Ugly Betty plays out sort of like an over-the-top The Devil Wears Prada, where the unattractive, slightly overweight girl gets hired at the fashion magazine because she is smart and capable. However, Ugly Betty has really memorable and imaginative characters and everything seems to be awash in bright shades of orange and aqua. Betty Suarez (America Ferrera) is the consummate assistant to publishing heir and playboy Daniel Meade (Eric Mabius). She takes care of his schedule, anticipates his every need and sometimes even saves his mother from a life in prison - but I am getting ahead of myself. Daniel runs Mode magazine with his sister (formerly his brother) Alexis (Rebecca Romijn), at least they did before the car accident that occurred at the end of last season. While the Meade children are recovering in the hospital, resident vixen and creative director of Mode, Wilhelmina Slater (Vanessa Williams) worms her way into the heart of Meade Publishing baron Bradford Meade (Alan Dale) in an attempt to get her hands on the tycoon's vast empire. All she really wants is Mode magazine, but that is currently controlled by Bradford's ex-wife Claire (Judith Light), a convict on the run for the murder of Bradford's former mistress, Fay Summers. Rounding out this wacky crew is Amanda Tanen/Summers (Becki Newton), the dumb but beautiful receptionist who recently discovered she is the daughter of Fay Summers; her best friend and partner in crime, Mark St. James (Michael Urie), ever-ready evil henchman and assistant to Willie Slater; Christina (Ashley Jensen), the Scottish seamstress at Mode and Betty's close friend; plus Henry Grubstick (Christopher Gorham), Betty's current love interest.
Lots happens this season - Betty gets a new love interest in sandwich guy Gio (Freddy Rodriguez), although she is still hung up on Henry, who returns to Mode after following his ex-girlfriend Charlie to Tuscon as she awaits the birth of his baby. But as Henry flip-flops between the responsibility of Charlie and the baby and his love for Betty, things get complex and Gio catches Betty's eye, leaving us on a cliffhanger at the end of the season as to which man she will choose.
Meanwhile, Mode sees many changes as Willie's scheming comes to light as Bradford has a heart attack on the altar and she is subsequently booted from the company, only to steal Bradford's little swimmers from the morgue (ewww!) so she can make an heir to the Meade fortune. Sadly, she can't carry the baby, so she cons Christina into carrying the child for her, since Christina's husband is in need of a costly experimental surgery. Then there's the side-plot of Amanda searching for her father. Her only lead is a Tweetie Bird tattoo on his butt. Funny stuff.
On the drama side, Betty's sister Hilda (Ana Ortiz) is trying to cope with the death of her fiance Santos, who was killed last season in a robbery. Justin (Mark Indelicato), her somewhat effeminate son, struggles to adjust to life without his dad, going through a "thug" period in his life, which is just funny. Meanwhile, the family is having a rough time altogether because Betty's dad, Ignacio (Tony Plana) is stuck in Mexico, unable to get his Visa.
Betty finds herself placed into all sorts of sticky situations this season and finds that she doesn't really like the person she is becoming at Mode, but yet she loves Daniel and has great loyalty to him. There is comedy and style to spare in Ugly Betty: Season Two and while there are some tear-jerking moments, typically the drama is more of the "save the drama for your mama" type, rather than the heart-wrenching variety. I've only touched the tip of the iceberg as far as episodes and plotlines go for this season, so you are in for a real treat. If you haven't yet had the opportunity to enjoy this clever show, definitely check it out. The writing and acting is absolutely brilliant and Season Two comes packed with a number of special features to round things out. There are several featurettes, a slew of deleted scenes and even two hysterical episodes of Las Pasiones De Telenovelas, the soap opera or "novella" that the Suarez family regularly watches. This show will work its way into your heart and have you laughing out loud. Highly recommended.
