So, I loooove this show. I think it's brilliant. I am absolutely on the edge of my seat at the season finale: Claire Mead breaking out of jail! Betty and Henry - still star-crossed lovers! Is Henry's girlfriend really pregnant? Is it his? Will Ignacio get his visa to come back from Mexico? Is Santos dead? Is Amanda the daughter of Fey Sommers? And can you believe Wilhelmina actually got Bradford Mead to propose? Are Alexis and Daniel dead? Holy shit! Screw reality TV - this is drama!
But seriously, what's great about this show is that when you peg a character or a situation as one-dimensional or stereotypical, that's when the show surprises you, by showing you one crystal-clear glimpse through a chink in a character's armor, or an unpredictable plot twist. If the US is just now catching on to the telenovela, well, it's about time. (Soccer didn't take, but hey, let's try the telenovela!)
But seriously, what's great about this show is that when you peg a character or a situation as one-dimensional or stereotypical, that's when the show surprises you, by showing you one crystal-clear glimpse through a chink in a character's armor, or an unpredictable plot twist. If the US is just now catching on to the telenovela, well, it's about time. (Soccer didn't take, but hey, let's try the telenovela!)
If you're not with me, whoa, give it a look! The dialogue is cutting, witty, funny, cheesy, heart-rending, all at the same time. I admit - some ferret-like part of me is definitely attracted to the brightly colored costumes, and shiny, glittery setting of the fictional MODE magazine. Eye candy always helps - especially when it's a gaudy Guadalajara poncho! But the color also means something: Betty's never met a color or a pattern that she didn't like - it's the same open way she approaches the world. Wilhelmina always wears white (and can you BELIEVE that's Vanessa Williams? Brilliant!). Is she the Great White Whale (symbolically, Melville-ly, speaking of course)? The White Witch? The Great White Hope? Or just Pure Evil in disguise?
So cruel to wait for next season! But at least I have something new to look forward to, since I'm in denial about the end of Harry Potter and The Sopranos.
