Ugly Betty: Season Three

If there is one thing that can be said concerning television it would have to be how, in general, it tends to pander to the hot trend of the moment. When medical shows rise in popularity the networks rush to get some scrubs on their best looking star, when the attention of the public drifts to legal dramas those stars are re-clad with expensive suits and briefcases. Lately, prime time soap operas targeted towards the teen age set are all the ratings rage. The plots are usually extremely salacious depicting enough promiscuous sex, underage drinking and drug use to prompt parents to start looking into private schools in the Amish areas. While this behavior is reprehensible enough one of the worst even most dangerous example set by these popular show is concerned with body image, especially for the young, impressionable girls watching. Many of the ‘hottest’ actresses seem to be in dire need of a couple of sandwiches. You might think that their last fully nutrient balanced meal was prior to being weaned from their mothers. These girls are not just underfed their spent more time in reconstructive surgery than anyone in their early twenties could ever possibly require. There was a time when having body parts lifted, shifted, enhanced and decreased was seen in those of significantly greater years not those barely in their prime. Three years ago the ABC network premiered a show that would fly directly in the face of the long held devotion to the thin and beautiful. ‘Ugly Betty’ demonstrated that a young woman of less than ‘cover girl perfection’ could be intelligent, confident and desirable. The series has completed three successful seasons and it has been announced that the network has signed to picked up for a forth complete season. In case you need to catch up the third season has been released on DVD.

Under many circumstances a television series that fosters a realistic body image would be considered a gimmick and unfortunately quickly fade from the scene but there is a lot more to ‘Ugly Betty’ to has been able to sustain it; quality. This series quickly found itself the recipient of both critical and popular acclaim. There was just something about how the cast gelled together almost instantly creating chemistry that was almost impossible to resist. I admit when the show first aired three years ago I was curious but not s sufficiently to use up a DVR record slot. Then, when I had an opportunity to review the first season DVD I found myself quickly hooked and rapidly went through the entire box set. Since then I have not only looked forward to each subsequent season DVD set but I made sure the priority setting on my DVR favored recording this series.

If you think this is another prime time soap opera you are technically correct. It started out as an extremely popular Colombian telenovela Yo soy Betty, la fea ("I am Betty, the ugly one"). If you have never come across a telenovela before they tend to make the soaps here in the States tame and boring by comparison. This extra zest was infused in this series by creator Silvio Horta along with actress turned executive producer Salma Hayek. Now there should be a disclaimer required on this show. The actress playing Betty, America Ferrera, is extremely attractive and one of the best actors of her generation. I was incredibly impressed with her breakout film leading role in ‘Real Women Have Curves’. In this program she plays bright, ambitious Betty Suarez. Initially she lands a job with a fashion magazine, an industry where a women’s size eight is considered a ‘plus’ size, at first she got the job because her boss tended to bed every female assistant in his employ and his father felt Betty was a safe choice, that is, not attractive enough to bed. Sure, that is insulting but Betty was able to keep the bigger picture in focus and realize what an opportunity this job was.

The third season is tricky for any series but like so many popular television shows this one was hard hit by the now infamous Writer’s strike. It resulted in a very short season which mandated shortening or even removing important story threads. It also broke up the schedule causing a loss of momentum with the fans. Because of this the third season would have to be a rebuilding year for the cast and crew but thankfully they were up to the challenge. In this season Betty decides to break apart from many aspects of her life. She leaves behind both prospective suitors, Henry Grubstick (Christopher Gorham) and Giovanni 'Gio' Rossi (Freddy Rodríguez). Adding to this move to becoming a more independent young woman Betty also decides to leave the frantic but secure family home to move into her own apartment. There were also drastic changes behind the scenes with the production moving from Los Angles to New York City. One aspect of this season was fun albeit overused/; stunt casting. This practice is usually a last resort of a series about to jump the proverbial shark. Everyone from Lindsay Lohan to Bernadette Peters was trotted across the set in a hope to regain some of the ratings lost with the strike. For the most part it was unnecessary since the offbeat humor and underlying pathos still dominated the episodes. Hopefully the cast and crew will make the most out of the upcoming season and this will remain one of the brighter spots on television.

Posted 09/11/09