Ugly Betty Episode 3.19 Full Recap
March 21, 2009 by Tom
Here is the full recap for Ugly Betty episode 3.19, The Sex Issue. Before the recap, here’s a few of my thoughts:
- I really liked this one. All of the sex-based storylines were unrelated, yet seemed to fit together perfectly.
- This was the first episode where Betty took off her glasses on purpose to appear more attractive.
- Because of situations out of my control, I wasn’t able to post my theories about Matt, his behavior, and the “other woman”. I was wholly and completely wrong though. I assumed Matt was a virgin (based on his sometimes childlike mannerisms) and the other woman was his sister (I thought maybe the joke he made in 3.18 was actually a slip). Instead, they turned him into a proxy for Daniel.
- Some here have suggested that Molly is, for Daniel, a proxy for Betty. So, are the writers preparing the characters (and us) for a Detty hookup in season 4?
- Wilhelmina – what can I say? Her meltdown, followed by firing the “manny”, was priceless.
- It was good to see more Amanda this episode. Her infatuation with Betty is weird, but funny and poignant at the same time.
- I thought Daniel’s sex-shyness was perfectly written, and Eric Mabius acted it perfectly. I’ve known several guys like this (who want everyone know to know about their active sex lives, but are still shy about the specifics).
- I liked how they made Ignacio’s role almost completely slapstick humor this episode.
- I know many of you might think Hilda’ behavior was unbelievable, but trust me, it’s not. Sure, it was an exaggeration, but haven’t we all been more interested in someone when there was “competition” than not?
I was hoping there would be more workplace interaction about the actual Mode “Sex Issue”, but I understand why that didn’t happen. All in all, I think this was a great episode!
Full recap after the jump!
Matt is walking Betty back to her house after a date, and they share a cute moment about pizza. Betty asks Matt to pay up a dollar because of a bet they had made that he lost, but instead he hands her a jewelry box. It turns out to be a “bee” hair clip. He gave it to her to celebrate their “monthiversary”. They are about to kiss, when Ignacio bursts through the front door, knocking them both several feet away. He is gathering supplies to take Justin and Elena on a camping trip with Elena’s nephews.
Archie and Hilda walk into the kitchen after their date. He tries to kiss her, but Hilda turns away slightly and makes it a kiss on the cheek. He then tries again, and as they share a short kiss on the lips, Ignacio barges in, knocking both of them away with the door. He apologizes, and Archie leaves. First Ignacio, then Betty, ask her about her date. She is lukewarm toward Archie, which Ignacio doesn’t understand.
Justin comes in and tries (again) to beg off the camping trip. He’d rather go to a spa. Hilda tells him he has to go.
Wilhelmina is in bed watching television, when she hears someone singing “You Are My Sunshine” in another room. She gets up and rushes to the room, thinking it is Connor’s voice. She gets there and sees that it is indeed him, holding William. But then, she wakes up from what was a dream, looks over and sees William in his crib.
Daniel addresses a Mode staff meeting, ordering to crew to really whip up interest in the first ever Mode “Sex” Issue, which is hitting the stands in 3 days. While he speaks, Wilhelmina nods off. Betty and Amanda suggest a tie-in with ModeNY.com. Wilhelmina yawns loudly – Marc pours her more coffee.
In her office Wilhelmina stares blankly out the window as Marc tries to tell her that she will be included in the new Olsen twins’ coffee table book, Influence II. She doesn’t respond. Marc thinks this means she’s dead and panics. This wakes up Wilhelmina, who had been napping. Marc tries to tidy up her desk, and finds a picture of Connor. Wilhelmina says that the baby is to blame for her lack of sleep, though, and says she needs help. She wants to have Marc hire a night nanny for her. Marc also suggests she needs some other “night needs” met, but Wilhelmina has already fallen asleep again.
Amanda suggests to Betty that their ModeNY.com column be “fun sex vs boring relationship sex”. Betty suggests something a little less personal, and Amanda thinks this means that Betty is hiding something kinky about Matt. Betty says that Matt is into normal things “I think”, and Amanda figures out that they haven’t slept together yet. Amanda asks her what the hell she’s waiting for.
At home, Betty takes out the trash, and Hilda notices she’s wearing lip gloss. Betty tells her she hopes that tonight will be “the” night. Hilda tells her that some guys need more of a “push” than others. They emerge from the alley to the street to find Papi packing enough stuff in the car for a two week camping trip instead of two days. Justin complains that he can’t bring anything because there will be no electricity. Ignacio offers to cook the girls a very early breakfast before he leaves in the morning; Hilda says she’ll be there, because she has a date with Archie that will certainly end early. Betty passes, and says she’ll be staying the night in the city – Hilda then reveals that Betty will be spending the night with Matt, and everyone shares an awkward father-daughter moment.
In Molly’s apartment, Molly says she wants to take part in a poetry slam. She had been writing poetry for years. Daniel suggests she do it. He says HE could never do something like that, because he has a very bad memory from a scarring high school rock band experience. He says he played guitar (badly), and had to write and perform a cheesy song (Crash and Burn) for a battle of the bands, and he was laughed off the stage. Molly wants to see a picture from those days, but Daniel says “never”.
After their date, Betty and Matt share a great romantic moment, then kiss in front of his apartment. Matt says he should get her a cab, and Betty suggests she come upstairs instead. But Matt goes into a semi-panic, and rushes her into a cab. Even the cab driver says that it sure seemed like Matt was trying to get rid of her.
Later, Archie calls Hilda after their date, which annoys her. She doesn’t like the fact that he’s so into her. Betty is also annoyed, about Matt’s strange behavior. Betty suggests to Hilda that she should just break up with Archie if he bothers her so much, and Hilda quickly agrees that nice guys aren’t for her. Hilda asks about Betty’s date, and Betty tells her how horribly it ended. Hilda says that maybe he misunderstood her “signals”.
Amanda tries (as part of the online article) to give Betty pointers, telling her to NEVER be subtle. She inadvertently discovers that Betty and Matt still haven’t slept together. She vows to personally teach Betty how to be sexy. She says it can tie in with their article. Betty semi-reluctantly agrees. Amanda receives a text from Daniel inviting her to the poetry slam, an idea she hates.
In Daniel’s office, Betty is excited about the idea of a poetry slam. Betty says she’ll be there – poetry was one of her favorite classes in college. Daniel hands her Molly’s poem that she’s going to read. Betty reads it, and says it is very personal and intimate. Daniel, who knows nothing about poetry, says he thought the poem was about the ocean. Betty explains that the ocean is a metaphor for sex, specifically about Molly and Daniel. This freaks Daniel out.
Betty and Amanda arrive at Amanda’s (Betty’s old) apartment. Marc busts in, and takes over the “Betty sexification”. Betty is surprised to see Marc, she thought it would just be the two of them. They begin anyway.
Amanda says that the key is to appeal to the six senses: sound, smell, taste, touch, sight, and style. They start with sound (playing sexy music). For smell, they spray perfume that makes Betty sneeze. For taste, they tell her to seductively use her lips on a straw, and to eat slowly and seductively. For touch, they suggest she tickle him with a feather. For sight and style, they try to teach Betty the art of the seductive hair flip (Marc is the model for this). Marc suggests Betty lose her glasses, but Betty says she needs them to see. Amanda, then gives her a ladle, and tells her she’ll know what to do with it.
Wilhelmina lies in bed and hears a growling noise in the other room. She grabs a baseball bat and heads towards the noise. She sees a man leaning over William, and comes at his with the bat. He explains that he’s the nanny, and was telling William a story. He introduces himself (he is James), and carries on with William. Wilhelmina is obviously attracted to him.
Archie and Hilda are in a restaurant on a date. Her tries to hold her hand, but she pulls away. Hilda starts to give him a “breakup” speech, but while she’s speaking, a woman walks up to Archie and kisses him on the cheek. Apparently they had dated in the past. Hilda’s demeanor changes as the woman, Felissa, flirts with Archie.
Molly starts to seduce Daniel – he takes the opportunity to suggest some changes to her poem. While talking about this, he reveals that he knows the poem is about them, and that he doesn’t want her to read it in public (in front of his co-workers). Molly agrees to read something else.
At the restaurant, Felissa pulls up a seat next to Archie and lays it on thick (saying multiple times that letting him go was the biggest mistake she ever made). She leaves (at Archie’s suggestion), and Hilda grabs Archie’s hand. looking at him more seductively now.
Matt comes into Betty’s (old) apartment; Betty has put on romantic music and lit candles. Matt says they should hurry to get to the movie they are going to. Betty, bursts into the room wearing robe (I think it’s a robe) and scarf. She says “what’s your hurry, soldier?”, and winks. Betty walks toward him, walking seductively and flipping her hair. This makes Matt nervous. She says they should stay in instead of going to the movies. She offers him a mojito, and takes a slow slow sip from her own, batting her eyes at him. She continues to advance, and backing-away Matt falls into a chair. Betty sits on his lap, and he pulls a feather out from beneath him. Betty tries to tickle him with it, it makes Matt sneeze.
Matt suggests they go to the movie – Betty once again suggests they stay in; she takes off her glasses and tries to kiss him. Matt gets up and says he has to go. He adds that it’s not her, it’s him, and walks out.
Hilda and Archie sit mostly naked on Hilda’s salon chair, post dalliance. Archie says that this was an unexpected turn of events – he had expected Hilda to break up with him. Hilda admits that she was going to until Felissa came along. This makes Archie very angry, and he gets up and leaves.
The next morning, Wilhelmina complains (sort of) to Marc about the hunky nanny he hired (who really isn’t a nanny at all – he’s a model). Marc says he was only trying to help; he hadn’t scheduled one of her weekly “car washes” in a long time.
Betty tells Marc and Amanda that the date was a disaster. Marc can’t believe it – their moves are patented and always work. They decide he’s gay, or a virgin, or a woman. Betty says she wants to talk with Matt about it, but he just texted her and said he’d be working through lunch. Betty nevertheless says she’s going to go to his office and talk to him. Amanda and Marc tag along because she owes them lunch for helping her.
Matt walks onto the street outside his office; the three of them hide behind a hot dog cart. Marc and Amanda decide to follow him, and Betty reluctantly follows. They follow from the other side of the street. Matt stops, so they hide behind a mailbox. They see Matt meeting and hugging a blonde woman. Marc and Amanda push Betty out into the open. Matt and the woman see her, so she walks up to them (Marc and Amanda nonchalantly walk away). She awkwardly tells him that she’s confused, and if he is “with” the other woman, that’s OK.
The woman introduces herself; she’s Matt’s therapist. She asks her to join them. In the session, Betty apologizes for pushing Matt into doing something he obviously didn’t want to do, and he explains that it wasn’t her fault. The therapist urges him on, and he admits that he has been with “a lot” of women in the past (really a lot). He explains that he’s been lonely his whole life and has filled that void with meaningless sex (sound like anyone we know?). He had made a contract with the therapist that he wouldn’t be with someone again until he had really connected with them first. This explained his panic when Betty came on so strong. The therapist asks Betty how she feels about this, and she says she feels great.
But later at Mode, she explains to Daniel that the whole situation makes her feel strange. That she’s just another number. Daniel calls him a dog, admiringly. Betty changes the subject and tells him that his car is coming to take him to the poetry club right after work. Daniel explains that Molly isn’t reading “that” poem anymore, because he had asked her not to. Betty tells him that his sex life has been on display at Mode for years, what was he worried about? Daniel tells her she’s making him look like an ass – she says he kind of is. She tells him he should be brave enough to let Molly read the poem.
Hilda is doing Betty’s hair, and tells her that she had called Archie and apologized; he’s coming over. She says they really “connected”, and didn’t disconnect for about an hour 
. Betty asks that they not talk about sex. She explains that their relationship is now so complicated because she’s now one of hundreds, even though she obviously means a lot to him, as Hilda reminds him. The doorbell rings.
In walks Felissa, who tells Hilda to “back off her man”. She decided she wants Archie back. Hilda says she can’t have him. Felissa points to herself and says “Archie loves him some vanilla ice cream.” Hilda angrily points to herself and says “He won’t go back to vanilla when he’s tasted hot, melted, caramel surprise.” Felissa says Hilda has a fat ass, and they lunge at each other with Betty trying to stop the fight. Felissa then starts trashing the place; Hilda picks up the trimmers, attempting to shave Felissa’s hair or eyebrows. Felissa uses a hair dryer for defense, as Betty stands between the two women brandishing grooming appliances as weapons. At this point, Archie walks in.
In Wilhelmina’s apartment, she walks seductively toward James and starts a fire. James puts William down. Wilhelmina points out that something is on his shirt; the baby had spit up a little. She tells him to take off his shirt 
and she’ll wash it. He does, revealing his perfect chest and abs, which impress Wilhelmina.
At the poetry club, Matt tells Betty he’s glad they talked with the therapist today. He waves at a pretty woman, who waves back. He points out that she works at a coffee shop near his apartment. He says that that’s the only place he knows her from to reassure Betty. Betty is nonchalant.
Wilhelmina walks in to see James singing “you are my sunshine” to William. This causes Wilhelmina to break down and cry. Later, she tells James all about Connor, and cries, literally, on his chest. James tells her to let it out; Wilhelmina says she just wants to have sex. She tells him to take his pants off. James says she doesn’t need sex, she needs to close the door on Connor and focus on her baby. She thanks him, and then fires him because they won’t be having sex.
At the club, Daniel tells Molly he wants her to read her original poem. She is excited, and kisses him. She then goes to read the poem. Afterward, the waitress brings Matt the check, and Betty imagines her whispering into his ear. Suddenly, she is wearing a T-shirt with the number 108 on it. Betty looks around and sees every woman in the place wearing a number. She excuses herself (in a panic), explaining that she’s going to say goodbye to Daniel.
Archie comes back into the Suarez house. He has gotten rid of Felissa and says she won’t be bothering them anymore. Archie asks her what’s going on; the day before she had told him he wasn’t her type, and now she’s fighting over him. Hilda admits that her “type” hasn’t worked out so well for her, and that she wanted to see what being with a nice guy was like. Archie says he sort of goes for the “bad girl”. They agree to give themselves another chance. As they kiss, Ignacio bursts in, sees them kissing, and says he’s going to start wearing a bell.
Betty and Matt approach his apartment. He asks her to come inside. Betty isn’t sure; she says she feels like a number. Matt say she is: number 1. He says this would be the first time he’d ever been with a woman he really cared about. They walk toward the apartment.
Molly emerges from her bathroom to find Daniel’s picture from the band days, Daniel wearing cheesy sunglasses, and holding a guitar. He sings her “Crash and Burn”, and we see a montage of Wilhelmina with William, Archie and Hilda, and Betty walking with Matt into his apartment.
Image: Bauer-Griffin
I absolutely loved this episode. It made it’s way into my top 5 Betty episodes ever. It was so cleverly written. Very wonderful episode. I’m more excited about it coming back though. I want to see that Christina is the real mom, I’m curious of what Matt’s “proposition” Betty can’t refuse is, and I also for some reason think that we haven’t seen the last of Connor, otherwise I don’t feel like they would use Grant Bowler in the show like 3 episodes after Connor left.
I Really enjoyed this ep! Have been rooting for Betty and Hilda to have great romantic relationships. Matt has grown on me and I’ve loved Archie with Hilda ever since Macchio walked through the door. Excited to see them interact now that they’ll be an actual couple giving more opprotunities for more Ortiz/Macchio great chemistry. Cute, sexy, funny. And Bett/Matty are warm together.
Some really funny surprises in this ep in how they reached the conclusion for both Betty and Hilda… I was satisfied with the cleverness of that.
Wili, Marc, Amanda provided all of the big comedy fun.
Daniel and Molly were charming and heartfelt.
Can’t wait for May 7th… and see where it all continues to go and grow!
I feel this episode had all of the wonderful qualities of season 1
Can’t wait until after the break!!
Re: Hilda’s actions. I’ve known more than a few examples of people who are inspired to explore AFTER they see that someone else is into the other. It can ignite passion absolutely.
Glad the set-up, chase and stumbling is over for Archie/Hilda. It was time.
In the montage when he kisses her cheek and she jokingly throws popcorn in his face… He cracks up. That’s the chemistry and couple I’m looking forward to see!!
Amen, Gabrielle. I really enjoyed this episode. Its got that season 1 guilty pleasure feeling that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Haha! Kudos on the current direction. If I could make just one little suggestion… (No!) Eesh, tough crowd. I was just going to say since you’ve already pre-emptively vindicated *by* saying “no” that I would like to see a bit more blatant lead in to the plots where Betty feels the bite of Murphy’s law. Amanda and Marc come along and say something to near jinx Betty by being super-close to the truth. How you do it now is great, but for some viewers they’re gonna be like ok well if they know so much, why didn’t they tell her more? I mean, Betty comes from Queens. She’s street savvy. At least much as Gretchen from Disney’s Recess in this specific context by having been the only girl around except for Spinelli who doesn’t take crap (aka Hilda.) If Betty covers for Hilda sneaking out, she’s not *all* that innocent. The foreign Ugly Betty telenovella characters always jump in like Urkel gone Superman and say someone will have to go through them first before being pushed aside like bugs at a picnic. Remember the one at Betty’s dentist’s office? At that time, when Betty saw Daniel was going to be exploited on television by Salma Hayek’s character she was jumping and hollering when security pulled her away. Where did that campy 60’s Batman-esque Betty Suarez go? Did all that die with Bradford Meade? Why? If its because of a new era, then bring in Uma Thurman. Not David Carradine. *Green Hornet theme music plays loudly from out of nowhere* Ok, random but I think I’m making my point here. Couldn’t we see a bit more Lamar from Revenge of The Nerds and less Amanda’s Tavares? Why not the character Hollywood from Mannequin? I’m tired of nothing but Snoop, Dre and occasionally Eminem for crossover purposes. There needs to be substantial minority savvy on network programming and the way to do that is start with Ugly Betty because Chico and the Man was on TV before Diff’rent Strokes. Ozzy Osbourne/Randy Rhoads in music was around before Thriller-era Michael Jackson. In Latin America, gay people *socially* might not be “acceptable” but in *comedy*, that’s your Oscar nod-equivalent. Since when did Eazy E suddenly become Harry Truman? Oh that’s right: 1995 when Selena died too. People don’t gotta make this no worse. Let UB tell the world there are no victims at Mode magazine. Amanda already “shocked the peoples” with her dedication to Gene Simmons.
i really liked this ep. The comedy & chemistry are just great! Maybe Matt will loan Daniel some $$$ to save the company from going under? So thus Matt is Betty’s surprise boss (hmm, maybe another foreshadowing of Detty???), or better yet, Matt’s mom hostile takes over Mode, and be Betty’s boss and give her hell. I think I should be a writer..
The one month hiatus is just going to be bad news for UB though. Hope the fans will remember to tune back.
I loved this episode!
The only thing is that I’m getting tired of Molly and Daniel’s relationship. At first it was good but now I feel like their dragging it so it’s kind of tiring me out. Other than that eveyrhting else is good, I really like Matt and Betty togther but I’m a Detty fan at heart.
Oh and geek’s idea about Matt loaning Daniel $$ also crossed my mind…..maybe it will happen….?
geek said: “i really liked this ep. The comedy & chemistry are just great! Maybe Matt will loan Daniel some $$$ to save the company from going under? So thus Matt is Betty’s surprise boss (hmm, maybe another foreshadowing of Detty???), or better yet, Matt’s mom hostile takes over Mode, and be Betty’s boss and give her hell. I think I should be a writer..
”
I read the same thing over at B&B’s Livejournal, too. Based on the theories over there, here are some options to consider:
a) Matt’s family will invest in Meade Publications, giving them partial (or more) control of the company temporarily. They, in turn, could put Matt in charge of Meade Publications, making him Betty’s boss.
or
b) The family invests, but either Matt’s mom or DAD becomes Betty’s boss. (Remember: The show is casting the part of a rich, older man to come in – possibly Matt’s dad. And if I remember spoilers correctly, Claire may get involved with this man, which would make things more interesting. But that’s discussion for another thread…)
Either way, I think we’ll definitely see Daniel giving up control temporarily to someone else, due to the company’s serious lack of funds. After looking at the promo B&B posted, I don’t think he has any other choice at this point.
BTW, Tom – Matt’s revelation in 3.19 made me think of Daniel, for sure. And yes: It got the Detty wheels turning, too – for more than a handful of people.
I really enjoyed this episode! I thought maybe Matt would have been a virgin, but was surprised that he was a recovering sex addict..As the episodes go on, we are finding out more of what Matt’s personality is like.. I think Matt and/or his family will having something to do with getting involved with the Meade/Mode situation… I too think Matt might be her “surprise boss” & the promos were saying that Betty gets a proposition that she can’t refuse..But there were spoilers saying she will get a promotion with strings attached. I think if that surprise boss thing is true, it will probably put a kink in their relationship..but I guess we will have to wait tlll May to find out..
i love this episode!!
all sweet,funny-all rollled into one. =)
Yes! This episode was great. The Betty/Matt and Hilda/Archie chemistry is awesome. Love them with their guys!! Sweet and funny is right… and that’s why I watch UB!
After reading a lot of Ugly Betty posts I have gathered a list of things that I and other people think will happen when Ugly Betty returns. From spoilers we know that Betty will get a promotion, with strings attached, we also know Betty will get a surprising new boss. With MODE without any money and Molly’s cancer, I think Daniel will temporarily quit. I also think that Matt’s parents will invest in Meade and get a large share of MODE. Therefore, Matt will probably become Betty’s new boss, or even his mom. Betty will get a promotion (That’s what we see in the promo), the strings attached thing will be that she can only temporarily keep it will Daniel’s away, or that Matt being Betty’s boss will ruin their relationship. It also seems that they are setting us up for a Detty relationship in season 4. Think about it, Betty is with Matt an alter-ego of Daniel (Rich, a playboy, possibly her boss) and Daniel is with Molly an alter-ego of Betty (An “Ugly Duckling” as suzuki called her, and she’s only a teacher.) I think they are putting Betty and Daniel with people who resemble the other to make it more believable if they do get Betty and Daniel together. Now lastly for the double baby mamma drama- Since Christina is leaving the show I think that the baby will turn out to be her’s, they can take tissue or something from the baby and save Stuart, and then they will go back to Scotland. Seems like a happy ending to me.
Since the show began in 2006, I always wondered to what extent this show would follow the original version, especially in regards to the boss/assistant relationship. And yeah – I’m not a ‘Detty’ shipper, but I felt that with the past two seasons, there was enough room for the writers to maneuver that way if they wanted to bring romance into their future. After this recent episode, I think a huge anvil has been dropped in regards to Daniel and Betty. With Matt being a Daniel clone in practically every way – including his history with sex – I think Daniel and Betty will happen eventually. The comparisons are just too hard to ignore, between both Matt & Daniel and Molly & Betty.
And considering the theories Ally mentioned from ‘The Bachelor/Butterfly’, I think we should start expecting tension between Matt and Betty. If he becomes directly involved with Meade Publications in any way (e.g., his family invests, he becomes her boss), then I’m sure that might make things a bit more complicated in their relationship – especially since it would affect Daniel and his family’s welfare/standing in one way or another. Knowing Betty, I think it would be hard for her to let Daniel fall by the wayside. So, yeah…I definitely expect things to get A LOT more complicated and interesting for Betty and everyone else by the time Season 3 ends.
Even I think that Matt is just a tool for the writers go Detty. It’s really a shame. But if that’s where they are going I think we can’t do anything else but settle for scraps.
*man! I’m still bitter…*
I didn’t like one bit to discover Matt’s secret. One thing is being a Player (like Daniel, a character we all love) another is to be an addict. Makes me remember Bradford when he hired Betty because she would “cure Daniel’s disease to chase after skirts”. Is Betty Matt’s medicine because she is ugly and naive?
And to think anti-Getty fans were calling Gio a “Dog” just because he teased Betty with sexual innuendos. Take that Betty! Get your own Dog.
Besides that, I LOVED the Hilda/Archie part. Yay! for the pair. And thanks to UB for pleasing us fans. I mean just to think they weren’t thinking about that until fans pushed them… they really are dumb writers sometimes.
I am still crying over the possibility of Christina leaving the show… But on a happy note, I am glad the show is returning earlier than expected. Now we’ll need to find out what to do until then.
Well Beatrice, We can always watch Mode After Hours every Thursday. I love them. Quite entertaining, I hope they are put onto the Season 3 DVD as bonuses or something. =D
hahaha… agree with you, Timmeh. They are fun. I have been trying to overcome this anger by hearing all the podcasts, reading the message boards sections, bloggers recaps of the episodes (half the time they are funnier than the actual episodes) and yes, the Mode After Hours (great idea to put them on the DVD bonuses). Did you notice that in the last one they put a reference to Connor as he sent a gift to Willy? It made me smile. And they are funny. Ah yeah you all know Brian Tanen writes some of them… so… I’m still a fan of his!!
And well… I guess I am still hopeful somehow… this is the only thing I watch on TV.
Well, in all honesty I feel that we haven’t seen the last of Connor. I some how feel there was something up with the woman on the plan, perhaps I am just over suspicious of things. With Ugly Betty still using Grant Bowler in the show, I feel like they plan to bring him back eventually. I’m not sure if I would be happy with it, he makes Wilhelmina too nice…
Oh I think the writers just got writer’s block when they designed Willy and Connor. The arc was quite good, actually. I knew Willy couldn’t stand being “good” for so long. But I wondered why they didn’t make the “meany family” with them. I was really looking forward to that. I love Willy and I liked Connor and I love them when they are evil and scheming and smart (because there aren’t many aggressive smart cunning characters in this show). It would have been an amazing family trying to take over the Meade empire: Connor, Willy and William. Oh well… maybe when Connor return. IF he returns, followed by Alexis, DJ, Gio, Cliff and Christina (i mean, she has to leave first…)
Yeah, that’s my beef too. There are so many good, good Betty characters that aren’t being utilized that by all means *could* be cultivated somehow. What if the Telenovella characters made an appearance at Mode? What about a side story featuring Fabia and Gina Gambaro? Or Mode employees like Nick Pepper and John Cho’s character that worked with Henry. The Ugly Betty universe, if written correctly could parallel Springfield on The Simpsons but with Chicana touches. Henry, Charlie, DJ, Alexis, Yoga, Cliff, Gio, Walter, Constance… all characters that *could* be colorful are just sitting in the UB storyline toybox waiting to be played with again. How did last season go from being Brighter. Bolder. Bettyer to now resembling Saturday Night Live’s Sprockets sketch with Mike Myers as German host Dieter in wake of writer’s strike? That’s about what it looks like to me with introduction of Kimmy, Connor, Molly and now Matt’s frigid family. Only Mode after Dark is hmm, being *allowed* to keep it real? Why? For a gentrified spin-off later on with smiling white faces only? Perhaps all the multicultural cast not being utilized should record then release a cover single of Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me Baby” and play it outside of staff writer offices on repeat until dumbasses give up their current “woe-is-me” direction dictatorship. Then maybe someone will use those roles for substantial, meaty, Eddy Grant Electric Avenue-resembling-Cocktail with Tom Cruise purposes again. Has anyone ever thought of putting Betty in a Punk Rock haven to find someone? If this were still the 1980’s I’m sure UB would be all about John Hughes films, Whitney Houston, Miami Sound Machine, DeBarge, MJ, Janet, Prince, The Time, The Jets… there is so much I see out there, man. People just forget to look sometimes. A whole latin/minority-based pop culture history has now the opportunity to restructure our society like how it did during Voodoo Economics era. What was most defining then in fashion? Strong females coming off of Ms. Magazine, Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon albums and Linda Carter as Wonder Woman the previous decade. Who were the most shining examples of earth mother types? Latinas. Specifically… *gasp* Native Americans or Mexicans! (Yo soy Chicano)
Like my dad used to say: grab the bull by the horns and ask for what you want. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I say be nice, but don’t take any crap. The writers ought to be ashamed of themselves this season. They know what they’re doing. Who wouldn’t be disappointed when the show was top rated until now? I’d tell em you either like the show or you don’t. Figure it out whatcha gonna do, bad boys. B)-~~~
Oh I forgot to mention 80’s Betty would prolly listen to Sheila E and Lisa Lisa too.
For what it is worth I thought I’d go ahead and express my differing opinion. I’ll be up front and say I’m a Gio fan and if that bothers you, I invite you to stop reading this comment.
I was disgusted by this episode. This is family entertainment? Betty is a role-model? Huh? What? I see no connection between the values exhibited in this episode and those shown us during the first and second season.
Betty acts like a word I won’t use which rhymes with mutt, which would be a good name for the mongrel character otherwise known as Matt.
Our sweet and naive heroine is sure to hold her own against the type of woman a billionaire could be expected to bed, so it seems we are shown a Betty who is walking open-eyed into sexual relationship that is bound to last, last a day at least.
This show, already perilously close to cancellation, which blithely alienated a sizable segment of its viewership by dumping Gio (a character who demonstrated noble values) and another significant segment by destroying and then discarding Henry’s character, is taking risks with dubious content that everyone who cares anymore should be concerned about.
Finally I have done the deed, the one I foresaw as soon as I was past the first few seconds of the season 3 premiere, after deleting this episode from the PVR I went further and deleted the timer.
bg roman – “by dumping Gio (a character who demonstrated noble values)”
LOL. Well, that’s questionable – and certainly debatable.
It’s funny you’re standing up for Henry now, too. I remember lurking around this place just a few months ago. Weren’t your people the same ones who were hating on him and having heated debates, when it was all about Henry vs. Gio last season?
For my part, I’m glad TPTB killed that whole plot with Henry and Gio. Good f*cking riddance. (I’ve been dying to say that for so long, LOL.) In the first place, I think the writers made a mistake in allowing Betty’s lovelife with Henry to take center stage last season – and then they made it worse by introducing Gio into the mix and making it into a triangle. That was some stupid crap, and they should have never invested that much time into that storyline OR those two characters.
Frankly, I think the show is still enjoyable. It still has crappy moments like any other hit show (like this season’s love square), but I like it. And despite what some of you keep insisting (based on TV by the Numbers little system), the show isn’t at death’s door. UB may not have a 10-season run, but I think it will be around long enough to have a satisfactory finish.
But for those who are really into the show for some temporary side character (Henry, Gio, etc.), then yeah – it’s good that you’re tuning out b/c this show is about A LOT more. And one more thing: If you hate Betty, then you should definitely tune out because, um…the show is about her. (Duh.)
Quite evidently, if it’s so easy for you to lose faith and give up on the show, then that means you were never truly interested in it to begin with.
George: “Weren’t your people the same ones who were hating on him and having heated debates, when it was all about Henry vs. Gio last season?”.
By “your people” you mean the Getties? The Getty Girls? If that’s it. You are right. But I think Bg Roman is expressing her personal opinion. Which I coincidentally agree. But it doesn’t mean she should be blamed or referred by the comments from her fellow fan sisters.
Topic: “Noble values Gio” open for discussion for those interested.
And well… good for you to keep the faith in spite of all the awful decisions, bad writing, ridiculous clothes and cast turnover. It’s not that “easy to lose faith and give up”. Gio’s last episode was october last year and some of us keep watching… waiting for the show to improve, having hope even if our favorite character is not showing up every day.
If some of us hate Betty is because something is wrong with the way she is written these days… Figures are dropping ridiculously, meaning: something is clearly wrong.
I also agree with BG Roman that getting rid of the Henry and Gio fans was a ridiculous way to get rid of a huge portion of the show’s viewer (weren’t they surviving a writer’s strike? why they chose to make that bold move is beyond me). Conclusion: this season’s premiere was awful. It was reported everywhere!
I really have no idea of the real volume of the “shippers” in terms of real figures. But I have learned that shipper fans are passionate and dedicated, and they are key in the promotion of a show (or a book or a movie). Let’s see, for example , shows like Lost, or Grey’s anatomy have many hard core fans who are shippers… who keep sites, blog news, attend public venues, buy collectibles, promote… etc.
I think same happened to Ugly Betty. In season 2 they created not only powerful fans from the love triangle, but they gave stories to side characters like Wilhelmina, Amanda, Marc (Cliff), Alexis and others… they built groups of fans that weren’t actually caring about Betty but of their favorite characters. And what they did? They blew that away creating a new season “all about Betty” (people weren’t really caring about Betty that much), destroying that immense fan bubble they created through season 1 and 2. That was a really bold and (now we know) tragic decision from Ugly Betty strategists. They weren’t aware that part of their public weren’t following only Betty Suarez.
Disappointed fans… we can barely do anything but complain. But we must complain. There’s the choice of always do nothing. But what if they do listen? What if they notice they can bring Macchio because fans wanted him? What if they return to make story arcs because people demand it? What if they bring back Gio because he was popular among bloggers and Rodriguez is popular these days as a talented latino figure?
But, of course if the show insists in not hearing the fans complaints… they can always keep the little faithful ones. Who are even less by the minute. You are visiting TV by the numbers… you know the figures…
I love it when the haters come out from their lurking to gloat. Yeaahhh….Anyways, I have to agree with my fellow Getties on this one.
And by the way, not all of us hate Henry. I always liked his character and I remember wanting Henry and Betty to get together. I even preferred Henry over Gio for awhile. (But then I finally came to my senses.) =)
The parts of this season that I’ve watched have been awful. For Betty to have made a huge deal about having no romantic entanglements and to then have her hook up with 2 guys in the span of a few episodes is just ridiculous. And its also a bit cruel to tell you the truth. I had to stop watching the show because it was making me so angry. I had watched this show from the very first episode. I remember how hooked I used to be. I didn’t even know it was possible for a show to go from favorite to most hated in such a short period of time.
I don’t understand how any of you can defend the decision to let Betty have sex with a still-in-treatment sex addict. I guess it’s because she’s known him a whole month. It’s not funny, it’s not heartwarming and it sets a bad example for the young girls and women who are UB’s target audience. Oh, and it’s icky.
I like Hilda and Archie but I found Hilda’s reasons for having sex with Archie very sleazy, too. Someone else wants a piece, so I’d better get mine first, even though I’m ready to dump him. Nice.
If I hear one more time how Betty has once again found it’s “heart,” I may hurl on my keyboard. It this is it’s new heart, it needs to be put on the transplant list. What this show has found is bad writing and seriously flawed plot lines. Yes, it has always had this to a point, but the campy, fun tone of the show made it ok. When they took away the “60s Batman campiness” and tried to make it serious, it just didn’t work. IMO.
So go ahead and trash me, but I ask that you explain, in your trashings, why the slutty behavior is of the Suarez sisters is ok or heartwarming.
I guess you could count me as one of the getty shippers holding out hope, as Beatrice says, that this show will begin to redeem itself somehow (despite the loss of significant characters). I can’t say that I personally got involved in the Henry vs. Gio “debates” of last season, but I think any time a show can create a passion among (or between) its fans…its a good thing. Betty and Henry were good for me for a while, but like any great character, Betty evolved and saw some great things in a character who challenged her (Gio). I loved their chemistry and miss it. That being said, I ALSO hated how the character of Henry was utterly dessimated and dismissed. If I were a Benry fan I would have been pissed too. As far as this season goes…I can’t begin to explain it. Thanks for the heads up, George, but most fans realize that the show is about Betty. However, name any great show out there and you’ll find a supporting cast of great characters. You can still love a show and not like the main character. To me, Ugly Betty is so much more than just BETTY (Thank God!). I watch for Willi, Marc, Amanda, Daniel, and Hilda. But even these characters have been bogged down by sloppy writing and scattered storylines (I mean why introduce Archie early in the season, have him disappear, and then reintroduce him…where is the continuity? I know they explained it as “he’s been coming twice a week to get haircuts”…but come on! More of build up to that romance would have been great to watch!)
Lately, I cringe when Betty is on-screen because I’m always fearing how they will screw her up next. Her sex-ification was not comical to me…it was agonizing. She has become a cartoon and is so far removed from Season 1 and Season 2 Betty that I barely recognize her (especially in those ridiculous outfits). She is certainly not someone I can relate to anymore. But, as said before, I’ll continue to support the show for now, because there are glimmers of hope from to time. I used to get to the end of an episode, watch the previews, and think “I can’t wait until next week!”. That doesn’t happen anymore for me. That feeling of anticipation has been lost and to me, that is the kiss of death for any show. Now, instead of dreading this spring hiatus all I’m left thinking is “Hey! I have a free hour every Thursday night at 8:00″.
“I love it when the haters come out from their lurking to gloat. Yeaahhh….Anyways, I have to agree with my fellow Getties on this one.”
When the haters come out to gloat? LOL! Pot. Kettle. Black. You guys used to come here before to gloat/boast about Gio, so save it.
Passionate debates can be interesting in general, but in this case, I noticed that the only ones who are passionately debating are those who aren’t getting what (or who) they want on this show. Perhaps even some of you are hoping to persuade others to ’see the light’ and ditch/boycott UB… ? I’m sure you’ll say you’re just voicing an opinion (which you also are), but anyone here who reads your comments can infer more.
Ah, well. I guess since you have nothing better to do this weekend, why not come here and vent about UB, right? Let it all out and make yourself feel better by telling everyone why you’ve let go of the show. XD Then again…if you’ve REALLY given up on this show, then why are most of you anti-UB fans still coming back here to talk and argue about it?