The Ugly Betty Finale
Apr. 20th, 2010 10:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quaggy
Oh, Ugly Betty, do you really have to go so soon? I'll admit, I've fallen behind on on this show, which is a little crazy considering how nuts I am about it. I've been catching an episode here and there and reading episode recaps to keep me up to date. But I'm still invested in the characters and the show, so I was really upset when I found out this season was going to be its last.
I'll leave it to others to talk about what a groundbreaking series Ugly Betty was (and it is). I'm going to talk about the characters instead, because they're the reasons I care about this show and the reason I'm going to have trouble letting go. However, they got one of the better send-offs that I've seen, right up there with Gilmore Girls and West Wing. (Life still had far and away the best finale.) Like a lot of shows, Ugly Betty ends with its main character about to make a big change which gives everyone (and us) a chance to say good-bye. That meant there was plenty of bittersweet moments. My favorite was when Betty was waving good-bye to her family as the car taking her to the airport pulled away. For a brief moment her reflection in the glass was replaces with the Betty we first met, complete with the infamous poncho, and then we were back to the cool, professional woman she is today. She's come a long way in four years. And I'm not talking about her superficial appearance.
But even more than the nostalgia, I loved that everyone got a happy ending. Amanda found the unconditional love of her biological father. Hilda got married and has a new home in Manhattan (much to Justin's delight). Justin has a new boyfriend (and, hands down, the best coming out storyline). Marc got his boyfriend back and new creative responsibilities now that Wilhelmina's in charge. And, speaking of which, who would have ever thought I would be happy that Wilhelmina got her happy ending?! But she finally learned to do the right thing, for the sake of doing the right thing (thanks to Marc), so I think she earned it. Plus, Marc will be there to keep her in line if she ever falls off the wagon. Which shows you just how much Marc has changed since the show began.
One of my favorite moments was Marc and Betty's good-bye. There was so much affection and respect between of them (with only a bit of snark mixed in just so you know that Marc hadn't been replaced with a pod person) and just when things might get a little too sentimental, Amanda joins them on the dance floor announcing that she "loooves this song!" Betty and Marc cry that they do too and three, respectively. They are so the OT3. Seriously. And then there's Daniel watching them dance through one of the glass walls. He still can't bring himself to say goodbye, but he tells his mom that "I think I have to let her go." And you heart breaks with him because he's not talking professionally or even as a friend. He finally realized WHY Betty was so important to him, but he had to lose her to do so.
I've been a Daniel/Betty shipper for a long time, but I wanted them to get together down the road. Season 1 Betty and Daniel didn't make any sense. She was too young. He was too immature. I could really see them working when Betty was in her late 20s or early 30s, when she was coming into her own as an editor. And I realized that would meant the show would have to be on for another 8 to 10 years. I wasn't foolish enough to think that was going to happen. (Or even that it should.) The best I could hope for was an open ending with neither Betty or Daniel romantically attached to anyone else. But we got something even better than that in the end.
As soon as it was clear that Betty and Daniel didn't get their emotional good-bye scene, I realized there wasn't going to be the need for one. They weren't going to be separated. Daniel followed Betty to London. And really did you expect any less of this guy even before he realized he was in love? He lasted about a week at Mode without her. (And I'm suddenly reminded of another guy who couldn't stay very long at his job after his assistant left him. Granted Josh didn't leave to JOIN Donna on the road, but they got it together in spite of themselves in the end.) It isn't so much what they said, it's how they said it. Daniel wasn't hiding his intentions very well (or at all) and Betty seemed to realize that he was staying in London because of her. I don't think either one had quite figured out what was going to come next, but they are both open to the possibilities and that's great. She's still pretty young and he still has great moments of immaturity. (Dude, you nearly burnt down your office building!) But they have both grown enough that I think they'll make it work.
And for those of you who watched the episode (and I can't imagine you reading through all my blathering if you hadn't), I have a question. During the wonderful London montage that made me want to pack my bags and head over to London ( and inspired a new love of Generation X's "Ready Steady Go" for me because of it), do you think many of those scene weren't in sequence and were suppose to represent time in London AFTER Daniel and Betty's conversation? I have to reasons to suspect this is the case. One, they made a point of putting Betty in short sleeves a couple of time. Unless there was an unseasonably warm spell in London (and there wasn't because there were still people in the background wearing puffy coats), they were trying to show the passing of time and I don't think Daniel waited months until he made it over to London. He was still wearing an overcoat! Two, (and this is the important bit) there is a part when Betty gets out of a cab and yells hi to a guy waiting for her outside a theater. Now, call me crazy but that looked a lot like Daniel. Granted he was too far away to tell, but guy was the actor's size and shape and so I think it was a pretty good chance. If it isn't, don't tell me! I'm a rabid shipper and I prefer to keep my delusions, thank you. I just having a little proof that Betty and Daniel are together and going on date-like activities.
If Daniel and Betty's relationship was less of a focus, they would have put the scene where they're talking first and then the ending montage be of Betty totally kicking in London (including going on dates with Daniel). Since their relationship WAS arguably the most important thing on the show, they were given the spot of honor as the closing scene. (And that's why we couldn't get a good look at Betty's theater companion. If it really was Daniel, it would have ruined the surprise.)
I think my only complaint was that I really wished they had closed with "Suddenly I See" by KT Tunstall just like they had at the end of the pilot. Not that there was anything wrong with Macy Gray's song, I'm just a fan of things coming full circle. Though even without the music, they did good job calling back the pilot's ending scene, right down to that grin on Daniel's face as Betty walks away. (It was that grin on his face during the pilot that totally turned me into a shipper.) But the best part? When the closing title credit appeared, the "Ugly" faded away, leaving just "Betty" behind. Absolutely perfect and absolutely true.
Sigh. Goodbye, Ugly Betty and now just Betty. It was nice getting to know you. At least, we'll always have the DVDs.
I'll leave it to others to talk about what a groundbreaking series Ugly Betty was (and it is). I'm going to talk about the characters instead, because they're the reasons I care about this show and the reason I'm going to have trouble letting go. However, they got one of the better send-offs that I've seen, right up there with Gilmore Girls and West Wing. (Life still had far and away the best finale.) Like a lot of shows, Ugly Betty ends with its main character about to make a big change which gives everyone (and us) a chance to say good-bye. That meant there was plenty of bittersweet moments. My favorite was when Betty was waving good-bye to her family as the car taking her to the airport pulled away. For a brief moment her reflection in the glass was replaces with the Betty we first met, complete with the infamous poncho, and then we were back to the cool, professional woman she is today. She's come a long way in four years. And I'm not talking about her superficial appearance.
But even more than the nostalgia, I loved that everyone got a happy ending. Amanda found the unconditional love of her biological father. Hilda got married and has a new home in Manhattan (much to Justin's delight). Justin has a new boyfriend (and, hands down, the best coming out storyline). Marc got his boyfriend back and new creative responsibilities now that Wilhelmina's in charge. And, speaking of which, who would have ever thought I would be happy that Wilhelmina got her happy ending?! But she finally learned to do the right thing, for the sake of doing the right thing (thanks to Marc), so I think she earned it. Plus, Marc will be there to keep her in line if she ever falls off the wagon. Which shows you just how much Marc has changed since the show began.
One of my favorite moments was Marc and Betty's good-bye. There was so much affection and respect between of them (with only a bit of snark mixed in just so you know that Marc hadn't been replaced with a pod person) and just when things might get a little too sentimental, Amanda joins them on the dance floor announcing that she "loooves this song!" Betty and Marc cry that they do too and three, respectively. They are so the OT3. Seriously. And then there's Daniel watching them dance through one of the glass walls. He still can't bring himself to say goodbye, but he tells his mom that "I think I have to let her go." And you heart breaks with him because he's not talking professionally or even as a friend. He finally realized WHY Betty was so important to him, but he had to lose her to do so.
I've been a Daniel/Betty shipper for a long time, but I wanted them to get together down the road. Season 1 Betty and Daniel didn't make any sense. She was too young. He was too immature. I could really see them working when Betty was in her late 20s or early 30s, when she was coming into her own as an editor. And I realized that would meant the show would have to be on for another 8 to 10 years. I wasn't foolish enough to think that was going to happen. (Or even that it should.) The best I could hope for was an open ending with neither Betty or Daniel romantically attached to anyone else. But we got something even better than that in the end.
As soon as it was clear that Betty and Daniel didn't get their emotional good-bye scene, I realized there wasn't going to be the need for one. They weren't going to be separated. Daniel followed Betty to London. And really did you expect any less of this guy even before he realized he was in love? He lasted about a week at Mode without her. (And I'm suddenly reminded of another guy who couldn't stay very long at his job after his assistant left him. Granted Josh didn't leave to JOIN Donna on the road, but they got it together in spite of themselves in the end.) It isn't so much what they said, it's how they said it. Daniel wasn't hiding his intentions very well (or at all) and Betty seemed to realize that he was staying in London because of her. I don't think either one had quite figured out what was going to come next, but they are both open to the possibilities and that's great. She's still pretty young and he still has great moments of immaturity. (Dude, you nearly burnt down your office building!) But they have both grown enough that I think they'll make it work.
And for those of you who watched the episode (and I can't imagine you reading through all my blathering if you hadn't), I have a question. During the wonderful London montage that made me want to pack my bags and head over to London ( and inspired a new love of Generation X's "Ready Steady Go" for me because of it), do you think many of those scene weren't in sequence and were suppose to represent time in London AFTER Daniel and Betty's conversation? I have to reasons to suspect this is the case. One, they made a point of putting Betty in short sleeves a couple of time. Unless there was an unseasonably warm spell in London (and there wasn't because there were still people in the background wearing puffy coats), they were trying to show the passing of time and I don't think Daniel waited months until he made it over to London. He was still wearing an overcoat! Two, (and this is the important bit) there is a part when Betty gets out of a cab and yells hi to a guy waiting for her outside a theater. Now, call me crazy but that looked a lot like Daniel. Granted he was too far away to tell, but guy was the actor's size and shape and so I think it was a pretty good chance. If it isn't, don't tell me! I'm a rabid shipper and I prefer to keep my delusions, thank you. I just having a little proof that Betty and Daniel are together and going on date-like activities.
If Daniel and Betty's relationship was less of a focus, they would have put the scene where they're talking first and then the ending montage be of Betty totally kicking in London (including going on dates with Daniel). Since their relationship WAS arguably the most important thing on the show, they were given the spot of honor as the closing scene. (And that's why we couldn't get a good look at Betty's theater companion. If it really was Daniel, it would have ruined the surprise.)
I think my only complaint was that I really wished they had closed with "Suddenly I See" by KT Tunstall just like they had at the end of the pilot. Not that there was anything wrong with Macy Gray's song, I'm just a fan of things coming full circle. Though even without the music, they did good job calling back the pilot's ending scene, right down to that grin on Daniel's face as Betty walks away. (It was that grin on his face during the pilot that totally turned me into a shipper.) But the best part? When the closing title credit appeared, the "Ugly" faded away, leaving just "Betty" behind. Absolutely perfect and absolutely true.
Sigh. Goodbye, Ugly Betty and now just Betty. It was nice getting to know you. At least, we'll always have the DVDs.
