Ugly Betty Episode 3.14 Full Recap

Here is the full recap of Ugly Betty, episode 3.14, The Courtship of Betty’s father.  Some quick thoughts:

The funniest part of the episode was Wilhelmina and the bird – this was GREAT writing and acting!  Marc was also great, guiding Wilhelmina into being a real human being with real emotions.

The Daniel/Molly storyline didn’t work quite as well, but I think they are setting something up for later.

The Papi/Elena romance surprisingly introduced more drama than comedy.  I did like the scene with Hilda and Betty separately confronting them in their own styles.

This was a great episode for Judith Light.  She got to be funny, and sad.  The scene at the end was sweet.

All in all, I liked this episode a little better than 3.13 – I think the show is moving in the right direction.

Full recap after the jump!

Elena prepares pomegranate juice (to be given to  Ignacio), and Betty is amazed because Papi used to hate it.  She gives some to Betty to try.  After Elena walks away, she spits it out.  Hilda claims that pomegranate juice was “her” idea, and that she should be rich and sitting in Beverly Hills.

Ignacio bursts into the room, full of energy, and ready for his walk.  After he leaves with Elena, Betty and Hilda gush over how great she has been for their father.  Betty’s phone rings, it’s Claire Meade.  She asks Betty to come to a drug store, and bring some cash.

When Betty gets there, we see that Claire has been stopped for shoplifting some mascara. Betty defends her, then asks (in a leading way) Claire if she shoplifted.  Claire answered that it’s not shoplifting if you can afford the item, but just don’t have the funds on you.  Betty says, “What? That is shoplifting…”  Claire asks Betty to pay the security guard the money, and she leaves.

Later, Betty tells Daniel, and asks if something might be wrong with her.  Daniel says her 60th birthday is approaching.  Betty suggests they throw her a surprise party, complete with video tribute.  She asks if there are any old home movies she could watch.  We then flashback to when Daniel and Alex were little; it’s Christmas, and Claire is stumbling around stone drunk (with Who’s The Boss Hair!).  She knocks down the tree.

Betty had been watching this on Daniel’s laptop; Daniel says all the rest of the home videos are like that.  Betty asks Daniel for a camera so she can interview all of Claire’s friends to make a warm, wonderful video.  Claire then walks in.

Claire invites Daniel to dinner at his favorite place; Daniel says he’d love to go, but he has a special night with Molly planned.  Claire is obviously disappointed.

At home, Betty tries out the camera (which she can’t quite figure out without Justin’s help).  Hilda comes into the room, fully dressed in a sequined cocktail dress, and overacting for the camera (this is hilarious!).  Betty then turns the camera off (she thinks) and sets it down.

Molly and Daniel are ice skating – Daniel is obviously uncomfortable doing it.  Daniel runs into a woman, and they both fall over the boards.  It’s Wilhelmina!  Connor then comes skating up (like some kind of Olympian).  The four look at each other, and Molly says, “This is awkward”  First Daniel, then Wilhelmina, offer to leave with their partners.  Connor says that they should all stay; they are adults.

Later, over hot beverages, Molly and Connor reminisce about a wonderful trip they had to Yemen.  Daniel and Wilhelmina seem uncomfortable, being left out.  Molly mentions that she’s only disappointed that she didn’t get to go to Tibet, and that the food is wonderful.  Daniel and Wilhelmina eagerly talk their partners into leaving.

The next day, Daniel asks Betty to check if there are any direct flights to Tibet.  Betty tells him about the military unrest there, but Daniel says the food is terrific.  He reveals that he wants to make his own memories with Molly, like the ones she has with Connor.

Betty then tries to set up the camera, but it won’t work.  Daniel discovers that the tape is full.  He rewinds, then sees something that makes him say, “Oh”.  Betty comes to see what it is.  We then see Ignacio hugging Elena, then grabbing her behind.  Betty is shocked.

Betty shows the tape to Hilda, and Hilda is shocked, too.  Betty says that they have to talk to Papi.  She’s worried the Elena will sue them for harassment, or quit.  Hilda agrees to talk to Elena if Betty will talk to Papi.

Betty takes her father to the city for lunch, while Hilda talks to Elena.  The approaches of the two couldn’t be more different.  Betty dances around the subject, and Hilda gets right to it.  Elena assures Hilda that everything is all right.  Betty and Papi never get around to talking about what was on the tape.

In her office, Wilhelmina complains to Marc about how she has no memories with Connor like Molly.  She says she hasn’t even seen the inside of his apartment.  Marc asks if Connor had invited her, she replies that he had, but he lives in Murray Hill, and she’s “not a barbarian”.  Marc suggests she open herself up to Connor; Wilhelmina replies that it’s “not her”.  Marc tells her to take baby steps, like going to see his apartment.

Betty and Ignacio walk into Mode; Papi excuses himself to go to the restroom.  Claire approaches, and tells Betty that one of her friends told her that Betty was coming to ask questions about her.  Betty lies and says it’s an assignment for YETI.  The conversation then turns to Betty’s predicament with her father.  Claire volunteers to talk to Ignacio about his behavior with Elena.  Ignacio walks up, and Claire asks him to have coffee with her.

Marc shows Wilhelmina a huge mock-up of a future cover, she approves and sends him away. As he is leaving, Connor comes in.  He tells Wilhelmina that he’s all set for a meeting the next day in London.  Marc, standing behind Connor, writes “Miss U” on the back of the mockup and holds it up; Wilhelmina says (uncomfortably) I’ll miss you.  Marc then pantomime guides her through “mushy talk”, and it’s hilarious.  Marc almost gets caught, and leaves. Wilhelmina asks Connor if there’s anything she can do while he’s away,   Wilhelmina grows wings, then we see a beautiful bird.

In Connor’s apartment, he introduces her to “Olivia Newton Bird”, and asks Wilhelmina to bird-sit.  She is quite uncomfortable with the bird, but goes ahead with it anyway.  Connor leaves for London.  She tries to talk to the bird, but it replies “pretty Molly”

At the Suarez house, Hilda tells Betty about her very constructive conversation with Elena.  Betty then reveals that she never got around to the subject in her talk with Papi.    Hilda is upset, but Betty tells her that CLaire talked to him, so it’s OK.  Ignacio walks in – it’s never spoken of, but Papi has colored his hair.  Ignacio tells them that he knows they are worried about him, but that everything is fine.  Betty runs off to interview Claire’s friends.

This leads to an hilarious montage of women who really can’t say anything nice about Claire at all.  They are all quite mean, although they are smiling.

Betty walks into Mode; Amanda asks her how the Claire Witch Project was going.  Betty tells her how awful it’s been.  Amanda volunteers to be interviews.  She looks into the camera and says, “Happy Birthday, Mrs Meade!”  Then her expression changes, and she shouts, “You killed my mother!”  Betty shuts down the camera.

In Wilhelmina’s office, the bird is still saying “Pretty Molly”, much to Willy’s chagrin.  Marc tells her that offering to bird-sit might have been a little much.  WIlly responds that “people in love do stupid things”.  Marc is amazed she said the “L” word.  He asks if she’s told Connor, and she says of course not.  She says she CAN’T say it first.  Willy says that until Connor says it first, no one outside of her office will hear her say, “I Love Connor”.  The bird then says, “I love Connor”repeatedly , to their shock. 

Daniel takes Molly to a Himalayan restaurant as a surprise, but unfortunately, it was “her place with Connor”.  Their were even pictures on the wall of Connor and Molly (Daniel is very upset about this).

Hilda, Betty and Justin are getting ready for dinner; they call Papi, but he doesn’t come.  Betty goes to get Ignacio.  As she passes by the front door, she sees two silhouettes outside.  She opens the curtain to see Papi making out with Elena.  Betty is speechless but manages to ask them if they a “together”  (they are).

Betty and Hilda confront them, they are very angry.  Ignacio says that he had kept it a secret, but after talking to Claire, he realized he needed to come out in the open about it.  Hilda yells at Elena because she had lied to her.  Ignacio defends her.  Hilda continues going after Elena though.  Elena offers to leave, Betty says that would be a good idea.  Ignacio says that’s not up to HER.  But Elena says she can’t do this, and leaves.   Papi tells the girls that Elena would never replace their mother – they tell him not to mention the two in the same sentence.   Ignacio says “This isn’t about me, it’s about you”

At the restaurant, Daniel tries his best to eat the food brought to Molly (blood sausage).  He tries to order a couple of times, but ends up ordering something he wouldn’t have likes, or something Connor would have had.  Daniel starts to tell Molly of his jealousy of COnnor, but gets sick first, and has to go throw up.

Betty videotapes Claire shopping for the tribute video, under the guise of her YETI project.  Claire tells her she’s thinking about starting an advice column at Hot Flash.  This sets Betty off, and she asks her why she had told Ignacio that seeing Elena was OK.  Claire tells Betty that she told him to follow his heart. 

Claire grabs a pair of panties and tries to sneak them out of the store.  A security guard chases them, and Betty grabs the panties as Claire is walking away, while the security guard grabs Betty. Later as Betty is trying to explain things to the security person, Claire walks in with the manager, and confesses.  The manager says he’ll let the police sort it out.

Betty asks her why she’s doing all this. Claire sits Betty down and tells her about the loneliness of having grown children and  a spouse that has passed.  It’s quite sad, and we (and Betty) then begin to understand why she told Ignacio to follow his heart.  The manager then walks in and tells them that they saw the security tape, and Betty is free to go.  They take Claire away, though.

In his office, Daniel is still recovering from the Himalayan food.  He apologizes to Molly, who tells him they’ll be able to make plenty of their own memories together.  Daniel reveals that he’s never had a relationship over 6 months; Molly says she’ll keep him straight.  Betty then calls Daniel on his cell about Claire.

Daniel comes to the store, and walks into the room where they are holding Claire.  He tells her that he had their lawyer smooth things over, so she’s free to go.  Claire apologizes, and Daniel apologizes for not being a very good son.  Claire says they should go, she shouldn’t be late for her party.

Wilhelmina repeats phrases over and over to the bird (I love Prada!  I love Gucci!), but it just keeps repeating “I love Connor”.  Willy gives up and tells Marc to throw it out the window.  Marc says, “But…that’s Bird-er!”  Marc then tells Wilhelmina that waiting for someone to say “I love you first” has nothing to do with power, it just means you’re afraid. 

Elena walks to her home.  Betty is there, and has a heart to heart with her.  Elena doesn’t know why, out of all her patients, she’s falling for Ignacio.  Betty, having had her heart-to-heart with Claire, tells her that she will try to come to peace with their relationship.

Hilda is setting places for dinner – Betty asks her to add one more for Elena.  Hilda is silently upset about it, Ignacio is beaming.  Betty tells Hilda that it’s hard for both of them, but they shouldn’t stand in the way.  As they make up with Ignacio, Justin bursts in with joy, because he found out that Elena knows all kinds of juicy secrets about Keifer Sutherland.   Hilda goes to set another place setting – it’s obvious she is still uncomfortable with the whole situation.

Connor comes home and tells Wilhelmina he closed the deal.  As he goes to check on the bird, Wilhelmina blurts out that she loves him.  He rushes to her and kisses her.  He says he loves her, too.  The bird says, “I love Connor”.

Daniel and Claire stop off by Mode “to pick something up” before Claire’s birthday party.  We then see that Daniel has arranged to have a beautifully decorated dinner in his office, fully catered.  he gives her his full attention for the night; Claire is beaming.

We see Wilhelmina and Connor ice skating.

We also see the Suarez dinner; Ignacio, Elena, Justin, Betty, and Hilda each have a different look on his/her face. 

Image: Bauer-Griffin