[Wynter]

Hey all! Welcome to the official, first of hopefully many, Ugly Betty Discussion Thread. Since there's been a few questions flying about recently, we (Hestia and I) figured it might be cool to have one place to discuss them all, and hopefully if we make this a weekly, or bi-weekly thing, we can generate more discussion overall

Everyone is welcome to participate of course, and anyone can submit questions to discuss. You can either post them in the thread, or send them to one of us, and we'll basically compile them and work our way through them one by one.

I only have one "rule", and that's no one-word answers, please. It's hard to get discussion out of that, so at least a couple of sentences, okay?

Questions Asked

- Which Ugly Betty character do you fancy?
- Who would you like to work with the most?
- What do you think of S3 so far?
- What do you want to see more of in S3?
- What do you want to see less of in S3?
- Are there any characters/guest appearances from the past two seasons, or this season, that you'd like to see return to the show?

Questions To Discuss

- What is your least favourite storyline?
- What are your top 3 favourite episodes this season so far?
- What are your favourite funny moments from each character?

I just used the latest question for the title, so as you can see, that's the current issue up for talking about Feel free to (re)post your opinions, or even answer the previous questions if you haven't gotten a chance to before!

Enjoy

[waichingliu81]

which ugly betty character do i fancy? marc, i don't care about the fact that he is gay, he is still cute in my books

who do i like to work with the most? marc and/or christina and betty. christina because she is very polite and so down to earth compared to the other modies, if you exclude betty that is; marc because although he can be a bitchy character, he is funny and i can unearth his nice sides of her personality and make him more human and less obnoxious than he is already; betty because she is smart and a hard worker and will go out of her way to help those who are in need of her help.

as for my thoughts on season 3, i have posted this response before on this site, on the ugly betty message board on the IMDB site and ugly betty news numerous times, and that is i am really enjoying ugly betty so far. it feels so much like season 1 in many respects and i am satisfied with the direction this show is heading so far.

i don't really have too many concerns- other than my utter dislike at the handling of marc and cliff's relationship by the writers- but i just think that i am falling in love with this show more than before.

i thought season 2 was in many respects a huge dissapointment, and as much as many getty and benry fans felt betrayed at the manner in which the writers dropped the ball with their romances, i was indeed happy to see the back of that betty/gio/henry love triangle. towards the end of last season, it became somewhat of a detriment to this show, in addition to the fact it got boring and thus, also that storyline overshadowed the other characters and their storylines. i was very critical of season 2 and looking back on some of those episodes, it seems as if my judgements on that season tied in with the many problems season 2 had.

likewise, the storylines weren't as good as the first season; marc and amanda were dumbed down and had less screen time together, celebrity guest appearences increased throughout the show- and yet the quality of the writing deteriorated. the fact that the writers kept relying on a-list celebs in an attempt to maintain or be it improve their viewing figures, seemed like a desperate ploy by silvio horta amongst others. not to mention that season 2 eventually became the 'betty and henry and gio' show, which pleased many of their shippers- and further isolated other fans of whom watch the show for reasons other than betty's romances.

from what i've seen in season 3 at the moment, this looks like to be a definite improvement over last season; i really feel as if the heart and soul, which occured in the first season is slowly coming back and that this show is back to what ugly betty should be about- of betty's worklife, her family, of the other mode crew and their predicaments and how they deal with their fair share of problems- and not about betty and whether she should be with either gio or henry.

i know that some fans don't like season 3, but at this moment, it feels like ugly betty is getting back to what it was in season 1, which i loved a lot. i especially love the frenemies stuff with betty, amanda and marc- that relationship is just great to see. and of which was totally lacking last season. i am so glad to see them as a trio and appearing on screen together .

i am happy at the fact that betty decided not to choose either gio or henry. if she did, then this show would've jumped the shark afterwards. i like the direction this show is heading at the moment and i can only hope this will continue thoughout this season and beyond.

ok, here are my questions:

-what do you want to see more of in season 3?

-what do you want to see less of in season 3

-are there any characters/guest appearances from the past two seasons, or this season, that you'd like to see return on ugly betty in the not so distant future?

[TanyaB]

I see what you mean about not choosing either Gio or Henry. But I soooooooooooo wanted her to be with Gio! I just can't get over that line: "I don't want to be the rebound guy - I want to be the guy" (Tanya's heart melts all over again).

I really like season 3. I think that although it's really different from S1 and S2, it's kind of normal since everything has changed since then and people change when things change. ( Review: Ugly Betty, Episode 7, Season 3 Sahar’s Blog ) But I sometimes get the impression that people have changed too much - Daniel's insecurities were very deep, so he should still have to confront them once in awhile. Wilhelmina's ambitions were sky high, so although satisfied with the 50% share thing, there is probably something else she would want to set her sights on. And what happened to Amanda's all so important search for her father?

Looking forward to seeing tonight's episode!!!!

[SaraSidleStokes]

which ugly betty character do i fancy? thats a toughie for me because I love Daniel but I also love Betty as well I really dont know which one is my absolute favorite so I'd say its a tie
who do i like to work with the most? again Daniel and Betty because out of everyone there they seem to be the Most real and the Most friendly and since I dont think i'd fit in very well I feel as though they'd be the ones to make me feel like I belong.
thoughts on Season 3 thus far: okay judging purely from my Daniel and Betty shipping Point of View I'm loving it,theres been alot of really Sweet Daniel and Betty moments and it feels as though it went back to the Heart of the show from Season one FOR ME (and this is both as a Shipper and as Just a fan) I was sick of last seasons love Triangle I liked Gio but Henry really annoyed me and I dont know the sort of "who will she choose" type thing is what makes me stop watching certain tv shows ,I'm glad it stepped away from that .

[Trip & Run]

My favorite character is always changing, but it's usually either Ignacio or Marc. I love those two so much. Ignacio is warm and amazing and always putting his family first. He is always level-headed and considerate, trying to be the voice of reason. And I love that he cooks for them. SuperDad in the kitchen makes me so happy.

Marc's another favorite, because Michael Urie kills me. He shines in every scene he's in whether it's slaving for Willie and fawning over her or gossiping and mocking with Mandy (some of my favorite scenes). I also love his sweet scenes where we get to see another layer of Marc. Michael just owns.

As for what I think of S3 so far, I'm loving it so much. I actually really like the new direction. I love that we're seeing more of the Suarez family and that they're developing their storylines a little more than in previous seasons. I also love that we're getting at least one good scene with the whole clan every episode. That's been exciting. However, I also love that Betty moved out. I love that she's trying to be more independent and finally looking at the big picture at work. I love that Betty's an amazing assistant, but it's great that she's trying harder to get closer to her dreams.

I also love that Betty's love interest is just a crush right now and that she's doing the crushing. I also am loving Amanda living with Betty, but I don't know how long that's going to last. However, it's been great seeing them interact on friendlier terms. There are a whole bunch of other things I adore like Justin finally getting a storyline of his own, more Marc/Mandy than last season, and everything Hilda we've been getting, too. Basically, I'm loving the season.

[Veiled Vesta]

I'll answer these questions which are more easy for me to do so and won't require me to go into a long spiel. I'll tackle waichingliu's question later.

Which Ugly Betty character do you fancy?

I'm a Henry fangirl through and through. I always fall for adorable and geeky characters so of course I was drawn to Henry like a duck to water. (I still curse the writers for ruining him near the end. Oh well. Maybe that will make another good question; what is your least favorite storyline)

Who would you like to work with the most?
Betty! She's so sweet and hardworking and I picture her and I becoming friends. If I worked at Mode, I'd be the eager-to-please co-worker who tries to learn from her and when she owns her own magazine (we all know she will), I'd hope she would consider me for a job.

Christina would be a close second (the accent would be tough to decipher at first but having a cheeky friend would be good for me.)

[waichingliu81]

Silvio Horta Previews Ugly Betty Season 3

i liked silvio's vision that he had for this season, and that was this is all about betty growing up. however, it is not just about betty growing up and developing, but of the other characters as well. we are eventually seeing layers of them that we hadn't seen before, or which weren't there last season.

betty as a person was very much somebody who had to be there for henry and gio for instance, but when it came to taking care of herself and looking out for her own interests, she was less interested in furthering her career and being herself and cared more about being with either gio or henry.

i think the idea of her moving out of the suarez home and settling and moving into her own apartment was great; not only was this an attempt on the creators part to make betty more independent but from a narrative point of view, it meant this would lead to so many good scenarios where marc and mandy would drop by occasionally for example.

lacking direction, the show lost its way at one point in season 2 before the writers strike took place and silvio fired the two writers. in most cases, it got so boring that i wanted it to end as quickly as possible.

i think that at this stage in season 3, when a show such as ugly betty has got to this point, we expect to see changes and storylines develop- though not entirely but changes of which do not affect the show and lead to it going downhill.

[Wynter]

Ok, my answer to the latest question, since I think I already covered the other two previously. I LOVE season 3 so far, much like everyone else I love that it seems to have gone back to the basics of S1, with Betty concentrating on her job and trying to make something of her career - S2 veered too far off track and it seemed like the sole focus was her involvement with Henry and Gio. She had no real storyline apart from the love triangle, and while that was ok at times, it got a bit too much. So I like the return to the basics. I also really like that the other characters are getting more of their own storylines, especially the Suarez family, because too often they were overlooked in the last season, except for a few sweet scenes here and there.

I think the move to NYC has really given the show a boost too, it just looks so much better. The colours, the cinematography, it's all great!

[waichingliu81]

Originally Posted by Wynter (View Post) Ok, my answer to the latest question, since I think I already covered the other two previously. I LOVE season 3 so far, much like everyone else I love that it seems to have gone back to the basics of S1, with Betty concentrating on her job and trying to make something of her career - S2 veered too far off track and it seemed like the sole focus was her involvement with Henry and Gio. She had no real storyline apart from the love triangle, and while that was ok at times, it got a bit too much. So I like the return to the basics. I also really like that the other characters are getting more of their own storylines, especially the Suarez family, because too often they were overlooked in the last season, except for a few sweet scenes here and there. I think the move to NYC has really given the show a boost too, it just looks so much better. The colours, the cinematography, it's all great!

She had no real storyline apart from the love triangle, and while that was ok at times, it got a bit too much.

it was interesting at first, but the longer it dragged on, the more annoying it became; and alas, it was like, the only thing that mattered to the writers and the benry and getty shippers' was just that one storyline and nothing else. and although season 2 did pick itself up and improved when it returned from the writers strike, it still felt that in all, the writers didn't come up with anything special to make it as memorable as season 1. therefore, it implied that they believed that every fan watches this show for betty's romances when there were other things taking place as well. however, i felt that something was missing which made the first season so watchable and enjoyable.

I also really like that the other characters are getting more of their own storylines, especially the Suarez family, because too often they were overlooked in the last season

well the only storyline hilda had was dealing with santos's loss- up until her involvement with coach diaz later on, whilst justin was trying to deal with it the best way he could. i'd like ignascio to have a storyline of his own this season as well.

and as much as i love marc, last season he wasn't as effective as he was in season 1, although his relationship with cliff did bring out the best in marc and made him slightly human. but i felt the writers wanted to sacrifice his bitchiness and eccentric behaviour and in turn make him more boring and less 'outgoing' as a person. what they should've done is kept his bitchiness and funny side but at the same time develop michael's character but they didn't do that.

but this season, i am loving marc more and especially as it brings back memories of season 1 where he was at his best. and that is being bitchy but also less boring and of whom is more open and engaging as a person than before.

[waichingliu81]

ok, we have now reached the half way mark and having seen all ten episodes that have been shown so far, what are your top 3 favourite episodes this season that you have seen?

mines are:

1) when betty met YETI- LOVED this episode; in fact i loved the betty, amanda and marc moments this season especially with this one. and the scene with marc and betty on the phone looking and talking to each other was just too cute for words.

2) ugly berry- i liked this one a lot because of betty, marc and mandy facing off against kimmie, not to mention i couldn't stand kimmie one bit. adriana lima is my favourite guest star so far this season. she did great and was so down to earth. even though many of us outside the US have never heard of her beforehand.

3) filing for the enemy- the betty-mina dream sequence was hilarious, and the interaction between marc and betty was great to see. mandy's lullaby to marc was funny as hell.

[Veiled Vesta]

I'm behind on answering questions so I'll tackle the next four five:

What do you think of S3 so far?
I really like it! I thought I'd be a bit sad because one of my fave characters was going to leave but I think it's for the best and we got some wonderful storylines out of it thus far.

What do you want to see more of in S3?
I love seeing Betty trying to further her dreams of being a writer and I'm pretty sure that's what the show's writers are going for. I'm also up for more Amanda/Betty and Marc/Betty moments, whether funny or sweet (or even better, a mixture of both. )

What do you want to see less of in S3?
Please no love interests for our plucky young Betty. We had that in season 1 and 2, and writers can't seem to handle Betty being in a loving, stable relationship so just don't do it. Please.

Are there any characters/guest appearances from the past two seasons, or this season, that you'd like to see return to the show?
Hmm... if they find a way to get Kenny a cameo or at least reference him, I'd be one happy UB fan. (And I don't think I have to mention how much I'm hoping Henry comes back. If they can bring back Gio, they can bring back Super Accountant! )

What is your least favourite storyline?
Currently, I don't think I really have one. I guess Hilda's salon is the one I'm least interested in but not because I hate it or anything. I'm sure once the writers figure out how to spice up that plotline, it would be more appealing.

I should probably update the questions.

[waichingliu81]

what do i want to see more of in season 3-

- more marc, mandy and betty 'frenemy' interaction

- more christina and claire- i hate how they are so under used

- i want to see the likes of marc and mandy interact with christina and it would be great to see all three of them involved in a storyline and where marc and mandy become mates with christina and not always making fun of her

- more humour, less soap-opera-ish drama


what do i want to see less of in season 3-

- for this season, no romantic entanglements for betty. i just want her to focus on her career and her development as a would-be editor at YETI

- no more attempts to screw with our favourite characters- as a marc fan i was appalled and angry with this 'cheating on cliff' storyline

characters/cast members i want to see return to the show in the not too distant furture

-cliff- even if his relationship with marc is doomed, i cannot see why they cannot make him a permanent character on the show

- adriana lima- she was great in ugly berry and i wouldn't mind seeing her return on ugly betty

- daniel's brother - forgot his name, he appeared in one of the episodes in the first season. and amanda had a thing for him too, if i remembered correctly

- marc's mum, jean weiner- she will be returning to UB, though i hope it is much sooner rather than later

least favourite storyline

no doubt my pick would have to be undoubtedly, marc cheating on cliff in 'crush'd'- i loathed it, what the hell were the writers thinking of?

[Wynter]

Woah, how did we go through 3/4 new questions already?

I'll start with the one in the title...I'd definitely like to see more interaction between Betty, Marc and Amanda, whether it's all three of them, or just Betty/Marc and Betty/Amanda. I love that despite their differences, Marc and Amanda have become more accepting of her and I'd love to see their friendships grow even further.

I think it's a given that we're going to see more of Betty working towards achieving her dream, because of all the emphasis on it already, but I'm happy with that.

I'd also like to see more of the Suarez family and for them to have their own storylines. They've had more of a spotlight in S3 already, but I want the show to expand on that, since it's an important aspect of Betty's life.

And I want to see more Daniel/Betty moments, not even speaking just from a shippy POV, but because to me, it's part of the heart of the show, and I love that since S1, their journeys towards growing and finding themselves have often been paralleled. And I love seeing them work together to solve problems, or just generally have really sweet moments together. So yeah, more of that would be awesome!

[Wynter]

Bumping this up, incase anyone else wants to answer the latest question before we change it

[waichingliu81]

well this season there are going to be 22 episodes and so far, 16 of them have been shown. i will say that the last recent episodes, there's no place like mode and things fall apart have been excellent. well there's no place like mode was, whilst things fall apart was very good.

but anyway here are my thoughts-

- recently there hasn't been much marc and amanda interaction especially with betty as trio. i want to see more of that.

- with betty's family, my impression is that the writers are making them out to be boring because frankly speaking, this season i haven't seen much growth with these characters and i find them less appealing, compared to season 1, where they were great and amusing. nowadays, i find them less funnier and more boring.

- i feel as if the writers are sacrificing betty's friendship with daniel and christina in favour of marc and amanda's. i mean don't get me wrong, i love marc and amanda and betty- i love all their moments together, but since molly's appearance and christina carrying willie's child, we haven't seen much of betty with daniel and christina.

- i am still upset at the betty moving back home storyline- clearly i understand family is important but wasn't one of the aims of season 3 of this show to make betty more independent and responsible as a person, by living away from home and forming closer friendships with say amanda, for instance and taking it to the next level? this was a missed opportunity on silvio's part and personally speaking, i feel the idea of betty still living at home with her family, and of her making decisions to make them happy, as opposed to making her feel happy, i don't know- it just bothers me somewhat.

i'll think of some more, but for now i'm done