I see Ugly Betty is at Itunes now. Thinking about sampling an episode before placing cash down for the season. Any fans out there care to suggest an episode?
I’m pretty mixed in my opinion of the show. There are parts I love, Betty’s attempts to fit in at the magazine especially, and there are parts I can’t stand, meaning the telenovela/soap plotlines. As the season goes on the latter element takes the upper hand.
That’s what I thought too. When it focuses on Betty and her struggles at work and at home, its enjoyable but when it goes off into those melodramatic bits with the grim guy from the OC it gets really tedious.
It’s great. It has one of the most likeable casts on TV (including the mean characters). Like the others have said, the ongoing subplot centering around the male lead’s father is tedious, but anything having to do with Betty herself is a good time. Also, the “How will Betty overcome adversity this week?” angle becomes a bit repetitive in the two or three episodes immediately following the pilot, but the plots shape up as the season goes on.
Definitely check it out.
I agree with Kalle and Funkman about the soap opera stuff. The reason I started watching Ugly Betty is Tony Plana, the actor who played Manny in Grim Fandango. He plays Bettie’s father.
Another thumbs up from me. I’ve been binging on tivo’ed episodes as I suffer thru pneumonia here, and am really loving it (though maybe it’s just the fever): the writing it very funny, the look of the show is quite appealing, and, hey…Salma Hayek. The soap opera stuff doesn’t bother me at all since my understanding is that the entire premise of the show in it original incarnation before being imported here is that it was a parody of such soaps. And the actress who plays Betty is fantastic–she’s got some kinda young Lucille Ball thing going on
I wouldn’t call the premise a parody. It’s more a homage to a genre that is nearly a parody in itself
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I knew I recognized that voice!
It works best when contrasting Betty’s realness and good nature with the shallowness and cuttthroat attitude of the fashion industry. The soapy elements are at least easy to follow and not too focused on sex.
Also, it’s a very well cast show. Every actor feels right in their part.
Yeah, I’ve been watching it sometimes with my girl and it was driving me crazy who that was until I saw “Tony Plana” in the credits. They should have a dream sequence where he’s carrying a scythe.
I also was racking my brains about the lawyer woman until I saw her name in the credits and realized she was the cokehead mistress in Goodfellas.
The show is growing on me a bit – the visual style is eye-catching and I like the way it strides the line between serious and (more often) silly.