Warning: Spoilers ahead.
In the late aughts, there was a strong fringe group of viewers obsessed with Ugly Betty. The dramedy based on the telenovela Yo soy Betty, la fea garnered America Ferrera an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and Richard Shepard (Girls, The Handmaid’s Tale) one for Oustanding Directing for a Comedy Series for the pilot episode.
The Emmy nominations waned after the show’s first season, and after the fourth, the show was canceled. While running, Ugly Betty was known for its dramatic plotlines, diverse characters, grappling with the impossible beauty standards in fashion, and honest portrayal of the struggles many Latin Americans face, and its legacy is certainly defined by those aspects, too.
Ugly Betty Isn’t Quite Perfect
But the show was not without its faults. Namely, an episode discrepancy in the first season that’ll confuse you whether you’re watching it for the first time or haven’t seen the show in 10 years. This confusion comes after Episode 10, “Fake Plastic Snow.” During this episode, Betty is planning the office Christmas party, preparing to leave Mode to work as Sofia’s executive assistant at her new magazine under the Meade umbrella by searching for her replacement, and trying to sort out her feelings for Henry and Walter. Meanwhile, Daniel is preparing to ask Sofia to marry him.
In Episode 11, “Swag,” we’re taken back to Betty’s first few weeks at Mode. She’s still at square one with Amanda and Marc, Daniel is going broke, and Sofia is nowhere to be found. And back in Queens, Ignacio’s most pressing issue is his medication, not his immigration status. If you aren’t watching the show like a hawk, you’ll be awfully confused, checking the episode list and furiously rewinding to figure out what you missed.
America Ferrera in ‘Ugly Betty’
A Top-Down Decision Gone Wrong
But here’s the catch: you didn’t miss anything (except maybe some poor editing). “Swag” was originally written to be Episode 4, not Episode 11. While it was originally airing, the network moved it for reasons unbeknownst to the general public, and viewers were left in mass confusion. Some scenes were added to communicate to the audience that, in this whacky order, the episode is meant to be a flashback episode, but those scenes are easy to miss.
Again, we have no idea why ABC made this bizarre episode decision, but we have to imagine it was because of budget or logistical reasons. If you have yet to watch or rewatch the series, either watch Episode 11 after Episode 3 as it was intended by the writers, or just skip it entirely, because the most notable details you’ll glean from it are that Betty is willing to do anything to help her family and that Wilhelmina used company funds for plastic surgery. But if you already watched it and were hopelessly confused by Episode 11, keep watching – the story picks up where it left off at Episode 12.
Ugly Betty is streaming now on Netflix and Hulu.