|
 |
|
 
|
Betty, la fea
For the past four weeks, I've been devouring Season 3 of the television show Ugly Betty. For the past three years, I guess I've been hiding under a rock. When Ugly Betty premiered in September, 2006, I vaguely knew about the show, based upon a popular telenovela, Yo soy Betty, la fea. When America Ferrera won an Emmy for her role as the title character, I took little notice. But now fate (and a business trip to Ohio with my portable DVD player) has brought me to Season 3 on DVD, and I can't stop watching. Neither can the world, apparently. A quick check of Wikipedia reveals that Yo Soy Betty, la fea could be the most exported concept on television since... since… well, I don't know when. Over 50 world TV markets air either Ugly Betty in translation, or their own version of the show. In Poland, it's BrzydUla. In Greece, you can see Maria, i Aschimi. And in Germany, tune in to Verliebt in Berlin. In the early episodes of Season 3, I thought Ugly Betty was a bit derivative itself. Some of the characters seem like riffs on "The Devil Wears Prada." There's the fearsome female boss, her gay assistant, the dumb sexpot receptionist, and of course, the frumpy protagonist. But Ugly Betty quickly takes these characters and leads them on different paths. Betty is challenged by her demanding work environment, and struggles to be an independent woman in the big city without having to lean on her family (big sister, nephew, Papi) for too much support. Meanwhile, the fashion magazine she works for, MODE, is in turmoil, as her boss Daniel finds himself on equal footing with the domineering Wilhelmina Slater. And things get even crazier when Daniel and Wilhelmina scheme each other out of their significant others. And I'm barely halfway through the season. Sound a little soapy? Sure, but Ugly Betty carries itself with a little more lightness and wit, and pure fun than, say, recent seasons of Desperate Housewives. That show began its run with a fresh concept and plenty of humor. And while there's still humor there, Housewives has gotten so bogged down in its characters' big, dark secrets that it ought to come with a menu: "Tonight's special: Red Herring." Ugly Betty, on the other hand, seems content to wrap plot points at a quicker pace, in two to four episode arcs, rather than taking an entire season to do so.
For the fourth season, currently airing now, Ugly Betty has been moved from its Thursday night slot to Fridays, which recently has been a dumping ground for fare that's on its way out. I hope the writing's not on the wall for this show, because Ugly Betty is pretty good! NOTE: The six-disc edition of Ugly Betty: The Complete Third Season includes webisodes, audio commentary on select episodes, and a pop-up video commentary with actors Michael Urie and Becki Newton. 10/20/09 Photo: America Ferrerra as Betty Suarez, Ana Ortiz as Hilda Suarez. © Disney. All rights reserved. Back to the main Cinema Tuesdays Reviews page More about the Cinema Tuesdays series  |
|||||||
Plus, America Ferrerra is charming as Betty Suarez. She gets herself into a mess with her heart, and uses her brains to get out of it. And Betty's family, for the most part, isn't used as a story crutch, only to serve as a sounding board for the main character. They have problems of their own, and are written better than most TV families.