Bananas for Betty
Encyclopedia
"Bananas for Betty" is the tenth episode in the second season, and the 33rd episode overall, of the American dramedy series Ugly Betty
, which aired on December 6, 2007. The episode was written by Tracy Poust
and Jon Kinnally
and directed by Michael Spiller
.
Nick walks over to Amanda's desk and sees her using paperclips, which he had been looking for all day. Amanda counters by saying she had a good reason, and shows him a string of clips that lead to Halston, who is dressed up in nailclip couture. Nick responds by getting security to remove Halston from the building, stunning Amanda.
Meanwhile, Betty's workday is interrupted by Hilda's visit to make copies for her new beauty salon. Betty has invited Henry and Gio to help fix up Hilda's new business. Gio and Hilda hit it off, but things don't go as well for Henry and Betty. Gio offers to help Henry fix a sink but Henry says no. After Henry fixes the sink on his own, however, he gets drenched; his clothes are replaced by a new set whipped up by Justin. When Hilda and Gio announce that they are going to a salsa club they ask Betty and Henry to come along; however, Betty and Henry already have plans at Henry's apartment, so they turn down the invitation.
For Wilhelmina, her attempts to get funding for SLATER are causing most of her staffers to start losing patience, and even the attempts to get financiers have hit a roadblock. Marc suggests another option; change her image. Apparently, it works and the "makeover" makes the headlines on "Fashion TV." However, later that evening after a meeting with her investors, Wilhelmina grabs a taxi only to be confronted by an elderly woman, on whom she slams the door. Unfortunately, the elderly woman turns out to be Betty White
, and thanks to a pair of eyewitnesses who catch the incident on a cell phone, it makes headlines even on YouTube
. Wilhelmina is surprised over this negative publicity, and when Marc assures her that it won't affect the investors, the phones start ringing endlessly with calls from the backers.
At Henry's apartment, Henry tells Betty what their romantic evening consists of: making ice cream and watching a movie, though Betty sees this as boring. Although they attempt to spice things up by having Betty place ice cream and toppings on Henry, the evening for the two becomes a disaster, so Betty suggests that the two should join Hilda and Gio at the club. Once there, Betty sees her sister and Gio hit it off by drinking and dancing, while Henry feels that he is out of place as Betty tries to loosen him up. Even though Gio offers to buy drinks, Henry turns him down and loses his cool, getting his shirt burned by the flaming pelicans (drinks), and walking out on Betty. Moments later Betty finds that Henry has returned and is showing off his dance moves, thus winning Betty over. The two decide that they will return to the apartment, leaving Hilda and Gio alone. Gio watches the whole scene and ignores Hilda, who sighs, giving the idea that she has "discovered" something. However as Hilda and Gio return to the Suarez home, Hilda thanks Gio for a wonderful evening, then tells him that she wasn't "the Suarez sister that you like", as she has figured out Gio's true feelings about Betty.
Back at Mode, Daniel and Alexis prepare for their paintball battle, with Amanda on team Daniel and Nick and Kenny on team Alexis. During the entire evening the teams try to eliminate each other, but it is Alexis who seems to have the upper hand, even taking out most of Daniel's team. Amanda finally confronts Nick and begins to shoot at him only to find that their dislikes are a turn-on, and they start getting passionate by making out with each other against a window. Alexis then comes in and shoots Amanda, leaving only herself and Daniel in the game. Finally, as Daniel and Alexis confront each other, Daniel sees Alexis fall to the ground; as he prepares to shoot, Daniel instead picks up Alexis and holds her, saying that they can run the company together. Despite this gesture, Alexis tricks him by taking his gun and shooting him, making her the winner and the rightful CEO/President of Meade Publications. The following morning, Betty learns of Daniel's loss as he ponders about what it will be like working under his sister.
The following day, Wilhelmina gets a surprise phone call from Betty White, and the two agree to meet at the hospital to call a truce. Unfortunately, the truce, broadcast live on TV, turns out to be a setup; as the cameras started rolling, Miss White pretends to shake Wilhelmina's hand, only to pull it away and "blaming" her for trying to hurt her sound hand. Wilhelmina cannot believe this, but White was adamant in her story. Later in her apartment, Wilhelmina tells Marc that there will be no SLATER, thanks in part to the publicity they didn't want with Miss White, so she turns to "Plan B," which she removes from the refrigerator and shows to Marc - the sperm she recovered from (the then newly dead) Bradford Meade, which she plans to use to give birth to an heir and get her stake in the company and become part of the Meade family.
to the two Betties, that of America Ferrera
's character getting an ice cream named after her, and guest star Betty White
, who parodied the title character in the 2007 TV Land Awards. Ironically, Mark Indelicato, who played Justin Suarez
in the series, guest starred on White's TV Land
sitcom Hot in Cleveland
after Ugly Betty ended its run in 2010.
For the first time in the series, the opening scene began with the starring cast's credits before the Ugly Betty title sequence was shown.
This episode mentioned the 2008
movie 27 Dresses
, which Christina had exclusive passes to. The film's distributor, Twentieth Century Fox, got promotional consideration in this episode. Fox was also the distributor of The Devil Wears Prada
, whose producer also helmed Dresses.
The scene where Wilhelmina and Marc are walking inside during their conversation in the daytime is Downtown Los Angeles, a couple of Los Angeles County MTA buses are visible in the background.
The Fassbinder German film Henry mentioned in this episode, Die Bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant
, is translated in English as The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, and is a story about a lesbian love affair. The film was released in 1972
.
Another reference to the movie The Devil Wears Prada is made when Fashion TV host Suzuki St. Pierre says "The Devil DONATES Prada", referring to Wilhelmina and her good deeds.
Candace Kita
, who had brief cameo in the episode, also had a cameo in an episode of Pepper Dennis
, which starred current Ugly Betty regular Rebecca Romijn
in the title role.
Alexis' outfit was loosely inspired by the 1968
film Barbarella
, the scene where Alexis starts looking for Daniel when she says "Daniel, come out and play..." was inspired by the 1979
movie The Warriors, and the scene in which she "shoots" Daniel was inspired by a scene from X-Men
, where Wolverine
holds, then kills Mystique
(the character that Romijn played in the film series), who was disguised as Storm after he held her.
The YouTube
video featuring Wilhelmina slamming the cab door on Betty White, as mentioned by Marc in this episode, can be seen here.
This was the last episode of the second season to be shown in the United Kingdom because of the U.S. writers' strike. The show restarted in April 2008.
Betty White's performance in this episode also won over reviewers in "New York Magazine"("Golden Girl Gets It") and "The San Diego Union-Tribune"("AARP Smackdown").
At the same time, there was criticism over the product placement for "27 Dresses". This is the fourth time in the series that a brand name has been used, following Gucci
("Swag"), Victoria's Secret
("How Betty Got Her Grieve Back") and "Wicked
" ("Something Wicked This Way Comes").
Surprisingly in Chicago, the episode (which aired on ABC O&O WLS-TV
) managed to beat an NFL game between the Chicago Bears
and the Washington Redskins
that was airing on WPWR-TV
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 December 6, 2007. The episode was written by Tracy Poust
Tracy Poust
Tracy Poust is a producer and writer for the American television situation comedy Will & Grace . She is currently writing and producing for the hit ABC show, Ugly Betty.- External links :* at the BBC...
and Jon Kinnally
Jon Kinnally
Jon Kinnally is an American television writer and producer, most notable for his work on the TV show Will & Grace.A graduate of the State University of New York at Oswego, Kinnally also appeared as Mitchell in the Will & Grace episode "One Gay at a Time"...
and directed by Michael Spiller
Michael Spiller
Michael Alan Spiller is an American cinematographer and television director.Spiller has directed on numerous series and has also served as a cinematographer prior to directing and worked frequently with Hal Hartley. He was a regular director on the HBO series, Sex and the City where he also served...
.
Plot
The story begins with Daniel and Alexis sitting in Daniel's office where they watch a video of Bradford's will, which was interrupted by Betty (who got a closeup). As he looks into the camera, he tells the siblings that he was sick and upon his death he wanted one of them to run Meade Publications; however, as he begins to explain the situation, he turns the camera off by mistake and the two are left without an answer. This causes Daniel and Alexis, who have been civil since Bradford's death, to once again renew their competitive sibling rivalry. The two later try to resolve the situation by calling Claire from prison but their mother is tired of the two arguing and tells them to settle this once and for all. The Meade siblings decide to solve their problem with a paintball contest.Nick walks over to Amanda's desk and sees her using paperclips, which he had been looking for all day. Amanda counters by saying she had a good reason, and shows him a string of clips that lead to Halston, who is dressed up in nailclip couture. Nick responds by getting security to remove Halston from the building, stunning Amanda.
Meanwhile, Betty's workday is interrupted by Hilda's visit to make copies for her new beauty salon. Betty has invited Henry and Gio to help fix up Hilda's new business. Gio and Hilda hit it off, but things don't go as well for Henry and Betty. Gio offers to help Henry fix a sink but Henry says no. After Henry fixes the sink on his own, however, he gets drenched; his clothes are replaced by a new set whipped up by Justin. When Hilda and Gio announce that they are going to a salsa club they ask Betty and Henry to come along; however, Betty and Henry already have plans at Henry's apartment, so they turn down the invitation.
For Wilhelmina, her attempts to get funding for SLATER are causing most of her staffers to start losing patience, and even the attempts to get financiers have hit a roadblock. Marc suggests another option; change her image. Apparently, it works and the "makeover" makes the headlines on "Fashion TV." However, later that evening after a meeting with her investors, Wilhelmina grabs a taxi only to be confronted by an elderly woman, on whom she slams the door. Unfortunately, the elderly woman turns out to be Betty White
Betty White
Betty White Ludden , better known as Betty White, is an American actress, comedienne, singer, author, and former game show personality. With a career spanning seven decades since 1939, she is best known to modern audiences for her television roles as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and...
, and thanks to a pair of eyewitnesses who catch the incident on a cell phone, it makes headlines even on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. Wilhelmina is surprised over this negative publicity, and when Marc assures her that it won't affect the investors, the phones start ringing endlessly with calls from the backers.
At Henry's apartment, Henry tells Betty what their romantic evening consists of: making ice cream and watching a movie, though Betty sees this as boring. Although they attempt to spice things up by having Betty place ice cream and toppings on Henry, the evening for the two becomes a disaster, so Betty suggests that the two should join Hilda and Gio at the club. Once there, Betty sees her sister and Gio hit it off by drinking and dancing, while Henry feels that he is out of place as Betty tries to loosen him up. Even though Gio offers to buy drinks, Henry turns him down and loses his cool, getting his shirt burned by the flaming pelicans (drinks), and walking out on Betty. Moments later Betty finds that Henry has returned and is showing off his dance moves, thus winning Betty over. The two decide that they will return to the apartment, leaving Hilda and Gio alone. Gio watches the whole scene and ignores Hilda, who sighs, giving the idea that she has "discovered" something. However as Hilda and Gio return to the Suarez home, Hilda thanks Gio for a wonderful evening, then tells him that she wasn't "the Suarez sister that you like", as she has figured out Gio's true feelings about Betty.
Back at Mode, Daniel and Alexis prepare for their paintball battle, with Amanda on team Daniel and Nick and Kenny on team Alexis. During the entire evening the teams try to eliminate each other, but it is Alexis who seems to have the upper hand, even taking out most of Daniel's team. Amanda finally confronts Nick and begins to shoot at him only to find that their dislikes are a turn-on, and they start getting passionate by making out with each other against a window. Alexis then comes in and shoots Amanda, leaving only herself and Daniel in the game. Finally, as Daniel and Alexis confront each other, Daniel sees Alexis fall to the ground; as he prepares to shoot, Daniel instead picks up Alexis and holds her, saying that they can run the company together. Despite this gesture, Alexis tricks him by taking his gun and shooting him, making her the winner and the rightful CEO/President of Meade Publications. The following morning, Betty learns of Daniel's loss as he ponders about what it will be like working under his sister.
The following day, Wilhelmina gets a surprise phone call from Betty White, and the two agree to meet at the hospital to call a truce. Unfortunately, the truce, broadcast live on TV, turns out to be a setup; as the cameras started rolling, Miss White pretends to shake Wilhelmina's hand, only to pull it away and "blaming" her for trying to hurt her sound hand. Wilhelmina cannot believe this, but White was adamant in her story. Later in her apartment, Wilhelmina tells Marc that there will be no SLATER, thanks in part to the publicity they didn't want with Miss White, so she turns to "Plan B," which she removes from the refrigerator and shows to Marc - the sperm she recovered from (the then newly dead) Bradford Meade, which she plans to use to give birth to an heir and get her stake in the company and become part of the Meade family.
Production
The episode is a homageHomage
Homage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....
to the two Betties, that of America Ferrera
America Ferrera
America Georgina Ferrera is an American actress, best known for playing the lead role in the television comedy series Ugly Betty...
's character getting an ice cream named after her, and guest star Betty White
Betty White
Betty White Ludden , better known as Betty White, is an American actress, comedienne, singer, author, and former game show personality. With a career spanning seven decades since 1939, she is best known to modern audiences for her television roles as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and...
, who parodied the title character in the 2007 TV Land Awards. Ironically, Mark Indelicato, who played Justin Suarez
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...
in the series, guest starred on White's TV Land
TV Land
TV Land is an American cable television network launched on April 29, 1996. It is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, which also owns Paramount Pictures, and networks such as MTV and Nickelodeon...
sitcom Hot in Cleveland
Hot in Cleveland
Hot in Cleveland is an American sitcom on TV Land starring Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick and Betty White. The series, which is TV Land's first original scripted series, premiered on June 16, 2010, and was TV Land's highest rated telecast in the cable network's 14-year history. The...
after Ugly Betty ended its run in 2010.
For the first time in the series, the opening scene began with the starring cast's credits before the Ugly Betty title sequence was shown.
This episode mentioned the 2008
2008 in film
This is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...
movie 27 Dresses
27 Dresses
27 Dresses is a 2008 romantic comedy film directed by Anne Fletcher and written by Aline Brosh McKenna. The film stars Katherine Heigl and James Marsden. The film was released January 10, 2008 in Australia and opened in the United States on January 18....
, which Christina had exclusive passes to. The film's distributor, Twentieth Century Fox, got promotional consideration in this episode. Fox was also the distributor of The Devil Wears Prada
The Devil Wears Prada (film)
The Devil Wears Prada is a 2006 comedy-drama film, a loose screen adaptation of Lauren Weisberger's 2003 novel of the same name. It stars Anne Hathaway as Andrea Sachs, a recent college graduate who goes to New York City and gets a job as a co-assistant to powerful and demanding fashion magazine...
, whose producer also helmed Dresses.
The scene where Wilhelmina and Marc are walking inside during their conversation in the daytime is Downtown Los Angeles, a couple of Los Angeles County MTA buses are visible in the background.
The Fassbinder German film Henry mentioned in this episode, Die Bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant
The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant
The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant is a 1972 German film directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, based on his own play. This film has an all female cast and is set in the home of the protagonist, Petra von Kant. It follows the changing dynamics in her relationships with the other women...
, is translated in English as The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, and is a story about a lesbian love affair. The film was released in 1972
1972 in film
The year 1972 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Avanti!, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet MillsB...
.
Another reference to the movie The Devil Wears Prada is made when Fashion TV host Suzuki St. Pierre says "The Devil DONATES Prada", referring to Wilhelmina and her good deeds.
Candace Kita
Candace Kita
Candace Kita real name Candace Bender, is a Japanese-American actress and former fashion model, who has appeared in roles in TV shows such as Complete Savages, Two and a Half Men, According to Jim, and Ugly Betty.-Acting:...
, who had brief cameo in the episode, also had a cameo in an episode of Pepper Dennis
Pepper Dennis
Pepper Dennis is a comedy-drama television series that aired on The WB from April to July 4, 2006. It was quickly announced on May 17, 2006 that Pepper Dennis would not be one of the WB shows transferred to The CW Television Network....
, which starred current Ugly Betty regular Rebecca Romijn
Rebecca Romijn
Rebecca Alie Romijn is an American actress and former fashion model. She is best known for her role as Mystique in the X-Men films, and for her recurring role as Alexis Meade on the television series Ugly Betty.-Early life:...
in the title role.
Alexis' outfit was loosely inspired by the 1968
1968 in film
The year 1968 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 30 - The film The Lion in Winter, starring Katharine Hepburn, debuts.* November 1 - The MPAA's film rating system is introduced.-Top grossing films :- Awards :...
film Barbarella
Barbarella (film)
Barbarella is a 1968 Franco-Italian science fiction film based on Jean-Claude Forrest's French Barbarella comics. The film was directed by Roger Vadim and stars Jane Fonda, who was Vadim's wife at the time.-Plot:...
, the scene where Alexis starts looking for Daniel when she says "Daniel, come out and play..." was inspired by the 1979
1979 in film
The year 1979 in film involved some significant events.- Major events :* March 5 - Production begins on Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.* May 25 - Alien, a landmark of the science fiction genre, is released....
movie The Warriors, and the scene in which she "shoots" Daniel was inspired by a scene from X-Men
X-Men (film)
X-Men is a 2000 superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics characters of the same name. Directed by Bryan Singer, the film stars Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Anna Paquin, Famke Janssen, Bruce Davison, James Marsden, Halle Berry, Rebecca Romijn, Ray Park and Tyler Mane...
, where Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
holds, then kills Mystique
Mystique (comics)
Mystique is a fictional character associated with the Marvel Comics' franchise X-Men. Originally created by artist David Cockrum and writer Chris Claremont, she first appeared in Ms...
(the character that Romijn played in the film series), who was disguised as Storm after he held her.
The YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
video featuring Wilhelmina slamming the cab door on Betty White, as mentioned by Marc in this episode, can be seen here.
This was the last episode of the second season to be shown in the United Kingdom because of the U.S. writers' strike. The show restarted in April 2008.
Reception
In a review from Zap2it, Hanh Nguyen welcome the comedic elements back to the show: "Ugly Betty gets past the grimness of Bradford's death to return to a more cheerful, wackier time. Alexis and Daniel get their sibling rivalry on, Betty and Henry go on a double date with Hilda and Gio and Wilhelmina tries to change her cutthroat image in order to woo investors. Oh yeah, and a Golden Girl!"Betty White's performance in this episode also won over reviewers in "New York Magazine"("Golden Girl Gets It") and "The San Diego Union-Tribune"("AARP Smackdown").
At the same time, there was criticism over the product placement for "27 Dresses". This is the fourth time in the series that a brand name has been used, following Gucci
Gucci
The House of Gucci, better known simply as Gucci , is an Italian fashion and leather goods label, part of the Gucci Group, which is owned by French company PPR...
("Swag"), Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret is an American retailer of women's wear, lingerie and beauty products. It is the largest segment of publicly-traded Limited Brands with sales of over US$5 billion and an operating income of $1 billion in 2006...
("How Betty Got Her Grieve Back") and "Wicked
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
" ("Something Wicked This Way Comes").
Ratings
The episode was seen by 9.3 million in the United States and scored a 6.4 rating/10 share and placed 26th in the December 3rd-9th, 2007 nielsens.Surprisingly in Chicago, the episode (which aired on ABC O&O WLS-TV
WLS-TV
WLS-TV, virtual channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The station operates their full power digital operations on UHF channel 44, with their digital fill-in translator on VHF channel...
) managed to beat an NFL game between the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
that was airing on WPWR-TV
WPWR-TV
WPWR-TV, channel 50, is a MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station licensed to Gary, Indiana, and serving the Chicago, Illinois area. WPWR-TV is owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, and is a sister station to Fox network outlet WFLD-TV...
Also starring
- Max GreenfieldMax GreenfieldMax Greenfield is an American actor best known for his recurring roles on Veronica Mars as Leo D'Amato, Ugly Betty as Nick Pepper, and for co-starring in the short-lived WB series Modern Men...
as Nick Pepper - John ChoJohn ChoJohn Yohan Cho is an American actor and musician, best known for his roles in the American Pie films and the Harold & Kumar films . He also starred in the critically acclaimed hit film Better Luck Tomorrow...
as Kenny - Freddy RodriguezFreddy RodriguezFreddy Rodriguez is an American actor known for playing the characters Hector Federico "Rico" Diaz on HBO's Six Feet Under and El Wray in Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror...
as Giovanni "Gio" Rossi - Alec MapaAlec Mapa-Personal life:Mapa, a Filipino American, was born in San Francisco and attended George Washington High School . Mapa is openly gay and lends his support to various projects supporting the gay, lesbian, and Asian American communities...
as Suzuki St. Pierre
Guest stars
- Betty WhiteBetty WhiteBetty White Ludden , better known as Betty White, is an American actress, comedienne, singer, author, and former game show personality. With a career spanning seven decades since 1939, she is best known to modern audiences for her television roles as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and...
as Herself - Ted Lyde as Security guard
- Ian Gregory as Bradford's attorney
- Patrick CavanaughPatrick CavanaughPatrick Cavanaugh is an American television actor.-Actor career:He is best known as one of the leads in National Lampoon's Dorm Daze 2, portraying the half of the goofy stoner duo of Pete and Wang . He also appeared in the original movie...
as Morgue director