Everybody up. It’s time for a happy dance because this week’s Ugly Betty was simply hilarious. There was some drama, the tiniest hint of crushdom, a live birth at a runway show, and, naturally, a lesson learned. Corny at times, for sure, but I’ll let that last one go as long as I can laugh while I’m learning it.
It’s no surprise to anyone that Betty doesn’t see herself in fashion long term. Well, it might be a little bit of a surprise to the people at YETI. Those guys actually refer to her as “fashion girl.” When the guest speaker is a noble journalist who covers genocide and world affairs, Betty is beyond herself. She waits until after the woman’s presentation to speak to her, only to hear some disheartening news: the woman tells her if she’s not out of fashion, yet, she never will be. Suddenly, Betty feels a rush. She has to do something now or she’ll lose her footing.
Luckily for little Fashion Girl, YETI’s next assignment is for each of the students to partner with another. This partner will be like a gateway into another realm of journalism. She chooses to partner with a girl from the New York Review and get some real world experience. But you didn’t think it would be that easy, did you, Betty? There’s a wrench, of course. The students are told, after they choose their partners, to turn to the person on the opposite side of them. This, it is said, will be their partner for the remainder of the year. So long, New York Review, hello sports coverage! Yup, Betty is partnered with an adorable boy from a sports magazine. He seems thrilled but her, not so much.
She grudgingly takes him to Mode to try and show him around but Fashion Week is happening and so everything is a little bit crazy. Betty begs Daniel for something to do and he gives her a small assignment…write a press release for Mode’s new designer to watch, The Heinrich. No, really, he actually introduces himself as “The Heinrich.” Little problem. No one knows anything about this guy. Betty takes sports boy, otherwise known as Matt, to meet The Heinrich and see what they can figure out for his press release.
When Betty and Matt see the main dress for The Heinrich’s show, they are speechless. It’s a giant black monstrosity of a dress made from some sort of material and glass. Yes, shards of glass around the neckline. Oh, and there are wings. What’s a girl to do but write a fake press release saying how painful The Heinrich’s clothes are so you can focus on the real one later that night. Oh, silly Betty. Don’t you know you shouldn’t leave fake press releases lying around. Matt, thinking he’s helping, gives the fake one to Daniel and off we go…
Betty is now the producer of The Heinrich’s show. He said she is the only person who understands his vision and Daniel thinks it’s a great step for Betty. She, on the other hand, is quite resistant. After all, she doesn’t want to be “Fashion Girl” forever. She takes on the task like we all knew she would but not without some hesitation. I mean, The Heinrich seems crazy and all he gives her to go on for a concept is pain with escape but without escape. Yeah, you can read it again but it still won’t make sense. Meanwhile, Matt is there trying to help but not really doing anything or being shown anything. He offers to take Betty’s mind off the whole debacle and show her around his magazine and she makes some rude comment about sports. He blows up at her (as he should) and tells her she’s just as shallow as she thinks fashion is. Yes. I love when people put Betty in place. She’s so high and mighty all the time. Anyways, she chases him down and apologizes profusely.
Through their tour of the locker room for the Knicks, Matt has a serious impact on Betty. He tells her he wasn’t the jock type but then he got to know the players for different teams and really understood them. Now, he can’t picture himself doing anything else. So sweet. And not douchey like that neighbor scum. There’s no time for romance, though, because Matt has just lit a match for Betty. She needs to really understand Heinrich to make his show a success.
She discovers he was raised on the other side of the Berlin Wall and his father died trying to escape. Lots of pain there which is why his clothes are so full of pain. Betty turns the show into a representation of the wall and it’s a huge success. Daniel is happy, The Heinrich is happy, and the entire fashion world turned out to see the show thanks to Betty’s fake press release. With all that drama, what else could happen, you ask? Why, let’s throw a ridiculous live birth in at that show.
Christina had been putting off going to the hospital all day, even though she was in labor, because she wanted to spend as little time in the hospital as possible. She didn’t even make it there. Betty took her down the runway (the back two exits were closed thanks to the Berlin Wall) but she didn’t make it all the way off. Suddenly, Willie sees the perfect time to stage a comeback. See, since Wilhelmina started dating Connor, she’s kind of fallen off the fashion radar. She was even put in the second row at a show and the fashion network bumped her interview for a thing on dog clothes. So, she’s definitely looking to make a statement and show who belongs on top.
She gathers the models around Christina and has them raise their wings, only sticking her head out to call for a doctor. Surprise, surprise, that Hilda comes running up with annoying Elena to help. No, they didn’t come from nowhere. Betty had two tickets to the Mode show this year and in order to help his mom get along with the nurse better, Justin gave his ticket to Elena. The next part is too silly even for Betty Suarez-land. Christina gives birth in minutes, with Marc controlling the music and lights to ultimate drama. Willie is raised on the hydraulic landing while holding the baby up Simba-style (you know, from the Lion King). I told you it was silly.
The show was a huge success and once again, it’s hugs all around for our little Betty. She even gets a visit from cute Matt who finally tells her he didn’t care about learning fashion, he just wanted to get to know her. Seriously cute. She also realized that fashion isn't just clothes, it's art. These designs come from inside each designer. Maybe she does belong in fashion. Oh, and by the way, there was some mischief going on with Molly this week. The last few minutes showed her and Daniel finally saying the L word over the phone. Ready for some more believable drama than an umbilical cord being cut with shards of glass? Molly was sitting in a gyno’s office while she was on the phone. Whose baby will this be? Or is it something more serious like a disease? Either way, I’m just glad Betty’s back….just no more crazy births, okay?
