Like any good drama, “Ugly Betty” said its springtime goodbyes in grand fashion. Betty’s father was left in Mexico awaiting his immigration papers, Henry left for Arizona to be with a now-pregnant Charlie, Wilhelmina was busy planning her wedding, Claire Meade broke out of prison, Daniel and Alexis became Crash Test Dummies, and Amanda discovered that she might be the daughter of Fey Sommers. And let’s not forget about poor Santos who, while trying to play hero during a robbery at the local convenience store, is shot dead… or is he? Quite a lot to wrap your head around in only three months, and though the season two premiere doesn’t quite tie up all the loose ends left lying around, it does show great initiative in getting to the point.
The first episode of the new season picks up three weeks later, and Betty is stressing out more than ever. When she’s not being hounded at home by cousin Justin’s complaints about attending summer camp, she’s forced to deal with much bigger problems – like the fact that Wilhelmina is using Daniel’s hospital stay as a means to take over at Mode. Daniel is doing just fine, but when Alexis awakens from her coma thinking she’s still Alex, well, it yields some interesting results. Amanda, meanwhile, has put on a few pounds while stressing about the whole Fey Sommers debacle – a point made only more worrisome when Mark suggests that Bradford Meade might be her birth father. This will surely become a major subplot throughout the rest of the season, but admirers of Becki Newton needn’t worry – the actress ditches the fat suit before the next episode.
The other players help to keep things light in episode two; namely Michael Urie as Wilhelmina’s lapdog, Mark – making the most of his new promotion when he’s put in charge of the summer interns. Trumping the witless peons as the only intern worth his salt is teenage fashionista Justin, a veritable carbon copy of Mark who works well enough with his older counterpart that one can only hope the creators will find another reason to get the pair on screen together. How a kid Justin’s age got a job at a prestigious magazine like Mode is beyond me, but he serves as a welcome replacement when Amanda is too busy to play along.
And what of Santos? Well, you’ll have to tune in to find out exactly what’s happening on that front, but let’s just say it’s a bittersweet moment that may leave viewers perplexed as to why it was even included. Will you necessarily like their decision? Probably not, but though the series has never been flawless, one thing’s for certain: the magic is still there. And to think, Freddy Rodriguez doesn’t join the cast until week three.
