Ugly Betty Episode 4.07 Full Recap

Here is the full recap for Ugly Betty episode 4.07, Level (7) with me.

In case you haven’t heard, the ratings were about as awful as it gets.  Although Thanksgiving week is usually the low point for Betty ratings, this was unusually bad (a .9 /3 share with 3.39 million viewers).  Hopefully things can get better with the Bahamas episode, but man, it’s bad for Betty right now.  With these ratings, the show might not make it to the end of the season.  The only thing saving the show is that ABC has it pegged for syndication.

This is really a shame, because this season creatively has been very good.

I think it’s now or never for Betty fans.  I don’t know what can be done  to save the show, besides moving it (although we’re in a catch-22 – why would ABC put such a horribly performing show in a “good” time slot?).  Yet, it seems the only way.

There is a petition to “Save Ugly Betty” here.  Please take the time to sign it.  There is also a Twitter account for the campaign here.

Don’t mean to be such a downer – the episode was good, and there are some that are upcoming that look to be spectacular!  Regardless, I’m going to enjoy the show as long as it lasts.

Recap after the jump!

Suzuki St Pierre reports on Fashion Buzz about video showing Wilhelmina wearing sweats and clogs.  This segues into an interview with Daniel, who turns the interview into a spiel for The Community of the Phoenix (COP), much to Suzuki’s chagrin.

Marc confronts Willi about her recent fashion choices, and when Wilhelmina says “Fashion isn’t everything”, Marc slaps her.  She lets it go because she “deserved it”.  Willi says she’s tried everything including asking for her job back, but Claire said no (Willi says she opened her mouth and a cloud of dust came out).

Amanda rushes to the editor’s meeting.  Matt has injured himself and needs her to take notes at the meeting.  She tells Marc that she’s going to ask him out, secretly if need be.

Daniel has brought COP members to the editorial meeting, and after Betty suggests a pirate theme for the Bahamas Fearless issue, Bennett whispers in Daniel’s ear, and he shoots it down.  Betty, upset by this but unable to talk to Daniel, decides to hide in the men’s room until Daniel arrives.  She does this, and he tells her she just has to experience the group to understand it.  Betty says she could write a story about them – Daniel thinks about it.  Later, Betty tells Claire she’s gotten total access; Claire says, “we’re in.”

Amanda gives Claire a large envelope from the South Dakota Child Protective Services Dept.  Claire goes to a corner, opens it, and looks at a picture of a little boy.

Matt is having trouble picking up sushi with chopsticks because he has injured his thumb playing video game Tennis.  Amanda gets his food for him, asking him to come to her place for dinner and video games, (she then leaves with his food :) ).

Betty arrives at the rather strange COP building, and they are waiting for her.  Bennett scares her by being all foreboding, then says he’s just kidding.  He points to a room and says that’s where people go to Level 7.  He then turns the conversation to Betty, bringing up her mother’s death, and how Betty sometimes feels guilty because she has a hard time remembering her mother.  Betty is very upset by this, but someone interrupts and Bennett has to leave, so they cut it short.

Wilhelmina has arranged for Nico to go to Venezuela.  Nico tries to fight this, but Willi insists.

Marc notices people at Mode laughing about tabloid stories about Willi’s unfortunate recent fashion choices, and takes action.  He goes to her apartment and removes all the offending items, ducking into an alley and putting them in the dumpster.  In the process, a pair of clogs fall out and he tries them on, loving them.  He then has to hide because Nico is approaching with Jonathan.  He overhears them plotting and sees them embrace.  As the leave, Marc runs (in clogs) to get to Willi.

Betty stares at a picture of her mother, then tells Claire about the aborted investigation.  Claire then asks Betty to get into Daniel’s bank account online (she knows his password) and see if there have been any large transfers.  Daniel interrupts them.  They then fight about this.  Natalie overhears and calls Bennett.  Daniel sees Natalie, and sneaks out so he can go to Level 7 (and “be” with Molly).

Matt and Amanda have a fun time playing video game tennis.  In the process, Amanda tells Matt about the COP members at the editorial meeting.  As she tells Matt more, he recognizes who they are; apparently, he had previously dabbled with a Canadian group run by Bennett.  He calls Daniel’s desk, only to get Claire and Betty.  He tells them about his experience in Canada.  He said the group eventually drugs members (supposedly to see dead loved ones).  It was strong stuff – someone had died.  Betty and Claire notice Daniel is gone, and run to find him leaving on the elevator.

Amanda, Matt, Betty and Claire have taken a cab to COP headquarters to try and save Daniel.  Betty notices Amanda is with Daniel (who says she has “inside knowledge” of the group).  Matt says the Canadian group had used him to get to his father, because they needed celebrity and power-broker members (ala Scientology).  Matt had left the group on bad terms, and had been banned for life.  They decide to use this to their advantage. 

Matt tries to enter the building, and gets roughed up by members and security.  Betty, Amanda and Claire sneak in behind the commotion.

Marc arrives and tells Willi about Nico and Castelar/Jonathan .  At this point she notices he’s wearing her clogs.  Later, Nico arrives, and Willi confronts her about what Marc saw.  She tells her she had decided to sleep with Castelar to get him to lower his price.  She cries, and Willi buys this, kicking Marc out of the house.

Betty, Amanda, and Claire go from room to room looking for Daniel.  They split up, and Claire and Amanda end up in a room where they are having a grief counseling session.  They pretend to be there for the session.  Amanda enthusiastically tells them about how her mother had died, killed by Claire before Amanda got a chance to know her.  As she reveals her feelings, Claire is moved, and says that Fey would have been proud of her.  Amanda says she forgives Claire for murdering her mother, and they hug, drawing applause from the group.  Betty, who had been hiding, interrupts them, and they leave the room.

Meanwhile, Daniel, Natalie, and Bennett are in a darkened room, and Daniel is ready to go to Level 7.  Bennett gives them the tea; Daniel notices it’s stringer this time.

Betty bursts into the Level 7 room, only to find no one is there.

Matt calls Amanda – he is in jail for trespassing (apparently it’s not an offense where they take your cell phone away :) )  Betty grabs the phone, and tells him Daniel wasn’t in the COP building.  Matt says that the group tries to surround members with the departed loved one’s things; Betty figures out they’re at Molly’s apartment.  They rush into a cab, but Amanda says instead she is going to bail Matt out (Claire gives her bail money).

Wilhelmina shows Nico that they might have another way out of their problems – a gorgeous diamond necklace that she had been determined not to sell,  She conspicuously says the combination of the safe (36-24-36) out loud.  She places the necklace back in the safe until she can get her affairs in order.

Daniel starts to hallucinate, he sees Molly.  At this time, Betty and Claire barge in.  Claire threatens to sue Bennett’s ass out of this world (drawing a “yeah!” from Betty).  Betty runs to Daniel, who is still seeing Molly.  Molly tells Daniel that he needs to move on.  She says this isn’t real, and he can’t live his life pretending that she’s not gone.  She then speaks (but we hear Betty’s voice) saying “You have to let her go”.  Both Betty and Molly then repeatedly tell Daniel to “let her go”.

He says he can’t he never had a chance to say goodbye.  Molly tells him to say it now.  He then kisses Molly.  He then comes out of his “state” and sees Betty and his mother standing there.  He collapses into a chair.

They leave, and Daniel tries to talk to Natalie, who is angrily getting into a cab.  Natalie says she needed Daniel to get to Level 7 (Bennett had told her that).  Daniel says Bennett was just using Natalie to get to him.  This just makes her angrier, and she leaves.

Matt has now injured his other thumb, so Amanda feeds him.  :)  They decide to continue their “date”.

Amanda runs into Claire and they both say they are glad they made up.  Amanda tells Claire that her son is beautiful, and reveals that she had steam-opened the letter from South Dakota.  Claire is surprisingly not mad about this, and makes a phone call booking a flight to SD.

Nico sneaks in to steal the necklace,  Wilhelmina, who had been waiting for her, confronts her.  Nico finally comes clean, telling her that she was so messed up because Willi had sent her away to grow up.  Willi kicks her out.

Daniel and Betty clean out Molly’s apartment.  Daniel decides to keep a few things, donating much of the rest of it.  Betty tells him that she kept her “B” necklace because her mom had given it to her.  Daniel asks if he had kissed her when he thought he was kissing Molly.  Betty says yes, but only around the eyebrow (she’s shorter than Molly).  They continue cleaning the apartment, throwing away the COP beads.

Image: Zuma Press