Episode Title: "The Butterfly Effect" (Part 1 & 2)

Synopsis: Betty starts her new job as associate features editor and deals with resentful co-workers; bullies prey on Justin; Wilhelmina harbors a secret; Daniel's distress takes its toll, while Betty tries to run her own Mode photo shoot.

Discuss.

Initial Observations: Betty is so much more likable as the underdog...

Poor Justin! and Wilhelmina is on fire! Now whats with the murder mystery...hope it doesn't fall flat!

Vanessa Williams is going to have great great emmy material. I mean, can you imagine a scene with her finding out that her daughter is going to go to jail? How powerful would that be. This is her year to win the emmy, though she's got stiff competition.

I hate these two hour premieres because for me, they just are way too long and drag too much.

Eric Mabius is one hell of a hunk. I had very mixed feelings about him. On one hand, he came off so lovable, but then on the other hand, he came off so annoying with his constant ruining of Betty's relations with her coworkers.

I hated how Matt has become.

Overall grade: B.

The show's never been as good as its first season bec. that's when it was truest to its source material. The problem is Betty should be pining for Daniel, and the U.S. version has had her paired with different guys already.

The new character Megan is hilarious and Asian, so that's good for diversity. She should stick around since she'd make a good frenemy of Betty's. Amanda was hilarious as usual, but Justin's teen angst is beyond annoying, and it has made Hilda annoying as well. However, Wilhelmina and Nico's scenes were good, and Yaya Dacosta has taken some acting classes! Covering up a murder is a new challenge for Willie, and it's a new way for the character to manipulate and claw her way outta something instead of the millionth takover. Vanessa Williams, the actress that portrays Amanda and the actress that portrays Megan were the best parts of the ep. All the Matt, Betty, Daniel scenes are fast forward material.

I stopped watching when Matt and Betty were arguing at UN, so can someone tell me what happened after that? Amanda's outfits were verging between cute and tacky. Wilhelmina's had better, more diva esque fashion moments.

I had skipped season 3. I watched the trailer and i though let´s give it a chance. glad i did. I love this chapter. It lets me an smile in my face. Matt is an annoying character but i am ok with it, everytime that Daniel hits him. : )
I love Judith Light and I love Vanessa Williams too. They got rid of Alexis, and other minor characters. Good thing.

For me this is the tv-show with more diversity on Primetime. They just should add an Italian and a polish and we have a colourful representation of America Diversity.

I actually like Megan, she too cute and when she's snarky and Betty needs us to root for her, so its a good mix. Matt is o'd-ing on the kiss Betty had with Henry. He needs to grow a pair and his hair.

Wilhelmina seems to be getting something to sink his teeth into. Lets hope the writers do well with this murder mystery.

Justin's scenes were hard to watch, but it is representative of what goes on in high school esp. public ones. I've seen fem kids get worse when I was in High. Maybe he will find a Glee club lol. Hilda had some touching scenes that brings the warmth to the show as well as Betty and Daniel who is tempting me to jump ship and root for them as a couple.

Claire and Amanda needs a storyline, So i see the writers are setting that up for them, Claire vs Hartley love/power struggle and Amanda/aging/seeking new beginnings.

Most refreshing though, was seeing Betty in a fresher new light and as lovable as she was when she first walked into Mode.

Grade A

I hate that the ratings were so low for such a great episode. Everything that was wrong in the season finale(reversal of character development) was erased. In fact, this felt like one of the best episodes the show has had since Crush'd, and reminded me again why "Betty" not making the comedy series race was a real crime. I would have put it far ahead of Family Guy, HIMYM(a show that I LOVE), Flight of the Conchords, and Weeds.

This premire was perfect, and the technical aspects were really impressive. Without PD around, this show definitely is the most visually enjoyable show on television, maybe behind "Mad Men". The colors pop, the camera moves in interesting ways, and the way it moves around tonally from drama to comedy is brilliant. The UN set was a lot of fun and the mode set is still breathtaking.

I thought this episode was really well written, and other than 'Modern Family'(all eps) and the 'Cougartown' pilot it had the most Laugh Out Loud moments of any series I've seen so far this season. There were a lot of jokes that worked and all of the storylines were nice. I really like the Betty being shot at with arrows things, that was hilarious. I really enjoyed the "Nico's new nose" for the new actress, and even throw-a-way lines like the "This is not a hilary duff movie", made this episode especially enjoyable. I really think this should be a writing contender for next year.

The storylines worked well, even though I thought we got a bit too much of Justin. Alot of the tension for Betty was interesting with the troubles with her new job, being liked, and helping her friend Daniel. I really like Meghan. And Amanda's storyline was suprisingly poignant, could she go after the assistant job that has opened up for Daniel. Eric Maibus was really good, and there is no way he could have handled this during the first season. I hope he gets his own show after Betty wraps this season. The relationship between Claire and Betty was nice, and I like that she still has support. I like that things aren't easy for Betty, and I hope we get to see her struggle with her new associates and with her work in general.

The Willie/Nico murder stuff is fun, and I hope they explore it in interesting ways. This storyline is great because Willie can still be a bitch, but she gets to be compassionate too. I loved their made up story with watching Gilmore Girls, that part was hilarious and both actresses in that scene were at the top of their game.

I hope ABC figures out a way to build up this show's audience for its last seasons since its clear there is still alot of creative energy. Maybe they could move it in "Eastwick's" timeslot since Cougartown would flow nicely into a show like this? I was hoping it would at least get "Medium" sized ratings and not be horrible for ABC, but I can see smallville beating it in the demos in a few weeks. It's likely that most of its audience doesn't stay in on Friday nights and choose to catch it online.

I hope Williams finally makes a smart submission choice this season. She could even submit this and be more competitive than she has been in past years if she is nominated.

Grade: A
MVP: the entire ensemble, but Maibus really impressed me here

Also, I wanted to add that the Butterfly moment was so classic Betty. Sure it was heavy and obvious in a rom-com sort of way, but it's the way that this show commits to moments like that and make it work for the audience that truly make it magical(like the carriage ride in late season 2 or the party in "Crush'd").

quote:

Originally posted by G.Penn:
I hope he gets his own show after Betty wraps this season.

Is he leaving the show after this season? And is their talk that this could be the show's last season because of its ratings?

There's been a lot of speculation since last season that ABC was losing confidence in Betty and the move to Friday was the network's way of saying time was almost up.

But lets not think about that. Because when Betty is on, it's a show filled with heart, laughter, and a feast for the senses.

Everything worked for me in this premiere. It didn't feel like two hours and to steal a concept from the show, it did seem like a bit of a rebirth for Betty.

She's not just the ugly duckling anymore. Some of that inner beauty is starting to get reflected on the outside and all the characters seem to be moving on past the stale story-lines that have bogged them down the last season or two.

I know it's been mentioned by one of the head writers of UB that the US version will not have a Betty-Daniel pairing, but would that not be the perfect way to end this series? They're so co-dependent but in the best way possible. They have strength and security in each other and it would actually fulfill the series lesson of "look with your heart, not with your eyes" that's been pounded into us since day 1.

Vanessa Williams can still steal an entire episode with one quip, and Amanda is still as ridiculous as ever without being a caricature.

I love this show. It makes me feel happy every time I watch it. It truly does.

Excellent premiere. I hope the quality can sustain through the entire season. Very enjoyable show.

That was a strong premiere. Both episodes did a lot to turn the page on Betty's professional and personal lives, and seeing her in this new context gives her that rootable factor that's been missing for awhile with all of her past relationship woes (and there's oddly been many of them -- Henry, Gio, Jesse, & Matt). America Ferrera and Eric Mabius were both excellent, and I really liked seeing those two characters forge this new friendship since their boss/assistant connection is over. They've both come so far since the first season. It's like Eric Mabius is an entirely different actor now. It's sad seeing Daniel struggling with Molly's death. Getting back with the rest of the group again was fun. It's tough to see Justin go through what he did at school, but some good scenework came out of it for Ana Ortiz. Michael Urie, and Mark Indelicato. Becki Newton was fun in her scenes with Kristen Johnston, but Johnston's role was briefer than I thought it'd be. I kind of wondered what Paula would have done in the role instead. Lynn Redgrave was a pleasant surprise. Judith Light's hair wasn't. If Matt's going to act that way toward Betty all season, that will get really old really fast. I thought his character should have been canned last season, but I guess Betty needs some kind of adversary for awhile. I've grown weary of season-long murder mysteries, so I'm not too excited about Wilhelmina and Nico's storyline. Vanessa Williams had the best one-liners of the episode as usual though, and Yaya's looking amazing. All of this was nice setup for the rest of the season, though it's bittersweet to think that all of these changes are coming along when the series is on shaky ground in the future. They have more than one season left in them, so fingers crossed for more.

Grade for "The Butterfly Effect" (Parts 1 & 2): B+

quote:

Originally posted by Atypical:
Both episodes did a lot to turn the page on Betty's professional and personal lives, and seeing her in this new context gives her that rootable factor that's been missing for awhile with all of her past relationship woes (and there's oddly been many of them -- Henry, Gio, Jesse, & Matt).

That's the problem with the show. Most of their ideas that stray from the original series did not work. And majority of betty's relationship problems have been fast forward material, so it's difficult for a show to work when its lead has been saddled in one bad storyline after the next, and it painted betty in an unflattering light.

quote:

Originally posted by Atypical:They have more than one season left in them, so fingers crossed for more.

Is this your opinion or you read it somewhere? Because I watched ET and they interviewed Ausiello from EW, and he reported that UB is already on the bubble over at ABC because of the very low numbers it pulled in its premiere, and on a Friday at that!

The writers need to stop with storylines that don't work. Hilda and Justin were funny last season, but with this bullying arc, it's made them both so annoying. And Hilda's romance with the Karate Kid needs to be shelved. They shouldn't put Betty in a new romance, and Matt's jilted hatred of her is ok.

It's great that Willie is not planning a new takeover, and the cover up with Nico has potential. Same for Mandy's quest and the new girl Megan is a find. Overall it's still an uneven show, so the writers really need to somehow return to their season 1 blueprint to make the show work.

All of that was my opinion. The low numbers were to be expected with the Friday move to begin with. I think the show has more juice in it creatively than for just one season, which seems to be how things are going currently. That's what I was referring to there.

UB premiered to 5 million viewers only. Those numbers are practically what Daytime soaps get, and those are on the brink of extinction.

Considering the proliferation of soaps on primetime (DH, GG, 90210, MP) and how other shows basically borrow heavily from soaps (GA in particular), it's a disappointment that TPTB at UB can;t seem to get there show together, yet it's based on a telenovela that's had multiple incarnatiopns worldwide.

I think it's because the writers don't know how to develop the main chars (Betty and Daniel). Both have been in clunker relationships especially daniel (Molly and Willie's psycho sister). All of Betty's men have been annoying (Gio and Henry especially), and now Matt's an insta villain. I usually ff thru Betty and Daniel's scenes and watch Willie, Mark, Mandy, Hilda and Justin, but witht his bullying arc the show's made Hilda and Justin annoying now.

Are show's aired on Fridays held to a different standard ratings-wise? I mean...aren't they expected to have lower numbers?

I dunno if they're expected to have numbers that low. 5 million viewers is good for Daytime soaps, so those numbers are low.

Let's face it: Friday night is where networks send ailing shows to die. I adore Ugly Betty, but we fans should enjoy the show while it lasts because I'm almost certain this will be its final season.

That's what's so strange with the Ub team. Why can't they get their **** together? UB's cast is certainly more talented than GG, 1TH, 90210, MP casts combined. I mean, come on? They have freaking Vanessa Williams in the cast! And Becki newton and whoever plays Mark are great.

The acting talent is there. The wardrobe is kooky and fashion forward and distinctively Patricia Field. And no one does editing and transitions between scenes and dream sequences and musical montages quite like UB. And it boasts one of the most racially diverse casts.

I really blame the writers for ruining Daniel and Betty by not pairing them together since season 1. That's what got people hooked on Betty La fea, how the womanizer is tamed by the girl who doesn't fit the mold on what advertisers and media deem beautiful. It's that modern fairy tale that the show lost.

I don't want Betty with Daniel. They are much better as confidants.