There are some things that are so rare that some are willing to search an entire world for them. The Holy Grail, a dodo egg, the mythical phoenix.
In the 2006-07 season, that elusive item would be a freshman drama that's still on the air, considering the sharpness (not to mention the well-oiled frequency of use) of the cancellation guillotine the networks employed this year.
One of the few new series that managed to not only sneak by Madame Guillotine, but to prosper, is the US adaptation of
Ugly Betty. I had managed to avoid
Ugly Betty for a few reasons: (A) I found the pilot, which I viewed back in May, to have been a little messy, an odd hodgepodge of comedy, melodrama, and outright sap, and (B) it airs directly opposite NBC's comedy crown jewel,
The Office, and as any longtime reader of Televisionary knows, if there's one thing that I adore, it's
The Office.
But that all changed. Call karma, call it kismet, or call it the tempting hand of an 11-episode
Ugly Betty marathon on ABC Family on New Year's Eve. In any event, I found myself watching the second episode of
Betty, and then the third, and before I knew it I had caught up completely with the Mode-styled mayhem of Betty, Daniel, Wilhelmina, Amanda, and Marc. I had become a
Betty convert.
Let me begin by saying that I had underestimated just how funny this series was. I have a certain suspicion of series that bill themselves as one-hour comedies (ahem,
Desperate Housewives, I am looking squarely at you over there), but there's a lot within Betty's rarefied world that causes me to laugh out loud on occaison, especially when it involves the sycophantic Marc (Michael Urie), the manipulative Amanda (Becki Newton), the bitchy Wilhelmina (Vanessa L. Williams), or Betty's adorable nephew Justin (Mark Indelicato).
Episodes written by Marco Pennette, recently officially installed as
Betty's showrunner (and keeper of the comedy flame), have a certain spark and manage to blend the comedic with the ridiculous, yet still have a certain way of keeping the characters engaging and sympathetic. To me, the only flaw Betty has is a tendency to sometimes go for the sappy or the way-too-melodramatic-because-it's-played-so-straight.
Case in point: the saga of the immigration problem faced by Betty's dad Ignacio (Tony Plana), which manages to be both maudlin and over-the-top at the same time. I had a sinking feeling when we learned that he had been using someone else's social security number and I was completely displeased to learn that the reason he did so was in order to escape Mexico after murdering a man, his employer, to protect his future wife. It's a little too on the nose and a little too much like the telenovelas that Ignacio loves to watch for my taste.
Same too with the mystery behind former Mode editor-in-chief Fey's death. While I love the scenes between the Masked Woman and Wilhelmina (and the constant telephone calls), the storyline involving Bradford Meade (Alan Dale of
The OC and
Lost) falls completely flat as he plays it far too straight, instead of fully embracing the ludicrousness of the situation. His scenes with his informant Steve (Stelio Savante) were painful to watch, especially as Dale seemed completely ill-at-ease with the storyline and Savante's acting was, well, not the best on television.
So that's what doesn't work for me. But what does work? America Ferrera's performance as the titular Betty, for one; she's never afraid to make Betty vulnerable yet sympathetic and despite a simply tragic wardrobe that would make Tim Gunn vomit in rage, one can't help but root for this plucky girl who is never afraid to express what's on her mind (though, Betty, how could you have turned down the job with Sofia Reyes?). And since the pilot, Eric Mabius has gone a long way to make Daniel Meade a three-dimension character who is more than just a womanizing playboy. I adore Ashley Jensen (
Extras) and wish that the show's producers would give her character, Christina, more to do than seem to live inside that cavernous Mode wardrobe.
Betty's sister Hilda (Ana Ortiz) is a little too cliched for my taste, but she's at least been given something more to do lately with the dreaded immigration storyline... and the fact that she kicked Justin's dad Santos out of their house right after Thanksgiving made me reevaluate Hilda a little bit.
Wilhelmina Slater is one of the most gorgeously bitchy television creations in recent years; the Thanksgiving episode in which she attempted to cook a turkey (and called friend Martha Stewart for guidance) was priceless, as was the camera shot from inside the turkey's, er, cavern. Vanessa L. Williams plays Wilhelmina with a hide as tough as diamonds and the inclusion of estranged daughter Nico (Jowharah Jones) added some unexpected tenderness to Wilhelmina's character.
That said, I reserve a special kind of love for the comic pairing of Marc and Amanda, who manage to steal the show every time they're on screen. In "Fey's Sleigh Ride," it was the delicious pairing of these two with straight man Betty as they investigate (and try to cover up) who leaked the concept for Mode's Christmas layout to a rival magazine (hint: it was Fat Carol); in "The Lyin', the Watch and the Wardrobe," it was the *hilarious* visual gag of Marc dressed up as Betty (complete with Guadalajara poncho) for Halloween; in "Four Thanksgivings and a Funeral," it's Marc and Amanda's Thanksgiving celebration as they try on couture gowns and bitchily watch the parade from Wilhelmina's office window before making contact with the Masked Woman. If anyone can blow the lid off of the mystery behind the mysterious masked woman (who will, boys and girls, be played by Rebecca Romjin when the bandages come off), it's this fashion-fixated Scooby Gang.
So, yes, I've succumbed to Betty's ugly-is-the-new-beautiful charms. While it's not going to get me to switch off
The Office (I'd sooner move Heaven and Earth than do that), I do wait with a certain sweet anticipation to catch up with the staffers of Mode magazine on Thursday nights. Plus, given the fact that nearly every new drama has disappeared faster than free swag at a fashion magazine, I'm happy to have found a one-hour dramedy (or, hell, comedy) that will at least make it through the season and manages to charm, entertain, and amuse me as much as
Ugly Betty does. And that, gentle readers, is a very pretty thing indeed.
What's On Tonight
8 pm:
The King of Queens/Two and a Half Men (CBS);
Friday Night Lights (NBC);
Beauty & the Geek (CW; 8-10 pm);
According to Jim/According to Jim (ABC);
Watch Over Me (MyNet)
9 pm:
Criminal Minds (CBS);
Deal or No Deal (ABC);
The Knights of Prosperity/In Case of Emergency (ABC);
Watch Over Me (MyNet)
10 pm:
CSI: New York (CBS);
Medium (NBC);
Primetime: Basic Instinct (ABC)
What I'll Be Watching8 pm:
Beauty & the Geek.
What can I say? I'm a sucker for Beauty & the Geek. It might not be the most original or thought-provoking reality TV series on the air, but this "social experiment" from "Ashton Kutcher" always makes me chuckle. Here's hoping there's another Richard lurking amid the geeks this time around.
10 pm:
Top Chef on Bravo.
Bravo's culinary competition
Top Chef *finally* returns with new episodes. On tonight's episode, chefs must create a seven course dinner inspired by... something "shocking" for Debi Mazur and guests. Meanwhile Ilan and Marcel clash, Ilan tells Marcel to "keep making [his] foams and go cry in the corner," and several of the chefs are accused of committing a culinary sin, leading Marcel to yet again arrogantly lash out at the judges. I'm counting the hours!
Buh-bye, Henry.
