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Episode Recap: "Giving Up the Ghost"
Everyone imploring last week for more of Judith Light has one more thing to be thankful for today! Perhaps the best part of the episode was thanks to her presence at Bradford's funeral. When Wilhelmina appeared (with Marc close behind, stirring up PR), Claire Meade — despite her shackles — swiftly tripped her, causing her to fly six feet deep into the fresh empty grave. Then she promptly held a board members meeting (with Daniel and Alexis) calling a "motion to terminate" Wilhelmina as the creative director of Mode immediately. "Rest in peace, bitch." Nice.
But you just can't keep that woman down. With some Mission Impossible III-type gadgetry, WilhelMommy derailed the latest Mode issue, due to the printer in 12 hours. Then she poached most of the staff to her "Slater" magazine, luring them via 15% raises, dental coverage and/or cosmetic surgery. The saddest result of this latest scheme was watching Amanda and Marc separate. I'm pleased that Amanda decided to remain at Mode out of loyalty to her mother, but hope that this dynamic duo won't be parted for too long!
Betty left her family's traditional tree-trimming to help Daniel, Alexis, and remaining staffers who didn't join the Dark Side. The task of filling this father's shoes and carrying on the Meade publishing legacy sent Daniel into another crisis of confidence and identity. But Betty — with some guilt-trip prodding from a luau version of Bradford — was there for the it's-so-cute-it's-sick pep talk we've come to expect and adore (I'm thankful I never seem to tire of those). Though he wasn't able to coax the rehabbing starlet Cameron (Eliza Dushku) to drink her way through another photo shoot, he pulled through for the magazine (and thus for his father's legacy) in his own, sensitive Daniel way.
Alexis was having some identity issues of her own, starting with the realization that her sexy Red Riding Hood ensemble wouldn't always get her out of a bind. To persuade the printer to delay the deadline, she needed to tack "Little" onto her persona. But that's just not who she is, and now that Bradford's gone, she can be whomever she wants. It doesn’t matter what he thought of her.
With an issue in flux and a skeletal workforce, some other new identities came to the fore: Sheila (Illeana Douglas) became an artistic and editorial force (and was someone who worked with and made out with Fey Sommers, apparently). Henry can grow orchids and cook, and contributed to the issue as Food Editor. Amanda realized that fashion may never come easily to her, and that she doesn't want to work as hard as her mother did to acquire her inspiration (and perspiration). Instead, she's more motivated than ever to find her real father, hoping that his gene pool will offer her some easier, lazier talents.
And Betty made some realizations about her own identity. Daniel was right: She had changed because she was growing up; and every job would involve some tough decisions. She could still make her mom proud and continue to work at Mode. And even though many of her and her mother's tree-trimming traditions literally went up in flames, the Suarez family could keep some traditions, and shake things up as well. I'm thinking this is the first and last Christmas with a pink tree, but I'm hoping Justin's Madonna-and-child nativity scene (that is, with Material Girl and Lourdes/Rocco figurines) was unscathed and will be around for many holidays to come.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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Nov 22, 2007 10:26 PM
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LOVED IT
AMANDA AND WIHELMINA ARE THE BEST
THEY ARE SO GOOD
LOVED ITTTTTTTTTTT
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Nov 22, 2007 10:38 PM
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Great episode. And since Wilhelmina's Pop didn't come through with the financing, that means Slater won't last long, doesn't it? That means Willie - and Marc - should be back at Mode soon!
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Nov 23, 2007 10:00 AM
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Aimee, thanks for taking the time to post during your holiday. Great episode last night...definitely the whipped cream on top of my Thanksgiving. 
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Nov 23, 2007 11:23 AM
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I am thankful you posted on a holiday! That is true dedication Aimee.
Another good episode. Some of my favorite parts:
Claire asking the cop to allow her some dignity, then clomping along in the shackles. Funny sight gag.
Henry being true to his accountant self and reminding Alexis that her "girls" were not a true business expense.
The fact that Cameron Ashlock had peed in Betty's chair during the last cover shoot.
I was glad that Wilhelmina’s evil plan was releasing a virus and not a melodramatic, overused pregnancy. But I am still curious what she asked the Dr. to do last week. Funny that her plan to take down Mode included cosmetic surgery as a benefit and Amanda pushed Betty forward saying "Oh! Go...go...go!" I know I am supposed to feel sorry for Wil since her dad completely rebuffed her, but it is hard for me to muster up sympathy for her this year after all the rotten things she has done.
I know some people would like Daniel and Betty together, but I think they have one of the sweetest platonic relationships I have ever seen on TV. I would like it to remain so. Daniel was right about Betty growing up, but she is not the only one. A year ago, he probably would have given that cover model the drink.
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Nov 23, 2007 2:17 PM
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once again another good episode. This one went fast from the funeral scence (rest in peace b****...") to the medusa virus to the rush to save the magazine. Also a great theme with looking forward to the future and not being kept down by the past. Although in Willy's case it might be a good things. It was also nice to see focus of Mode as a working magzine company. We tend to miss the core part of the setting as we get wrapped up into other storylines (not that i'm complaining!)
It's a pity there's two weeks to go until 2.10 but with the writer's strike going on, i'll take anything that will prolong the new episodes while we have them.
some funny moments to note:
-Alexis's decalration to kick Willy's a**
-the christmas tree catching on fire
-Betty and Henry having a couple moment in the middle of a crisis
-the sight gag with Harvey and Alexis
-"America's sweetheart" destroying the set
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Nov 23, 2007 3:56 PM
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This was the best episode! I had the most pleasant surprise seeing David Steinberg playing the publisher.
He was a Senior at Messiah College in 1985. I was in A MidSummer Night's Dream with him. He of course was Puck.
I am so happy to see that he is still acting, as the last time I saw him in a movie was Willow. He played Willow's little buddy.
Tears when Mr. Mead faded out and laughs as Betty's father was in the back chopping the burned tree in the living room.
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Nov 23, 2007 4:04 PM
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i thought this epi was funny and i too lol'ed at henry's inner accountant coming out when he chased after alexis to remind her that her boobs were not a legitimate business expense.
Whats going on w/ christina's husband? Is he going to come back? Its not like UB to drop a story line on us and leave it alone for this long, i'm sure they'll get back to it (if the strike gets settled of course)
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Nov 23, 2007 10:14 PM
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I found it wonderfully ironic that Betty was reluctant to return to Mode because she didn't think her Mother would be proud of the person she was becoming....and Willy's Father wouldn't finance her magazine because he didn't like the person she has become !!
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Nov 26, 2007 1:08 AM
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I know that this is soap opera and the virus was wicked and somewhat inspired, but if I were Daniel the first I would have done is fired my IT guys because even if Willie erased all the files on all the computers, I would still have my hourly, daily, weekly and monthly backups ... which are off-line and inaccessible to her virus. But since this is soap opera anything as prosaic as hourly backups are to be ignored. (We never ignored this at any magazine I ever worked for.)
I'm just having trouble getting past the lack of backups, so much trouble that I'm not able to enjoy the show. It's just too stupid and unbelievable ... and the producers count on people not to know how things work. And it is nuts that I am so annoyed because it is merely television and fiction.
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Nov 26, 2007 2:44 AM
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OpinionatedWatcher -- I feel your pain. Suspension of disbelief is one thing, but many times writers rely on that a bit too much and plot devices verge into the truly silly. I thought the same thing while watching the episode -- great that all the editors had converged to help save the day but where the heck were the IT guys?
I'm always reminded in these instances of my dad who would never watch the "Airport" movies. He had worked as a flight engineer for a major airline for 40 years and would rant about how this or that could not happen (he was especially tweaked with "Airport '77" when the plane is trapped underwater). I would always tell him, "Dad, it's only a movie." But there are always instances where I watch something related to my profession and think, "No way that could happen."
Maybe while the writers are on strike there can be a "Bring a writer to work day" so that they can broaden their real world experience?
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Nov 26, 2007 12:14 PM
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My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard.
That is all.
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Nov 26, 2007 12:47 PM
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I wonder how Wilhelmina can ever return to Mode. I'm sure they can find an easy way to bring Marc back, but Wilhelmina!? I too wonder what kind of deal she made with the young doctor who was attending Bradford's body. I don't think that a pregnancy is completely out of the question. She might have had the young doc recover some of Bradford's little swimmers for future fertilization. Either that, or she had Bradford drugged so that he'd appear to be dead, then had his unconscious body spirited away, so she could do whatever she wanted to at Mode until she could figure out what to do with the unconscious Mr. Meade.
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Nov 28, 2007 3:00 PM
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Argh! My parents called 45 minutes into the show and I didn't get a chance to watch the final bits (thanks, ABC.com) until now.
LOVED Bradford. I hope his ghost makes many happy returns. (I foresee a "ghost of Christmas past" at some point.) But WHAT did Christina say about her dad? I ran that sentence three times and couldn't make it out. It sounded racy, darnit.
Opinionated W, this is the second time I recall that the "instant publishing" bit has been used. I, too, wondered where the backups were, but on top of that was: how do you put a huge magazine together FROM SCRATCH in just a few hours? In real life proofs would have been done (and okayed) for days, plates would be finished and ready to go to press, etc etc. Now they have to rewrite everything, re-design everything, etc??? and still manage to get it done by dawn? What century are they living in, the 25th?
Unless Mode consists 99.9% of ads. Maybe that's it, yeah.
Suspension of disbelief is one thing, but PLEASE don't make us do that so often! OTT, yes; completely unbelievable, no.
Faith the Vampire Slayer was on! And Willow's buddy! How delightful to see them. (I want to see MORE of that publisher, please! And where'd that sandwich guy go?)
Love Betty. Love everyone on the program! I wish the staff at Men in Trees would watch this show a little more closely, since MiT is trying so hard to be a rural UB. UB has such sharp writing, such keen characters, such funny and/or surprising turns!
I'll be fascinated to see how Mrs. Meade will return; how Willy will return to staff; what happened with the doctor...
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Nov 28, 2007 3:35 PM
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Eliza Dushku cracked me up in this episode! I hope she comes back at some point. I loved her fit and throwing stuff at the shoot and being dragged out. Hilarious.
I was also really happy that Amanda stayed at mode.
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Dec 3, 2007 5:28 PM
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