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Ugly Betty episode 3.04 “Betty Suarez Land”, which aired last night (October 16) definitely had some mixed reactions from fans. Some thought it was boring and that the drama aspect was lacking, while others said that this was one of their favorite episodes. From a personal standpoint, I loved it! Here’s your Ugly Betty 3.04 recap:
Betty/Gio:
Things started out a little rough for Gio and Betty at the beginning of this episode. Betty hangs up the phone, looks up and there’s Gio. She runs over to give him a hug and he hands her a flyer, saying that she is banned. Betty ask why she’s banned and Gio tells her it’s because when he invited her to Rome, she said she’d rather be a lone and then spit on him.
Gio tells Betty about his trip, and how he went to the most romantic city in the world, alone. The trip ended up being a bit of a success for him because he met a man who makes exquisite gourmet cheese, which is perfect or Gio’s sandwiches and are sure to make them famous. Unfortunately his cheese was taken away from him at customs.
Gio then tells Betty that he hates her, he does not think that she is a nice person and he wants her banned from his life. Ouch! When Betty mentions the cheese to Daniel, he says he has connections with a guy who can get this cheese and Betty begs him to get her some, so she can give it to Gio and hopefully smooth things over.
Betty gets the cheese and heads over to Gio’s apartment. He takes the cheese from her and then tries to leave. Betty takes the cheese back and insist that that they talk. She tells him how she has changed and that hurts Gio because he said that she just told him breaking up with him made her life better.
Betty gets a call from Daniel about DJ and that she has to get him out of there before his grandparents find him. Betty asked Gio if he has his van and before he can say no, Betty and DJ are in his van driving away. Now the question is, where to take DJ. Betty recommends the ballet on the phone to Daniel and both Daniel and Gio say no. Daniel ask Betty to hand the phone to Gio and they decide on Coney Island.
Gio helps find DJ, who had run away under a pier (more details on that in a bit). Betty and Gio have a bonding moment under the pier. Later, Betty gives Gio the cheese and he tells her that spending the day with her wasn’t all that bad. Betty apologizes for being stuck in “Betty Suarez Land”. Gio actually says that there might be a chance for them to be friends.
Daniel/DJ:
Danile gets a call from his lawyer who tells him DJ’s parents have found out that Daniel is not really his dad. A judge has awarded the grandparents custody and his lawyer tells him that if the grandparents take DJ back to France, he will probably never see him again.
Daniel calls Betty and ask if she can pick up DJ from school and take him for the day while he meets with DJ’s grandparents. The grandparents tell Daniel that DJ is all they have. Daniel says he doesn’t know where DJ is and then Amanda walks in and says he’s at Betty’s apartment.
Betty and Gio take Danile to Coney Island to hide him from his grandparents. DJ goes off to get some food and Daniel is talking to Gio and Betty and he tells them DJ is not his son. As he is saying that, DJ is standing right behind him and when he hears that, he runs off.
Gio helps to find DJ under a pier. Daniel apologizes to Daniel and says that he wishes he was his father and that he still loves him. DJ tells Daniel that he wants him to fight for him, but Daniel realizes that he doesn’t have a chance. He says that he can be DJ’s really cool American uncle. DJ is crying, but they hug and it seems the relationship is repaired.
Daniel/Alexis/ Wilhelmina:
Daniel visits Alexis in prison and tells her that he thinks their mother can get her out soon. Alexis tells Daniel that she is actually DJ’s father and then Daniel attacks her.
Wilhelmina and Marc visit Alexis in jail and Wilhelmina tells her that she can get the charges reduced if she will agree to give up her share of the company. What does Alexis say? “I would rather go to prison”. Wilhelmina takes things into her own hands and talks to Claire. Claire agrees to give her half of her shares to Wilhelmina, which means her and Daniel can split the company 50/50. Wilhelmina says Daniel won’t agree and Claire assures her that Daniel loves his sister and he will do what he has to for her. Later, Wilhelmina starts plotting on how to get the rest of the company.
Claire and Daniel meet Alexis where she is boarding a plane. She is freed from prison and tells them that she is going to France for awhile. Daniel encourages her to get to know her son. She promises that she’ll be back. At the end, Daniel runs over and gives her a big hug.
Hilda/Tony:
Hilda calls Betty to see if her and Tony can use her apartment again. Betty says yes. Tony and Hilda have a picnic at Betty’s apartment and Hilda tells him she doesn’t think she can continue to see a married man. He promises Hilda that he will tell his wife. Tony and Hilda don’t know that his wife followed him to the apartment. She sees the name on the door “Betty Suarez”.
Tony’s wife makes a visit to Hilda’s beauty salon and ask Hilda to please tell her sister to stop seeing her husband. She says that things have been cold for awhile but that she still loves him and wants to try to work things out. Ton’y wife calls Betty a slut because she said that when she knocked on the door, some French guy answered. Hilda ask her to please not talk about her sister like that. Hilda is obviously dying inside with guilt.
When Tony comes to pick up Hilda for their date, she tells him that his wife came to the salon and that she still loves him. Tony said that he talked to her today and told her that things were over. He says that things were over with them before he even met Hilda. She tells him that she can not be responsible for ending a marriage. Tony leaves hurt and angry. The whole family comforts Hilda as best as they can.
That’s a wrap! Share your thoughs below.
Image: Copyright © 2008 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc./ PATRICK HARBRON
Thanks for the re-cap! This was such an excellent episode all around. Daniel had some humor (in the beginning with Alexis) and bittersweet moments (his scenes w/ DJ). Wilhelmina is back and doing what she does best–stirring up trouble.
But Freddy Rodriguez as Gio just flat out took the cake! The episode really showed his versatility taking him from humor, to drama, back to humor, back to drama. ABC and Horta are fools if they don’t bring him back! All that chemistry between America and Rodriguez–don’t waste it!
My favourite part was when Gio first got to Betty’s apartment, tried to leave, and then suddenly smelled the cheese. His reaction was hilarious.
And of course Daniel tackling Alexis was great. I like how they showed it in the security camera; the black and white made it funnier.
Overall, I thought the episode was good.
i was disappointed. The show is now a drama more than a comedy. don’t get me wrong there are funny moments, but nothing made me go lol. Gio is great though! overall the story lines are good, but just not enough WACKY stuff! Those are what made the show good.. more amanda plz. I want the light hearted comedy, not a drama with only funny moments. The show as a whole needs to be a COMEDY!!! *WAY* too much serious sad stuff going on: daniel & jr, alexis, hilda, gio.. all heartbroken.. all these in ONE episode???? com’on writers, you can do better.
Peronsally, I LOVE the drama (even though I also love the hilarious moments as well!) and I thought last night’s episode was great!
Hope we’ll be seeing more of Gio later in the season!
“I want the light hearted comedy, not a drama with only funny moments.”
You captured all my thoughts in that sentence. I still enjoy watching the show but not like I used to. Ugly Betty used to be filled with positive thoughts and light humor and now it’s just drama all around. The black/white office is enough to make me depressed but then add all the heartbreaking, angsty storylines and I’m crying through the whole episode. And that’s not good! This show used to make me feel hopeful but now it’s just making me feel hopeless. I thought UB was about dreams coming true, not dreams being taken away from you. Like with Daniel and DJ, Hilda and the coach, Betty’s failed relationships and the thing with Alexis.. sad, sad, sad. Could we please have at least one happy ending? I’m not saying that they should all be on cloud nine all the time but I hate it when EVERYTHING ends badly. I miss the show’s positive vibe and the funny stuff going on in the background (usually involving Marc, Amanda or Christina) while Betty is doing her thing. Well, I’m hoping that at least Cliff and Marc will stay together and give us some happy, cute moments to enjoy. I will scream out loud if they ruin that relationship too.
I actually thought this was one of the funnier episodes this season. The humor was nicely woven into some of the more serious dramatic moments. The Daniel/DJ scene under the boardwalk was heartwrenching! As was Gio’s “You broke my heart” line. Willi was back in true form, which was nice to see.
That being said, if this is the last episode with Gio I guess ABC and UB can’t recognize a good thing when they have it. Freddy Rodriguez’s range as an actor was perfectly portrayed in this episode. He is so great at the snarky sarcastic humor and he can speak volumes with just the look on his face.
At least Gio has left (for the time being) with his dignity in tact. He was right to be mad at Betty and call her on her selfish attitude. That is why Gio is an important character (even if he there is no romantic tie-in). He acts as both her conscience and gets her take risks at the same time. He is not afraid to put Betty in her place (that is what made me love the character in Betty’s Wait Problem when he was first introduced).
So glad that the Hilda/Coach storyline has reached an ending. That was getting skeevy and it was making me dislike Hilda (who has always been a favorite of mine).
I do hope we get to see more of Amanda and Marc in the upcoming episodes. They are so great together! Everybody says so
All in all I loved this episode. It was a mix of UB drama and a good measure of comedy. I love how the funny scenes and serious scenes weren’t so seperated. Like when Gio and Betty were arguing in her appartment I was literally laughing one moment and on the verge of tears the next (who am I fooling. I cried)
The stars of the show were definitely:
Freddy Rodriguez with his versatile acting skils and great chemistry with America. Let’s just hope Horta isn’t stupid enough to lose him
Eric Mabius who has always done a great job on UB but has been the heart of the show tonight
This show is still a COMEDY!!! I’ve been laughing this season like I laughed in Season 1. There are serious issues tackled by the characters, but the comedy is still first-rate!
When Gio shouted “because you broke my heart!!!” WOW!!! He had tears in his eyes =(. His versatility is beyond words!!!
I love Ugly Betty, and it’s unfair that season 2 has only just finished here in the uk. But, even though I have cheated abit by reading re-caps of season 3 on here, I still can’t wait for it to skip across the pond.
Never-the-less, I hope Gio and Betty end up together in the end…and his hair is growing back…yay!
Oh! Thanks Julie for the Re-cap. I really enjoyed this episode. There were was comedy, action, drama… and romance… mmm…
This is one of my favorite episodes in Ugly Betty (all seasons included).
AWW!…I’m going to miss DJ so much.I was crying on Thursday night and all day yesterday.I was still down about everything today.I don’t think that I’ll be watching the show anymore.Sorry.
Thanks for the recap, Julie!
I enjoyed the episode, especially the whole wrap-up of Alexis’ and Daniel/DJ’s storylines. I surely hope that Alexis comes back someday soon, and with DJ in tow. And man, Eric Mabius needs an award for being so expressive. He really doesn’t get enough credit for being one of the better actors on this show.
Also, personally, I’m surprised that some people are complaining about the drama this season. We had TONS more of it during Seasons 1 and 2. What they’re giving us right now is nothing new. To me, we’re still getting a good mix.
People are complaining about the all the drama because they don’t tune in UB to cry. They make you love these characters and then in one espisode they leave Daniel, DJ, Gio and Hilda all heartbroken. (And Gio and DJ gone.) Claire looked seriously depressed, having lost her daughter and grandson, and probably Ignacio and Justin were too over their distress for Hilda.
Good times!
The one person I would have been ok seeing heartbroken was Betty, who I like less and less every week.
But on the up side, it was great to see Freddy Rodriguez again. The people at ABC are idiots to let him get away (or maybe he doesn’t want to associate his successful career with this show.) And Eric Mabius did a good job in this episode as well. And goodbye and thanks to RR, who apparently did leave/cut back because of the bad writing. This show is in trouble in my opinion.
And I’m sorry for you Denise. I feel the same way, only about Gio.
sorry folks, but whilst i loved the first 3 eps, this one just didn’t do it for me. personally speaking, and this is just me ok, i found it boring. there wasn’t enough marc, mandy, christina or justin in this one. this may be a dramedy, but with this episode and most of season 2 there was too much drama and not enough comedy.
and not every fan watches the show for betty’s ships’ but for the other characters and storylines. hopefully, the next couple of episodes will be better than this one.
Sorry if this ends up being a double post, but since my original comment isn’t showing up, I’m posting this again:
****************
Emmy: “People are complaining about the all the drama because they don’t tune in UB to cry.”
Jace is right, though – and I think you missed that point that he/she made: Seasons 1 and 2 had just as much drama (if not more). What we’re seeing now is nothing new. So, why should one or two episodes (3.03 and 3.04) of mostly drama be such a big deal? And even then, those episodes weren’t completely dramatic. The writers tried to infuse humor in them with certain moments (e.g., Marc, Amanda, and Betty in 3.03 and Gio and Betty’s interaction in 3.04).
All in all, this is how I see it: “Ugly Betty” isn’t necessarily “Friends”. It isn’t a 30-minute comedy. It’s a 1-hour dramedy. And it’s based on a telenovela, no less. So, you really can’t expect this show to be 100% comedic. If it was, then they would never get Betty’s story across properly. The whole show – and everyone in it – would seem cartoonish if it was a full-on comedy.
Besides, the recent dramatic episodes were necessary, especially the drama in 3.04. There’s no way that they could have told Alexis’ and DJ’s storylines any other way.
And honestly, I don’t see anything wrong with the show’s current direction. I actually enjoy what they’ve done so far.
(BTW, considering Rebecca’s pregnancy, it now seems as if the real reasons behind her leaving are ambiguous. The reports said one thing, but you have to wonder if that was the entire truth…)
I’m so happy Gio is back. I hope he’s here to stay. I really want Betty to hook up with Gio.
I thought this was a great episode. I thought the humor and drama was balanced very well.
I don’t like to say I told you so…
Who the hell am I kidding!? Of course I do.
Tom, I *told* you that Daniel said something he shouldn’t in front of DJ and Gio was the one that saw it. He wasn’t glaring!
Okay, enough gloating…For now…
“Tom, I *told* you that Daniel said something he shouldn’t in front of DJ and Gio was the one that saw it. He wasn’t glaring!”
Okay, my turn to gloat: I knew that. In fact, a lot of folks who have been looking at the filming pics figured out that Daniel accidentally started talking before DJ came up. Not a big secret, if you looked at the paparazzi pics way before.
But I know what Tom probably thought. Within the context of that ONE promo picture – and not taking into consideration any of the other paparazzi pics before it – Gio was frowning. So, if you didn’t see the other pics weeks before, you would think Gio is a little annoyed.
i LOVED this episode and i dont think that it was too dramatic at all. Ugly betty in general this season is doing a very good job at balancing both drama and comedy in my opinion. And even though most issues talked in it were sad, i thought it was more realistic. Ugly Betty can’t be all comedy or the story line slowly would get boring and you wouldn’t really feel connected to the characters. Those touching moments people call as “too dramatic” are simply getting to know the characters and their complexities. And The episode did have comedy weaved into it. Many people also finished it feeling sad but for me it didn’t end with sadness it ended with hope, love, and family. Of course Gio was also looking hot as ever
Freddy Rodriguez is a great actor and i REALLY hope to see more of him later this season.
Why do you get to use the previous pictures to justify your opinion that Daniel made a mistake but Wooster isn’t allowed to use the same pictures to make the case that Tom made an unkind assumption about Gio?
Well, I am with Wooster this time. Evelyn, Tom has this “thing” for not hiding his dislike to the fictional character Gio, or the “ship” that he represents. You see, he tends to slightly write in favor the Benries and Detties in his posts.
So this time I was really wondering what would be Tom’s recap for this episode and how would he manage to find ways to discredit him this time… sadly he is on vacation and I am missing all the fun.
This episode was just so GOOD!!
Tom, when are you returning from your holiday?! You missed one of the best episodes this season!
(Beatrice – “Well, I am with Wooster this time. Evelyn, Tom has this “thing” for not hiding his dislike to the fictional character Gio, or the “ship” that he represents. You see, he tends to slightly write in favor the Benries and Detties in his posts.”)
Well, to be fair, you might want to waddle through some of the really old blog posts. There were times when it almost seemed like Tom was being much nicer to other characters/ships above his own “Detty” ship (or whatever they’re really called), especially with some of the info that he’s posted.
That’s why I’m surprised he’s even a Detty shipper. Up until recently, I haven’t seen many obvious pro-Detty remarks from him. Most of the time, I thought he was rooting for some other pair. Yes, sometimes Benry, but sometimes even your ship.
In the past, he probably mentioned his shipping status in passing, but yeah – I’ve seen more invested, passionate Detty shippers than him. In fact, I think there are more journalists on the ‘net who are more biased in their UB episode reviews than what we’re seeing here.
And I honestly don’t see what’s wrong with his opinion/observation about that old picture. So, he originally thought Gio was glaring instead of just looking. So what? -shrugs- In all fairness, I think the one poster above made a point about this. If you’re looking at that pic without taking any other info into consideration, it looks like Gio is frowning, or what-have-you. In general, it’s possible to make that mistake if you’re just taking a quick look at that picture and not putting the pieces together at that moment.
I’m with you, watchingliu. There’s more to UB than just ship watching. I’m actually glad Gio is gone. Maybe all the *squeeing*, bitching, etc. over here will finally die down without him being around. Seriously – I don’t think anyone should kid themselves: If Gio or Getty is the only thing that was keeping you glued to this show, then you’re better off not watching the show anymore. Instead, get your old tapes/DVDs and put them on rewind so you can swoon over Gio. (And naturally, I’m sure some of you have already done that more than once – especially late at night. LOL.)
And for anyone who’s bitter, stop damning the show to fail. This show is still great – both funny and dramatic, as usual. And that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Bluntly speaking, I think some people want this show to die out because they’re not getting what they want, either with a character or their ship.
By the way, to Emmy: Your question/argument doesn’t make any sense. I read Evelyn’s statement, and she didn’t say that your friend Wooster couldn’t make an argument against Tom. She was just being fair by pointing out the other possibilities in the situation.
Well, to continue gloating, I didn’t have to look at other pictures or videos to predict it correctly. I know Gio’s tendency to be perceptive and wise. I also know Daniel and Betty’s tendency to argue and talk without thinking. The composition of the photo told me everything else I needed to know.
Secondly, my intentions were to tease Tom. Nothing more.
Lastly, does everything I say have to be turned into a shipping war? I really don’t mean to start all of these fights.
Michael don’t be so mean to us. Actually, all in all, shippers do well for any type of show. We create sites, activate blogs, find info and post them… we help news providers, we make buzz and that is for free! And I mean all shippers: Detties, Benries and Getties… all have their sites and blogs and well… check how famous the three shippers commenter made Tom when he was in that former Blog contest marathon.
Another thing –> we are cute X3.
Okay that wan’t a valid argument. But come on. You love us… otherwise blogs would be really dull sometimes. What’s wrong with a little fight of wits every now and then?
your quote: “Instead, get your old tapes/DVDs and put them on rewind so you can swoon over Gio. (And naturally, I’m sure some of you have already done that more than once – especially late at night. LOL.)”
HELLS YEAH I HAVE! you should try it too.
You see? we also contribute to the show by buying their original DVDs at their expensive prices because… we are die-hard obsessed freaks… win-win situation. Except for our wallets.
I’m sure no one wants to see UB die as a show just because they don’t get what they want ship-wise. I most certainly don’t.
Most Getty fans I know are UB fans as well as Freddy Roderiguez fans and we all know Freddy is an awesome actor and will only add positively to the show no matter what kind of story line he’s involved in.
one thing i don’t want to happen is for this show to get cancelled. i’d be gutted if this ever happened. as far as i see it, i see ugly betty to last for 3 more seasons after this one and then it will probably be it. i think that is a reasonable length for the series to last. however, i want the characters and their situations to be developed and explored fully- not just gio and betty and i don’t want betty’s storylines, even though she is the main character to dominate the show so much the other characters are neglected or ignored, as a result.
michael has a point though-for me, you can ship who you want, when you want- but if ever this show gets cancelled, it is not because viewers deserted this show because they didn’t get to see their ship, it is because that standards of this show have slipped. and there was plenty of evidence in season 2 that suggested that whilst it attracted plenty of getty fans, it and its writers singlehandlely alienated and shoved the other fans who ship daniel amanda, marc, willie etc to one side, in favour of meeting the needs of the getty fans.
as i said i loved the first 3 episodes of season 3- but this show is in danger of getting axed, if it doesn’t step up to the plate and cater for every single UB fan- and by that i mean betty, gio, marc, mandy, daniel, getty, willie, christina, suarez family fans and shippers’ throughout.
Liu, I don’t think writers wrote season 2 pro Getty. I perhaps you mean the love triangle which was mostly pro Benry and the whole Baby drama. Just check the history of this blog for example and notice the Getties getting crushed whenever we tried to say that Gio was written to be the love interest of Betty. Up until about half we were the minority that supported an “unpopular” character.
I don`t think they alienated the other characters, either. On the contrary… they just wrote TOO MUCH for too many new characters. Too many unrelated plots in each single episode. There were plenty of individual side stories season 2: Betty love life, Amanda quest for her father, Daniel vs Alexis battle, Wilhelmina leaving Mode, Claire/Bradford/Willy, Marc/Cliff, etc etc etc.
And I don’t get why is all the fuss… I don’t think there’s nothing wrong about trying to get the show to notice that by keeping Freddy Rodriguez character Gio the show would get more ratings than if he isn’t in it. What is so wrong about us promoting our ship? The others shippers shall also do their work like us so the show keeps alive, don’t you think? If we, Getties, are louder now it’s because the others are silent.
So instead of bashing those who are doing a decent (and quite polite) work in the net why don’t you all step up and raise your voice “marc, mandy, willie, christina, suarez family fans and shippers’ throughout”.
Beatrice is totally right. There were far too many story lines competing last year and trying to blame the scattered feeling of season 2 on Getty fans is just wrong. We were the underdogs. I feel that like that story line didn’t get enough attention to have it work out and completely make sense, so I feel cheated, too. And I also like other characters in the show.
And you can’t cater to every fan or Betty would be simultaneously married to Gio, Henry, Daniel and be single. And that is just one part of the “life” of one character.
Beatrice says: “If we, Getties, are louder now it’s because the others are silent.
So instead of bashing those who are doing a decent (and quite polite) work in the net why don’t you all step up and raise your voice “marc, mandy, willie, christina, suarez family fans and shippers’ throughout”.
—-
Well, here’s something I learned about fandoms: Every ship has bad seeds. And I’ve read some pretty militant and not-so-nice comments from “Getty” fans at the ABC boards, for instance. Not all “Getty fans” are sweet and nice like sugar and spice, you know? I think some of those fans make your ship sound a lot louder and more obnoxious, truth be told.
And hey – this really is a great show, but it’s still just a show, too. I’m sure some of the UB fans of other characters do their part to write in a fan letter or two once in a while and join discussion boards like this one, but truthfully? People have jobs and real life to contend with, so not everyone can set aside time to actively campaign 24/7 for some TV show character like some of you do.
And with that in mind, you shouldn’t take it to heart if Gio never comes back. Freddy Rodriguez is a good actor, and he’ll definitely show up in other projects along the way that will interest you anyway.
George, agreed: We must never use absolute terms when we are talking about a group of individuals. But in general terms, I believe Team Gio members are quite polite and decent compared to the average shipper. And I can usually guarantee you can have any decent and thoughful argument with most of our members (hahaha… I am affraid this might sound like cult). I am surprised to have met extremely talented, mature and inteligent people among the Getty Girls/Guys.
Maybe you will be surprised about this but despite appearances some people can have a high demanding job and real life and still be able to plan and organize their hobbies. People who before meeting the fictional character Gio (or Rodriguez) have never being an obsessed fan of anything… this character and this actor made us do things we would never do before like blogging, writing, etc. that we never did even in our teenage or younger years.
But I agree in that probably some people have more internet availability than others and I guess not everyone really invests their time in being a fan (I know I didn’t before and I will not anymore after Gio is out of the picture… *if* he is ever out of the picture). But I know very well organized fan groups. Probably they just need some will to spice up again?
And well, all Freddy Fans know about his upcoming projects and we are pretty sure to track him up and keep promoting him. But it is still good to see F-Rod and my Ugly betty addiction mix together… it’s exhilarating and inspiring. Especially when he is doing very good for the show. So, I see not reason why not to support his character and the wonderful job he is doing there.
(now look at that… I have posted just way too much. Maybe you are right. I better stop before I get fired from my job… but then I´ll have more time to spend in my UB addiction… hummm *ponders*)
george -
You are right, not all Getty fans are nice and polite. And the same goes for all groups of UB fans – whether they like Daniel or Henry or want Betty single. There are obnoxious people everywhere and as a whole, Getty fans are quite polite, until they are provoked – which people seem to love to do.
[...] 3.13, Kissed off airs next week – February 5. Tonight is a rebroadcast of episode 3.04, Betty Suarez Land, a very good episode indeed (especially for all you Gio [...]