(THERE IS A SPOILER IN THE LAST PARAGRAPH. THE OTHER PARAGRAPHS CONTAIN NO SPOILERS)
The Writer's Strike really signalled the end for Ugly Betty. The massive gap in that season, plus erratic scheduling meant that people simply stopped watching the show. It was one of those shows that are entertaining to watch when they've got a regular time slot but when the scheduling starts changing, you don't have the energy to keep up.
The premise is that the publisher of a fictional fashion magazine called "Mode" is tired of his son getting it on with his PAs, so he hires a girl that the son won't want to sleep with. Enter Betty Suarez. The premise is a little offensive, perhaps mildly racist although the son does have a fling with Bett's beautiful sister.
The turn-off for me is the bullying that Betty is subjected to. Even though this is sadly realistic for a high-flying company of beautiful people, pretty much the entire run of the show consists of characters making fun of Betty. Even if it turns out okay in the end, this doesn't really give out a good message to "ugly" people.
It is also a little unbelievable that Betty would not make an effort to fit in to the industry. All of her "ugliness" is simply cosmetic (braces, bad hair, glasses) so it's not a big mountain to climb. I realise that the moral is about Betty being true to herself but if you wanted to work in the fashion industry, you'd have a much better sense of fashion than that. Dressing her plainly would be plausible but dressing her so hideously? I don't buy that.
America Ferrara does a good job with playing Betty. Although the character can be very annoying at times, the conflicting feelings is perhaps true to life. Her various romantic tangles were a bit dull, but then her love interests were dull. Vanessa Williams is great as villainess Wilhelmina and Eric Mabius is touching as little-boy-lost owner's son Daniel.
I liked all the outrageous plots. The show worked best when it was being ridiculous and typically melodramatic, rather than being "heart-warming".
(THIS NEXT PARAGRAPH IS A DISCUSSION OF THE SHOW'S ENDING, SO DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE SHOW ALL THE WAY THROUGH) To be honest, we were all waiting for the outcome of the original South American soap the show is based on and the main cliché in a show of gleeful clichés- for Betty to finally get together with her boss. Not enough romantic chemistry was established, certainly none on Betty's part, so when Daniel does sort of ask her out in the final episode (no big romantic love scene unfortunately), it's a bit of a damp squib. I know that it's meant to be a role reversal- that Betty is the one that Daniel has to play to get- but it just isn't romantic enough. It's too ordinary.
The Writer's Strike really signalled the end for Ugly Betty. The massive gap in that season, plus erratic scheduling meant that people simply stopped watching the show. It was one of those shows that are entertaining to watch when they've got a regular time slot but when the scheduling starts changing, you don't have the energy to keep up.
The premise is that the publisher of a fictional fashion magazine called "Mode" is tired of his son getting it on with his PAs, so he hires a girl that the son won't want to sleep with. Enter Betty Suarez. The premise is a little offensive, perhaps mildly racist although the son does have a fling with Bett's beautiful sister.
The turn-off for me is the bullying that Betty is subjected to. Even though this is sadly realistic for a high-flying company of beautiful people, pretty much the entire run of the show consists of characters making fun of Betty. Even if it turns out okay in the end, this doesn't really give out a good message to "ugly" people.
It is also a little unbelievable that Betty would not make an effort to fit in to the industry. All of her "ugliness" is simply cosmetic (braces, bad hair, glasses) so it's not a big mountain to climb. I realise that the moral is about Betty being true to herself but if you wanted to work in the fashion industry, you'd have a much better sense of fashion than that. Dressing her plainly would be plausible but dressing her so hideously? I don't buy that.
America Ferrara does a good job with playing Betty. Although the character can be very annoying at times, the conflicting feelings is perhaps true to life. Her various romantic tangles were a bit dull, but then her love interests were dull. Vanessa Williams is great as villainess Wilhelmina and Eric Mabius is touching as little-boy-lost owner's son Daniel.
I liked all the outrageous plots. The show worked best when it was being ridiculous and typically melodramatic, rather than being "heart-warming".
(THIS NEXT PARAGRAPH IS A DISCUSSION OF THE SHOW'S ENDING, SO DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE SHOW ALL THE WAY THROUGH) To be honest, we were all waiting for the outcome of the original South American soap the show is based on and the main cliché in a show of gleeful clichés- for Betty to finally get together with her boss. Not enough romantic chemistry was established, certainly none on Betty's part, so when Daniel does sort of ask her out in the final episode (no big romantic love scene unfortunately), it's a bit of a damp squib. I know that it's meant to be a role reversal- that Betty is the one that Daniel has to play to get- but it just isn't romantic enough. It's too ordinary.