Fey's Sleigh Ride
Encyclopedia
"Fey's Sleigh Ride" is an episode from the dramedy series Ugly Betty
. It is the fourth episode in the United States, Canada and Australia but is the fifth overall. The episode first aired on October 19, 2006, even though it was scheduled to air October 26, 2006. This would be the first Ugly Betty episode writing and production duties for Shelia Lawrence and Tricia Brock, respectively.
At the bar they see Carlo Medina, who works at rival mag Isabella. He introduces himself to Betty and buys her a drink. We also meet another Mode employee, Carol, who's more critical of her co-workers. What happens then puts everyone's job in jeopardy. The following day Wilhelmina discovers someone leaked the ideas for the upcoming Christmas spread to Isabella through Carlos Medina! This casts suspicion on the three people who talked to Carlo: Betty, Marc and Amanda. Each has different reactions after the leak is revealed: Betty worries about being a liar in order to keep her job, Marc has frequent asthma attacks, and Amanda eats at every opportunity.
The three try to keep their cool and hopefully keep from dealing with Wilhelmina, who vows to fire anyone who was responsible for leaking the winter spread concept (as Amanda points to a similar incident in 2003 and Marc learns that he can be replaced with five others waiting on speed-dial). Marc and Amanda convince Betty to keep quiet and all three hope to not be found out by Wilhelmina. The three fret over their future as every other department gets grilled and cleared, and then Wilhelmina finally calls them in. Betty admits to revealing a few details to Carlos, while Marc and Amanda pin everything on [Fat] Carol, it turns out that Wilhelmina accepts that they are not the culprits: they did give some details but Carol slept with Carlos. All three keep their jobs, and in a story twist, Carlos is called into Wilhelmina's office and offered a job to become a mole at Isabella!
"You are an underhanded bastard. A dirty, slimy weasel. A man completely without scruples. How can I entice you to work at MODE? Or rather spy for MODE?"
Thanks to the leak, Daniel decides to go with a new spread, based on the 1986 spread featuring Fey Sommers riding a sleigh. Vincent likes the idea, and Daniel and Wilhelmina agree that it is a way to honor the late editor-in-chief. Daniel's decision adds a piece to the puzzle involving the music box that Bradford took, but which he can no longer locate, it's gone! Thanks to Wilhelmina, the mystery woman has it in her possession. She then leaves a message with Betty to pass to Daniel that he should pay close attention to what's inside the music box. Later it shows up in Daniel's office. Betty takes a closer look, lifting the inside portion, and finds a burned license plate with the words FEY and a set of burned glasses. The sight of the music box brings back painful memories for Daniel, who remembers how Bradford went to Switzerland and bought two sets of music boxes, one for Fey and one for Daniel's mother Claire. Claire knew about Bradford's affair and went ballistic by burning a stack of magazines to the point of not being stable and was sent away. At the photo shoot, Daniel shows Bradford a music box to be placed on the sleigh, but turns out to be an homage to his mother Claire.
Meanwhile at home, Betty discovers that Walter is still showing up. She is still upset over his mistake and he is jealous over her upscale job, prompting Ignacio to give him a few tips on how to win back Betty. This works in the end when he swoons her with a karaoke rendition of "Beauty and the Beast
", which is Betty's favorite movie
.
Also at home, Justin springs a school project on Betty by convincing her to take him to work so he can see his aunt in action. We find out how fashion-conscious he is, for a person of his age, when he points out the shoes Amanda is wearing (a pair of 2004 Manolos), something that even Mark had failed to notice! What Justin failed to mention was that he was ditching school and when Hilda tells Betty about it Justin comes clean. In the end Hilda grounds him (and that means no Fashion TV for a month!).
As for Ignacio, he is still getting his secret caffeine fixes. When he gets a call from his HMO provider for his appointment, he lies, telling the provider that he is alright and doesn't need to see a doctor. It appears that Ignacio might have a secret reason why he will not go to see a doctor. When Betty goes to the provider, she discovers that
her father has been using a false Social Security number (the real Ignacio would be 117 years old and is dead). This leaves her stunned and filled with more questions than answers about her dad.
" was postponed. "Swag" ended up airing as episode eleven with some new scenes edited in to make it a flashback
episode. There were a few scenes that were edited out, including the one where Wilhelmina took the music box from Bradford's office and gave it to the "Mystery Woman." That filmed scene was shown at the beginning of this episode as a "Previously on Ugly Betty" recap. Interestingly enough, in the scenes when the music box was playing in this episode, the components did not move.
The episode also featured the fourth installment of the telenovelita Vidas de Fuego
, this time with Marlene Favela
appearing as a nun who seduces the soccer player (Luis Roberto Guzmán
), who was seen in the third episode. Favela also played the pregnant maid who happen to be the nun's twin sister.
In one scene Daniel mentions that MODE is 50 years old, which means it has been in business since 1956. The rival fashion magazine in this episode, Isabella, may be a tongue-in-cheek reference to another fashion magazine that rivaled Vogue
, Mirabella
.
's Michael Slezak: "Not to get all Joey Lawrence
on you guys, but Whoa! Tonight, for the first time in its four-episode run, Ugly Betty gave me the chills, and to my surprise, said shivers arrived during a scene pertaining to the show's central mystery, the untimely death of Fey Sommers."
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...
. It is the fourth episode in the United States, Canada and Australia but is the fifth overall. The episode first aired on October 19, 2006, even though it was scheduled to air October 26, 2006. This would be the first Ugly Betty episode writing and production duties for Shelia Lawrence and Tricia Brock, respectively.
Plot
At a popular bar frequented by fashion magazine staffers, Marc and Amanda show Betty how to mingle now that she has become well known among the elite. Marc and Amanda want to see how badly Betty will goof up, but these plans take a turn for the worse.At the bar they see Carlo Medina, who works at rival mag Isabella. He introduces himself to Betty and buys her a drink. We also meet another Mode employee, Carol, who's more critical of her co-workers. What happens then puts everyone's job in jeopardy. The following day Wilhelmina discovers someone leaked the ideas for the upcoming Christmas spread to Isabella through Carlos Medina! This casts suspicion on the three people who talked to Carlo: Betty, Marc and Amanda. Each has different reactions after the leak is revealed: Betty worries about being a liar in order to keep her job, Marc has frequent asthma attacks, and Amanda eats at every opportunity.
The three try to keep their cool and hopefully keep from dealing with Wilhelmina, who vows to fire anyone who was responsible for leaking the winter spread concept (as Amanda points to a similar incident in 2003 and Marc learns that he can be replaced with five others waiting on speed-dial). Marc and Amanda convince Betty to keep quiet and all three hope to not be found out by Wilhelmina. The three fret over their future as every other department gets grilled and cleared, and then Wilhelmina finally calls them in. Betty admits to revealing a few details to Carlos, while Marc and Amanda pin everything on [Fat] Carol, it turns out that Wilhelmina accepts that they are not the culprits: they did give some details but Carol slept with Carlos. All three keep their jobs, and in a story twist, Carlos is called into Wilhelmina's office and offered a job to become a mole at Isabella!
"You are an underhanded bastard. A dirty, slimy weasel. A man completely without scruples. How can I entice you to work at MODE? Or rather spy for MODE?"
Thanks to the leak, Daniel decides to go with a new spread, based on the 1986 spread featuring Fey Sommers riding a sleigh. Vincent likes the idea, and Daniel and Wilhelmina agree that it is a way to honor the late editor-in-chief. Daniel's decision adds a piece to the puzzle involving the music box that Bradford took, but which he can no longer locate, it's gone! Thanks to Wilhelmina, the mystery woman has it in her possession. She then leaves a message with Betty to pass to Daniel that he should pay close attention to what's inside the music box. Later it shows up in Daniel's office. Betty takes a closer look, lifting the inside portion, and finds a burned license plate with the words FEY and a set of burned glasses. The sight of the music box brings back painful memories for Daniel, who remembers how Bradford went to Switzerland and bought two sets of music boxes, one for Fey and one for Daniel's mother Claire. Claire knew about Bradford's affair and went ballistic by burning a stack of magazines to the point of not being stable and was sent away. At the photo shoot, Daniel shows Bradford a music box to be placed on the sleigh, but turns out to be an homage to his mother Claire.
Meanwhile at home, Betty discovers that Walter is still showing up. She is still upset over his mistake and he is jealous over her upscale job, prompting Ignacio to give him a few tips on how to win back Betty. This works in the end when he swoons her with a karaoke rendition of "Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast (1991 song)
"Beauty and the Beast" is the Oscar winning leading single from the Academy Award Best Picture nominated animated film Beauty and the Beast film, and the first hit single from Céline Dion's eponymous album. It was performed in the movie by Angela Lansbury, and sung over the movie's closing credits...
", which is Betty's favorite movie
Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)
Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 American animated fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The thirtieth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and the third film of the Disney Renaissance period...
.
Also at home, Justin springs a school project on Betty by convincing her to take him to work so he can see his aunt in action. We find out how fashion-conscious he is, for a person of his age, when he points out the shoes Amanda is wearing (a pair of 2004 Manolos), something that even Mark had failed to notice! What Justin failed to mention was that he was ditching school and when Hilda tells Betty about it Justin comes clean. In the end Hilda grounds him (and that means no Fashion TV for a month!).
As for Ignacio, he is still getting his secret caffeine fixes. When he gets a call from his HMO provider for his appointment, he lies, telling the provider that he is alright and doesn't need to see a doctor. It appears that Ignacio might have a secret reason why he will not go to see a doctor. When Betty goes to the provider, she discovers that
her father has been using a false Social Security number (the real Ignacio would be 117 years old and is dead). This leaves her stunned and filled with more questions than answers about her dad.
Production
This was to be the fifth episode, but was bumped up when the episode "SwagSwag (Ugly Betty episode)
"Swag" is the eleventh episode from the dramedy series Ugly Betty. This was supposed to be the fourth episode, which was scheduled to air on October 19, 2006, but it was replaced by "Fey's Sleigh Ride". It has been billed as "The Lost Episode" and filled in loose ends via new scenes...
" was postponed. "Swag" ended up airing as episode eleven with some new scenes edited in to make it a flashback
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
episode. There were a few scenes that were edited out, including the one where Wilhelmina took the music box from Bradford's office and gave it to the "Mystery Woman." That filmed scene was shown at the beginning of this episode as a "Previously on Ugly Betty" recap. Interestingly enough, in the scenes when the music box was playing in this episode, the components did not move.
The episode also featured the fourth installment of the telenovelita Vidas de Fuego
Vidas de Fuego
Vidas de Fuego is a fictional show-within-a-show telenovela featured in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. The series is watched by the Suarez family at home, mostly by the main character's father, Ignacio, and sister, Hilda...
, this time with Marlene Favela
Marlene Favela
Silvia Marlene Favela Meraz is a Mexican actress. She studied at "Centro de Educación Artística de Televisa in Mexico City and is also a model...
appearing as a nun who seduces the soccer player (Luis Roberto Guzmán
Luis Roberto Guzmán
Luis Roberto Guzmán is a Puerto Rican actor known for his performances in Mexican telenovelas like Alborada, and for his title role in Mexican series El Pantera...
), who was seen in the third episode. Favela also played the pregnant maid who happen to be the nun's twin sister.
In one scene Daniel mentions that MODE is 50 years old, which means it has been in business since 1956. The rival fashion magazine in this episode, Isabella, may be a tongue-in-cheek reference to another fashion magazine that rivaled Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
, Mirabella
Mirabella
Mirabella was a women's magazine published from 1989 to 2000. It was created by and named for Grace Mirabella, a former Vogue editor in chief....
.
Reception
From 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 Michael Slezak: "Not to get all Joey Lawrence
Joey Lawrence
Joseph "Joey" Lawrence is an American actor, R&B-singer, and TV-host. He is known for his roles in the TV-series Gimme a Break!, Blossom, and Melissa & Joey.- Early life :...
on you guys, but Whoa! Tonight, for the first time in its four-episode run, Ugly Betty gave me the chills, and to my surprise, said shivers arrived during a scene pertaining to the show's central mystery, the untimely death of Fey Sommers."
Ratings
The episode was watched by 13.1 million viewers in the United States, its fifth highest in the series overall.Also starring
- Michael UrieMichael UrieMichael Lorenzo Urie is an American actor, television producer and director, best known for his portrayal of Marc St. James on the ABC dramedy series Ugly Betty.-Personal life:...
- Marc St. JamesMarc St. JamesMarcus "Marc" St. James is a fictional character in the American comedy-drama series Ugly Betty. He is played by Michael Urie... - Kevin SussmanKevin SussmanKevin Sussman is an American actor of television and film perhaps best known for his recurring roles Stuart the comic book store owner on "The Big Bang Theory" and Walter on the ABC comedy-drama Ugly Betty....
- Walter - Elizabeth Payne - Masked Woman
- Stelio SavanteStelio SavanteStelio Savante is a South African actor, producer, and writer living in the United States. He is a native English speaker and fluent in Afrikaans and Greek. In 2007 he became the first male South African born SAG award nominee. For his recurring role on Ugly Betty...
- Steve - Diane CaryDiane CaryDiane Cary is an American actress who has been featured in several TV shows. This includes a recurring role on the short-lived Misfits of Science, where she was credited as Diane Civita....
- Bradford's Assistant
Guest stars
- Rhys CoiroRhys CoiroRhys Coiro is an American film, television and stage actor. Coiro may be best known for his role on the HBO original series Entourage as Billy Walsh.-Personal life:...
- Vincent Bianchi - Cleo KingCleo KingCleo King is an American actress probably best known for her roles as Aunt Lou in the HBO drama series Deadwood and Helene Parks in Boston Public. She is also known for portraying police officers, most notably Officer Gardner in The Hangover, and as the abrasive yet helpful school liasion officer...
- Anne Fraiser - Miranda Frigon - Carol
- Nicholas GonzalezNicholas GonzalezNicholas Edward Gonzalez is an Mexican-American actor, best known for playing Alex Santiago in the TV series Resurrection Blvd..-Early life:...
- Carlo Medina