Ugly Betty is a very frustrating show following 'Ugly" Betty Suarez's foray into the world of fashion working as an assistant to the Editor of high fashion magazine Mode.
There's enough potential for a pretty engaging television show and it is watchable. However there are many problems. Mainly that the creators and writers don't seem to know what kind of show they want to make.
There are elements of over-the-top bordering on surreal comedy, cutting satire, family drama, conspiracy drama. All these elements can't possibly work in a television show. It really stretches any suspension of disbelief when in one episode you can have a ridiculously over the top and unrealistic slapstick/surreal comedy even be followed by a situation where a father admits to his daughters that he killed a man years ago and could be deported. It's ridiculous. The over the top comedy takes from he satire, the satire takes from the over-the-top comedy, the satire and comedy take from the family drama and then to top it all off there is a huge conspiracy and cover-up plot line which takes from everything else. This makes Ugly Betty a very scrappy show that seems to be unable to decide which outfit it likes best, so puts on every item of clothing it owns, which as we all know, doesn't work. How's that for a metaphor?
There's enough potential for a pretty engaging television show and it is watchable. However there are many problems. Mainly that the creators and writers don't seem to know what kind of show they want to make.
There are elements of over-the-top bordering on surreal comedy, cutting satire, family drama, conspiracy drama. All these elements can't possibly work in a television show. It really stretches any suspension of disbelief when in one episode you can have a ridiculously over the top and unrealistic slapstick/surreal comedy even be followed by a situation where a father admits to his daughters that he killed a man years ago and could be deported. It's ridiculous. The over the top comedy takes from he satire, the satire takes from the over-the-top comedy, the satire and comedy take from the family drama and then to top it all off there is a huge conspiracy and cover-up plot line which takes from everything else. This makes Ugly Betty a very scrappy show that seems to be unable to decide which outfit it likes best, so puts on every item of clothing it owns, which as we all know, doesn't work. How's that for a metaphor?