I recently finished watching the fourth and final season of Ugly Betty, which I enjoyed more than the previous season. It not only shows Betty's personal and professional development (not to mention her physical transformation as she loses the bangs and braces - finally!), but the growth of some of the other major and minor characters as well, particularly Justin, whose journey towards self-acceptance is a poignant highlight of the season.
The season starts with Betty navigating her new role as associate features editor, which is complicated by the fact that her boss is her ex-boyfriend, Matt. But as we know by now, Betty is nothing if not tenacious in pursuit of her goals and she sets out to prove herself to the haters.
Like the preceding seasons, the final one is camp, at times cringey and filled with hilarious shade! There are also fun cameos from and the return of some old faces including Wilhelmina's sexy soulmate, Connor, Betty's former love interest, Gio, and her bff from Mode, Christina.
I thought the award-winning finale was a fitting end to the series and I LOVED that Macy Gray's Beauty In The World was played as the final episode wrapped up; the song's call for optimism in the face of all the craziness in the world makes it the perfect theme song for Betty as she contemplates her future.
Here are my highlights from season 4:
- Marc pretending to answer office stationery to avoid talking to Betty
- Betty's butterfly interaction
- Kristen Johnson as the trainwreck of a temp, Helen
- The giant smiling mosquito
- Hilda's risque photo being accidentally emailed to her boyfriend's campaign list
- Marc and Betty in the matching hotdog bun and wiener costumes
- Betty flying into the bags of garbage while wearing the hotdog costume
- Claire offering Wilhelmina the cover of Hot Flash magazine for a tiny fee and a liter of diet gingerale
- Bobby (played by Adam Rodriguez) as Hilda's high school crush
- Betty trying to speed away in Bobby's car
- Justin owning the Prom Queen prank
- Marc discovering Nico's plans to blackmail Wilhelmina then running to tell Wilhelmina while wearing her hideous garden clogs
- The Bahamas episode featuring a Shakira cameo
- Justin's "My Life With Shakira" photobook
- Connor emerging from the ocean in slow motion
- Wilhelmina and Connor's steamy prison visit
- Betty and Hilda trying to avoid their father while they are both buying pregnancy tests
- Amanda following the trail of fashion items left by Wilhelmina
- The Emerging Artist exhibition with all of Matt's Betty portraits
- The return of Betty's orthodontist, Dr Farkus (played by Jesse Tyler Ferguson)
- Amanda to Marc when he's considering ditching Troy: "No! He is imprinted on you like a gay duckling. If you don't wean him off you slowly, he'll die."
- Betty literally walking a mile in Wilhelmina's shoes for an article
- Betty's crazy hair after using the "treatment" Wilhelmina gave her to test
- The use of Kylie's Did It Again in the episode titled "Back In Her Place"
- Betty's cringeworthy karaoke party
- Marc calling Betty out for wearing socks with high heels
- Marc: "I have the bones of a sparrow!"
- Daniel imagining sexual tension between him and Wilhelmina
- Wilhelmina's drag impersonator, Wilheldiva Hater (played by her real life brother, Chris Williams)
- Wilhelmina sneaking into the club icognito to see the impersonator for herself
- RuPaul's cameo as the club emcee, Rudolph
- Betty's Blobby Award
- Amanda: “I’m sick of being a receptionist—always being at everyone’s Beck and Victoria!”
- Amanda paying Helen with Daniel Dollars
- Daniel practising his model walk
- Marc training Betty how to speak to Wilhelmina, using a life-sized cut-out
- Betty and Amanda salvaging the Fashion Week dresses after a fire
- Justin's homemade Bad Romance video
- Amanda preparing Tyler to be a test model
- Betty and the firefighter's double date with Wilhelmina and her date
- Wilhelmina: "I'm a bitch! I'm a stone cold bitch!"
- Wilhelmina making Marc throw Betty's bagel away as she's about to eat it
- Justin's love triangle, culminating with he and Austin kissing
- Betty's infatuation with Zachary, the playwright
- The $1 million bra shoot at the Guggenheim
- Betty's dream of her life without her braces
- Kathy Najimy as Betty's new orthodontist
- Hilda's bachelorette party in London
- Amanda, after several strangers recognize Christina: "Do they think you're Judi Dench?"
- Wilhelmina and Claire's Dynasty-esque bitch fight in the pool
- Justin's coming out arc and dancing with Austin at Hilda and Bobby's wedding
- Halston's (Amanda's dog) funeral in the park
- Amanda finally finding her father
- Betty's farewell party
Comments
Post a Comment