Ugly Betty: Season 4 on DVD [Review]
Guest Post by MA
One of the perks of the being married to an editor of Geekadelphia, is that he gets all sorts of things sent to him… like screeners. One that made it’s way into our house lately was the fourth and last season of Ugly Betty. I used to watch this series every week, until the change to FIOS rendered the series unable to make it to our DVR. So I was finally able to check it out.
Ugly Betty is a series based on a Columbian telenovela called Yo Soy Betty La Fea. It tells the story of a Betty, a less-than attractive girl (played by the beautiful America Ferrera) that was hired as the assistant of a womanizing editor-in-chief of a high fashion magazine called Mode. Being fashion-challenged in the midst of the skinny, pretty people is the classic fish out of water story.
But Ugly Betty was always more than that. As the show developed – so did the relationships and the characters. The season’s 20 episodes are well paced and while there were a couple of story lines that were overtired and repetitive, on the whole it was an enjoyable watch. And the final episode – was the send off that the series deserved.
More After the Jump!
The quality of the DVD transfer is right on par with what would be expected for the release of a TV season. The 20 episodes are packed onto four discs, and are in a package that takes up no more space on your shelf than a single DVD case.
There were extras, but nothing extraordinary. I would have liked to have seen a piece that details the changes over the course of the season. There was more to the season than Betty losing her braces.
The set can be found in stores right now, and if you are fan, it’s well worth picking up.
Ugly Betty?! REALLY?
How is this show nerdy of geeky?
I don’t see any space ships in it. So who cares.
<3 this show so very very much.
- Kelly (fellow TV geek)
Dustin,
Feminine aspects of geek-dom are inherently different from masculine ones. Betty is in an intellectually socially-awkward woman who is coming to terms with her sexuality in the context of a very feminine beauty-oriented business having failed to get a job “that mattered”. These are issues that resonate with a lot of women, she thought fashion was superficial when she started and learned it was a serious business caught up with women’s self esteem by the end. Further, these issues are important given women are still judged on basis of appearance coming to terms with a combination of intelligence ones physical presentation of self is a challenge for many young women. Especially, when girls who are smart and attractive are often ostracize.
This series epitomizes a number of geek themes, just not perhaps the masculine ones to which you readily relate. That’s not to say there is anything wrong with starships, its just different. We need a fashion-oriented Babylon 5.
Do realize when your being goaded.
Best
-jr6g (feminist geek)
Ugly Betty != Geek
I know, life is SOOO tough for smart and attractive women.
Just because she has glasses and braces to make her “ugly”, doesn’t make this show geeky. I’ve seen parts of some episodes, nothing geek about it.