Pop Vultures

Guest poster Alexis Kienlen has a few things to say about Ugly Betty.

I’m always late to TV shows, since I prefer to watch TV on DVD. I’ve only seen the first season of Ugly Betty, but I knew after a couple of episodes the show was a gem and I was ready to follow America Ferrara and her gang wherever they would take me. In anticipation of the show’s return this Thursday, I present a celebration of some of the things the show does really well.

1. It blends multiple genres successfully. Ugly Betty may be a comedy, but it’s a smartly written one that can also tug at the heartstrings. It satirizes the fashion industry and the people in it, has elements of mystery and intrigue and doesn’t stick specifically to one genre or follow one character. Even though the show revolves around Betty, each of the major characters are given backstories and their own plots, helping to create a multi-layered show.

2. The characters are fully fleshed out with moral gray areas. While the show is ultimately about Betty Suarez, the admin assistant from Queens out of her element at a Manhattan fashion magazine, the cast includes a number of characters with multiple facets. Daniel Meade, Betty’s boss, is a charismatic womanizer who struggles with his family and the roles of his job. Ignacio Suarez, Betty’s dad, is a chef who loves his children and grandchild to bits, yet must overcome his dubious past. Wilhemina Slater, the queen bitch of the show, struggles with her loyalty to her daughter, her assistant Marc, and her need to dispense a little kindness once in a while. Alexis Meade, the transsexual who reappears from the dead, struggles with her hatred of her father while wanting to remain loyal to her mother and brother.

3. The show is not afraid to take risks by including unconventional characters.

• Transsexual woman (check)
• Twinky nephew who loves musicals, fashion and gossip. (check)
• Main characters who are proudly Latino and speak with accents (check)
• Numerous gay characters (check)
• Illegal immigrant (check)
• Accountant love interest who wears dorky glasses and spouts trivia (check)

4. The show has several recurring themes in its first season.

• People struggling out of their element (Betty at Mode, Santos with his musical loving son Justin)
• Struggles between siblings (Betty and Hilda and Daniel and Alexis)
• Contrasts between families and family connections (The Meades vs the Suarez family)
• The constant struggle for the work/life balance (Mostly shown by Betty as she tries to negotiate her stressful life at Mode with her family in Queens)
• Truth and loyalty vs lies and deceit. This theme pops up in almost every episode, and makes numerous comments about competition, loyalty, loneliness and the need for friendship, and how people can draw strength or support from those they least expect to.

5. The writers constantly include jokes about the fashion industry and pop culture. Watch for thinly veiled references to Tom, Katie and Baby Suri (aka Tim, Chloe and Baby Chutney), Martha Stewart, Donatella Versace, Anna Wintour, and Wal-mart. The show also makes references to the sizeism in the fashion world, the fickle nature of fashion, and the ridiculousness of garments designed in the name of high fashion.

What about you? What makes Ugly Betty beautiful for you?

Alexis is a Canadian author and journalist with a love for apples and loose leaf tea. Visit her on the web at www.alexiskienlen.com.