Something Wicked This Way Comes (Ugly Betty)
Encyclopedia
"Something Wicked This Way Comes" is the sixth episode in season two of the dramedy series Ugly Betty
, and the 29th episode in the series, which aired on November 1, 2007. The episode was written by Henry Alonso Myers and directed by Wendey Stanzler. The episode takes its title from the phrase "something wicked this way comes", as well as the fact that this episode features the popular Broadway musical Wicked
as a date venue.
The following day Christina, who was putting together swimwear designs, notices Betty having something else on her mind, so she talks to her about intervention, using doughnuts as an example. Christina then figures out that Betty and Henry are seeing each other secretly when she starts noticing the two fidget awkwardly, and Christina realizes that Henry is Betty's "doughnuts". Christina thinks that it's crazy, but hot.
Bradford continues berating Daniel for losing the Atlantic Attire account, saying that Daniel should have lied to Luke Carnes and he could have taken Alexis's name off the masthead for a few months. Bradford can't believe Daniel couldn't think of a way to keep their business, and Alexis says that she has some contacts at Ralph Lauren from her time at Hudson. Daniel meekly says that he has contacts, too, but Bradford tells him that he's done enough, and that Alexis will take care of it. Elsewhere, Gio returns to tell Betty about the sandwich business he's launching and hands her a flyer for Gio's Sandwiches. After that conversation, Betty spots a dejected Daniel, who can't believe that Bradford has begun to bond with Alexis a lot more than ever.
Betty later goes to get Henry to "sign" something, and drops it under the desk. The two pop under there, where Betty asks if Henry wants to go on a real date to see Wicked. However, they bump into Daniel, who tells her that if she were seeing Henry he'd have to fire him to save Betty from certain heartache. Later on, Betty, who tried to get tickets but learns that they are sold out, lies to Daniel that she's dating Gio. At lunchtime, Daniel tries to coerce Betty into looking under the bun of his sandwich, where he put the ad for Wicked in his turkey and Swiss, because he got Betty and Gio tickets. He says that MODE has access to house seats, so Amanda can get tickets for just about anything. As Betty ships Daniel off to a meeting with advertisers before asking if she can have the tickets, he tells her he gave them to her "boyfriend," Gio, who later gives Betty one of the tickets because he doesn't think that she should be with Henry either, which causes Betty to fume profusely. Betty then walks up to Amanda, who tells Betty that if she wants her to help her to get another set of tickets, Betty will have to walk Halston for one month...in her bathing suit.
Hours later, Becks is there to hear Daniel's failure meeting with the advertisers. As Becks looks at the list of advertisers, he comes up with Sandra Winthrop, who owns a jewelry company. She's over fifty and foxy, says Becks, who adds that "If you want to land your advertiser, you have to land your advertisers."
It looks like Marc is doing his best to keeping his relationship with Cliff at arms length. First he sends Amanda running when he sees Cliff coming, then pushes him toward the elevator, and Cliff asks if they'll have dinner tonight at a locale other than one of their apartments. Later that day he tells Cliff on the phone that Wili ordered him to stay late. When Cliff shows up to see Marc several hours later, Amanda pops in, and Marc introduces Cliff as his "friend." Cliff then breaks up with Marc after he realizes that Marc is ashamed to introduce him to anyone. Cliff is outraged, and tells Amanda he is -- or was -- Marc's boyfriend and tells Marc that he is upset over his treatment of their relationship.
Marc had feared telling Wilhelmina that her daughter Nico won't be able to be her maid of honor because of a bad monkey bite, but Wilhelmina was more preoccupied with having to put on some weight (six pounds) before her next fitting with Vera Wang, not to mention being upset over the caterer segregating the chocolates for the reception. Later on, in the ladies room, Amanda tells Marc about how he was treating Cliff as Marc ponders what would happen if dumped Cliff and ended up all alone. They also talked about Marc knowing about how Nico is just avoiding her upcoming nuptials and that Wilhelmina doesn't really love Bradford. Wilhelmina overhears Marc and Amanda gossiping about her, and would confront Marc about it in her office moments later, saying that she hoping that Nico would show up but vows that she won't be alone. Wilhelmina then calls Victoria "Posh" Beckham to ask her to be her maid of honor, and Marc calls Cliff to apologize.
Back at the Suarezes, Justin, who was trading collectible "Playbill
"s, learns from his friend that instead of working at the salon, Hilda is actually waiting tables at "High Beams." His friend says "It's like Hooters, just not as classy." They also shows Justin a video of her dad's waitress, who is Hilda. When Hilda arrives home, Justin tells his mother that he knows about her working at High Beams. Hilda then tells Justin that she was fired from the beauty salon and that she needed to make money to support the family, which disappointed Justin.
When Betty and Henry show up at the theatre to see Wicked, they run into Gio in the lobby. It turns out that Daniel and Sandra are there, too, so Betty ends up sitting with Gio and Henry sits with Gio's little sister, Antonella, who seems to not like Betty after she asks her about being too old for braces. Henry is jealous to see that Gio has his arm around Betty, and Betty isn't pleased to see Daniel getting cozy with Sandra, just to save the magazine. Betty and Henry almost get caught kissing in the lobby, so they sneak backstage, while Daniel and Sandra sneak into the coat-check room, where Daniel starts having second thoughts about seducing Sandra, who likes the idea of being seduced. Eventually he decides against this but does convince Sandra to advertise in MODE, even though she would pass on a celebration offered by him.
Betty and Henry begin to argue over how to handle this relationship, but as they are running around looking for a place to be alone, they find themselves accidentally onstage via Glinda's bubble, shocking everyone in the audience, including the cast! After the two are thrown out (and banned for life!), Betty learned that her purse is still in the building. Daniel then confronts Betty and asks her why she's being so stupid, setting herself up for heartache, but she says it's her heart. Daniel thinks she is making a mistake and leaves. Betty then she decides to just go home to talk to Hilda, who also tells her that she's stupid, but for not choosing to spend every moment that she can with the man she loves, no matter how long or short their time together will be, so Betty goes to Henry, where they have their night of Wicked-ness together.
Meanwhile, Justin and Ignacio surprise Hilda with a new salon chair and hair dryer so she can start her own business, which was used with "Playbill"s that Justin traded in for money.
", Elphaba is seen on stage after she is supposed to have left, as well as the bubble (containing Henry and Betty) moving during "Defying Gravity
" (as the bubble isn't used at all during that number).
The use of Wicked
was one of many Broadway-themed episodes that have influenced the series. In a July 29, 2007 interview with Playbill
, producer Marco Pennette expressed his love for the musicals and its performers: "I love theatre actors," says Pennette. "I grew up back east (he was born in Greenwich, Connecticut
), and I'm a big lover of theatre. I want to go into theatre; TV sort of lured me away..."
, reviewer Kate Ward described it as, "If after last night's episode, you didn't stand up, walk to your computer and log onto Ticketmaster
while chanting, Must...see...Wicked, well, then consider yourself immune to all influences. Because if Ugly Betty wasn't just one giant commercial for the Broadway show, I don't know what was."
All in all, reception of the episode was mostly positive. Despite reviews, audiences loved the element of romance between Betty and Henry and how they finally decided to go against all possible odds to have their first night together.
, the showing helped contributed the network's Thursday night win in the first night of the 2007 November TV sweeps. 5.0 million watched this episode in the UK, keeping its 5.05 million average with a 18% audience share, placing first.
Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...
, and the 29th episode in the series, which aired on November 1, 2007. The episode was written by Henry Alonso Myers and directed by Wendey Stanzler. The episode takes its title from the phrase "something wicked this way comes", as well as the fact that this episode features the popular Broadway musical Wicked
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
as a date venue.
Plot
The day begins with Betty creeping down the stairs, trying to sneak out. Ignacio catches her and rushes her to the kitchen, as they celebrate Hilda's first week at her new salon job, so he's planned a celebration. But Betty says she's going to the movies, which is what Ignacio didn't want to hear, since he was hoping that she got over her feelings for Henry, plus he wanted her to stick around for the family's sake, even to the point of the entire Suarez family asking to go with her to the cinema. However, Betty does sneak away...and meets up with Henry, waiting behind the trash can, to tell him that she can't go. He already knows: "Your family is really loud." Henry is frustrated that Betty has so many friends who don't want her to be alone, and says that they see less of each other now than they did when they weren't going out. Henry believes that they should tell people that they're going out, but nixes the idea, saying the utter stupidity of what they're doing makes this impossible.The following day Christina, who was putting together swimwear designs, notices Betty having something else on her mind, so she talks to her about intervention, using doughnuts as an example. Christina then figures out that Betty and Henry are seeing each other secretly when she starts noticing the two fidget awkwardly, and Christina realizes that Henry is Betty's "doughnuts". Christina thinks that it's crazy, but hot.
Bradford continues berating Daniel for losing the Atlantic Attire account, saying that Daniel should have lied to Luke Carnes and he could have taken Alexis's name off the masthead for a few months. Bradford can't believe Daniel couldn't think of a way to keep their business, and Alexis says that she has some contacts at Ralph Lauren from her time at Hudson. Daniel meekly says that he has contacts, too, but Bradford tells him that he's done enough, and that Alexis will take care of it. Elsewhere, Gio returns to tell Betty about the sandwich business he's launching and hands her a flyer for Gio's Sandwiches. After that conversation, Betty spots a dejected Daniel, who can't believe that Bradford has begun to bond with Alexis a lot more than ever.
Betty later goes to get Henry to "sign" something, and drops it under the desk. The two pop under there, where Betty asks if Henry wants to go on a real date to see Wicked. However, they bump into Daniel, who tells her that if she were seeing Henry he'd have to fire him to save Betty from certain heartache. Later on, Betty, who tried to get tickets but learns that they are sold out, lies to Daniel that she's dating Gio. At lunchtime, Daniel tries to coerce Betty into looking under the bun of his sandwich, where he put the ad for Wicked in his turkey and Swiss, because he got Betty and Gio tickets. He says that MODE has access to house seats, so Amanda can get tickets for just about anything. As Betty ships Daniel off to a meeting with advertisers before asking if she can have the tickets, he tells her he gave them to her "boyfriend," Gio, who later gives Betty one of the tickets because he doesn't think that she should be with Henry either, which causes Betty to fume profusely. Betty then walks up to Amanda, who tells Betty that if she wants her to help her to get another set of tickets, Betty will have to walk Halston for one month...in her bathing suit.
Hours later, Becks is there to hear Daniel's failure meeting with the advertisers. As Becks looks at the list of advertisers, he comes up with Sandra Winthrop, who owns a jewelry company. She's over fifty and foxy, says Becks, who adds that "If you want to land your advertiser, you have to land your advertisers."
It looks like Marc is doing his best to keeping his relationship with Cliff at arms length. First he sends Amanda running when he sees Cliff coming, then pushes him toward the elevator, and Cliff asks if they'll have dinner tonight at a locale other than one of their apartments. Later that day he tells Cliff on the phone that Wili ordered him to stay late. When Cliff shows up to see Marc several hours later, Amanda pops in, and Marc introduces Cliff as his "friend." Cliff then breaks up with Marc after he realizes that Marc is ashamed to introduce him to anyone. Cliff is outraged, and tells Amanda he is -- or was -- Marc's boyfriend and tells Marc that he is upset over his treatment of their relationship.
Marc had feared telling Wilhelmina that her daughter Nico won't be able to be her maid of honor because of a bad monkey bite, but Wilhelmina was more preoccupied with having to put on some weight (six pounds) before her next fitting with Vera Wang, not to mention being upset over the caterer segregating the chocolates for the reception. Later on, in the ladies room, Amanda tells Marc about how he was treating Cliff as Marc ponders what would happen if dumped Cliff and ended up all alone. They also talked about Marc knowing about how Nico is just avoiding her upcoming nuptials and that Wilhelmina doesn't really love Bradford. Wilhelmina overhears Marc and Amanda gossiping about her, and would confront Marc about it in her office moments later, saying that she hoping that Nico would show up but vows that she won't be alone. Wilhelmina then calls Victoria "Posh" Beckham to ask her to be her maid of honor, and Marc calls Cliff to apologize.
Back at the Suarezes, Justin, who was trading collectible "Playbill
Playbill
Playbill is a monthly U.S. magazine for theatregoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most Playbills are printed for particular shows to be distributed at the door...
"s, learns from his friend that instead of working at the salon, Hilda is actually waiting tables at "High Beams." His friend says "It's like Hooters, just not as classy." They also shows Justin a video of her dad's waitress, who is Hilda. When Hilda arrives home, Justin tells his mother that he knows about her working at High Beams. Hilda then tells Justin that she was fired from the beauty salon and that she needed to make money to support the family, which disappointed Justin.
When Betty and Henry show up at the theatre to see Wicked, they run into Gio in the lobby. It turns out that Daniel and Sandra are there, too, so Betty ends up sitting with Gio and Henry sits with Gio's little sister, Antonella, who seems to not like Betty after she asks her about being too old for braces. Henry is jealous to see that Gio has his arm around Betty, and Betty isn't pleased to see Daniel getting cozy with Sandra, just to save the magazine. Betty and Henry almost get caught kissing in the lobby, so they sneak backstage, while Daniel and Sandra sneak into the coat-check room, where Daniel starts having second thoughts about seducing Sandra, who likes the idea of being seduced. Eventually he decides against this but does convince Sandra to advertise in MODE, even though she would pass on a celebration offered by him.
Betty and Henry begin to argue over how to handle this relationship, but as they are running around looking for a place to be alone, they find themselves accidentally onstage via Glinda's bubble, shocking everyone in the audience, including the cast! After the two are thrown out (and banned for life!), Betty learned that her purse is still in the building. Daniel then confronts Betty and asks her why she's being so stupid, setting herself up for heartache, but she says it's her heart. Daniel thinks she is making a mistake and leaves. Betty then she decides to just go home to talk to Hilda, who also tells her that she's stupid, but for not choosing to spend every moment that she can with the man she loves, no matter how long or short their time together will be, so Betty goes to Henry, where they have their night of Wicked-ness together.
Meanwhile, Justin and Ignacio surprise Hilda with a new salon chair and hair dryer so she can start her own business, which was used with "Playbill"s that Justin traded in for money.
Production
Scenes from the episode were filmed on location at the Pantages Theatre with the Los Angeles production company of the hit musical Wicked, which was a stand-in for the Broadway production. That this wasn't a real show is obvious in the fact that at the end of "PopularPopular (song)
"Popular" is a song from the Tony Award-winning musical Wicked. It is performed by the Broadway company's original Glinda, Kristin Chenoweth on the original Broadway cast recording...
", Elphaba is seen on stage after she is supposed to have left, as well as the bubble (containing Henry and Betty) moving during "Defying Gravity
Defying Gravity (song)
"Defying Gravity" is the signature song from the musical Wicked, composed by Stephen Schwartz, originally recorded by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth on November 10, 2003, and released on December 16, 2003...
" (as the bubble isn't used at all during that number).
The use of Wicked
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
was one of many Broadway-themed episodes that have influenced the series. In a July 29, 2007 interview with Playbill
Playbill
Playbill is a monthly U.S. magazine for theatregoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most Playbills are printed for particular shows to be distributed at the door...
, producer Marco Pennette expressed his love for the musicals and its performers: "I love theatre actors," says Pennette. "I grew up back east (he was born in Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
), and I'm a big lover of theatre. I want to go into theatre; TV sort of lured me away..."
Reception
There were some mixed reviews over this episode because of the "plug" for "Wicked." In a recap from Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, reviewer Kate Ward described it as, "If after last night's episode, you didn't stand up, walk to your computer and log onto Ticketmaster
Ticketmaster
Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc. is an independent American ticket sales and distribution company based in West Hollywood, California, USA, with operations in many countries around the world. In 2010 it merged with Live Nation to become Live Nation Entertainment...
while chanting, Must...see...Wicked, well, then consider yourself immune to all influences. Because if Ugly Betty wasn't just one giant commercial for the Broadway show, I don't know what was."
All in all, reception of the episode was mostly positive. Despite reviews, audiences loved the element of romance between Betty and Henry and how they finally decided to go against all possible odds to have their first night together.
Ratings
The episode was watched by 9.9 million viewers in the US and had a 7.3 rating, according to ABC. While the episode was second behind CBS' installment of Survivor: ChinaSurvivor: China
Survivor: China is the fifteenth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The premiere aired September 20, 2007. Host Jeff Probst claimed the show was the first full American TV series to be filmed entirely within China...
, the showing helped contributed the network's Thursday night win in the first night of the 2007 November TV sweeps. 5.0 million watched this episode in the UK, keeping its 5.05 million average with a 18% audience share, placing first.
Also starring
- Freddy RodriguezFreddy RodriguezFreddy Rodriguez is an American actor known for playing the characters Hector Federico "Rico" Diaz on HBO's Six Feet Under and El Wray in Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror...
as Giovanni "Gio" Rossi - David BlueDavid Blue (actor)David Blue is an American actor, writer, producer and director. He is best known for his portrayal of Cliff St. Paul on Ugly Betty and Eli Wallace on the Syfy series Stargate Universe.-Early life:...
as Cliff St. Paul - Bailey ChaseBailey ChaseBailey Chase is a stage and television actor known for his role as Butch Ada in the television series Saving Grace, his recurring roles as Graham Miller in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Christopher "Chris" Robert Hughes in the soap opera As the World Turns and Beckett 'Becks' Scott on Ugly...
as Beckett "Becks" Scott - Juliette GogliaJuliette GogliaJuliette Rose Goglia is an American teen actress. She is best known for portraying Sierra in the Disney Channel series That's So Raven and Hannah West in the CBS series CSI...
as Hilary
Guest stars
- Eden EspinosaEden EspinosaEden Erica Espinosa is an American singer and stage actress, who is best known for her performances as Elphaba for the Broadway, Los Angeles and San Francisco productions of the musical Wicked....
as Elphaba - Megan HiltyMegan HiltyMegan Kathleen Hilty is an American stage and television actress.- Early years :Hilty was born in Bellevue, Washington and is the daughter of Jack and Donna Hilty. She attended Sammamish High School in Bellevue and the Washington Academy of Performing Arts Conservatory High School in Redmond,...
as Glinda - Marlo ThomasMarlo ThomasMargaret Julia “Marlo” Thomas is an American actress, producer, and social activist known for her starring role on the TV series That Girl . She also serves as National Outreach Director for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital...
as Sandra Winthrop - Jasmine Anthony as Antonella Rossi
- Kristoffer CusickKristoffer CusickKristoffer Cusick is a Broadway actor. He has performed in such musicals as Saturday Night Fever, Rent and Wicked.-Wicked:Kristoffer Cusick was one of the original understudies for Fiyero in the hit 2003 musical Wicked. He performed the role of Fiyero on Broadway starting on November 25, 2003 and...
as Fiyero - Casey Margolis as Duncan