc complains about “The ICE in her veins”. Renee offers Marc a “Chocalatini”, and of course, he accepts.

Betty is in the restroom. Claire comes out of the stall obviously depressed. She tells Betty about her troubles with Hot Flash, and that she is thinking of giving up. Betty gives her one of her patented pep talks. Claire is moved, then asks Betty about her problems, and gives her an expensive pair of earrings.

Henry attempts to call Betty to let her know that Charlie is “deathly ill” and he must take her to the doctor, but because Betty’s cell phone isn’t working right, she doesn’t get the message. She just hears “dinner” and “love you”. She shows up at the restaurant and gets their table.

Back at Wilhelmina’s apartment, Renee has gotten Marc drunk, and he tells her everything about the baby Christina is carrying, including the fact that the father was Bradford Meade.

Betty anxiously waits at the restaurant for Henry, not knowing that he will not show up. The waiter impatiently asks her if she’s going to order. She decides to order cheese fondue, certain that Henry will show up.

Henry leaves a message with Ignacio telling him about the cancelled dinner. The Suarez’s decide to throw her a party at home, not knowing that she is waiting at the restaurant.

Gio brings a slice of pie with a candle to Mode to give to Betty for her birthday, but she is not there. Amanda lets it slip that she didn’t pass along the message about Henry’s cancelling. Gio knows that Betty is waiting at the restaurant alone.

Renee confronts Wilhelmina and lets her know that she knows all about Bradford’s baby. She even plays back a recording of Marc spilling the beans. She threatens to go to the police about Wilhelmina if she doesn’t leave her and Daniel alone.

Betty continues waiting at the restaurant, and the waiter insists she leave because she has been there a long time and a couple is waiting for the table. As Betty is walking away, Gio pulls up in a horse-drawn carriage (that his cousin normally drives). He tells her about the message Henry left for Amanda. He offers to let her have a carriage ride, and Betty reluctantly agrees. They have a heart-to-heart in which Gio reminds her that fantasies are good, but reality can be pretty good, as well. Instead of taking Betty home, Gio steers her toward the park so she can see fireworks.

Wilhelmina sends Marc into Daniel’s apartment to do a little espionage. He says, “I’m too pretty for prison. They’ll pass me around like the collection plate at a catholic church!” She sends him anyway, with a set of keys so he doesn’t have to break in.

Back at Mode, Claire is addressing her “staff”, and Alexis walks in and reminds her that they don’t have the money for the magazine. Claire tells her that she got a state grant because she’s using ex-prisoners to staff the magazine as a kind of work-release program. (this is brilliant, I think).

Back at Daniel’s apartment, Marc finds Renee’s bag and places something into it. Daniel walks in on Marc as he is looking at his see-though underwear. Marc pretends to be there to seduce Daniel (absolutely hilarious!) Daniel suspects Wilhelmina and threatens to call the police. Marc flees.

Henry shows up at the Suarez house to wait for Betty, as they prepare for the party. The family kind of gives him the cold shoulder.

As Gio is speeding the carriage toward Central park, a wheel breaks. Betty falls out of the wagon, getting her dress dirty. He apologizes and gives Betty a napkin to wipe off the dirt. Gio showers her with compliments, obviously trying to tell her how he feels about her. At this moment, sparks start flying down from a building where welders are working, and Betty admires them saying “Fireworks!” She eventually puts her head on Gio’s shoulder.

Daniel tells Renee about Marc breaking into his apartment, and they agree that Wilhelmina put him up to it. Renee then tells Daniel that while at Stoney Brook, she had a breakdown and had to go on medication that she’s on till this day. Daniel, touched, asks her to move in with him, and she accepts. Renee calls Wilhelmina and gloats.

Marc then tells Wilhelmina that he swapped Wilhelmina’s fat blockers for Renee’s medication. Wilhelmina plans on Renee losing her grip on reality so she won’t get between her and the Meade fortune anymore.

Betty comes into the Suarez home and sees they decorated for a party and that Henry is asleep on the couch. Ignacio greets her, then gives her a present that Daniel had sent two weeks earlier, knowing that he would forget.

Betty sits by the sleeping Henry; he wakes up and tells her happy birthday. He apologizes about her birthday not being perfect. She lays beside him and stares into the distance.