Betty comes storming in saying she needs some kind of food and two spoons...she needs two spoons going at one time to drown her sorrows. Maybe she asked for heroin, not food. She quit Y.E.T.I. because "I can't do a fashion magazine." We hear a "Told ya so!" from Justin in the background and Hilda yells, "Not helping." That was pretty good comedic timing, actually. "It wasn't me," Betty laments.
Papi does his own "I told ya so," and points out that was the problem, Betty wasn't being true to herself. He pulls out The Betty Review, a magazine she put together for her mother when her mom was in the hospital the first time. It tells all about what she and Hilda were doing while their mom was away. "You were able to make this whole magazine in one afternoon because it mattered to you." Well, that, and because glue and glitter were plentiful and enjoyed by her mom.
Isn't this exactly what you thought
her magazine would be?
"So why don't you just give them this?" Hilda asks. Because glitter doesn't work well with subscription magazines, dumbass. Papi thinks she's crazy but Betty has an epiphany and heads back to the Mode office to steal some supplies. We are treated to a montage of Betty cutting and pasting and gluing and almost sleeping and badly needing some conditioner.
Bat-shit crazy, at your service!
The next morning the elevator doors open and she greets Daniel in a caffeinated-Charles Manson craze. She wants Daniel to take a look at it so she can do a dry-run of it before her actual presentation. He still hasn't finished his letter of recommendation and suggests that she write it and he can sign it. Wow, that's really nice of you Daniel. Way to get involved in Betty's future. Connor interrupts to ask Daniel a favor.
"I'm in a world of trouble with Molly," he says. He promised her he'd talk to her class about the magazine business and now he can't because he has to go to Key Largo to flirt with Wilhelmina. And also, the kids don't really give a crap about a fashion magazine since they Garanimals most of their ensembles and their accessories are dirt and boogers. So...could Daniel step in for him? Yes he can, in more ways than one!
Betty comes into Daniel's office like a flying monkey freaking out about the dry-run. Is he leaving the office? When can they go through it? When will he write her rec? He won't be gone long, he says, maybe an hour tops. Daniel pulls a pencil out of her hair and hands it to her while she turns around and shows she has most of the supply closet tangled in her hair. Don't let Claire see!
Daniel is at the school playing Red Rover, because I guess they are done talking about the intricacies of regional distribution of fashion magazines. The kids pile on him (gross!) and he is just having a great time. Molly tells everyone it's time for potty break and juice, which seems like the wrong order but whatever. Maybe the Native American is up next?
And next we're going to discuss the square root of Pi!
Molly says he's good with kids and he says it's something he's been thinking of. She gives the rolled eyes of bullshit and he says, "Aw, what?" She says he's not the Daniel Meade she reads about in the paper. Well, he was last season. They do the googley-eyes thing and I see the clock reads almost noon. Way to be back in an hour, loser.
Back at Mode Betty collects her things sans Daniel's rec I'm guessing and takes off. She really has come down off the caffeine high hard; I bet her presentation really has that spunk we're all hoping for. Oh, and she's wearing a poncho. That really worked the last time!
No, not intimidating at all, thanks.
She enters this long room where three judges are seated wayyyy at the end, then begins her Flashdance routine. No, wait, that was Jennifer Beals. Although how awesome would it have been if she had totally started dancing? Less awkward than what's coming, I bet.
What a feelin'!
She begins that she's been the assistant editor to a total douchey tool for two years and constantly saves his ass. Well, she doesn't say that, but I'm guessing it's implied no matter where you are an assistant. She says Mode sells an image of what women want to become. Her vision is a magazine that celebrates what women already are: O, The Oprah Magazine! No, wait, it's More. No, wait, it's AARP Monthly.
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Comments (5)
Excellent recap.
I wasn't so upset about what Mark said to Betty - I thought she had a lot of nerve thinking she "deserved" it just because she wanted it. She was acting more like an entitled Paris Hilton type.
It was a pretty good episode overall... starting with Amanda in the tbu.
BTW - Vanessa Williams used to be married to handsome former Laker Rick Fox. Does anyone know if they are still together? (Just curious.) I couldn't find anything on the web.
1 of 5 | Posted by fire@will | Posted on November 28, 2008 1:41 PM
Here is an explanation to why all the costumes are so zany:
Episode 3.01
The Manhattan Project
Trivia:
• This episode marks the show's return to New York as well as the return of Patricia Field ("Sex and the City") as the show's Costume Designer. Betty's look will probably evolve, which is only normal for anyone who spends so much time surrounded by fashion-obsessed people. She won't be getting "beautiful," but she will be a little more fashion-forward, yet with the expected Betty-fied touches.
• Rebecca Romijn (Alexis) and Christopher Gorham (Henry) are now credited as Guest Cast.
2 of 5 | Posted by elmo | Posted on November 28, 2008 2:00 PM
Vanessa Williams and Rick Fox have been divorced for a while now, although I believe they are still friends. In fact he appeared on an episode of Ugly Betty (last season I believe)
3 of 5 | Posted by blazergirl | Posted on November 28, 2008 4:15 PM
Thanks for the great recap and writing so much. Love the captions under the pictures.
4 of 5 | Posted by User Name | Posted on November 30, 2008 1:23 AM
fire@will:
Blazergirl's right. Vanessa and Rick Fox are divorced and still friendly. Several months after their divorce, Vanessa even mentioned during an interview with Howard Stern that they are still VERY FRIENDLY with each other when the need arises. ;-) That was years ago, but I assume they are still cool since he played her love interest on Ugly Betty several years post-divorce.
Also, I totally agree with you about Betty acting like an entitled Paris Hilton type (or like America Ferrara's real-life She-ro, Hillary Clinton), when she assumed: a.) that she wanted the YETI award more than Marc and therefore, b.) she should get it just because she pulled an all-nighter.
With every episode, I am growing to dislike Betty more and more, but her assumptions (or as I like to call 'em, her Betty-isms) in this episode were so wrong, it surpassed her usual Bettyness. Marc has natural talent when it comes to fashion. Also, he actually cared enough to line up all his ducks THREE MONTHS EARLIER than Betty. How Betty came to the conclusion that SHE should present a fashion magazine is...beyond me. Her complete lack of self-awareness is annoying as hell.
This show's constant underlying moral message is that inner beauty is better than outer beauty. I'm all on board with that message, but I don't buy that Betty's beautiful on the inside, either. She always has these cracks where her "ugly" side shines through and someone (usually her dad) has to remind her to stop being overly judgmental, critical, etc. And those traits would all be less annoying in her if she weren't constantly pulling the self-righteous act and judging everyone else for their moral flaws.
Funny how "moral" Betty didn't mind at all that Daniel wrote that B.S. letter saying she was an employee from PLAYER in order for her to qualify for the YETI with Marc. How long did she work there? Like 3 days?
I don't have a problem with what Marc said to her about being a token because all signs point to Betty being a token choice for them. Her presentation wasn't better than Marc's. By the way, Betty stole that idea of "B" magazine. There's already a "BE" magazine on the shelves.
It's a credit to this show's writing and ensemble cast that I still watch this show despite disliking the main character so much.
5 of 5 | Posted by blahblah | Posted on December 6, 2008 8:47 AM