- Release Date: September 9th, 2008
- Genre: Comedy, Drama
- Price: $37.49 on Amazon
- Run Time: 765 Minutes
- Publisher: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
- Starring: America Ferrera, Eric Mabius, Vanessa Williams, Tony Plana, Ana Ortiz, Becki Newton, Michael Urie, Mark Indelicato, Judith Light, Christopher Gorham, Rebecca Romijin, Ashley Jensen, Alan Dale,
- Special Features: On Set with the Besties, The Suarez Tour, Wilhelmin Slater Love to Hate Her, Las Pasiones De Telenovelas, I ♥ Betty, Betty Bloops, Deleted Scenes
A little over two seasons ago a little show called Ugly Betty began on ABC. When I first heard about the show I quickly dismissed it since I thought there was no way in the world that I wold like the show. Needless to say I tried the show and I would have to say that I was really surprised and that I totally misjudged the show. Ever since the pilot I have watched every episode of Ugly Betty and it is actually one of the better shows on television today.
Since this isn’t the first season I am not going to dwell on the past for any longer. If you haven’t seen the first season I will tell you at this point to stop reading this review. First there will be some spoilers to set up the plot of the second season. Second if you are a fan of dramadies you should already be looking into purchasing the first season since you are really doing yourself a disservice not giving the show a chance like I almost did.
So for those of you who haven’t seen the second season yet here is the scoop of what you can look forward to into the second season. Betty gets into a love triangle. Wilhelmina continues to try to take over Mode. Daniel and Alexis continue to bicker. Amanda tries to find the identity of her father. Hilda starts a new business. Finally there is a baby on the way (I will leave that a secret for those of you who haven’t seen the season yet).
You obviously already know that I am a fan of Ugly Betty. The first season caught me totally by surprise and proved that you really can’t sell any show short unless you give it a chance. Heading into the second season I was excited. I would say I was a little disappointed by the second season though. I don’t know if it is just my opinion but I just didn’t like the second season as much as I liked the first season. Maybe it was because of the shorter season (18 episodes due to writers strike) or weaker story lines but I just didn’t enjoy the season as much.
Don’t get me wrong. I still thought the second season of Ugly Betty was great. Ugly Betty is still one of the best dramas or comedies (whichever you consider it to be) on television. I have always liked the show because of it’s wackiness. I have always appreciated shows that are at least willing to be new and original. You definitely can say that Ugly Betty is original. Combine the uniqueness of the show with the good to great cast and you can see why I enjoy Ugly Betty so much.
Now you die hard fans are probably thinking that you just want me to get to the special features. Well die hard fans shouldn’t be disappointed by this DVD set. You really couldn’t ask for more in a DVD set. Let’s begin with the packaging. The packaging is nice. What really stands out is the list of episodes. Instead of making a boring old packet Ugly Betty’s episode list is on the back of what looks like an old faded map that shows where big events from the season occurred. I always like it when these extra little touches are added to a DVD set.
Now lets get to the special features. I really had no complaints on any of the special features. If you are an Ugly Betty fan you should pretty much like all the special features. First there is a tour of the set with Becki Newton (Amanda), Michael Urie (Marc), Tony Plana (Ignacio), and Mark Indelicato (Justin). You pretty much get to see all the sets and I have to say that it is one of the most entertaining set tours I have seen in a very long time on a DVD set. Next there is a feature on the character of Wilhelmina. While it isn’t the most interesting feature on the DVD set I still found it to be put together well and pretty entertaining. The same goes for a feature on Betty’s love triangle this season. Then there is your expected deleted scenes and bloopers. I won’t explain these since they are pretty self explanatory.
If you thought that was enough we are still not done yet. Finally there is the Las Pasiones De Telenovelas (for you non Spanish speakers it translates to The Love of Telenovelas). This special feature actually has three parts. The first part is about how the show uses telenovelas and how the show created two telenovela episodes. Then there are the two telenovelas which were actually webisodes on ABC.com. First there is Sins of the Heart which revolves around a love triangle. Then there is Murder By Death. This telenovela was pretty hilarious in my opinion. It has got to be the strangest murder mystery I have ever seen. If you were ever interested in what a telenovela was like this special feature is just for you.
So it is about time for me to wrap up this DVD review. While the second season wasn’t as good as the first this DVD set is a must buy for any and all Ugly Betty fans. You really couldn’t ask for more in a DVD set. The set probably has the best special features I have seen in a very very long time. I can easily tell anyone that likes Ugly Betty that I Highly Recommend this DVD set.
