I know, I know – what am I doing, reviewing Episode 22 after having seen and reviewed the finale? Well the way I see it, we’re in for quite a long, Betty-less time, so I might as well stretch it out as much as I can!
And if I run out of episodes to review (which is going to happen very soon), I’ll just have to rehash some of the most interesting ones. While drinking a fruit smoothie beside a pool. Ah, summer, how I love you.
In the Stars was another predictable yet great Ugly Betty episode. The predictability might have to do with the fact that we now know the characters pretty well (or rather, we know the writers’ style pretty well) and can more or less see where things are going. Neither myself nor any of my friends who watch UB were particularly shocked at the events of Episode 22.
We also all agreed that the red dress Wilhelmina is wearing at the beginning of the episode is absolutely stunning, so if anyone knows what designer it’s from, do feel free to drop me a line.
Another red dress I liked – without the bright green socks though – is the red and black one Betty was wearing. And it’s actually much nicer in black and white. Who am I kidding? It’s GORGEOUS in black and white. Check it out here.
The differences between the world of Mode and Betty were underlined yet again, this time through parallel evaluations of Betty and Mark. I have to say, I feel very sorry for Mark; while he will crush anyone who stands in his way and does tend to hide his nicer side well (sometimes a little TOO well), he doesn’t deserve to be treated the way Wilhelmina treats him. It might be argued that to get where he wants to get, Mark is forced to accept being treated that way; and to that… I have nothing to say because, quite unfortunately, I don’t see Mark keeping his job if he didn’t suck it up to Wilhelmina the way he does.
Another rich person to whom everyone seems to have to suck up to is Cal Hartley, but because he is bringing some chaos and confusion back into Mode, I will not complain about it (yet). Having him ask Claire to work with Wilhelmina on the Wedding Issue was absolutely brilliant; even more so was asking Claire to be vice-president of Meade Publication. I can’t wait to see what happens next season between these two!
I still have a love-hate relationship with Hilda; I generally like her except when she does things like going through Elena’s mail. I know she was just looking out for her dad, but she could have just asked about the letter and pushed Elena for answers, rather than open it. Isn’t there a law saying that opening someone else’s mail is a crime, or is that only before it goes into your purse?
While some might argue that the most poignant moment in this episode was the wedding, I would say that rather, it’s a moment that made that wedding happen in the first place:
Betty: Maybe perfect isn’t the way you imagined it.
Could this obsession with our definition of perfection be the reason for many of the problems in the world today? Let’s take, say, for example, fashion (why would I choose THAT example?): why are we so narrow-minded about the definition of beauty, to the point that we need a corporation like Dove to remind us that beauty is everywhere, and not only in stick thin models? Why do so many young girls and boys think of themselves as ugly when they aren’t? And why does this narrow definition of beauty affect us such that so many people don’t see beauty when they look in the mirror?
One person who suffered from this narrow definition of beauty is Molly, who less than perfectly polished appearance caused a stir at Mode a little while ago. Unfortunately, we are going to be losing one of the most normal people on the show…
On lighter note, here are some of my favourite moments from this episode:
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Matt: I can hear you, you know.
Mark (snapping the shower curtain open): That was the point! This (points at curtain) was for dramatic effect!
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Justin (to Ignacio): If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it. (Justin, Hilda and Betty put their right hands up). Beyoncé knows.
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Betty: Wow, you’ve gotten wise since you got engaged.
Daniel (with a rather goofy grin): I know.
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Mrs Hartley’s entrance in the planetarium.
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Betty: Why are you showing me these?
Mrs. Hartley: Well it does seem off given that I don’t care for you, but in this case, your plucky immigrant zeal could be a good thing.
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Wilhelmina: As the best (editor in the business), there are three C’s that I avoid: Collaboration, Compromise and Claire.
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The appearance & performance by Adèle was quite a treat, too. She’s a great singer – take a listen:
Hometown Glory:
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Make you feel my love:
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Chasing Pavement:
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And the song that she performed at Daniel & Molly’s wedding, Right as Rain:
