What I’m Watching: Ugly Betty (Season Premiere)

Ugly Betty: Season 4, Episodes 1 & 2 “The Butterfly Effect, Parts 1 & 2” (B)

The late premiere of the show I didn’t start watching until no one liked it anymore is a welcome return for the main characters, but it’s just a tad overstuffed with development and material. Airing two episodes at once makes it feel like an entire season has passed in only two hours. Seeing Betty get continually dumped on by every single person around her is nothing new, and it’s good that she still has people in her life, if they’re only people with the last name Meade, who will support her no matter what and give her pep talks and a helping hand when she needs it most. Fortunately, Matt’s turning out to be more mature than he could have been, still torturing Betty but not doing it as childishly as he could. I liked how he was shot just like Daniel usually is when he was first introducing himself to all of his subordinates. Showing the respective first days of Betty and Justin at the same time was clever and well-done, and keeping Justin front-and-center, especially with his relationship with Marc, is nice considering the character, and most of Betty’s family for that matter, could easily have been written out without a second thought now that Betty’s moving up in the business world. Fleeting mentions of Christina are nostalgic and sad, because the actress’ endearing talents are now being completely and totally wasted on CBS’ dumb sitcom “Accidentally on Purpose.” Amanda’s still just as fun and usual, and Wilhelmina’s scheming is only enhanced by the cover-up she’s orchestrating to protect her daughter and keep her out of jail. I think that this two-part episode ultimately provides a good setup for the new season of the show, and that things from here on out should be much more grounded and entertaining.