Episode 2.02: Family Affairs

Full episode recap:

Wilhelmina is speaking before an All Hands meeting.  She is running the meeting as acting editor.  She reads her “Letter From the Editor”, while Betty attempts to grab a bagel.  She slips, falling down and causing a huge ruckus and mess.  Marc “whispers” loudly, “Don’t worry, no one noticed”.  Wilhemina continues.  Betty asks why Daniel isn’t writing the Letter From the Editor.  Wilhelmina calls her, “Pie Eyed, Pie eating Betty”  She then proceeds to ignore Betty.

Back at the hospital, Daniel and Betty are watching Alexis.  Daniel explains that Alexis doesn’t remember anything after their mom’s birthday party, two years previous.  Alexis grabs her breasts (which she’d been doing a lot of), and gives an approving thumbs-up to Daniel and Betty.  Alexis doesn’t know about the divorce, or Claire’s imprisonment and escape, or Bradford’s impending marriage.   Betty begs Daniel to come back to work, but he refuses.  He does ask her to get The Book, though.  Alexis sees a story about her mother’s escape on Fashion TV.

Marc mails off the DNA samples to the lab (not his first time, he says).  Amanda expresses a wish to have known Fey better.  She dreams of getting a big Fey Sommers estate, says she’s waiting to hear from the probate judge.  She shares a silly giggle with Marc about “probate”.

Hilda has gathered all of Santos’ stuff into their apartment  Boxes are everywhere.  Hilda gives Justin a sack lunch, to which he says, “You want me to bring my lunch?  Mom!  The famous Mode cafeteria, where Naomi Campbell has a tuna melt and an meltdown; they now have it on the menu: the Naomi Campbell Tuna Melt Meltdown” (that’s funny!)

Marc, walking behind Wilhelmina, sees Dwayne, Wilhelmina’s new bodyguard.  He is scared witless.  Wilhemina says she hired him to protect her from Claire.  As Betty is walking into the room, Marc yells, “OMG! Its Claire Meade charging for us!”  Dwayne picks her up in a choke hold, until Wilhemina calls him off.  Marc is pleased with himself.  Betty asks for The Book; Wilhelmina refuses.  Betty sees Marc getting a set of Wilhemina’s house keys from his desk for Dwayne (there are more in the desk).  He tells her that The Book is at Wilhelmina’s apartment.

After Marc leaves, she takes a key from Marc’s desk, and turns to see Henry standing before her.

Henry tells Betty that he’ll be going back to Tuscon; he’s just at mode for the job and the insurance.  He’s looking forward to becoming a father. He asks Betty if that’s OK (that he’s there).  She says yes, but she’s obviously thinking No.  “We were young and innocent then. Ah, youth!”  She says they can be buddies.

Cut to Betty telling  Christina that it’s NOT OK.  She says she won’t tell Henry about the doubt surrounding Charlie’s baby.  They turn and go into Wilhemina’s apartment (which Christina didn’t now they were going to do).

Justin arrives at Mode.  Marc immediately tests him with menial tasks. He has Justin update Wilhemina’s contacts in her Blackberry.  A lawyer arrives at the front desk; Amanda is excited to think she might be receiveing a fortune. Unfortunately, all of Fey’s assets were sold off and the money given to charity-except for a Chinese Crested (very ugly dog)  named Halston.  Amanda gets him, and a thousand dollar a week allowance, so Amanda takes him.

As she and Betty are going through Wilhemlina’s apartment, Christina says, “I can’t believe we’re in Lucifer’s chamber…Beelzebub’s lair…the devil’s rumpus room…Oh, look!  A picture of Wilhelmina with Dick Cheney!” (Hilarious – risky, but hilarious).  Also: “Ten bucks says there’s a coat in there made of dalmation puppies”.  They find The Book, but the Wilhelmina appears for a tryst with Dwayne.  Betty and Christina hide under the bed.  Afterward, they escape, but Betty leaves behind an earring.

Bradford has a change of heart and starts to bond with his now more boyish daughter.  He doesn’t tell her about Wilheina.

Ignacio speaks to Hilda over the phone, and convinces her to get rid of all of Santos’ things, but one thing to hold onto (this is what he did with his wife’s things when she died).  Ignacio hatches a plan to cross the border into the US illegaly (again).

Wilhemina finds Betty’s earring and says, “I smell a burrito”.

Marc has a tirade toward all the interns; he is not happy with the way they prepared for Shakira’s photo shoot.  He dismisses them all except Justin, with whom he is pleased.  Wilhemina calls and tells him to get dirt on Betty.  Marc looks at Justin and say, “I hear you loud and clear”  He asks Justin about hs family.

Amanda’s dog apparently emits quite an odor.  Halston then faints. 

Wilhemina has Marc tell Betty to meet her on the roof, immediately.  She goes there; it is filled with mannequins, and Wilhelmina is there.  She holds up the earring and says “I believe you lost something”.  We then hear thunder; Betty looks to the perfectly blue sky and then turns to see Marc wiggling a piece of sheet metal to make the thunder sound!  Brlliant!  Wilhemina tells Betty that if she stays quiet, The Senator can help Ignacio get his visa.

Neither Daniel nor Bradford can tell Alexis about Wilhelmina.

Marc gives Justin a pass to the Shakira shoot.  At this time, Justin finally remembers that his father is gone, and Marc lends a sympathetic ear, if only for a moment.  He also plots with Amanda to get rid of the dog.

Betty has a dream sequence with her dad, telling her to take Wilhelmina’s side so he can get home.

Henry talks to Christina, who finally decides to tell him about the possibility of the baby not being his.

Amanda and Marc take Halston to the animal shelter, but when the person at the front desk tells them that no one will adopt him because he’s so ugly,Amanda has a change of heart.  She decides to keep him.

Justin goes into a market to get rice cakes for Shakira, and discovers its the market where his father got shot.  The owner tells him that Santos was a hero.  He says, “I’ll bet you’re just like him. Justin replies, “No, I’m not”.

Daniel comes back to Mode.  Betty starts to tell him about Wilhelmina (to incriminate her), but Ignacio calls and tells Betty about his plan to cross the border.  Betty tells him not to do anything yet. 

She makes the deal with Wilhelmina.

Hilda and Justin decide to keep just one thing from Santos.  Justin chooses a basketball.

Daniel puts Wilhelmina in her place, but she doesn’t put up a fight.  She passive-aggressively reminds Betty about their deal.

Bradford tells Wilhemina that he’s like to postpone the wedding.  As she pretends like everything’s OK with that decision, the flames rise in the fireplace to illustrate her anger.  She goes to the roof and starts destroying mannequins with a baseball bat.

Hilda tells Betty that Ignacio is coming home (Betty already knows), but Betty is quite distracted with the deal she’s made. 

A man shows up at Ingacio’s house in Mexico and points a gun at him.  It must be the hit-man. 

Henry then shows up at Betty’s door, drunk.  He tells Betty he knows the baby may not be his.  He knows Charlie cheated on him.  He says that he wants to be with Betty.  Fade to black.