What a bittersweet moment this is. I’ve never blogged about Ugly Betty on my blog before since I’ve made sure I’ve kept it mostly geared toward movies (certain tv moments like the Leno/Conan debacle notwithstanding), but I felt it imperative that I say something about a show that has had a big impact on my life.
For the most part, Betty Suarez reminded me of myself-a bespectacled, slightly awkward but somehow charismatic minority trying to make it in a world of biases and prejudices as well the tough-to-master world of journalism. Also like her, I’ve had many times to ponder to myself about why it seems like love-finding that special person to be my significant other-has turned its back on me. But also like Betty, I’ve had the support of my family through good and bad days, through my accomplishments, and through the handful of failures I’ve had (of which, I’m thankful to say, there haven’t been too many).
But in other ways, I’m like Hilda. I’m the oldest child in my family, and I generally sacrifice my wants for the wants of my siblings. I try to achieve my dreams even though they sometimes seem impossible, and I like to make sure my family unit is at homeostasis.
These two characters-along with the entire cast-have filled my television screen almost every night they were on. I have to admit that I tuned out for a very long stretch when the show was going through its rough period during the third season, but every episode–even the not-so-good ones–had a grain of truth in them, something that I could take away from the show to think about. This last episode was no different.
We finally got to see all of the loose ends wrapped up-almost, anyway. We finally got to see Justin be comfortable with himself and his sexuality, Amanda find her father, Hilda getting the man of her dreams, Marc get recognition, Wilhelmina get her dream job and the man that finally gave her life meaning, and, most importantly, see Betty rise like the star she always was and move to London to start a new life at her high-profile job. We also get to see Daniel become his own man as well as admit to himself his feelings for Betty. I hope at this juncture, the story won’t end; I hope that we eventually get to watch a spin-off that covers Betty’s life in London (MAJOR EDIT–a movie might be in the works! Hooray!).
Even though I’m sad, I’m grateful and happy that a show like Ugly Betty was introduced to us. I think it gave its viewers a shot of humanity-that we are all imperfect, but not unlovable; that we are all worthy of fighting for our dreams in life and that with a little determination, we’ll succeed. This show has helped me become a better person, and I can only hope that it helped others become better people as well.
