Sometimes I wish I could just snap my fingers like all those TV witches. If I could, I would erase about two-thirds of this week’s Ugly Betty. With Betty acting more like an insecure Amanda than the Betty we love, I was seriously tempted to fast forward through any of the media grabbing scenes between her and her high school rival, Kimmie Keegan (played by Lindsey Lohan, channeling Rachel McAdams in Mean Girls). Luckily, everyone else stayed true to themselves.
Let’s start with the bad and end high. Kimmie Keegan needs a job. Since talking to Betty last, she quit her job to improve her life. Now, though, she can’t find a job and her confidence is just about null. Unfortunately for Betty, she’s been under tons of stress since Willie and Daniel became editors-in-chief. Now, everything is being done twice and nothing is being done. Bad move on her part, she actually tells Daniel she might not be able to handle it herself. Enter Kimmie, who’s there at the right time. When Daniel tells Betty maybe she should hire a temp, Kimmie says how she and Betty were just talking about how she should work at Mode and so Daniel hires her. Maybe Betty should have done more than make a bad face.
Kimmie working there can’t be all bad, though. I mean, now Betty has the power so all those bad things Kimmie did in high school (pantsing Betty, throwing food, mean nicknames) are in the past. It really does seem that way, too. Betty starts to use her power for evil but then takes pity on Kimmie and decides to make her into the best assistant ever. And she does. Kimmie is quick, thinks outside of the box, and seems to enjoy the fashion business more than Betty. But Betty’s job is safe, right. I mean, just because Kimmie’s prettier doesn’t mean anything to anyone, right? Yeah. Except to Mark and Amanda, who at first tease her mercilessly, until she starts sucking up. Then they make her over into a true Mode girl. She still wants to be Betty’s friend, though. She even puts them on the list for some clubs that night. Of course, Amanda and Mark invite themselves and what was she supposed to do?
The four of them go out and it seems increasingly like high school. Betty’s in the front, desperately trying to fit in, which, when does she want to fit in with Mark and Amanda anyways? Still, she’s sad and when they go to the first club, it’s only Kimmie plus two. Sure she chooses Betty. And Mark felt so bad he waiting outside with her. Yeah. Betty’s getting ready to take a cab when out walks Kimmie, who swears she only took them because she wanted to ditch them so she could hang out with Betty. She wins Betty over and the two of them go out until about 8 a.m. I guess Betty is just a pathetic little follower. Whatever. Ends up Betty thinks Kimmie is out to steal her job (which it turns out she really isn’t) and so she gets quite paranoid. No really. She ends up pantsing Kimmie because she wrongfully thinks Kimmie is going to do the same. But can you blame her after all the mean things Kimmie did when they were younger? Me neither. Betty feels so bad she talks Daniel into letting Kimmie be the person who goes out and gets Mode a bunch of media attention. See, there used to be a girl who did that but now she’s in rehab.
Daniel thinks it’s a great idea and so in the next meeting, he announces that Kimmie has been promoted to Associate Editor. According to Daniel, if she’s going to be getting a lot of press, she needs a better title. That’s not what it means to Kimmie. Her confidence is back and when Betty goes to congratulate her, Kimmie reminds her that popular people aren’t friends with unpopular people. Why does Betty want to be her friend so desperately for anyways? I mean, where’s our strong Betty? Where’s the Betty that stands up for herself? All I know is, she better be back next week and she better not get that coffee Kimmietold her to get.
Boo to that whole storyline. I hope they don’t fall into the Will & Grace hole of having huge guest star after huge guest star only to lose focus of the actual characters. Let’s move on from this nightmare to the rest of our Betty friends. You know, the ones who didn’t have a new personality this week.
As I mentioned, Daniel and Wilhelmina were ruining the magazine. Nothing was getting finished and everyone was worried. On top of that, Daniel is realizing more and more that he wants to start a family, especially now that DJ’s gone. But it’s a little hard for anyone to take him seriously so he signs up for a discreet dating service for wealthy people. And he’s thrilled when he finds out he’s been matched after only one day. He arrives at the date ready to fall in love. Until his mystery woman turns around and it’s…Wilhelmina. Seriously. It starts out horrible but they bond over their hatred of the woman running the service and actually end up talking about families (not one together, of course). Wilhelmina actually lets her guard down with Daniel and when they go back to Mode the next day, she says they should do his center photo shoot, not hers. Huh. So nice, hopefully it’ll stay that way but we know we like a little evil in Willie.
And maybe Kimmie and Betty should look to Justin and his friends as an example of how not to be douches. Or at least how to learn to not be. See, Justin is bullied at school, by one guy in particular. So Hilda gets him to audition for a role on Broadway in Billie Elliot. She just wants him to have somewhere to fit in. When he’s there, he runs into the bully, who is also auditioning. They both lose but the next day at school, the bully walks up to Justin and tells him they should hang out sometime. How come 15 year old Justin and his bully are more mature than the 24 year old Kimmie and Betty. Can you tell I’m annoyed yet?
