Ugly Betty In The Make-Over Quest

Snippet 13

As usual, a telenovela was showing on the TV and Ignacio, standing by a wall (obviously hiding), was drinking coffee while he watched. Betty caught him, collected the coffee and forced him to take his pills while telling him that he should take his heart problem seriously. By the time Betty poured milk for him to wash down his pills, he had already washed it down with coffee! His excuse? He had to wash it down with something!

Back to Mode, Bradford went to Wilhelmina’s office to ask if she stayed long at the party to which she answered ‘no’, that someone had to hold the back seat together. She told him that Daniel was trying but that some people were just naturals. She told Bradford not to worry that she had Daniel’s back covered. (What!)

Betty got on the lift carrying a box filled with old editions of Hudson magazine which she had retrieved from the store. Amanda (I think Anaconda is more suitable), remarked that she looked sweaty and asked her why she wasn’t at the party. Betty answered that she couldn’t get in and Amanda in her usual way mocked her and got off the lift.

(While this conversation was going on, there were two ladies standing behind them in the lift who were also finding the whole scenario funny)

Daniel and Betty were in his office talking, having looked through past episodes of Hudson for an idea or lead. Daniel wanted to prove to his father that he was also capable of turning Mode around like Alex did with Hudson.

Wilhelmina was in her office standing before the mirror checking herself out. She was dressed in a white designer suit and wore a purple ribbon on the left Lapel which she explained to Marc that it had to with the breast Cancer 'thing'. Marc told her that he saw something in the conference room which he wanted her to see.

Daniel and Betty were in the conference room brainstorming, noting their observations, searching for that lead that will give them a headway into the quest to ‘make over’ Mode. And, Betty discovered several albums of photographs shot by Vincent Bianci which were used by Alex in Hudson magazine and brought these to Daniel. Daniel told her that Bianci vowed never to work for Mode again because he and Alex had a huge disagreement. Betty innocently asked why Daniel couldn’t use Bianci since he was not Alex and Daniel got all emotional but checked himself just in time.

Meanwhile, Wilhelmina and Marc stood at a distance watching Daniel and Betty while making awful and mocking remarks about Daniel stealing from his dead brother’s work.

Bradford met his private eye in a field on a dark night, to get updates of his investigation. He told Bradford that the Police had brought in Sommers car but he didn’t know where it was kept. Bradford scolded him for taking too long in finding the salvage yard where the car was kept and ordered him to find it quickly.

Wilhelmina visited the mystery woman with champagne and while she poured the wine into glasses, the woman asked her what they were drinking to? Wilhelmina said: “to a father who realized that his son will never replace the one he lost and, to a son who would never measure up no matter how hard he tried. She added that as long as this wedge was between them, the relationship between Bradford and Daniel was doomed. The mystery woman then said that perhaps it was time she drove the wedge even deeper between them by tipping Daniel off as to what his father was capable of.

Daniel and Betty were still in the conference room, worn out from working, empty packets of Sushi were all over the table. Daniel was lying on his back on the conference table while Betty was sitting with her head on the table. He was still talking and when Betty didn’t respond, he stopped. She said after 5 hours of working she couldn’t get anything anymore. Daniel then told her that Alex should be doing this job not him. He told her that since they were kids, his father used to take Alex to the biggest college football games but he never once invited him and that he thought that after Alex’s death he’ll invite him. He told Betty that all fathers favour one sibling above the other and that it may be in a small way but she would see it; Betty disagreed with him though.

The next morning at the Suarez house, Betty was sitting at a table still going through albums, she yawned as if she had not slept at all. Hilda stormed the kitchen yelling for Justin to come down so he could get to school on time. Betty then asked Hilda is she ever felt that their father had a favourite among the two of them and she said yeah in a jiffy, “you” but that she wasn't going to kill anyone over it. Ignacio came into the kitchen and asked why Betty came in late the night before. Betty told him the reason was because her boss was trying to make some changes in the magazine and they had to work longer hours. Her father said they are making her work too hard and that she should ask for a raise. He then looked at the one of the albums with the name Vincent Bianci on it and told Betty that he knew the kid and that he grew up just four blocks away! Betty couldn’t believe her ears. Her father also told her he even went to the same school with her. With this information, Betty quickly packed the albums and left for work.

She got to her desk and placed a call to Bianci. Fortunately for her he picked the phone himself, referred her to his agent and was about getting off the phone but she quickly told him that he went to the same school with her and even grew up in the same neighbourhood; this pricked his interest. They chit-chatted about school and the famous hero sandwich shop which was the favourite of students then and he was sort of, getting to like the person on the phone. She then told him that the magazine she worked with wanted him to work with them but as soon as she mentioned Daniel Meade, he cut her off the phone.

Wilhelmina was busy preparing for her meeting with a senator. She gave Marc instructions in preparation for the important occasion.

After work, Betty went to Sal’s Dell, the famous Hero sandwiches shop to satiate her appetite which was activated by her discussion with Bianci.

Bradford Meade received a phone call from his private eye informing him about the Salvage Yard where Sommers car was kept and told him he sent him an e-present which Bradford had already opened on his laptop – an online bid for Sommers car with the minimum set at $10,000, to be sold to the highest bidder.

Daniel Shines without Ugly Betty

Snippet 12

Betty was outside the club where Daniel was celebrating his first issue of Mode since he became Editor-in-Chief. The Body Guard outside did not allow her in because he did not believe she was Daniel Meade’s assistant. More over, it seems she got her I.V mixed-up somewhere inside her bag. Amanda arrived, saw Betty but pretended not to know her and just went in. Betty eventually found the card but she was still denied entrance and had to return home dejected.

A male fashion reporter outside the Manhattan club, informed us that this was Daniel’s cover party to celebrate his first issue of Mode and more many eyebrows were raised when he was chosen as the Editor-in-Chief instead of the experienced Creative Director, Wilhelmina Slater.

Inside the club, it was all glitz and glamour. Wilhelmina breezed-in majestically and Marc who was on the look-out, handed her a glass of champagne while filling her in on happenings at the party.

Daniel was the enclosure of all eyes. He was in the midst of reporters who were interviewing him. To say the least, Wilhelmina was bitter about this and made sarcastic remarks about reporters wanting to get a quote from Daniel. She and Marc raised their glasses to Daniel with their signature 'fake smile' on and Daniel also raised his glass to them with a knowing look in his eyes.

The party then began in earnest.

(Albeit he forgot about Betty while he basked in all that glory!)

At the Suarez house, Walter was in front of the TV set dancing (like a puppet) along to a demo playing on it (Ha ha ha! he is such a dork!).

Betty came in and on seeing Walter, asked him what he was doing in her house (Justin continued with the Dance). The first thing Walter asked her was why she was at a club with her boss at 9.45pm. She told him she was at her boss’ Cover party and then realized that she owed him no explanation. Walter tried justifying his reason for being to the fact that he got her the Dance-Revolution package at 20% discount, but, Betty was not buying any of it and instead held the door open for him to leave.

The party was in full swing and the celebrant, Daniel, was talking a young lady. His father walked up to him, silently, and whispered loud enough for the lady to hear “she is just twelve.” The lady promptly took her leave. Daniel and his father then engaged themselves in a chit-chat about Mode. The Paparazzi soon zoomed in on them and Bradford put his right arm around Daniel’s shoulder in a son-father pose. Daniel was a bit uncomfortable and emotional at this display by his father and after the shots were taken Bradford removed his arm (too quickly).

Wilhelmina (The Slayer), who had obviously been watching the scenario flew to their side commenting (maliciously, Daniel knows) about their pose; that they were the shinning stars. She complimented Daniel that the issue was a big hit and that Alex would be proud of him (hey! this is a sensitive subject) but Daniel said he didn’t do anything, that Mode sells Mode: “right Dad?” asking Bradford for confirmation.

Wilhelmina reminded Bradford about the Alex's cover party, being the Editor-in-Chief of a sister publication, Hudson. She told Daniel how he walked into the party with a Tuxedo shirt, Wilhelmina’s coat and a poker dot boxers. Bradford and Wilhelmina smiled as they remembered. Bradford said it was the top story on all the newspapers and that sales of Hudson went up by 38%. Daniel didn’t find it funny at all. He told his father that would have appreciated if his father had told him, that he would have gladly dropped his trousers for him; he then walked away from both of them.

Let me give you a little background story to help you understand why Daniel reacted this way. He had a brother, Alex, who was late (supposedly), who he had struggled all his life to measure up to. To his father, Alex was the good one while Daniel was the irresponsible one – Daniel knows this. Since he became Editor of Mode, he had one thing in mind; that was to change his father’s opinion about him. He knew being chosen as Mode’s new Editor-in-Chief was an acid test which he must pass. When his father put his arm around him, he got emotional because he felt that finally, my father is beginning to accept and trust me that I can get things done just like Alex. So, when Wilhelmina mentioned the Alex's cover party, he felt he was back to where he started - a failure and Alex won again. Wilhelmina did this on purpose to hurt Daniel because he got the publicity and status quo she believed should have been hers.

Back at Betty’s house, sat at the dinning table seeking for solace in food while Justin bombarded her with questions about the party and she got somewhat upset and asked him to stop. Hilda handed Justin his books with the instruction to do his homework and he didn’t leave without a comment about reading the editor’s page of the Mode’s current issue. Hilda joined Betty at the table but she stood up and said she had to go but Hilda wasn’t taking any of it and asked Betty to sit down. She told Betty to stop hurting herself and started with one of her usual lecture on ‘Betty not being cut out for the fashion industry’ but Betty told her to stop. Hilda (Oh, I just love Hilda) wasn’t backing down, she volunteered that if it was really important to Betty, she was willing to help her out. She told Betty that she was the 'Top' sales person for Herberlux in her district because she knows how to market herself - the hair, the clothes, e.t.c., but Betty wasn’t in on it.

Hilda then gave her the raw truth that, “those people” were not going to change and that Betty had to change to fit in.