Ugly Betty Episode 3.15 Full Recap

Here is the full recap of Ugly Betty episode 3.15, There’s No Place Like Mode.  Some quick thoughts:

• Finally, Finally, FINALLY!  This is the writing and acting we’ve been waiting for!  IMHO, this was the best episode of the season.
• The character Heinrich was written funny, but the portrayal by Michael Stuhlbarg was so hilarious, I couldn’t stop laughing.  I don’t know if they can bring him back, but OMG he was funny.
• This is going to get me in trouble with many of you, but I like the new Matt character.  Yes, we once again have a good looking guy who is into Betty (unrealistically?), but you have to admit his character is likeable.  And, I like the fact that he brings a whole new world into the Mode world.
• The writers were so on their game with this episode.  It seemed like EVERYONE had a good line.  Justin had several (I especially liked “You are better than that robe”).
• I am glad Elena and Hilda made up.
• If you haven’t seen the birth of Wilhelmina’s baby, I won’t spoil it for you, but OMG!!!!!!!!  Just watch it!
• They made a little inside joke at the end to those of us who have been complaining about Betty’s wardrobe.  :)

Full recap after the jump!

At YETI, a magazine editor is giving a speech about her experiences in Darfur.  Marc is off-put, but Betty is enthralled.  She is sitting next to the editor’s assistant at New York Review.  Betty goes to ask the writer a question, but she can’t get around this guy that keeps asking her questions about colors.  He calls Betty “fashion girl”.  Betty doesn’t care for that name (Marc walks up and says “I’m fashion girl”).  The New York Review editor asks Betty what she does at Mode.  Betty tells her that she’d really like to get into something else.  The lady says that she’d better do it quick, because she’s on the “fashion track”.

At Mode, Betty tells Christina that she had suggested to Jodi that the YETI members each pair up with someone from another magazine to learn about what they do.  Her intention was to get paired with the girl from New York Review. 

Marc tries to talk Wilhelmina into wearing Donna Karan to all the Day’s events, but she says “Cavali”.  Marc is obviously upset about this.  He says Cavali makes her look like Michelle Obama at the mall.  He then tries several other tacks to get her to change her mind.  Finally, he has to tell her that they didn’t send the dress.  Since Wilhelmina had been seeing Connor, she had fallen off the radar.  This infuriates Wilhelmina, who insists that it is SHE that determines what is in style.

Daniel gives Betty several tasks, including a strange one about “peering cuffs” on his shirts.  Betty asks if he has any non-fashion related assignments for her.  Daniel reminds her that it’s fashion week.  He asks her to write a press release for a designer named Heinrich, a last minute addition to the Mode show.  Molly arrives, all dressed up (but Molly-looking.

Hilda calls Betty and tells her how excited she is that Elena is going away (Ignacio is better now).  Hilda thinks that this might mean her dad might stop seeing Elena.

At YETI, Jodi tells everyone to pick a partner to work with all year.  Betty and the girl from New York Review pair up.  Jodi then tells everyone to turn to the person on the other side, and meet their new partners.  (A common practice at seminars, BTW).  Betty is paired with the “sports guy” who was bothering her before.  Their assignment is to follow each other around for a week, and write five things they learned about what their partner does.

Betty tries to get Jodi to change her mind (and kind of insults the sports guy, who it turns out is right behind her).  The guy (his name is Matt), is quite eager.

At Mode, Betty tries to talk on the phone, but Matt is bothering her with questions.  Amanda passes by.  Betty asks her what she knows about Heinrich; Amanda has never heard of him.

Later, Amanda tells Daniel about his write-ups in the tabloids.  Unfortunately, they had called Molly all kinds of names, like “charity case”>    Daniel is peeved by this.

Betty and Matt go to see Heinrich.  They walk into a bare room (lit CSI style) with two very mannequins wearing bright, happy (literally) clothes. A man is lying on the floor beneath them.  Betty startles him, and he bounds up and introduces himself as THE Heinrich, Heinrich for short.  He then tells Betty they will make love, someday.  Betty asks about the happy dresses; Heinrich says “they are garbage!”, then shows her his designs, a post-apocalyptic mixture of fabric and spiky metal. glass, and wings.  It is truly scary looking.

Betty later shows Christina a picture of the Heinrich dress, and complains about her task.  Matt tries to talk to her about the Closet, but she ignores him and continues talking to Christina.  She sends Matt away to look at back-issues.

Christina and Betty sit down and writes a crazy “joke” press release.  Later Justin helps Betty write the “real” press release.  Justin tells Betty she HAS to let him go to the show, or he will tell everyone she still likes Ricky Martin.  Hilda walks in, having made smiley-face pancakes, to celebrate Elena leaving.  Unfortunately for her, Ignacio comes downstairs, with Elena in his robe.  Betty and Hilda leave (Hilda in anger), and Justin tells Elena, “You’re better than that robe”.

Betty sees Suzuki St Pierre on Fashion TV.  He quotes from the “joke” press release.  Betty can’t believe it. 

Later, Betty desperately searches for the press release.  Matt reveals that he had given it to Daniel (trying to help out).  Daniel walks in, very angry.  But it turns out, he’s angry about the cuffs on his shirt, they still aren’t right.  He liked the press release, and so did Heinrich.  Heinrich wants Betty to produce his show!  Betty is hesitant, but Daniel talks her into it.

In the limo, Marc calls to confirm Wilhelmina’s usual seat at the Proenza Schouler show.  He argues with the person on the phone, then tries to bribe him.  It turns out they put her on the 2nd row.  Gasp!  Wilhelmina decided not to go.

Daniel gives Molly a surprise: a full makeover for fashion week.  When they are done, she looks amazingly like Teri Garr in the 80’s (at least to me).  She is pretty hot, though.

Betty talks to Heinrich – he says she’s the first person to understands him.  He tells her he wants the high, hot, vortex of wind that blows dreams into dust. :)  He wants “gray, but obscure”.  A rainbow of gray, but sharp, like clear fog.  (I’m sorry, this scene was so funny, I have to quote some of it verbatim) He says it’s about pain, and escape, but no escape.  Betty is completely lost.  He tells her to listen to the clothes.

Molly enters the Proenza Schouler show, and Suzuki raves about her.  Unfortunately, when he tries to get her attention, he calls her “Ugly Duckling”.  Molly then finds Daneil, and asks to leave.  She makes up a story about busted pipes in her house.  In the meantime, Marc lines up an interview for Suzuki with Wilhelmina.

Amanda tries desperately to get into the Heinrich show.  Apparently, after the Fashion TV reading of the press release, he’s the new “hot” designer.  Betty thinks the Heinrich show is getting too big, and tries to talk Daniel into putting someone else on it. But Daniel says he trusts her more than anyone.  Betty later frets to Matt that she has wasted three years of her life in an industry she doesn’t understand.  Matt offers to take her to his magazine for a while to take her mind off it, and Betty (wrapped up in herself) says she wants to do something “important”, not sports.  Matt tells her off, and tells her that she’s ust as shallow as the fashion world.

As Matt is getting on the elevator, Betty apologizes profusely.  She offers to go see him at work in his job.  Matt graciously accepts.  We next see them in a locker room with the Detroit Pistons. Betty is hilarious in her embarrassment.  Matt introduces her to Sasha Radovich.  Matt tells Betty how he stunk at sports, and had always thought that pros were overpaid babies.  He tells her how he got to know each of the players personally  He shows her the inside of Sasha’s jersey; it has the names of all of his family in Serbia.  Matt tells her that even though sports writing wasn’t a natural fit for him, he found his way in by making it personal. 

The Suarez family (sans Betty) is watching a movie at home.  Ignacio and Elena are getting a little heavy on the couch.  Hilda complains, then leaves in a huff.  Ignacio comes into the kitchen and tells Hilda she’s being childish.

Wilhelmina raves to Connor about her scathing interview she gave to Suzuki.  The interview comes on Fashion TV, but it’s preempted by doggie fashions (don’t look like last year’s bitch).:)  Wilhelmina is devastated.  Connor tells her if she’s fallen down, she has to get up and claw her way back.

Betty tells Heinrich that she has learned all about him: now he grew up behind the iron curtain, how his father was killed trying to climb over the barbed wire at the Berlin wall, and how he had carried that pain, and put it into his clothes.  She figured him out perfectly.  She then showed him her “Berlin Wall” set design.Te scene then becomes the real set.  Betty and Marc discuss how the set has blocked off the back two exits from the room.

Daniel comes in and tells Betty something is wrong with Molly.  After Betty prods, he tells her about the makeover.  Betty tells him he has to make up for that, it was a mistake.

Hilda arrives at the show, and sees Elena is there.    Justin had given her his seat, hoping she and her mom would make up.

Daniel calls Molly, and apologizes.  He then tells her he loves her.  She starts to cry, but tells him she loves him, too.  We then see that Molly is getting some kind of medical treatment, but she doesn’t tell Daniel.

The Heinrich show starts; it’s crazy over the top.  Betty has done an outstanding job (even with these unwearable clothes).  Heinrich wants to give Betty a dress to thank her, but decides instead to give her a thorny metal halo instead.  Betty tells a very cranky Christina that she finally understands that fashion is art.  It’s not shallow, it’s courageous.

Hilda and Elena bond over spandex and stirrup pants.  They make a truce; Elena promises to cut down on the PDA, and Hilda agrees to chill.

Christina then goes into labor (she had actually been in labor all day).  They couldn’t leave because the iron curtain is blocking the back two exits.  They have to leave via the runway.  Christina then collapses on the runway, as the show continues.  Wilhelmina and Marc see the chance to use this situation to help Wilhelmina’s career.  Marc starts running the show.  Wilhelmina brings the winged models out to shield Christina from the crowd.  She yells for someone who is qualified to deliver a baby. Elena rushes up.  Marc choreographs the lights, then the music, then when the baby is born, the hydraulics.  Wilhelmina slowly rises above the models, holding her baby high.  It’s truly a bizarre, over the top scene.

Later,Matt comes by to congratulate Betty.  Matt then reveals that he was looking forward to working with her because he likes her.

Daniel talks to Betty, he congratulates her, too.  He tells her she’ll be a great editor at Mode someday.  She tells him she’s finally figured out that fashion has more substance than she had thought.  Daniel tells her that if she decides to have a career in fashion, that she’ll have to do something about the crazy colors and clashing patterns.  :) 

Image: Pacific Coast News