Ugly Betty Season 3 Hits and Misses
May 26, 2009 by Tom
At the urging of Ugly Betty News commenter Angel25, I thought I would tell you what I thought the hits and misses were from Ugly Betty season 3. Instead of doing it episode by episode (although a few might pop in here and there), I thought I’d hit on the major themes. I think Ausiello (via Twitter) was absolutely right: season 3 was uneven.
Now, any show is going to have its highs and lows in a 24 episode season (especially one with ensemble writers, directors, and actors) , but the highs and lows this year were quite extreme.
These opinions are my own, and everyone has one, so I’d love to hear yours. Here is my list of hits and misses for Ugly Betty in season 3. I’m an optimist, so I’m going to start with the misses and end with the hits. 
Misses
- The soapy elements. They just didn’t work for me this year, because there was less intrigue (like the season 1 Fey Sommers mystery). This leads to…
- Sisters on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. I really thought this was the low point of the season. First, Papi has what turned out to be the most harmless heart attack in the history of mankind. It was also the height of the Wilhelmina/Connor romance, which was interesting, but turned Willi into a totally different person. The sister drama was a little too heavy handed. (There was one part of this episode that is a “hit”, though, which I’ll get to in a bit)
- Betty’s Independence - I wanted so badly for this to be a “hit”. At the start of season 3, I had had enough of the “who did Betty choose” drama, and was wondering whether the “single girl in the city” storyline would work. I thought, OK, a somewhat strange-looking, modern-day Mary Tyler-Moore would be pretty cool. Then, inexplicably, they dropped the whole idea. YETI ended up only being necessary to introduce Matt. Pah.
- Jesse – Don’t get me wrong. I like Val Emmich. His music video dream sequence was very funny. But his character was a needless distraction.
- Betty wins! I added this because I think that every now and then, Betty needs to lose. She needs to not “save the day” at the end of every episode. (Most of them, yes, but if can predict it, then it probably isn’t very interesting). I don’t want to press the issue, because, of course, I want Betty to save the day most of the time – but every now and then, a loss would be pretty cool.
- Betty moving back home. Did the producers REALLY feel that what was missing from the show mid-season was Betty at home?
- Lindsay Lohan. Fail. (OK, the food fight scene was good. But it wasn’t worth the turmoil and distraction).
Hits after the jump
Hits
- Amanda – OK, Becki Newton’s probably going to hate me for this, because she hasn’t had her own story line since mid-season, but I LOVE how they are using her. She pops in, says something that makes everyone scratch their heads, and leaves. When I see Amanda in a scene, I know there will be comedy.
- Claire – I think making her a bigger part of the show was a great idea. I love her rivalry with Wilhelmina, I love her mentoring of Betty, I love her mother-son moments with Daniel. The only part that didn’t seem to fit in was the whole shoplifting thing.
- America Ferrera doing comedy – They didn’t let her do it often, but America is very funny when she’s given something funny to do. The seductions of Daniel and Matt really stand out.
- There’s No Place Like Mode – Y’all know I’ve raved and raved about this episode. The character Heinrich was so ridiculous, you couldn’t help but like him. And the ending, with Wilhelmina presenting her baby ala The Lion King, well, that was classic.
- Sexual Ambiguity - I might be alone in this, but I thought the Suzuki / Byron Woo story line was hilarious. The Jodi/Marc one was sort of funny, too. Confusing, but funny.
- Ralph Macchio – I don’t know why, but everything about his character worked. I liked the Archie/Hilda romance, I liked how Ignacio fawned over him, I liked him playing straight man in The Born Identity.
- Molly – Hate me if you must, but I love what she brought to the show. When you think of Daniel beginning the season hiding at Player, and ending it with that wonderful heartfelt speech, whatever growing his character did, Molly was the reason. My only complaint is that they didn’t even bother to make her look sick.
- Closure – Betty Suarez Land was almost the perfect tone (Gio hating Betty, then deciding the be her friend). AND, it came early in the season. Henry didn’t get his till the 23rd episode, and it was VERY good, I just wish it had come earlier.
- Goodbyes – Alexis, Christina, Molly. Each was done in exactly the right tone.
- Matt – On balance, I think he was good for the show. Is he Betty’s true love? No, I don’t think so. But he added some interesting story lines, not the least of which, Victoria and Cal.
- The Finale – Especially the last 20 minutes or so.
- Michael Urie - Outside of Betty, the show revolved around Marc more than any other character. He went seamlessly from Betty’s rival to her bestie, and his interactions with Justin have been some of the best moments of the season.
- The Cherry 7-Up Thing – It reminded me of the old Bob Hope movies, when he’d temporarily leave character, look at the camera and make some wisecrack.
So, what hits or misses do you have for this season?
Image: Pacific Coast News
Tom, I must say that I agree with almost every bit of your Season Three assessment. I was thinking of doing a Hits/Misses thing for each season on my site, but I don’t think that I could do any better than you have for this third season.
One little quibble, though… I wouldn’t call Marc and Betty “besties”, at least not yet. He has definitely softened towards her somewhat, but he also still treats her abominably, like whenever she touches him.
You’re right about Molly not looking sick enough. I guess putting her in the red dress that was one size too large, plus having her in almost no make-up, was supposed to make us realize that she was losing weight and getting pale. It was too subtle.
Tom, great list, I think you are right on. My main complaint about Molly & Matt, is their lack of chemistry with their respective “love of life”. Their characters may be good for the show, but their execution is a miss.
Oh, a great hit is: Pappy being so comic.
OMG! Thank You so much Tom. You made my wish come True. Once again you hit the nail on the head with your Hits & Misses especially Lohan and Ralph Macchio.
Here are some extra hits & misses. Also the Betty as a modern Day MTM I couldn’t agree with you more.
Misses:
Good-bye Cliff: I really liked Cliff and hated the way Ugly Betty handled Cliff & Marc’s break-up.
I’m really going to miss David Blue.
Did the door hit them that hard on the way out or is it just me: Yes, Alexis and DJ’s storyline ended because of Rebecca Romijn’s departure; but it still felt rushed no matter how you look at it.
Amanda Makes a Healthy Choice: The 7UP promotion was cute; but Amanda being used for 5 seconds to prop Healthy Choice. Yeesh.
I’m sure Becki would make a great Healthy Choice spokesperson though.
Gio: Yes, but not in the way everyone thinks.
I wish Ugly Betty would realize what a great talent they have in Freddy and would allow him to return here and there.
Henry: I like Christopher Gorham, I really do.
Henry Grubstick: Not so much.
Henry is an annoying boomerang that just keeps coming back. I’m sick of him.
Betty & Henry were over ages ago. They had their run. Henry made his bed and now he has to deal with the consequences.
Betty The Modern Day Perry Mason: Just like Tom said… Betty always manages to save the day. It does get annoying. Even Perry Mason lost 1 case.
Hits:
MODE AFTER HOURS: LESS IS MORE: This Ugly Betty WEBISODE Spin-off gave us MORE of Amanda & Marc’s antics and really who doesn’t LOVE Ugly Betty’s Soulmate/Besties?
Ralph Macchio: The Karate Kid is now The Comeback Kid. Ugly Betty really did give us an A-ROD we can believe in.
Christine Baransky: Yes, Ausiello said this role was type cast for Christine but who cares?
Christine is perfect in this role and give Jane Fonda’s Monster-In-Law a run for her money.
Christine and Vanessa’s DUET =’s LOVE.
Connor Owens: Daniel’s one time friend turned into his biggest rival and Wilhemina’s perfect match. Malemina indeed.
Let’s hope he’s the mystery person in Willie’s apartment.
Judith Light/Claire Meade: See above.
Daniel Eric Gold: I think Daniel is a good actor and I like Matt, even with all of his flaws and boy does he have flaws. Is Matt’s Betty’s soulmate: No, but I still like Betty & Matt together unless a certain ITALAIN STALLION returns or Silvio Horta decides DETTY =’s destiny.
Mark Indelicato/Justin Suarez: Mark is such a wonderful young man. Justin is a breath of fresh air on Ugly Betty he ALWAYS brings the funny.
Ugly Betty needs to use Mark more. When Justin lost his friend Randy due to his unique personality, Mark really made me feel for Justin and Hilda proved she is a GRADE A Mama.
Don’t mess with Mama Hilda!
The Three Musketters: Betty and Amanda have gone from Frenemies to Broomies [Besties + Roomies] to semi-friendship and I for one LOVE it.
Betty and Marc have gone from Frenemies to Y.E.T.I. Rivals to Y.E.T.I Partners to ALMOST friends. Betty & Marc realize they have the same dreams they just lead different paths to make those dreams come true.
Put these 3 together and it’s always: FUNNY, WITTY and BRILLIANT!
Thanks again Tom, Is it time for season 4 yet?
Another Hit just like Geek said:
Tony Plana aka Papi Ignacio Suarez. Yes, Papi had the quickest recovery in TV history but he also got: A NEW JOB working for a FAMOUS chef, and a LOVE life after being a widower for years.
Papi even grew up a bit but some things just don’t change and that’s fine.
Well Tom, I see how it is. I ask for your theories on the cliffhangers and get nothing. J/K, It’s fine. Really good list of Hits and Misses.
Angel25 happened to remind me that Ignacio did get a job working for that one chef, why haven’t we seen him in a work outfit, actually seen this restaurant, or even heard him talk about it. I thought that was a little strange.
And then that gay dad that Marc followed around in the same episode. It just seemed to me the writer threw those 2 story lines in there, only to end with nothing. =/ Oh well, the finale definitely made up for it, especially the cliffhangers! =D
Timmeh, have no fear – a cliffhanger post is in the works. Actually, several. It’s going to be a long, slow-news summer.
I’ll even reference you as “the tastefully-named Timmeh!”
I forgot about Ignacio’s job. They just totally dropped it, which is strange. It was such an interesting story line.
As I recall, at the end of that episode, Marc decided he didn’t like the gay dad anymore, but the reason escapes me right now.
Lol, thanks Tom.
Or should I say “The tastefully-named Tom”. Well, I’m off to watch the finale for a third time. =D
I agree with most of this but…
I loved Sisters on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, and i loved the storyline with Kimmie Keegan
lol
Ignacio’s Job: Ignacio must still have this job since he catered Molly & Danie’s wedding.
Marc got tired of the gay daddy because all he did was talk about his daughter Chello.
Oops, I spelled Daniel wrong. Sorry.
OMG! We missed tbe BIGGEST Hit or Miss Debate.
Ugly Betty’s MOVE to New York.
I say it’s a HIT. Visually, it made Betty better and I LOVE seeing the REAL New York.
It also gave Ugly Betty some great guest stars that couldn’t make it to L.A.
Angel25, that was a good catch regarding the show’s move to NY. Although, the Gio and Henry fans probably will have mixed feelings about the move because it was almost certainly a factor in the departures of those characters, particularly Freddy Rodriguez’s inability to be a regularly-featured guest star. Otherwise, I think that the move has really added so much to the show, visually and in terms of the East Coast stars who have been appearing in guest roles on a regular basis.
I very much agree with you Tom, but there is just one thing I highly dissagree with.
I know it may seem bias, but take a look at Henry’s “Departure” in the finale and in an unbias, neutral. I truely don’t think that was closure with him. I have been chatting with afew people who are neutral on shipping, and they all agree that Henry is not closed at all.
But of course its one persons opinion.
And I have to agree with Angel25 and agree that teh move to NYC is a hit also. Great idea and it works SO WELL!
The Ausiello Quote that started the idea for this post from Ausiello’s Twitter page:
http://twitter.com/EWAusielloFiles
“Catching up on Ugly Betty. Uneven season ended on a strong note. Loved all the Marc/Betty/Amanda interaction. Please more next season.
10:53 AM May 25th from web”
Wow. This is really an interesting article you got here Tom. Really really good. I liked this review of last season.
I must agree in almost everything you wrote. (except obviously the CLOSURE part… that was definitely A MISS). Neither of them look like real closure (though BSL was a nice episode all it does is to remind us how good is Freddy Rodriguez in the show)… i think if anything, they make fans still hope for the return of those characters. And I must add, just like Angel25, the awful decision of getting rid of so many GOOD characters (Gio, Cliff, Christina, Henry) just to end up introducing new mediocre ones (Matt, Jesse, LiLo). Connor was a good one, though.
Another miss was the volatility of the writing and plots -if there are any- this season. Oh how could I forget: THE CLOTHES -argh!. Definitely must get rid of Ms. Fields. The more I see clips from S1 and S2… it’d rather they go for cheap and unnamed than brandish and clownish.
This year hit was definitely MARC! I insist… “he’s the new Betty”. He is ambitious but also has proven he is weak, he has grown up, he does comedy and drama, he’s appealing and also hateful in a very subtle way. A well rounded character… definitely I want to see more of this next season.
America doing comedy was a good one, Tom. It’s like Betty in s2 when she got poisoned with perfume, I loved when she gets coffeeholic hyper… it’s quite fun.
One of the HITS was the episode “When Betty met YETI”. Ever since season 2 when they introduced “Betty the writer” and now “Betty the Editor” I felt this was a great idea. But i hate the fact they just created that AWESOME story just to introduce romance -again- through Matt. Which you all know I don’t think it’s a hit, because it dismisses the whole “Betty independence” idea and because I don’t think Daniel Eric Gold can be compared to the quality of acting that Rodriguez and Gorham delivered in the show. But instead, I think the HARTLEYS, as a family, were the HIT. I personally believe the good part about Matt story is the introduction of his parents, for that drama-intrigue factor that has been missing this S3.
Another HIT were those musical endings they have been doing (like fanvids) at the end of most major episodes. But a MISS is the lack of strong music presence throughout the lenght of the episodes, sometimes watering down dramatic or romantic scenes. (I miss S1 or S2 when every character or a situation had a particular song or tone of their own… it might be repetitive but it was effective).
I agree Beatrice. The song endings were GREAT and the songs for the finale in genereal was, in my opinion, simply fantastic.
OMG! Beatrice B. Another HIT & MISS I missed out on: THE CLOTHES!
To me the clothes were BOTH a HIT & MISS!
For Betty the clothes were mostly a MISS.
I mean come on they had Betty in outfits that made her look like a clown. It’s no wonder Suzki is always making fun of her.
To The Ugly Betty Crew: PLEASE, PLEASE, BURN THAT BETTY CABBAGE PATCH PURSE: It’s FREAKY!
The Men of Ugly Betty: Justin, Archie, Ignacio, Daniel, Connor to me =’s Grade A clothes.
From Business to Casual these men always had their STYLE on.
As for Marc some of his clothes were a little out there; but that’s Marc so I’m giving him a HIT too.
As for Wilhelmina and Claire there clothes were almost always age appopriate there were some good choices but the bad: Wilhelmina’s fur based clothes with matching shoes; And Claire’s pimpy jacket in The Courtship of Betty’s father? The Black Bra’s under light color tops: STOP![Shudders]
Christina had some good fashion choices but what was up with The Princess Leya buns?
Hilda had some good fashion choices this season but she had some bad so she’s also a HIT/MISS.
As for Amanda/Mandy Patricia made some great choices for her all season but she had 1 HUGE MISS: That Jacket from The Sex Issue? BURN that too!
As for Molly she had some nice clothes too.
As for Matt [Gulp] he’s a man from a rich family, would it hurt for him to tuck in his shirt? I know, I know.
I agree with BD about the season finale the new version of Time After Time was great. It was one of the best Ugly Betty songs of the season if not the best.
i totally agree about the big MISS on betty’s clothes. if she is so smart, she should be able to tell if her clothes are clownish. she can dress plain and not stylish, but these are just AWFUL! and who doesn’t wear a suit to interviews in NYC????
Regarding Fey, I don’t know if you’ve all noticed this, but they haven’t shown her iconic photographs much lately. This could be because nobody ever mentions her anymore, so she has faded out of the background accordingly, but it could also be because they are hoping to cast a big name actress from the past (a Racquel Welch or Jacqueline Bisset type perhaps) to play the character, so they don’t want to highlight the fact that the new actress wouldn’t look like any of the other women who have appeared as Fey (There have been at least four to date: Christine Jones, Becki Newton, and whoever the other two women were who have appeared as Fey in photographs). This, of course, is just my little conspiracy-theory-loving mind working overtime.
Regarding Betty’s clothes, I have to say that I have known some smart people who have not had the sense to know that they dress ridiculously. Or, sometimes they know, but they don’t care because they have adopted what they believe to be their own style. Granted, Betty’s clothes are much more ridiculous than anything I’ve ever seen in real life, but so are the clothes that Marc, Amanda, and (sometimes) Wilhelmina wear around the office. I have a friend who works at Marie Claire magazine and he has told me that people at fashion magazines don’t get as adventurous with their outfits as Marc and Amanda do. Well, not usually.
Hey SirLizard I like the idea of Fey Sommers being some sort of hidden Ace for the show. I think they can play that card at any moment and, just like you said, when they find a good actress to play that role. I really hope they have not forgotten that story (even if Bradford is dead). I think it will give more Claire screen time and I like it when she’s around.
About Betty’s clothes. Apart from the fact that Betty is expending a lot of money in shallow matters like designer clothes when her family is struggling financially -Mode Girl!) I never had any problem with Betty’s braces or her clothes “inside” the fantasy of the show. My main concern about the clothes is the fact that the producers and writers actually had to hire an expensive customs specialist (money!!) in order to make the clothes look worse than how they looked back in season 1 and 2. Yes, they look brandish but they don’t look wearable. They have become a character of their own! (distracting! totally distracting). Yes, season1-2 Betty was clueless regarding her choice of clothing but at least she looked cute (like a little sister). Now she looks like a plastic doll and sometimes you need to be remembered that, under all those expensive clothes, lies the smart little girl who wanted to succeed in the world (not of fashion… she doesn’t care for fashion that much -even if Horta says so) but of owning a magazine that would excel womanhood no matter the race, class or age. What happened to that girl?
And about Wilhelmina, Marc and Amanda. I used to like how the show subtly mocked their dressing style… you could tell “poor them, they want to look fashionable but they are looking a bit ridiculous”. But now you see that without that purpose in mind Fields literally dresses them ridiculously and sometimes you just want to scream: “what on earth is this? a joke?”
I mean what is really the purpose of bringing so much color and bold costume designs to this season? To emphasize the abstract beauty of the world of fashion?
Was it worth the money? No matter what Fields said in an interview (they buy in Century 21, etc.) They rarely repeat clothes this season. That must mean money. Notice Season 1 and 2. You could tell the same jacket or pants or skirt or belt was wore several times by a character throughout the season. You could pin point: look! Betty’s yellow belt or Amanda’s high heels, etc.
Now it’s all… too psychedelic to even want to remember… you just go ARRGH!
Betty’s purses in season 1 were lovely… don’t get me started on the scary doll or the fluffy cat purses. Is it something the season 1 Betty would have worn? No. Well she has changed, you say. So that means that by wearing that she has “grown” or she’s just trying desperately to fit in to the world of fashion… what’s the message these new customs are sending to the viewers? and again… was it worth the money?
And yes!!!!! 100% agree. I loved this “Time after Time” version song!!! Ah I thought I was the only one!! love love love loved it!
Definitely one of the best songs this season. Coldplay’s Lost being quite close in my books.
Nope, I’ve heard cover versions of Time After Time over the years and none of them ever came close to the original IMO until now.
I guess you didn’t like my fashion comments huh, Beatrice B even after I begged to have that creepy bag burned to a crisp?
What?! I loved your post, Angel. I was answering SirLizard comment, actually.
You know I had a great laugh at it (and 100% agree: DEATH TO THE CABAGGE PATCH PURSE! -can we actually “kill” a purse? Well, it deserves to be burned at the stake).
To tell the truth I didn’t read earlier posts until after I posted mine
And you got me thinking there were some pretty decent (but really rare) clothing this season too. I gotta say. I liked Daniel casual outfits… he looked SEXY!
I agree with pretty much what everyone said with the hits & miss. The really big miss was Lindsay Lohan…that was a debacle in the making and it wasted everyone’s time & energy & unwanted negative press.
Altho I kind of liked Val Emmich’s music, they could have done without his character & just have had Betty have unattached until she met Matt at least.
It was nice to see Eric Mabius out of his suits every once in a while ( I know he works at a fashion magazine & an editor but…) & in casual clothing..He looks hot!!
Hopefully they will do something with Betty’s style next season..this season was a little colorful for my taste..yo’d tink she’d learn a thing or two by now.Altho sometimes some of the other ladies wore some funky stuff too.
Daniel Eric Gold & his character has been refreshing addition to the show. Someone who has flaws & insecurities & seems to be on the same level as Betty other than the fact he is wealthy..which to me wasn’t really a factor when Betty fell for him & even after she found out she still didn’t throw around the fact that she was dating a wealthy guy…She like him for who he is..
tom, check out my review of season 3 on the ugly betty fanpop spot. just click on the website link i have given you: http://www.fanpop.com/spots/ugly-betty/articles/14085
the hit and miss thing was a good concept and i applaud you for coming up with this.
anyhow, I pretty much agree with most of your points- and whilst I can see where you are coming from when you mentioned that season 3 was inconsistent for most parts, for me personally, I enjoyed it much more than the previous season. which I have countlessly echoed on many occassions to be abysmal and the least enjoyable.
just want to touch upon some of your assessments-
- the soapy elements didn’t work as well, but then again there were less of them this season, which i thought was a good thing because season 2 became over-the-top, silly and too soap-opera ish anyway.
- the ’sisters on the verge of’ was for me a good episode to watch because i liked the intrigue and the moment where marc had the guts to stand up to willie- HOWEVER i utterly loathed the outcome, and i hated the way hilda and ignascio behaved towards betty, who is supposed to be old enough to make up her own decisions- and yet they treated her like she was a little girl, still. i was appalled by their attitude, and betty going back home to please her sister and father, i believe she was doing it out of guilt and doing it to make them happy, as opposed to making herself happy. and for me, that was wrong because, as a result of her moving back home, i felt she has regressed a lot as a character by being more naive and has gone backwards.
- i agree that betty’s independence was a huge plus point- after 2 years living at home, moving into a new apartment was a stepping stone for her and this show…. and so why drop it all of a sudden? they didn’t even offer us an explanation as to why- other than the implication that because of her father’s heart attack, betty had to go back home. how lame is that? very. i’d be even more annoyed with the writers however if she doesn’t move out permanently out of queens by say the 5th season.
-jesse- meh. didn’t offer anything new, plus he was in truth boring to boot as well.
- lohan- a utter waste of time and resources. seriously, if they wanted to secure a guest star they could’ve gone for someone more low-key. after their screw-ups and managing to force feed every celeb in our face all for the sake of publicity in season 2 and in place of its dire storylines, this one was no exception.
as for the hits, i agree with almost all of those as well. but on what i’ve seen, though it wasn’t that successful, i enjoyed season 3 a lot still. great article tom, even though I still regard it as one that was entertaining and at times amusing. despite most of the criticisms levelled towards it, particularly by the ex-UB fans
.
Ex-UB fans must have a reason to have quit watching. I particularilly like to read their opinions. They are not biased by our hopes for UB improvement. I gotta admit I partly watch the show more for tradition and because in my heart I really wish it will get better eventually.
…plus, I still want Gio back. The battle is not lost yet
I HATED the Lindsay Lohan episodes! They came very close to making me stop watching the show…and this is one of my favorite shows EVER. There was just something about the Lindsay episodes that drove me crazy. If she had continued on the show, there is no doubt what-so-ever that I would have stopped watching Ugly Betty and written the show off as an disaster.