Ugly Betty Episode 3.06 Full Recap

Copyright © 2008 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc./ PATRICK HARBRON

Here is the full recap for Ugly Betty episode 3.06.  Quick thoughts:

• This one has a wonderful, melodramatic, season 1 feel to it.  Especially the lunch room shunning scenes.
• This was an episode where Daniel was the level headed one, and Betty needed grounding by Daniel.
• I though LiLo was very good in this one, although I think she could have been even MORE over the top at the end.
• It was weird having no “previously on Ugly Betty” at the beginning.
• It was good seeing Cliff again, if only for a moment.
• Jesse was a nice character.  He’s got the kindness of Henry and the gumption of Gio.

Full recap after the jump!

Betty/Kimmie

The episode begins with Betty talking on the phone with Hilda about Kimmie’s betrayal.  Hilda say’s Kimmie is “the same old, rhymes with Ba-zitch”.  Hilda warns her to watch out for Kimmie.  Betty then runs into Kimmie (Betty is carrying a try of donuts. Kimmie is getting hair and makeup done (at Betty’s desk!) .  The hairdresser accidentally turns to hair dryer toward Betty, getting powdered sugar from the donuts all over Betty.

Daniel passes by, and both  Betty and Kimmie try to get his attention. Daniel wants hem to speak one at a time, chooses Betty, but all she has to talk about is his plumbing problems.  He asks for breakfast (and Kimmie gets him to ask Betty to get her some too). 

Betty brings Kimmie breakfast, and Kimmie says she’s let Betty know if she needs anything else.  Betty tells her that whatever it is, she should do it herself, because she (Betty) works for Daniel.  Kimmie then reminds Betty that she’s just an assistant, and Kimmie is an editor.  She shows Betty her business cards (”taste that!”) and wonders aloud if Betty will ever rise above assistant (Betty has no cards).  She rubs it in thick.  Kimmie tells Betty she can keep the card, she has plenty.   Betty walks away devastated.

Later, Betty carries an armload of bags to her apartment.  Jesse very gentlemanly offers to hold them while she opens the door.  Jesse is worried about playing open mic night at the coffee shop, and Betty tells him he’ll be fine.  Jesse asks about Betty’s work, and Betty kind of rambles on about how she doesn’t have business cards yet.  They both ask “what does it take to get noticed in this town?”  Jesse calls Betty “Super-B” and pegs Betty as a dreamer.  He tells Betty that if she wants something, she has to go for it.  He then sings her a “go for it Betty” song.  

The next day, Betty watches as Kimmie cohorts with folks in the office at a staff meeting.  Marc and Amanda walks in, but Kimmie blows them off as if she’s too important for them.  Marc and Mandy start to turn on Kimmie.

Daniel and Wilhelmina enter and start talking about the March “Sizzling Hot List” issue of Mode.  They like both of the submissions (Willy was only blind with rage 2 times!)  Amongst the suggestions that made the grade was Kimmie’s for “Sizzling Hot Club”.  As Daniel reads the rest of the “winners”, Betty recalls Jesse’s words.

Daniel and Betty leave the Meade building later, and Betty asks if she can submit her own hot item.  Daniel says yes, and he wants it at that moment.  Betty scrambles, and sees a fruit stand, so she suggests “Hot Fruit”. She gives him a hard sell, and he seems to be partially sold)

Betty meets with her family (see below) and comes back with a great idea of using the Tico Berry, and lands Adriana Lima to do a photoshoot, because she loves the berry (her grandfather farms them), and credits them for her beauty.

Daniel and Wilhelmina announce this at a staff meeting, and Kimmie is quite upset (they cut her “hot club” section to include Betty’s idea).  They put Betty in charge of the entire project.  As Betty is getting congratulated, Kimmie says to herself, “Game on, Betty”.

Suzuki St Pierre and crew arrive at Mode to speak to the person who score Adriana Lima for the magazine (which happens to be Betty).   As Betty is putting on makeup for the interview, Kimmie tells her she’s doing it wrong and offers to help. She puts false eyelashes on her (heh) Betty tells her what she’s going to say as Kimmie applies the makeup.  Later, she flirts with an FTV crew member and gets him to turn the lights WAY up.

During the LIVE interview, Betty starts out well, but the intense heat makes her stammer, and melts her makeup.  She sweats profusely, then becomes totally unable to talk.  Betty gets up to compose herself, and Kimmie steps right in.  She says in the interview exactly what Betty was going to say.  Kimmie also takes credit.

Later, Daniel and Wilhelmina tell Betty she needs to work alongside Kimmie, so the project will be more polished.

Betty confronts Kimmie in the hallway about sabotaging her.  Kimmie says there isn’t enough room in the spotlight for the two of them.  Kimmie vows that she’s going to get Betty kicked out before the shoot happens.

Betty tells Daniel that she can’t work with Kimmie, but Daniel tells her she must.  He uses his situation with Wilhelmina as an example.  He suggests she take the high road.

Later, Kimmie blows off Marc and Mandy again, even putting her purse in an empty chair in the lunch room.  The two vow to “get” Kimmie, and they try to enlist Betty to help.  She refuses at first.

At a meeting, Wilhelmina reveals the LouLou de la Falaise Marie Antoinette necklace that she wants to use in the shoot.  She suggest it to Betty.  As they are speaking, Kimmie comes in with Adriana Lima.  Lima tells them that Kimmie has ben telling her all about “her” ideas for the photoshoot.  Kimmie also says that they got Phillipe Louire to shoot for them. Marc is upset because Cliff was supposed to do the shoot.  Betty takes Kimmie to the side and confronts her.  Kimmie says she met Adriana at the airport, and maybe Betty should have done more than send a fruit basket.  As Kimmie takes Lima away, she tells her not to worry about Betty, she’s just somebody’s assistant.

Betty then says to Marc and Mandy, “Screw the high road.  I’m in. Let’s kill Kimmie”.

At Betty’s apartment, they plan Kimmie’s demise, while Cliff sulks about losing the shoot by eating pizza on Betty’s couch.  They decide to use the Marie Antoinette necklace to undermine Kimmie. Apparently, Wilhelmina would get a kickback if the necklace was sold at auction for a higher price because it was on a Mode cover.  They decide to trick Kimmie into taking the necklace out of the shoot.

At the shoot, Marc and Mandy fawn all over Kimmie and the job she’s done.  They slyly tell her, though, that the necklace is hideous and has to go.  They mock it, and place the idea in Kimmie’s head that it was Betty’s idea.  Kimmie has the staff remove the necklace from the shoot.

They then leave her and walk past Betty saying,”We set her up. Now, you knock her down.” 

Betty approaches Kimmie, acting all subservient.  She then warns Kimmie that Wilhelmina doesn’t like it when people agree with her all the time – she wants them to disagree strongly.  She says the only way to impress Wilhelmina is to be strong.

Wilhelmina and Daniel arrive.  As Betty is speaking with Daniel, she starts to have second thoughts.  She tries to tell Kimmie to return the necklace and not fight with Wilhelmina, but Kimmie thinks Betty is trying to trick her.

Wilhelmina asks where the necklace is; Kimmie says it’s hideous and won’t be in the shoot, no matter what Wilhelmina wants.  She says, “don’t worry babe, I’ve got it covered.  Sit back, relax, have a donut…” Wilhelmina asks if she has some kind of death wish.  Kimmie says her only wish is for Willy to go away.

Wilhelmina says to put the damned necklace in the damned picture, but Kimmie says no, and that’s final.

Wilhelmina then fires her.  Kimmie then throws the berries in a scummy pond. Security then takes her away.

Adriana Lima then arrives, but of course there are no berries.  Daniel and Wilhelmina panic because the shoot will fall apart with no berries.  Betty then speaks to Lima and tells her about Kimmie’s scheming. She then asks if she has any tico berries left over from the fruit basket Betty sent her.  They then complete the shoot with Lima’s berries from the basket.

Later, Daniel congratulates Betty and gives her a present.  Betty goes home, and Jesse runs into her in the hallway.  She says her day went well because Jesse inspired her to speak up.  She shows him her new business cards that Daniel got her.  She tells him to keep that one, she has plenty more.

Daniel/ Wilhelmina

Daniel and Wilhelmina meet with an accountant at Claire’s behest.  Neither is particularly interested, even though the accountant tells them that Meade is going broke.  Claire very strongly suggests that the two bring in a CFO to help them turn things around financially.  Although neither still seems interested, the accountant’s dire predictions get their attention.

Later, as Wilhelmina is waiting for her car, she is approached by Connor Owens, financial wizard.  He tells her he’s a big fan. She’s also a fan of his.  They talk about Meade, and Wilhelmina tells him things aren’t going so well.  She suggests he think about coming to Meade, but he says he and Daniel do not get along at all. 

Wilhelmina asks Daniel to at least consider working with Connor.  He flat-out refuses.  She tells him to think about what’s best for Meade.

Later, Daniel and Wilhelmina meet with Connor.  Daniel is very stand-offish as Connor tells them how hard-nosed he’d be as CFO.  Wilhelmina very much likes his ruthless side.  He tells them they need a new business plan (he hands the plan to Wilhelmina).  As he leaves, Daniel refuses to even shake his hand.

Later, riding in the car, Wilhelmina tells Daniel that she’ll call Connor and tell him they won’t hire him, since Daniel seems so cold on the idea.  Daniel asks to do the speaking, but when he does, he says instead that he wants to hire Connor.  He then tells Wilhelmina it’s best for the company.

Connor comes to Mode after the Lima shoot.  Betty gushes over him, but they ask her to excuse them while they go talk about the offer to join the company.  They go to Daniel’s office, and their demeanor changes.  They fist bump and congratulate each other,  Apparently, they’ve pulled some kind of scam over on Wilhelmina together.

 

Hilda/Ignacio/Justin

Ignacio is cooking plantains, and talking about how excited he is to get to vote the first time.  Hilda can’t be bothered with THAT, but she’s very excited that the polling place is right down the street, and hopes to bring business to her beauty salon by sending Justin outside in an Uncle Sam suit. Justin is not too thrilled about this.

Betty walks in with a basket of fruit. She tells them about her hot fruit assignment, and asks for their help finding the right one.   They go through several (Justin responds to kiwi with”ki-won’t”).  Ignacio comes up with the idea of the Tico Berry, a rare Brazilian fruit.  He shows Betty a picture – Hilda says it’s an “Ugly Berry”.  Ignacio says don’t judge it from the outside.

Betty looks it up on the internet and finds a VERY interesting fact.

Later, as Hilda and Ignacio are decorating the shop in red, white and blue, Ignacio lectures Hilda on the importance of voting.  She calls Justin in, and he’s wearing a ridiculous Uncle Sam-like costume.  He is not pleased.

Hilda’s idea works, and her business starts booming.  Ignacio interrupts her and asks her to go vote, but she says she doesn’t care and she’s too busy.

In a slow moment, a man walks into the shop and asks for a haircut.  They have small talk, and he asks her if it was hard getting a business license.  She says she didn’t get one.  The man warns her that she could get shut down.  He tells her it’s his job to know, he’s a councilman in her district.  Hilda gets quite angry, thinking he’s there to bust her, and kicks him out with his haircut half done.  He suggests she shut down temporarily till she gets a license.  He tells her that next time she should vote him out, if she’s unhappy with him.