Has Ugly Betty lost its charm?

Ugly Betty used to be a captivating show that had me rooting for the underdog secretary Betty Suarez while enjoying her humiliation at the hands of her evil coworkers at fashion magazine Mode. There were so many characters I loved to hate. As cancellation buzz builds around Betty this season, I’ve taken a moment to consider why the show has lost its spark for me.

1) The evil people are no longer evil. Marc and Amanda used to be Betty’s archenemies. Their spiteful jokes and pranks were hilarious (remember when they kidnapped Betty’s pink bunny and taunted her with photos of it being tortured?). Wilhelmina Slater and Alexis Meade were deliciously evil villains, scheming to take over Mode from Betty’s boss, the womanizing dolt/editor-in-chief Daniel Meade. Claire Meade, Daniel’s alcoholic jailbird mom, was yet another character that was fun because she was bad. By the fourth season, these characters lost much of their wicked charm after having grown as human beings and been shown in a sympathetic light. Marc and Amanda, while still hilarious, have become “almost-friends” with Betty. (In the latest episode, “Plus None,” Amanda even told Betty she looked pretty!) Alexis turned away from the dark side and decided to put family first. Daniel and Claire have become wise mentors for Betty (how sad). Only Wilhelmina remains to uphold the standard of evil … but even she has become a much more sympathetic character now that we have seen her softer side (first with her daughter Nico and more recently when she fell in love and had her heart broken by Connor Owen).

2) Betty is no longer ugly. When Betty first walked into the fashion world, draped in a Guadalajara poncho, flashing braces and red librarian glasses, how could you not feel for her? Anyone who has been a real-life “Ugly Betty” can sympathize with someone struggling to fit in and failing half the time. Of course, it was inevitable that Betty would grow and change. She became really great at her job and saved everyone’s ass countless times. Next she became an editor. Finally her outward transformation began. This season, her look has become much more sophisticated. Only the braces remain to remind us that this is Ugly Betty and not America Ferrera, and those braces won’t be around for long. I am glad that Betty is growing up – she had to at some point – but now that she is blossoming, the show is no longer what it used to be. Ugly Betty was unique because its heroine was, well, “ugly” (like us common folk). I don’t feel the same sympathy for her that I used to… maybe that’s just me.

3) The critique of the fashion industry is fading. Yes, as an editor Betty tries to incorporate serious issues (like malaria) into Mode. But I seem to remember being able to watch the show as a commentary on the shallowness of the fashion industry. Betty, who never wanted to work for Mode in the first place, provided a sharp contrast to the appearance- and trend-obsessed people around her. Her outfits were a slap in the face of fashion. I liked that. While the show still depicts the shallowness through characters like Wilhelmina, Marc, and Amanda, I feel like Betty herself has become much more embracing of it. Now when I watch the show, I no longer feel like I’m laughing at the hollow world of fashion. Too bad… that was one of the reasons I tuned in.

Ugly Betty has changed, and that’s fine. I’m sure there are people out there who love the evolution of the show. I’m one of those people who won’t mind at all if it’s cancelled because, for me, the charm is already gone.

Do you still like Ugly Betty, or are you ready to say goodbye?

Clacked by Ruby T.
on Nov 10, 2009 @ 15:00 EST5EDT