A Tree Grows in Guadalajara
Encyclopedia
"A Tree Grows in Guadalajara" is the twenty-second episode from the dramedy series Ugly Betty
, which aired on May 10, 2007. Originally this was supposed to be the season finale, but ABC extended its full season order to 23, thus the change in the scheduling and the extension in the storylines.
in an effort to help Ignacio
obtain a US Visa
and find out more about their true family roots, but before they take off, Hilda
talks to Santos about their wedding plans, while Betty
gets a message from Henry
, and Hilda is wondering why she won't answer back. On the first-class flight, the entire Suarez family had their own issues: Hilda with her wedding and drinking up the champagne; Justin
worrying about being the understudy for "West Side Story"; Betty trying to fill her maternal family tree and practicing her Spanish, not to mention losing one of her earrings; and Ignacio is not all that thrilled about returning to Mexico, not having been on good terms with his family when he left for New York (as an inebriated Hilda rather loudly points out on the plane, "They don't know you killed mom's husband?!").
When they arrive for the family get together, Hilda talks to cousin Clara about fretting over looking for a wedding dress while Betty questions her Aunt Mirta about her late mother, Rosa (Salazar). But it appears that Ignacio and Mirta are trying to hold back the truth since they both have a pact about why Ignacio and Rosa actually left for America. As Betty meets and greets her relatives, an elderly woman (who happens to be a Curandera
) looks at her and begins to give Betty a message that hold all the answers to what she's looking for, which is a blue house that can be found in a tree that is located outside the area. Hilda and Clara thought the woman was nuts, until Betty learned that her missing earring was actually on her dress, as the woman told her to look on her sleeve.
Later that evening, Betty gave Mirta a glass of mimosa
as they talk about Rosa, only to let Mirta slip out the truth about Betty and Hilda's maternal grandmother, Yolanda Salazar; it appears that she is actually alive, and not dead, as Betty and Hilda thought. The next day Ignacio comes clean to the daughters that the reason he kept it a secret was that Yolanda was against Rosa and Ignacio being together, even after sending Yolanda letters and pictures, which were sent back unopened. However, Betty is determined to meet Yolanda and takes Hilda with her. On the bus ride Hilda is enjoying the quesadillas being made at the back of the bus, while Betty sees a person riding on a moped with a goatee, who she thinks is Henry. Hilda thinks Betty is seeing things, but when Betty thinks she sees him again she get off the bus and Hilda follows, only to have the bus take off, prompting Betty and Hilda to walk to a nearby town.
As the two arrive, Betty sees the goatee Henry and follows him, only to discover his image actually lead her to her grandmother! When Betty enters the room, she sees Yolanda and tries to communicate with her. However, it turns out that Yolanda has alzheimer's
, as her caregiver walks in and tells Betty. The caregiver then communicates with Yolanda, who gets up and mistakes Betty for her mother, and apologizes to her for not approving of the relationship between Rosa and Ignacio, then gives her a pair of dresses. Ignacio later arrives and see this exchange as it appears all is forgiven.
Hilda, tired of walking and arguing with Betty, meets Antonio Barreiro, a patron at a cafe where she was resting for a spell. While she rested Antonio gives her a foot rub and asks Hilda if she is making the right decision about marrying Santos, but Hilda says she is. Hilda then sees Betty with a white dress (which happened to be their mother's wedding dress) that she takes to heart as the perfect wedding dress she always dreamed of. As the family is reunited, it appears that it could be short lived as Ignacio tells Betty that his visa has been denied and that he will have to stay in Mexico. Unfortunately, Ignacio's return has also caught the interest of Antonio after he tried to sweet talk Hilda: Moments after Ignacio shakes his hands and thanked him for keeping Hilda company, Antonio makes a phone call informing his contact that Ramiro Vasquez's murderer (Ignacio) has surfaced and they might finally get their revenge.
seems to act more peppy than ever during a conference meeting about coming with ways to improve the magazine, but everyone thinks he is not himself, prompting Alexis
to move on to other business, only to be caught off guard by Wilhelmina
saying that she just got Jordan Dunn to do a series of shoots...and that name prompts Alexis to end the meeting by leaving. As Jordan arrives to confront her ex, Alexis tries her best to explain, but Jordan is still bitter over this. Moments later Daniel sees Jordan, who is about to do a shoot involving bungee jumping and she invites him. The two later learn that they had some feeling for each other and the two embrace, but at the expense of Alexis, who is not happy about Jordan seeing Daniel. Daniel on the other hand believes that Alexis is jealous because she is not a man anymore and he has the upper hand. But hours later, Jordan returns to ask Alexis why she is jealous of her seeing Daniel, only to have Alexis blurt out that she should have told Jordan goodbye. As Alexis and Jordan kiss and embrace each other, Daniel sees this and walks away, and when he looks at his container, he finds that he is out of pills.
In-between the sibling rivalry, Alexis pays off a mysterious person to take care of Bradford, while later that evening a person arrives at Daniel's place to give him his pills, but as Daniel prepares to get his wallet, he is beaten up by a pair of thugs.
is jealous when Amanda
seemingly has a new best gay friend in Tavares, who finally gets his chance to shine as his creations are noticed by Wilhelmina, who suggested that he make some changes in his designs (one of them being a shirt with coconut shell buttons on it) prior to an event she set up for him that evening. For Marc, he is not impressed with Amanda spending her time with Tavares, not knowing that Amanda is actually sleeping with the actually-straight designer, who thanked her for getting him noticed. At the event, Wilhelmina introduces Tavares to an array of gay designers, who is taken in by Tavares' ploy and plays it to the hilt. During the evening Marc sees Amanda and Tavares kissing, then confronts Amanda about latching on to "gay guys" like Tavares and might be feeding off her feelings for Daniel; Amanda sees Marc's reasoning as jealousy, but then tells Marc that Tavares is straight. However, it appears that Tavares is taking advantage of Amanda; as he talks negative about her, Marc hears this and defends her, then exposes him as a straight guy, but the guests are not worried as they embrace Tavares anyway, prompting Wilhelmina to comment that she has never been to a 'coming-in' party. And to top it off, Amanda shows off one of Tavares' designs (the coconut-shell shirt that Wilhelmina had previously disapproved of), thus embarrassing him once and for all. After the party was over, Amanda and Marc visit Christina
's "Closet" (thanks to Marc's friendship with Christina) to grab some designs. When Marc shows Amanda a pair of shoes, Amanda tells him she wants them and as Marc grabs the pair, he opens the entrance to the secret hideaway and the two discovers the "Love Dungeon" as they prepare to take a look.
didn't go through with the divorce papers, saying that he isn't so sure if he wants to divorce Claire
, until Wilhelmina told him that she always thought of him as a person she would rather be with as she has admired Bradford since she joined MODE. So Wilhelmina suggests that Bradford do a makeover, as he begins to remember his early days as "Brad". With help from Christina, Bradford does get a new look (for his age). But at the Tavares party "Brad" is almost hit on by Marc and gets the attention of a woman, only to say that his earring was oozing a little. Bradford seems upset by the end of the party, after realizing he will never feel like "Brad" again. After returning from the party, Wilhelmina tells Bradford that she likes him better as sexy, sophisticated, mature Bradford, rather than "Brad". Bradford, is touched, and signs the divorce papers and begin his passionate evening with Wilhelmina.
and in portions of Death Valley
. In addition, stuntperson Anna Mercedes Morris
would make her third appearance in this episode in which a stunt double was used for America Ferrera's character.
The Blue House mentioned in the episode is a place in Mexico where the painter Frida Kahlo
's parents lived. Executive Producer Salma Hayek
played Frida Kahlo in the movie, appropriately titled "Frida
".
There was also an error in another scene. When Wilhelmina shoves Tavarez's coconut-shell-buttons blazer back into his hands and says the line, "Fix it by tomorrow night", her mouth doesn't move.
(Clara) are Americans of Puerto Rican
descent, Rita Moreno (Mirta) and Lillian Hurst (Yolanda) are natives of Puerto Rico
, America Ferrera (Betty) is Honduran
-American, Tony Plana (Ignacio) is a native of Cuba
, Mark Indelicato (Justin) is American of mixed Italian
/Puerto Rican descent, and Arap Bethke
(Antonio Reyes) was born in Kenya
, and raised in Mexico. He is of German
and Chile
an parentage, but considers himself Mexican since he grew up there. Lilyan Chauvin
, who played the Curandera in the episode, is actually French
.
It was rumoured in "People en español" that Angélica Vale
would appear in this episode as her La Fea Más Bella character, Leticia "Lety" Padilla Solis, but it didn't happen. She actually appeared in the following episode, but she didn't play Lety. Her character was a dental assistant who looked exactly like Lety, though.
's Tanner Stransky notes, "I have to admit that when I realized Ugly Betty was going to put its weird, rambling subplot of Ignacio's visa woes front and center, I immediately thought, Oh, hell no. For the second half of the season, I'd been fighting yawns when this snoozefest story line worked its way into an episode. Buuuut, I'm kind of into it now that the subplot got a little bit more play. It was a breath of fresh, wholesome air in an otherwise really bitchy, shallow (but totally delicious!) season of television."
" in the airline scene. "Wild Hogs" is another Disney-related property, as the 2007 film is produced by Touchstone Pictures
.
In one scene Justin makes a reference to West Side Story; Rita Moreno starred in the 1961 film
, and won an Academy Award
for Best Supporting Actress
in which she portrayed Anita.
The title of the Episode, 'A Tree Grows in Guadalajara', hints to the 1945 film and book 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn', in which the film's main character, Francie Nolan, comes of age while working to support her family, which links with the story of Betty, coming to age as an assistant to the editor of MODE magazine. The city Guadalajara is the capital of the state Jalisco in Mexico. On Betty's first day at MODE, she wore a bright red poncho with 'Guadalajara' written on it.
Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...
, which aired on May 10, 2007. Originally this was supposed to be the season finale, but ABC extended its full season order to 23, thus the change in the scheduling and the extension in the storylines.
The Trip to Guadalajara
The day begins with the Suarezes traveling to MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in an effort to help Ignacio
Ignacio Suarez
Ignacio Suarez is a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. He is portrayed by Tony Plana. Ignacio's character is equivalent to Hermes Pinzón Galarza, father to Beatriz Pinzón Solano.-Background:...
obtain a US Visa
Visa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
and find out more about their true family roots, but before they take off, Hilda
Hilda Suarez
Hilda Suarez Talercio is a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. She is portrayed by Ana Ortiz. Hilda's character is the American adaptation's equivalent to Julia Solano Galindo de Pinzón, Beatriz Pinzón Solano's mother, and is loosely based on creator Silvio Horta's older...
talks to Santos about their wedding plans, while Betty
Betty Suarez
Beatriz "Betty" U. Suarez is a central fictional character and heroine of the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. She is portrayed by America Ferrera, who won a 2007 Golden Globe and 2007 SAG award for her portrayal of the character, as well as the Outstanding Actress in a Comedy award for the role...
gets a message from Henry
Henry Grubstick
Henry Grubstick is a fictional character in the American drama series Ugly Betty. He is played by Christopher Gorham.Henry's character is equivalent to Nicolás in Betty la fea. Henry and Nicolás have similar features. They are both tall, have dark brown hair, and wear square glasses...
, and Hilda is wondering why she won't answer back. On the first-class flight, the entire Suarez family had their own issues: Hilda with her wedding and drinking up the champagne; Justin
Justin Suarez
Justin Suarez is a fictional character on the American comedy-drama series Ugly Betty which is an adaptation of the Colombian telenovela Betty la fea. He is portrayed by actor Mark Indelicato. Justin lives with his mother Hilda, his aunt Betty, and his grandfather Ignacio...
worrying about being the understudy for "West Side Story"; Betty trying to fill her maternal family tree and practicing her Spanish, not to mention losing one of her earrings; and Ignacio is not all that thrilled about returning to Mexico, not having been on good terms with his family when he left for New York (as an inebriated Hilda rather loudly points out on the plane, "They don't know you killed mom's husband?!").
When they arrive for the family get together, Hilda talks to cousin Clara about fretting over looking for a wedding dress while Betty questions her Aunt Mirta about her late mother, Rosa (Salazar). But it appears that Ignacio and Mirta are trying to hold back the truth since they both have a pact about why Ignacio and Rosa actually left for America. As Betty meets and greets her relatives, an elderly woman (who happens to be a Curandera
Curandero
A curandero or curandeiro is a traditional folk healer or shaman in Latin America, who is dedicated to curing physical or spiritual illnesses. The role of a curandero or curandera can also incorporate the roles of psychiatrist along with that of doctor and healer. Many curanderos use Catholic...
) looks at her and begins to give Betty a message that hold all the answers to what she's looking for, which is a blue house that can be found in a tree that is located outside the area. Hilda and Clara thought the woman was nuts, until Betty learned that her missing earring was actually on her dress, as the woman told her to look on her sleeve.
Later that evening, Betty gave Mirta a glass of mimosa
Mimosa (cocktail)
A Mimosa is a cocktail-like drink composed of one part champagne and one part thoroughly chilled orange juice. It is traditionally served in a tall champagne flute with a morning brunch as hair of the dog or to guests at weddings. ....
as they talk about Rosa, only to let Mirta slip out the truth about Betty and Hilda's maternal grandmother, Yolanda Salazar; it appears that she is actually alive, and not dead, as Betty and Hilda thought. The next day Ignacio comes clean to the daughters that the reason he kept it a secret was that Yolanda was against Rosa and Ignacio being together, even after sending Yolanda letters and pictures, which were sent back unopened. However, Betty is determined to meet Yolanda and takes Hilda with her. On the bus ride Hilda is enjoying the quesadillas being made at the back of the bus, while Betty sees a person riding on a moped with a goatee, who she thinks is Henry. Hilda thinks Betty is seeing things, but when Betty thinks she sees him again she get off the bus and Hilda follows, only to have the bus take off, prompting Betty and Hilda to walk to a nearby town.
As the two arrive, Betty sees the goatee Henry and follows him, only to discover his image actually lead her to her grandmother! When Betty enters the room, she sees Yolanda and tries to communicate with her. However, it turns out that Yolanda has alzheimer's
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
, as her caregiver walks in and tells Betty. The caregiver then communicates with Yolanda, who gets up and mistakes Betty for her mother, and apologizes to her for not approving of the relationship between Rosa and Ignacio, then gives her a pair of dresses. Ignacio later arrives and see this exchange as it appears all is forgiven.
Hilda, tired of walking and arguing with Betty, meets Antonio Barreiro, a patron at a cafe where she was resting for a spell. While she rested Antonio gives her a foot rub and asks Hilda if she is making the right decision about marrying Santos, but Hilda says she is. Hilda then sees Betty with a white dress (which happened to be their mother's wedding dress) that she takes to heart as the perfect wedding dress she always dreamed of. As the family is reunited, it appears that it could be short lived as Ignacio tells Betty that his visa has been denied and that he will have to stay in Mexico. Unfortunately, Ignacio's return has also caught the interest of Antonio after he tried to sweet talk Hilda: Moments after Ignacio shakes his hands and thanked him for keeping Hilda company, Antonio makes a phone call informing his contact that Ramiro Vasquez's murderer (Ignacio) has surfaced and they might finally get their revenge.
Jordan!
Meanwhile, back at MODE, DanielDaniel Meade
Daniel Meade is a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. He is played by Eric Mabius.-Background:Daniel is the second son of magazine publisher Bradford Meade and Claire Meade in 1974...
seems to act more peppy than ever during a conference meeting about coming with ways to improve the magazine, but everyone thinks he is not himself, prompting Alexis
Alexis Meade
Alexis Meade is a fictional character from the ABC dramedy series Ugly Betty. She was initially played by Elizabeth Penn Payne for the first 12 episodes of her appearance and was played by Rebecca Romijn for the rest of the series.-Biography:Alex Meade was a background presence in the...
to move on to other business, only to be caught off guard by Wilhelmina
Wilhelmina Slater
Wilhelmina Vivian Slater is a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. She is played by Vanessa Williams, who received a supporting actress award at the 2007 and 2008 NAACP Image Awards, a Best TV Villain award at the 2007 Teen Choice Awards and a supporting actress...
saying that she just got Jordan Dunn to do a series of shoots...and that name prompts Alexis to end the meeting by leaving. As Jordan arrives to confront her ex, Alexis tries her best to explain, but Jordan is still bitter over this. Moments later Daniel sees Jordan, who is about to do a shoot involving bungee jumping and she invites him. The two later learn that they had some feeling for each other and the two embrace, but at the expense of Alexis, who is not happy about Jordan seeing Daniel. Daniel on the other hand believes that Alexis is jealous because she is not a man anymore and he has the upper hand. But hours later, Jordan returns to ask Alexis why she is jealous of her seeing Daniel, only to have Alexis blurt out that she should have told Jordan goodbye. As Alexis and Jordan kiss and embrace each other, Daniel sees this and walks away, and when he looks at his container, he finds that he is out of pills.
In-between the sibling rivalry, Alexis pays off a mysterious person to take care of Bradford, while later that evening a person arrives at Daniel's place to give him his pills, but as Daniel prepares to get his wallet, he is beaten up by a pair of thugs.
I ♥ Tavares
In other scenarios, MarcMarc St. James
Marcus "Marc" St. James is a fictional character in the American comedy-drama series Ugly Betty. He is played by Michael Urie...
is jealous when Amanda
Amanda Tanen
Amanda Tanen Sommers is a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. She is played by Becki Newton. Amanda's character is a combination of Patricia Fernandez and Marcela Valencia, but her appearance is similar to Marcia Villarroel from the Columbian adaptation...
seemingly has a new best gay friend in Tavares, who finally gets his chance to shine as his creations are noticed by Wilhelmina, who suggested that he make some changes in his designs (one of them being a shirt with coconut shell buttons on it) prior to an event she set up for him that evening. For Marc, he is not impressed with Amanda spending her time with Tavares, not knowing that Amanda is actually sleeping with the actually-straight designer, who thanked her for getting him noticed. At the event, Wilhelmina introduces Tavares to an array of gay designers, who is taken in by Tavares' ploy and plays it to the hilt. During the evening Marc sees Amanda and Tavares kissing, then confronts Amanda about latching on to "gay guys" like Tavares and might be feeding off her feelings for Daniel; Amanda sees Marc's reasoning as jealousy, but then tells Marc that Tavares is straight. However, it appears that Tavares is taking advantage of Amanda; as he talks negative about her, Marc hears this and defends her, then exposes him as a straight guy, but the guests are not worried as they embrace Tavares anyway, prompting Wilhelmina to comment that she has never been to a 'coming-in' party. And to top it off, Amanda shows off one of Tavares' designs (the coconut-shell shirt that Wilhelmina had previously disapproved of), thus embarrassing him once and for all. After the party was over, Amanda and Marc visit Christina
Christina McKinney
Christina McKinney is a fictional character in the American comedy-drama series Ugly Betty. She is played by Ashley Jensen. Christina is based on Bertha Muñoz de González, only she isn't plus-sized, but both have a great ear for gossip....
's "Closet" (thanks to Marc's friendship with Christina) to grab some designs. When Marc shows Amanda a pair of shoes, Amanda tells him she wants them and as Marc grabs the pair, he opens the entrance to the secret hideaway and the two discovers the "Love Dungeon" as they prepare to take a look.
Divorce Claire
Finally, Wilhelmina is upset that BradfordBradford Meade
Bradford Emerson Meade is a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty, played by Alan Dale. Bradford's character was equivalent to Roberto Mendoza in the original Betty la fea, Armando's father, with Armando equalling Daniel....
didn't go through with the divorce papers, saying that he isn't so sure if he wants to divorce Claire
Claire Meade
Claire Meade is a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. She is played by Judith Light.Light's performance as Claire has resulted in a nomination for outstanding guest actress in a Comedy series at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards, when Claire was a recurring regular in season...
, until Wilhelmina told him that she always thought of him as a person she would rather be with as she has admired Bradford since she joined MODE. So Wilhelmina suggests that Bradford do a makeover, as he begins to remember his early days as "Brad". With help from Christina, Bradford does get a new look (for his age). But at the Tavares party "Brad" is almost hit on by Marc and gets the attention of a woman, only to say that his earring was oozing a little. Bradford seems upset by the end of the party, after realizing he will never feel like "Brad" again. After returning from the party, Wilhelmina tells Bradford that she likes him better as sexy, sophisticated, mature Bradford, rather than "Brad". Bradford, is touched, and signs the divorce papers and begin his passionate evening with Wilhelmina.
Production
The Mexican setting in this episode (including the scene featuring the blue house and the tree) was actually shot around Los Angeles CountyLos Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
and in portions of Death Valley
Death Valley
Death Valley is a desert valley located in Eastern California. Situated within the Mojave Desert, it features the lowest, driest, and hottest locations in North America. Badwater, a basin located in Death Valley, is the specific location of the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet below...
. In addition, stuntperson Anna Mercedes Morris
Anna Mercedes Morris
Anna Mercedes Morris is a professional Hollywood stuntwoman and actress. She also goes by the alias Michelle Diamond.-Career:...
would make her third appearance in this episode in which a stunt double was used for America Ferrera's character.
The Blue House mentioned in the episode is a place in Mexico where the painter Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo de Rivera was a Mexican painter, born in Coyoacán, and perhaps best known for her self-portraits....
's parents lived. Executive Producer Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek
Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez de Pinault is a Mexican film actress, director and producer. She received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her role as Frida Kahlo in the film Frida.-Early life:...
played Frida Kahlo in the movie, appropriately titled "Frida
Frida
Frida is a 2002 biographical film which depicts the professional and private life of the surrealist Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. It stars Salma Hayek in her Academy Award nominated portrayal as Kahlo and Alfred Molina as her husband, Diego Rivera....
".
There was also an error in another scene. When Wilhelmina shoves Tavarez's coconut-shell-buttons blazer back into his hands and says the line, "Fix it by tomorrow night", her mouth doesn't move.
Casting
The actors playing the Mexican relatives and natives in this episode are not from Mexico. Ana Ortiz (Hilda) and Justina MachadoJustina Machado
Justina Machado is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Vanessa Diaz in the HBO drama series Six Feet Under.-Early life:...
(Clara) are Americans of Puerto Rican
Puerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
descent, Rita Moreno (Mirta) and Lillian Hurst (Yolanda) are natives of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, America Ferrera (Betty) is Honduran
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
-American, Tony Plana (Ignacio) is a native of Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Mark Indelicato (Justin) is American of mixed Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
/Puerto Rican descent, and Arap Bethke
Arap Bethke
Ricardo Arap Bethke Galdames is a Mexican actor.-Biography:He was born to a German father and a Chilean mother, but grew up in Mexico.He is most remembered for his role of "Chacho" in the telenovela Clase 406...
(Antonio Reyes) was born in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, and raised in Mexico. He is of German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
and Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an parentage, but considers himself Mexican since he grew up there. Lilyan Chauvin
Lilyan Chauvin
Lilyan Chauvin , born Lilyan Zemoz, was a French-American actress, television host, director, writer, former Vice President of Women in Film, author, teacher and private coach....
, who played the Curandera in the episode, is actually French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
.
It was rumoured in "People en español" that Angélica Vale
Angélica Vale
Angélica Vale is a Mexican actress, singer and comedienne, known also as the daughter of Angélica María, "La Novia de Mexico" , and as the daughter of comedian Raul Vale...
would appear in this episode as her La Fea Más Bella character, Leticia "Lety" Padilla Solis, but it didn't happen. She actually appeared in the following episode, but she didn't play Lety. Her character was a dental assistant who looked exactly like Lety, though.
Reception
Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
's Tanner Stransky notes, "I have to admit that when I realized Ugly Betty was going to put its weird, rambling subplot of Ignacio's visa woes front and center, I immediately thought, Oh, hell no. For the second half of the season, I'd been fighting yawns when this snoozefest story line worked its way into an episode. Buuuut, I'm kind of into it now that the subplot got a little bit more play. It was a breath of fresh, wholesome air in an otherwise really bitchy, shallow (but totally delicious!) season of television."
Other notes
Betty mentions "Wild HogsWild Hogs
Wild Hogs is a 2007 comedy film directed by Walt Becker and starring Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence, and William H. Macy. It was released nationwide in the United States and Canada on March 2, 2007, though preview film screenings were held in select areas on February 24, 2007.-Plot:Doug...
" in the airline scene. "Wild Hogs" is another Disney-related property, as the 2007 film is produced by Touchstone Pictures
Touchstone Pictures
Touchstone Pictures is an American film production label and is one of several film labels of the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group. Established in 1984, its releases typically feature more mature themes and darker tones than those that are released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner.Touchstone...
.
In one scene Justin makes a reference to West Side Story; Rita Moreno starred in the 1961 film
West Side Story (film)
West Side Story is a 1961 musical film directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. The film is an adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was adapted from William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. It stars Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno,...
, and won an Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
in which she portrayed Anita.
The title of the Episode, 'A Tree Grows in Guadalajara', hints to the 1945 film and book 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn', in which the film's main character, Francie Nolan, comes of age while working to support her family, which links with the story of Betty, coming to age as an assistant to the editor of MODE magazine. The city Guadalajara is the capital of the state Jalisco in Mexico. On Betty's first day at MODE, she wore a bright red poncho with 'Guadalajara' written on it.
Guest stars
- Rita MorenoRita MorenoRita Moreno is a Puerto Rican singer, dancer and actress. She is the only Hispanic and one of the few performers who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony, and was the second Puerto Rican to win an Academy Award....
(Aunt Mirta) - Justina MachadoJustina MachadoJustina Machado is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Vanessa Diaz in the HBO drama series Six Feet Under.-Early life:...
(Cousin Clara) - Rebecca GayheartRebecca Gayheart-Early life:Gayheart was born in Hazard, Kentucky and raised in Pine Top, Kentucky, the daughter of Floneva , who worked as a Mary Kay independent beauty consultant, and Curtis Gayheart, a miner and coal truck driver. She is of Irish, Italian, and German descent...
(Jordan) - Mykel Shannon-JenkinsMykel Shannon-JenkinsMykel Shannon Jenkins is an American actor, perhaps best known as the winner of the first season of the SOAPnet reality television series I Wanna Be a Soap Star.-Career:...
(Tavares) - Lillian HurstLillian HurstLillian Hurst is a Puerto Rican actress and comedienne. Hurst made her debut as a television comedian in the early 1960s. She participated in various Off-Broadway and movie productions in the United States.-Early years:...
(Yolanda) - Bunnie Rivera (Yolanda's nurse)
- Lilyan ChauvinLilyan ChauvinLilyan Chauvin , born Lilyan Zemoz, was a French-American actress, television host, director, writer, former Vice President of Women in Film, author, teacher and private coach....
(The Curandera) - Arap BethkeArap BethkeRicardo Arap Bethke Galdames is a Mexican actor.-Biography:He was born to a German father and a Chilean mother, but grew up in Mexico.He is most remembered for his role of "Chacho" in the telenovela Clase 406...
(Antonio Reyes)