The final season of “Ugly Betty” finishes off with style, dignity, fun and many laughs. But also a final tearful goodbye to the characters that we have watched for four incredible seasons. I will miss the well-written episodes and its colorful cast of characters. For fans of “Ugly Betty” and fans of the fourth season, “Ugly Betty – The Complete Fourth and Final Season” is definitely recommended!
© abc studios/Disney. All Rights Reserved.
DVD TITLE: UGLY BETTY – The Complete Fourth Season
DURATION: 20 episodes (860 minutes)
DVD INFORMATION: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, English SDH, French and Spanish Subtitles, Widescreen (1:78:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions
COMPANY: abc studios
RATED: TV PG DLSV
RELEASE DATE: August 17, 2010
Based on the Colombian telenovela “Betty la fea” by Fernando Gaitan
Directed by Victor Nelli Jr., John Terlesky, John Putch, Richard Heus
Written by Silvio Horta, Henry Alonso Myers, Sheila R. Lawrence, Henry Alonso Myers, Jon Kinnally, Tracy Poust, Chris Black, Brian Tanen, Caria DiPaolo, David Grubstick, Abraham Higginbotham, Gail Lerner
Executive Producer: Salma Hayek, Silvio Horta, Jose Tamez, Benjamin Silverman
Co-Executive Producer: Sheila R. Lawrence, Teri Weinberg, Victor Nelli Jr., Henry Alonso Myers, Jon Kinnally, Tracy Poust, Richard Heus, Billy Wrubel
Producer: Jim Weiss
Co-Producer: Jerem Beim, Samantha Thomas
Associate Producer: Gregg Fishman
Music by Jeff Beal
Cinematography by Michael A. Price
Edited by Jennifer Pulver
Casting by Geoffrey Soffer
Production Design by Mark Worthington
Art Direction by Charles E. McCarry
Set Decoration by Rich Devine
Costume Design by Patricia Field
Starring:
America Ferrera as Betty Suarez
Eric Mabius as Daniel Meade
Michael Urie as Marc St. James
Vanessa Williams as Wilhelmina Slater
Tony Plana as Ignacio Suarez
Ana Ortiz as Hilda Suarez
Becki Newton as Amanda Tanen
Mark Indelicato as Justin Suarez
Judith Light as Claire Meade
Christopher Gorham as Henry Grubstick
Alec Mapa as Suzuki St. Pierre
Anna Kuchma as Modie
Sarah Lafleur as Molly
Grant Bowler as Connor Owens
Daniel Eric Gold as Matt
Ralph Macchio as Archie Rodriguez
David Rasche as Calvin Hartley
Adam Rodriguez as Bobby Talercio
Jamie-Lynn Sigler as Natalie
The world of high fashion takes on a whole new, hilarious meaning in Ugly Betty: The Complete Fourth and Final Season, available on DVD August 17, 2010 from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. There are underdogs and then there is Betty Suarez, the ultimate “fish-out-of-water.†Her efforts to fit in with her colleagues at a glossy magazine may bring unintentionally hysterical results, but they also have audiences rooting for their favorite fashionista. The collectible four-disc release allows viewers to complete their collection and relive every endearing moment of this heartwarming and irreverent comedy with all 20 final-season episodes uninterrupted, with never-before-seen bonus features.
Betty sure has come a long way! She is finally coming into her own and getting what she’s worked so hard for. But what she doesn’t realize is that she’s starting over in so many ways, and if she wants to play in the big leagues she needs to keep up. Ugly Betty: The Complete Fourth and Final Season focuses on her transformation – both personally and professionally – and how she will navigate these new waters as only she can. If Betty wants to succeed, she will once again have to rely on her heart, perseverance and intelligence – along with some help from her family, friends and a few unlikely allies.
“UGLY BETTY”, a series that captured the attention of millions of viewers with its heartwarming and hilarious storyline and it helps that the series is an adaptation of the popular Colombian telenovela “Betty la fea” by Fernando Gaitan. The series revolved around Betty Suarez (America Ferrera, “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” films, “Lords of Dogtown”), a woman with a kind heart and is always giving. The problem is that she is not fashionable, known for her thick hair, eyebrows and big glasses and braces. And now the series which won Emmy, Golden Globe and Peabody Awards bids its final farewell with its fourth and final season.
In Season 1, audiences got to see how the unfashionable Betty got a job at the high fashion publication Mode Magazine and work as an assistant for Daniel Meade (Eric Mabius, “The L World”, “The O.C.”, “Eyes”)., the Editor-in-Chief. Despite her looks and how badly she is treated at the workplace, Daniel sees the kindness in her heart and she manages to reach out to him and help him through his troubles.
The stories tend to focus on various storylines that revolve around Betty’s world. Betty lives with her father, Ignacio Suarez (Tony Plana, “24”, “Commander-in-Chief”) who happens to be a God believing man and very protective over his family. Her sister Hilda (Ana Ortiz, “Boston Legal”, “Batman: Gotchic Knight”) who moves back at home with her son Justin (Mark Indelicato). They are a strong Latino family with Betty more proper, while her sister is more street smarts.
At Mode Magazine, there is a bit of strife as behind-the-scenes Wilhelmina Slater (Vanessa Williams, “Hannah Montana: The Movie”, “Boom Town”, “South Beach”) tries to find ways she can move up and own Mode Magazine and in Season 1, she goes after Daniel’s father Brandon Meade (Alan Dale, “The O.C.”, “LOST”) and has an affair with him. Wilhelmina trusts her loyal assistant Marc St. James (Michael Urie) to do her dirty work. Meanwhile, Marc and receptionist Amanda Tanen (Becki Newton, “American Dreams”) are like two peas in a pod as they gossip about those who work for Mode Magazine, constantly make fun of Betty but yet despite their trash talking, they somehow also end up getting closer to Betty. As for Betty, she can always depend on her friend and Mode Magazine costume designer Christina McKinney (Ashley Jensen, “Extras” and “Eleventh Hour”) to go, if times are tough at work.
In Season Two, Wilhelmina was doing anything she can to own Mode Magazine but her goal to marry Brandon Meade doesn’t go quite well but she manages to have sex with him and gets pregnant right before he dies. Meanwhile we are introduced to Daniel’s brother Alex turned woman named Alexis (Rebecca Romjin, “X-Men” films, “Pepper Dennis”) who is like another rival to Daniel and we also meet his mother who just escaped prison, Claire Meade (Judith Light, “Who’s the Boss”). Meanwhile, two men – Henry and Gio vie for Betty’s affection and one asks her hand in marriage.
In Season Three, we see Betty taking a more proactive approach in her job and trying to rise in the ranks of Mode but things get a bit crazy when her high school rival Kimmie (played by Lindsay Lohan) enters her life once again and takes part in the Young Editors Training Program (YETI). Meanwhile, Hilda’s salon is doing well but the city shuts it down, meanwhile Cliff and Marc become closer and eventually want to marry or will they? As for Daniel and Wilhelmina, the two must work together in ensuring that Mode Magazine becomes profitable.
In Season Four, Betty has now risen in her career at Mode Magazine and has become features editor. But similar to how she had to prove herself as an assistant, now Betty must prove that she deserves to be a features editor despite many challenges including a jealous Marc who was also up for the job.
Daniel is trying to deal with his wife’s death and joins a support group which may be a cult. Meanwhile, Hilda must make a difficult decision in her relationship with Archie, especially when her old boyfriend Bobby enters her life. Justin must deal with the prejudice he faces in high school and most of all, trying to find out about how to deal with his homosexuality and keeping it private or making it public. Wilhelmina gets hooked into a coverup when her daughter Miko has returned and is accused of murder, while trying to deal with the disappearance of Connor. And Claire wants to find the son that she had given up for adoption.
“Ugly Betty – The Complete Fourth and Final Season” features 20 episodes on four discs. Included are (spoiler-less summaries):
DISC: 1
- EPISODE 66 – The Butterfly Effect (Part 1 of 2) – Betty begins her job as features editor but people at Mode are not so thrilled, especially Marc. Meanwhile, Justin is being ridiculed in school.
- EPISODE 67 – The Butterfly Effect (Part 2 of 2) – It’s the day of Betty’s important photoshoot but when she spends too much time with Daniel, Matt and other editors are unwilling to work with her.
- EPISODE 68 – Blue on Blue – Betty is working on a story to show that she is deserving of the job but when Matt and Amanda go out on a date, Betty gets jealous.
- EPISODE 69 – The Wiener, The Bun and the Boob – Betty is working on an article of New York’s Worst Jobs but needs an assistant and thus Wilhelmina assigns an unrelectant Marc to become Betty’s assistant.
- EPISODE 70 – Plus None – A special event in which higher up MODE employees can attend and are allowed to bring a “Plus One”. With Matt going off and doing something new and Daniel focused on his healing, Betty needs to look for a date.
DISC 2:
- EPISODE 71 – Backseat Betty – Hilda’s old flame from high school is back in her life, but this time Betty is interested in him.
- EPISODE 72 – Level(7) With Me – When Daniel is planning to hand over the power of Mode to the Community of the Phoenix, Betty, Claire, Amanda and Matt try to save him from the cult.
- EPISODE 73 – The Bahamas Triangle – With everyone heading to the Bahamas on a trip, Betty, Mat and Amanda get involved in a love triangle. Special Guest: Shakira
- EPISODE 74 – Be-Shure – Ignacio is planning a Christmas/Hanukah dinner for the family and his new squeeze Jean. Both Betty and Hilda take a pregnancy test and Claire goes to meet her son that she gave up for adoption.
- EPISODE 75 – The Passion of the Betty – Hilda tells Bobby the truth, meanwhile Claire must decide if she wants to back Wilhelmina’s return and Betty has a special gallery for Matt’s paintings.
DISC 3:
- EPISODE 76- Back in Her Place – Betty has her worst week ever and a new hobby causes problems for her work.
- EPISODE 77 – Blackout! – Betty plans to have a karaoke party in her apartment building but somehow the building gets robbed.
- EPISODE 78 – Chica and the Man – Betty wins a blog contest but it causes problems between her and Daniel.
- EPISODE 79 – Smokin’ Hot – Marc and Betty compete in trying to promote a new designer.
- EPISODE 80 – Fire and Nice – Betty dates a firefighter who is investigating their house fire.
DISC 4:
- EPISODE 81 – All the World’s a Stage– Betty has a new man in her life and now she wants to do a feature on him.
- EPISODE 82 – Million Dollar Smile – It’s a big day for Betty as the braces come off. Also, Betty has a dream of what if she never wore braces.
- EPISODE 83 – London Calling – It’s fashion week in London and Betty has to cover it, and she brings Amanda and Hilda along. Meanwhile, Betty meets an old flame in London.
- EPISODE 84 – The Past Presents the Future – Hilda and Bobby are getting married and a former flame of Betty’s comes to visit, meanwhile Betty is offered a job to run a magazine in London.
- EPISODE 85 – Hello Goodbye – The final episode and Betty makes a final decision in regards to her future. Hilda and Bobby are considering moving to a new home and Daniel is having a hard time letting Betty go.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
“UGLY BETTY” is presented in Widescreen (1:78:1) and is enhanced for 16×9 televisions. Production for “UGLY BETY” is quite slick and for a drama series, picture quality is along the same lines as abc studio’s other DVD releases. Which is pretty good and compression artifacts and low light noise is not as visible.
As for audio, “UGLY BETTY” is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. The series is front and center channel driven. Dialogue is clear, music is clear and overall, not a series to expect a lot of sound effects on your surround channels but for the most part, dialogue is understandable.
Subtitles are in English SDH, French and Spanish.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Ugly Betty – The Complete Fourth and Final Season” includes the following special features:
DISC 1:
- Deleted Scenes – Two deleted scenes which include “Connor Checked Out” and “Steam Room”.
DISC 2:
- Deleted Scenes – Three deleted scenes which include “I’m Available”, “What is Level 5?” and “Breathe”.
DISC 3:
- Mode After Hours – Featuring the following Marc and Amanda “Mode After Hours” segments: Stress-Orcism (3:35), Role-Playing (3:26), Queenseeker (5:16) and Harassment of a Sexual Nature (3:39).
- Deleted Scene – Featuring two deleted scenes: “Elevator Chatter” and “Male Models”.
DISC 4:
- Betty Goes Bahamas – (8:30) Behind-the-scenes of what the cast did during their stay in the Bahamas. Becki Newton and Michael Urie try to go around the Bahamas to see what the cast is up to.
- Betty Bloops – (6:32) “Ugly Betty” Season Four outtakes.
- Deleted Scenes – Featuring three deleted scenes: “Guy Talk”, “Wedding Planning” and “Going Too Far”.
- Audio Commentary – Featuring audio commentary for “All the World’s a Stage” (episode 81) with commentary by Michael Urie and Mark Indelicato.
EXTRAS:
“Ugly Betty – The Complete Fourth and Final Season” comes with a slip over cover.
I have to admit that I was a bit surprised that “Ugly Betty” was canceled. It started off strong when it was shown on Thursday but as usual, when you air a series on Friday, it’s usually a nail on the coffin. But if there is one thing that abc execs did right for the staff and stars of the series was that it gave them the chance to finish the series with style. And with the way this series ended, “Ugly Betty” fans were treated with a wonderful ending.
I’ll miss watching the Suarez family, the humorous adventures of Betty and Daniel, the troublesome duo, Marc and Amanda and of course the drama that usually had accompanied the series. But most importantly, it’s that ray of sunshine the series had brought to millions of viewers each week.
Having watched the series since it first began, I’ve looked at “Ugly Betty” as a series that was not only well-written and well-cast but also a series that was important as it revolved around a Latino family and truthfully, there have not been many drama/comedy series on television featuring a lead character that is Latino but also a female, so in many ways, the series sure made its mark in American pop culture and it’s a shame that the series was canceled (and several years earlier, the sitcom “The George Lopez” show which broke new ground was also canceled).
“Ugly Betty” has been a wonderful series and although the ratings may have tapered off (as did other ABC drama series such as “Desperate Housewives” and my other favorite series now ended, “Lost”), this fourth season continued the drama, the fun that the show was known for. I felt that this fourth season finally broke new ground for Betty as we have seen her advance in her new career and we finally see the braces come off, but what the writers were able to do is focus on the supporting characters.
The fourth season dealt with Daniel’s healing process after the death of his wife, we see Hilda dating a politician but then seeing how life had affected her after a one night stand with an ex-boyfriend, for years we have seen Justin grow in the series but wondered how the writers would handle his “coming out” and we watched the continued power struggle between Wilhelmina and Claire Meade. As important as the series for Betty fans, the writers gave viewers the opportunity to watch each character grow and in some sense, every character was like family. Despite the class differences between characters, somehow we saw how they intermeshed because of Betty and by the end, everything worked out.
“Ugly Betty – The Complete Fourth and Final Season” features the same fun bonus content as previous releases. I was hoping for audio commentary for this release especially for the final episode or the episode when the cast went to the Bahamas.  But you do get the one audio commentary. The DVD picture quality is very good and audio is clear and understandable. I did wish ABC released this series on Blu-ray but overall, fans of the series should be happy with the overall DVD.
In the end, “Ugly Betty” completes its run with style, dignity, fun and many laughs. But also a final tearful goodbye to the characters that we have watched for four incredible seasons. For fans of “Ugly Betty” and those who enjoyed the fourth season, “Ugly Betty – The Complete Fourth and Final Season” is definitely recommended!
