Whilst I was on the Ugly Betty Live Journal Community site, I came across this entry by Portiaslegacy.
This is her take on the show as she looks back on Ugly Betty over the last 4 seasons, and I have to say this is a really good account on what had happened, when and why things went wrong and how, in her eyes, the problems which dogged the series throughout could've been easily prevented.
Many thanks to Portialegacy for posting this, it is definitely worth a read.
No point in denying it, I'm going to miss >Ugly Betty. I don't feel at all sarcastic when I say it changed my life. Besides inspiring me to re-immerse myself in the Spanish language after retreating from all foreign language study for years (and thereby really influencing my taste in music) I really felt the show was there for me.
The quality of the show varied a lot. After the cancellation was announced many people tried to pin point where it went wrong, as if it could be revised and we are making a blueprint for future incarnation. But the truth is there was never a perfect point in the series from which the show eventually veered off track. Within the original there were several episodes that were to reliant on the formula set up in the pilot. The produces were aware of this, hence reshuffling the filler episode "SWAG" so it appears as a flashback in episode 11 instead of before episode 5 as it was obviously intended (Henry shows up for the first time in "SWAG", and becomes a love interest in "The Lyin', the Watch, and the Wardrobe".)
Ugly Betty belonged to a brand before it had an identity. In addition to being one version in what seems/ed like an endless copying or appropriating of a Colombian telenovela. (This Youtube channel has the most inclusive coverage of the international versions-check the playlists called "Guapas" and "Entrada de las feas"). It probably is the one that makes the most radical changes from the story plot (Betty is not instantly smitten by her boss, no less socially adept ugly male friend, etc.) In the USA it also inspired a lot of comparisons to The Devil Wears Prada, Sex and the City and (in my head at least) The Gilmore Girls. People commented on how it pre-empted the tv version of Prada and came off as a sweet/wholesome version of Sex (I was just looking for something to replace Gilmore in its decline. When "Miss Patty" showed up as Wilhemina's housekeeper I flipped). It also got heralded as cross over of telenovela's to North American Mainstream. With all of those quickly made comparisons how does anything find it's own identity?
It's a struggle. If the first few episodes suffered from repetitive plotting, the inevitable move towards more ongoing plots instantly created new plot difficulties. The first questionable decision that the writers made was to have the mysterious woman communicating with Wilhemina turn out to be Daniel's deceased brother (now a woman). We were led to believe she was the former editor in chief Fey Summers, and the change in direction was jarring. In some ways this felt like behind the scenes everyone thought, "the viewers expect us to zig, so we should zag". I wanted to believe that they could pull this twist off and seem like they were in some Pedro Almodovar film. It did not work that way. (There is probably a reason Almodovar never dabbled in television or set anything in the Sates with\ a mostly American cast). They did not. Rebecca Romijn was wasted for the better part of a two years in an under-developed role.
Alex-reborn-as-Alexis was not the worst of the offensively misdirected plots. In season one there was Betty's father Ignacio's psycho case worker "helping" him become a US citizen while breaking with reality, not to mention the whole Ignacio killing his late wife's first husband backstory which really had no where to go. Season two brought about TWO pregnancy plots purely for purpose of manipulation, and a love triangle that dominated the season and dragged. There are more awful plot points I could delve into, but I would rather focus on the things I love about the show.
While there were some terrible plotting moments, here the show was able to keep some wonderful scenes. It was always colorful, often witty, and most of the time you felt for the characters. Plot points involving paintball wars, Wilhemina and Bradford's non wedding, Claire's escape from prison with an inmate named Yoga, were all groan worthy, but had funny moments and seemed to move on quickly enough.
Season three seems to be where a lot of the audience left. Opinions on it are pretty divisive. They writers toned back a lot of the more farfetched plots from the second season. They cut the two male characters who were vying for Betty's affection, which some viewers saw as a betrayal of the plots on which they invested so much time. Some of the attempts at more real world stories were uncomfortably current. Meade Publications was hit by the same financial crisis as most of the print media with no end in sight. The new CFO robbed all of Meade publications assists reducing Daniel and Wilhemina to beg for a government bail out. When that failed they had to find a Warren Buffet like billionaire to invest in them. Betty got accepted into a prestigious school training people to be magazine editors. It was supposed to be a sure fire way to launch her career, except the story never forgot that print publications are failing all around us. During this period Betty's father had a heart attack and how Daniel met, fell in love and married a woman with terminal cancer. (I loved the Daniel and Molly romance- the fact that they made her terminally ill seemed like a cop out). It was not escapism, and might be more than some wanted to engage with.
The show was really toeing the line with what it was: soap opera? soap opera parody? real world based drama through soap opera lenses? The last seems most accurate but hardest to describe. It is even harder to play out. In some ways it only really got it's footing in this quasi genre late season three through season four. But by that point the show lost enough of its audience that it was more of a cult favorite than a national phenomenon the network hoped for (and seemed to get) early in the series. The show got the opportunity to wrap up the plots for the most part. (My favorite of Betty's boyfriends, Matt, was the only one of her serious boyfriends not to return to wrap up the storyline. It was disappointing, but understandable. He would have to become involved with Tyler, his and Daniel's recently appeared half brother, and they really did not have the time to bring in the drama of the other side of Tyler's biological family.) Everyone was given a happy ending, though some were rushed. (Marc falling in love with Troy was ultimately sweet, but did not feel earned). Betty was no longer defined as being "Ugly" and Daniel was free to pursue and discover what work would be a real passion in him (and possibly pursue Betty in a way that really might have satisfied everyone who wanted to see them together and those who did not).
Ultimately the show was about finding out how you make your identity. It was as much of a struggle behind the scenes as it was for the character. In some ways I have never seen a show that was so honest about it. I will always be glad to have seen it.
The quality of the show varied a lot. After the cancellation was announced many people tried to pin point where it went wrong, as if it could be revised and we are making a blueprint for future incarnation. But the truth is there was never a perfect point in the series from which the show eventually veered off track. Within the original there were several episodes that were to reliant on the formula set up in the pilot. The produces were aware of this, hence reshuffling the filler episode "SWAG" so it appears as a flashback in episode 11 instead of before episode 5 as it was obviously intended (Henry shows up for the first time in "SWAG", and becomes a love interest in "The Lyin', the Watch, and the Wardrobe".)
Ugly Betty belonged to a brand before it had an identity. In addition to being one version in what seems/ed like an endless copying or appropriating of a Colombian telenovela. (This Youtube channel has the most inclusive coverage of the international versions-check the playlists called "Guapas" and "Entrada de las feas"). It probably is the one that makes the most radical changes from the story plot (Betty is not instantly smitten by her boss, no less socially adept ugly male friend, etc.) In the USA it also inspired a lot of comparisons to The Devil Wears Prada, Sex and the City and (in my head at least) The Gilmore Girls. People commented on how it pre-empted the tv version of Prada and came off as a sweet/wholesome version of Sex (I was just looking for something to replace Gilmore in its decline. When "Miss Patty" showed up as Wilhemina's housekeeper I flipped). It also got heralded as cross over of telenovela's to North American Mainstream. With all of those quickly made comparisons how does anything find it's own identity?
It's a struggle. If the first few episodes suffered from repetitive plotting, the inevitable move towards more ongoing plots instantly created new plot difficulties. The first questionable decision that the writers made was to have the mysterious woman communicating with Wilhemina turn out to be Daniel's deceased brother (now a woman). We were led to believe she was the former editor in chief Fey Summers, and the change in direction was jarring. In some ways this felt like behind the scenes everyone thought, "the viewers expect us to zig, so we should zag". I wanted to believe that they could pull this twist off and seem like they were in some Pedro Almodovar film. It did not work that way. (There is probably a reason Almodovar never dabbled in television or set anything in the Sates with\ a mostly American cast). They did not. Rebecca Romijn was wasted for the better part of a two years in an under-developed role.
Alex-reborn-as-Alexis was not the worst of the offensively misdirected plots. In season one there was Betty's father Ignacio's psycho case worker "helping" him become a US citizen while breaking with reality, not to mention the whole Ignacio killing his late wife's first husband backstory which really had no where to go. Season two brought about TWO pregnancy plots purely for purpose of manipulation, and a love triangle that dominated the season and dragged. There are more awful plot points I could delve into, but I would rather focus on the things I love about the show.
While there were some terrible plotting moments, here the show was able to keep some wonderful scenes. It was always colorful, often witty, and most of the time you felt for the characters. Plot points involving paintball wars, Wilhemina and Bradford's non wedding, Claire's escape from prison with an inmate named Yoga, were all groan worthy, but had funny moments and seemed to move on quickly enough.
Season three seems to be where a lot of the audience left. Opinions on it are pretty divisive. They writers toned back a lot of the more farfetched plots from the second season. They cut the two male characters who were vying for Betty's affection, which some viewers saw as a betrayal of the plots on which they invested so much time. Some of the attempts at more real world stories were uncomfortably current. Meade Publications was hit by the same financial crisis as most of the print media with no end in sight. The new CFO robbed all of Meade publications assists reducing Daniel and Wilhemina to beg for a government bail out. When that failed they had to find a Warren Buffet like billionaire to invest in them. Betty got accepted into a prestigious school training people to be magazine editors. It was supposed to be a sure fire way to launch her career, except the story never forgot that print publications are failing all around us. During this period Betty's father had a heart attack and how Daniel met, fell in love and married a woman with terminal cancer. (I loved the Daniel and Molly romance- the fact that they made her terminally ill seemed like a cop out). It was not escapism, and might be more than some wanted to engage with.
The show was really toeing the line with what it was: soap opera? soap opera parody? real world based drama through soap opera lenses? The last seems most accurate but hardest to describe. It is even harder to play out. In some ways it only really got it's footing in this quasi genre late season three through season four. But by that point the show lost enough of its audience that it was more of a cult favorite than a national phenomenon the network hoped for (and seemed to get) early in the series. The show got the opportunity to wrap up the plots for the most part. (My favorite of Betty's boyfriends, Matt, was the only one of her serious boyfriends not to return to wrap up the storyline. It was disappointing, but understandable. He would have to become involved with Tyler, his and Daniel's recently appeared half brother, and they really did not have the time to bring in the drama of the other side of Tyler's biological family.) Everyone was given a happy ending, though some were rushed. (Marc falling in love with Troy was ultimately sweet, but did not feel earned). Betty was no longer defined as being "Ugly" and Daniel was free to pursue and discover what work would be a real passion in him (and possibly pursue Betty in a way that really might have satisfied everyone who wanted to see them together and those who did not).
Ultimately the show was about finding out how you make your identity. It was as much of a struggle behind the scenes as it was for the character. In some ways I have never seen a show that was so honest about it. I will always be glad to have seen it.
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