It finally happened.Ever since "Ugly Betty" premiered, I've been waiting for Betty (America Ferrera) to start dressing a little more sophisticated and put together. I didn't want her to lose the things that made her Betty but I also thought it odd that she worked at a fashion magazine for three years and not a single thing seemed to be rubbing off on her. Things finally start to rub off as the fourth season kicks off tonight (Friday at 8 p.m. on ABC)
In addition to her outward appearance, there's a lot of change is afoot for Betty which is fantastic because we want to see our lead characters evolve and grow as the seasons progress. And as tonight's two-hour season premiere demonstrates, things really have changed for Betty. She's been promoted to associate features editor much to the chagrin of both her former-boyfriend-turned-boss Matt and her colleague Megan (a spot on Smith Cho).
While often I've felt the show has wandered a little aimlessly, the fourth season begins with most of the characters off to strong story lines. You find out early on who shocked Wilhelmina at the end of last season and it's a story line that allows Wilhelmina to be Wilhelmina while also showing her softer side. In particular, I really liked the interaction between Justin, who struggles as he enters high school, and Marc, who knows a lot about what those struggles are about. Marc becomes a more grounded character when he helps Justin out and I think Justin's story line will be familiar to anyone who didn't find high school, for whatever reason, to be the best time of his or her life.
The only story line I didn't love was Amanda with Daniel's new temp (played by Kristen Johnston). I continue to think that Amanda can be much more than a one-note character with biting one liners. I would really like for her to get a much stronger story arc this season.
But all in all, I think the show is off to a strong start (four out of five stars). I'm just hoping people still find the show in its new time slot. Will you be watching "Ugly Betty" tonight?
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