Hey gang, real quick before I get back to festival work I thought that I would share that similar to GMMR’s Project Buffy I’ve embarked on my own TV show I’ve always wanted to watch marathon. Instead of plowing through 7 seasons of Buffy, my first task as to take on a show I always wished I watched and always knew I would love while on my daily commutes!

UGLY BETTY!

Just this week I finished watching Season 1 of Ugly Betty while riding the subway. I can watch an episode and some change a day just on my subway rides to and from work so it’s perfect time to catch up on some seriously ignored showage on my part.

Ugly Betty was a pilot I really liked back in the summer of 2006. The first episode was hysterical but I was worried about that thin line between campy and cheesy and I knew that with one false move, Betty could become VIP or worse, something hideously cheesy like MTV’s Undressed.

I’m over the moon to report that not only did the first season surprise me in how funny, touching and down right gay it was but in how well the cast works together as an ensemble. America Ferrera is simply divine as the always awkward and always reliable Betty Suarez but she’s nothing without this incredible cast of characters she gets to play off. Marc and Amanda are so funny that I want to marry both of them and have a cult somewhere in Texas where we breed thousands of little Justin Suarez’s. That kid slays me and the way they’ve allowed him to be his little fey self is a breath of fresh air. Hilda is the shit! Wilhelmina Slater you’re the devil and I bask in your bitchery! Harrison John Joe Henry takes my breath away, seriously. Nacho Ignacio is a good father, a good core for the family and I hope he gets out of Mexico. Santos… Santos, how I hated you and your narrow mind in the beginning and how I cried for you in the end.

Then there’s the Meade’s. Daniel (Eric Mabius) is a little limited as a character but damn if he and Betty don’t have one hell of a relationship. Bradford is chilly and coniving and ideal for the ruler of their evil empire. The introduction of Alexis is a hoot and I’m blown away that they’ve explored the tranny storyline with no apologies. Finally, Claire Meade, girl… you’re my second favorite drunk mom of the last 5 years (second only to Jessica Walters in Arrested Development).

Now I’m in no way saying that the show is genius or brilliant or anything crazy like that, I’m just saying that I fell in love with it and that overall its frakkin good. There seems to be a conscious effort in making the show over the top camp while still maintaining some normalcy through the relationships and emotions between the characters. Sure there are moments of utter cheese but they’re few and far between and to be honest they’d all be forgiven because of the hilarity and genius of Marc, Amanda and Wilhelmina. There are lines I never thought would be spoken on network television and I have to praise ABC for not trying to censor them. Same for the portrayal of Justin. They’ve done a really honest and sweet representation of a confident gay youth and I applaud the show for not backing down from that hot gay mess.

Now remember, I’ve only made it through Season 1 so if you’re going to comment, please leave out any spoilers for Season 2. Sure I know a couple things but just don’t…

Ducky’s Top 6 (Five wasn’t enough) Ugly Betty Season 1 Episodes:
Fey’s Sleigh Ride
Four Thanksgivings and a Funeral
Swag
Derailed
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
Secretaries Day

Ducky’s Favorite Ugly Betty Season 1 Quotes:
Okay, so it’s damn near impossible to pick the best quotes. I mean, just copy down any banter between Marc and Amanda or most of the snarky comments between Marc and Whilly or anything out of Hilda’s mouth when she’s all riled up and you’ve got a list of my favorite quotes. Serious gems in every single episode. Here’s a sampling of some of my faves…

Marc: What?! You can’t pass. I’m not going stag, hag.
Amanda: Guess you’ll just have to buy your own beer, queer.
Marc: You can’t just ditch, bi-
Amanda: (cuts him off) Shut up!

Hilda: (about Valerie) She’s 130 pounds of bitch!
Valerie: What did you say?
Hilda: 120?

Henry: I can’t believe Alexis is doing this to Daniel. They’re family! Even Erica Kane forgave her daughter Kendall for sleeping with her fourth husband… “All My Children”. It’s just something I know.

Wilhemina: Higher. I said higher!
Christina: Any higher and I’ll be giving you a pelvic exam.

Marc: We’ll always have that fake pregnacy scare!
Amanda: Oh, that was a real scare you idiot, it just wasn’t yours!

Christina: (enters Wilhelmina’s office) You rang? Do you want something hemmed?
Wilhelmina: You’re not here to stitch. You’re here to snitch.
Marc: She needs info, bitch. (Wilhelmina glares at him) I thought we were rhyming.

Justin: Come on mom, Don’t Phunk with My Heart!

Wilhelmina: (to Marc) You’ll be my seeing-eye gay.

I could go on but I won’t. The point in posting this was to let you know that I’m making my way through shows I’ve missed out on over the past couple years and the my first selection was superb. I’ve currently started on Ducky’s Subway Screening Series #2 but I’m not telling you what that show is until I’ve finished watching Season 1. Until then…

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 10th, 2008 at 8:46 pm and is filed under Ugly Betty, Ducky Does TV. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.