| Ugly Betty – Episode 2 – The Box and the Bunny |
Ugly Betty – Episode 2 – The Box and the Bunny
We start off at Mode offices, with Betty grinning as she carries a box to her desk. From the box she retrieves various nick-nacks and places them on her desk. While she does this, the camera shows shots of the other office staff laughing at her. The final item to be placed on her desk is a bright pink and green stuffed plush bunny, wearing a mortarboard and holding a certificate. As Betty places the bunny down, we saw Marc striding towards her desk. He gives the bunny a double take, before speaking to Betty.
Marc: Great Bunny (Fake plastic grin plastered on his face)
Betty: Thanks, my sister gave it to me when I graduated from Queens College.
Marc: Ahh, One of Americas best value colleges.
Betty then shares with him that she is living her dream of working in magazine publishing. He congratulates her, then sarcastically applauds her efforts at personalizing her desk.
Marc: So Different, So You.
Marc is then called away by a bark from Wilhelmina, and we can see Daniel through a large glass window on the phone. He beckons Betty into his office. He finishes his intimate sounding phone call and tells Betty he has no idea who it was on the phone.
Betty offers to get Daniel coffee, but is cut off as he asks her about an article in which she confirms he was wearing certain brands of clothing, including a pair of shoes made in a sweat shop. He tells her it’s best if people don’t know he wears that brand of shoe. He then tells her that the press have a way of twisting things around, and in order for them to stay protected they may have to twist the truth around themselves at times.
Daniel then tells her he has a meeting with Natalie Whitman – a popular actress that Betty adores. Daniel and Betty discuss the actress putting on weight for her recurring film role, and that she doesn’t seem to lose the weight again afterwards. Daniel then offers to let Betty join the meeting too. Betty excitedly accepts the offer.
Daniel: Remember, You and me, we’re a team. And I will take that coffee now. Black, extra sugar – Thanks.
Cut to blonde female Fashion TV Reporter, telling us various snippets of information. The first thing we are reminded is that Wilhelmina Slater, the creative director didn’t get the editor in chiefs job at Mode, but Daniel, the son of the owner, did. We are also reminded that the original editor in chief was Fey Sommers who died in a fiery car crash, after being chased by animal rights activists, because she liked to wear fur.
The television showing the report is then turned off as Daniel enters Bradford’s office.
Daniel gives his father a brief update of how things are going, after which Bradford reminds him that he needs to succeed if he ever expects to follow his fathers legacy by running the company one day. Bradford then explains about “The Book” which is the mock-up of the magazine, to which each department submits their parts. During this explanation we get a montage of shots of different departments adding information into a file, which is then handed to Wilhelmina, as Bradford states that whoever controls the book controls the magazine. Bradford then tells Daniel that he has to control the book if he ever expects to succeed and progress in the company.
We then cut to a meeting room while a group of people look at a laptop and someone edits a photo to remove any fat and flabby areas. The subject of the photograph looks less than pleased with the heavy editing that has been done to her image, and Betty is seen in the background looking shocked at the alterations. We then realise that this is Natalie Whitman – the actress that was discussed earlier. Wilhelmina tells Natalie that although she looked normal in the photos that Mode isn’t about looking normal; it’s about looking aspirational. Natalie then focuses on Betty and asks what she thinks of the photos. Betty starts to say that she thinks the photos look great, when a fierce look from Daniel cuts her off, and he intercedes.
Daniel: Natalie, as Editor in chief I say why not take something that’s hot, and make it Super Hot?
Natalie’s agent agrees with Daniel, and forces Natalie to agree to the touch-ups.
Daniel then gives Wilhelmina a dressing down in front of the staff stating that he should be getting The Book from now on, not her. Wilhelmina looks less than happy with this decision.
As Betty and Daniel leave the conference room she tells him that he was very strong, and editorial like in stating his point to Wilhelmina. He agrees letting a moment of boyish pleasure appear on his face as he talks about his responsibility. He tells Betty that she ought to go with the vibe in the room when faced with a decision about the magazine, rather than state her own opinion. Daniel then sends her back into the conference room to get his PDA.
On her way past her desk, Betty notices that the pink bunny has been removed from her desk. She queries the other staff in the office, but none of them admit to seeing it.
We then swipe to Wilhelmina’s office, where Marc is rubbing Wilhelmina’s bare feet, as she complains about being embarrassed in front of all the staff earlier. Wilhelmina then hatches a plan to leave the un-retouched photo’s in the book, knowing that Daniel wont notice them, and he’ll send it off to print, resulting in uproar for the magazine.
We then cut back to Betty as she arrives at the conference room in time to see Natalie unhappily reducing herself to nothing on the laptop screen.
We cut to Betty taking a plate of empanadas from the microwave, and walking through the eating area of Mode with them. As she passes, she seems blissfully unaware of the looks of disgust that she is getting from all the fashionista’s around her. She then arrives at a table with Christina, and her other friends. They have a brief conversation about the retouching of Natalie, and how fashion is all about the unattainable.
