May 23 2009
“Betty” Ends Third Season on Sad Note
Betty’s woes seem to be never-ending- come fall, she’ll be struggling for viewers on Friday nights. (picture courtesy of ABC-TV)
Betty Suarez screwed up big time- again.
ABC’s Ugly Betty concluded its third season Thursday night with Betty ruining her relationship with boyfriend Matt Hartley. After Matt saw her kiss first love Henry, Betty proceeded to make matters a lot worse by not owning up to Matt about it, even though he gave her opportunity after opportunity to do so.
(Betty should not have too much trouble getting over the disappointment- remember, she kicked off season three with the intent of focusing on her job and not men, before succumbing again to Cupid’s pesky arrow).
Meanwhile, following the death of features editor Penny, Betty and Marc competed for the job, only to join together and force MODE co-owners/co-editors-in-chief Daniel and Wilhelmina to choose between them (which they eventually did with the ol’ flip of a coin). Betty ended up with the promotion, and after Matt dumped her, discovered that Matt was her new boss at fashion magazine MODE.
In her bid to become MODE Queen, Wilhelmina found herself beaten yet again. Threatening to tell rich man Cal Hartley that Claire Meade years back terminated her pregnancy (and Hartley’s child), Wilhelmina hoped to blackmail Claire into resigning from MODE. However, Claire wound up telling Hartley herself; Hartley didn’t seem to care, much to Wil’s chagrin.
Taking drastic measures to get back in full MODE, Wilhelmina (whose prior claim to the Meade fortune- the baby she thought was hers and late husband Bradford Meade’s- turned out to be surrogate mom Christina’s child), enlists a hitman-like fellow to find Connor Owens. Task? Get back the money he stole from MODE, using whatever means possible. Wil then walked into another room, only to be stunned to see a surprising visitor (could it be Connor?).
In the finale’s saddest turn of events, Daniel accepts MODE’S award for Best Cover Issue at the MOMAs , and sees his cancer-stricken wife, Molly, out in the audience- or so he thinks. When Betty tells him Molly is not there, he realizes he saw her spirit, races home and discovers that she has passed on. Daniel texts Betty, who rushes to his side and comforts him.
Is that turn of events foreshadowing that perhaps Daniel and Betty may become a romantic item after all? In other Betty incarnations (including the original Colombian telenovela Betty la fea), Betty and her boss become a couple, and even marry. Eric Mabius, who portrays Daniel, has voiced his objections to a Daniel-Betty romance, suggesting that would be the show’s jump-the-shark moment.
Whatever journey ABC has in store for Betty and Daniel, the series will not have it any easier attracting viewers next season when it moves to Friday nights at 9 p.m. Viewership declined roughly 16 percent from last season (from an average of 9.4 million viewers to fewer than 8 million), and chances of ratings increasing come the new season look bleak. However, maybe some old fans will return if the show if it truly returns to its core focus on Betty’s climb to the top of the fashion journalism world, with a little less over-the-top Meade family chaos. Odder happenings have transpired, after all.
Spread the word, fans- make Friday nights must-see viewing in the fall, if you want Betty to continue long enough to see- among other things- those dang braces removed. That way, Less-Ugly Betty even may have a shot at life beyond a fourth season.
