Ugly Betty - Decisions, decisions...

The main drama on the season finale of Ugly Betty last night was Betty needing to make a choice between accepting Henry's marriage proposal and moving to Tucson or going to Rome with Gio for a month. I know which one I would have picked--but the writers left us with a cliffhanger for the summer. We saw Betty packing a bag and an airplane flying overhead--but was it flying to Tucson or to Rome? And was Betty even on it?

If we think about this logically, it's doubtful that a show called Ugly Betty is gonna work without Betty. And it's doubtful about a so-called plain Jane trying to make it at a New York high-fashion magazine is going to translate that same fish out of water spirit to some random southwest publication. So most likely Betty did NOT end up flying to Tucson. Or if she did, you can bet she'll be back by the time the fall season starts. It's quite likely she did end up going to Rome with Gio, but I wouldn't doubt that her summer involves learning some lessons about exploring and experiencing life on her own. Maybe she cashes in the first class itinerary Daniel gifted her with and takes a solo trip to Paris. We'll have to wait until September to find out I guess...Anyone have a theory they'd like to share?

Thankfully Lindsay Lohan's guest appearance was limited to a mercifully brief cameo in a flashback. Unfortunately, according to rumors, Lohan is scheduled to appear on FIVE more episodes next season. Gack! Let's hope her appearances are of the same blink and you'll miss it variety as last nights. I'm sure I speak for my buds Elisabeth and Rae when I say, "Forget Lilo and bring back CLIFF!"

Whew.

In other drama, Hilda's dreamy Coach Diaz turns out to be a two-timer when he explains to her, "I'm not single." Hilda walks away from the situation (Yay!) but by the end of the show she's back in the double-dipping Diaz's arms (Boo!). Turns out Daniel's a Daddy--his illegitimate progeny (Julian De La Celle) of a fling with a French hand model showed up in his office after his mommy died. Of course, Willie managed to manipulate this to her advantage and convinced Alexis to oust Daniel as Mode Editor-in-Chief and install her in the role instead. Mama Claire looked none too happy at the celebration following the annual Mode vs. Elle Charity Baseball game (which was won due to Willie--the woman knows how to throw a curve ball!). Claire owns Mode, so I expect that she'll intercede and reinstate Daniel when the show returns next season.

As usual the best lines came from Amanda or Marc. Like when Amanda was showing off her cheerleader outfit and told Marc, "Pretend you're a man for a minute and tell me how hot I look!" or when she met Daniel's little French son for the first time and asked him, "Do you mind if I dress you up as a doll and put makeup on you?" or when she intercepted the reporter at the baseball game to apologize to all her "fans" telling them, "I'm gonna be back with a new single, reality show or sex tape really soon!"

In the better late than never category--the season finale of My Name is Earl. I had this all set up to tape while I watched Ugly Betty last week. Only one problem--I neglected to check the TV schedule and didn't realize it was a one hour episode. So right in the middle of watching the show, the tape turned to snow. Aaarrrgggghhhh! I had a similar issue with taping the finale of Dancing with the Stars--I set up the VCR and then neglected to turn the TV to the correct channel. So I taped whatever was on NBC for the first 35 minutes. Fortunately I got home from my screening and the only thing I really missed was Cristian getting knocked out of the competition.

God, I need TiVo...

Anyway, based on the first half of the episode I was not all that impressed. I finally got a chance to watch the second half online on Wednesday. I liked the way they brought back some of the list characters, such as the Kevin the Unicorn Man, when Billie (Alyssa Milano for the person who was searching to find out the name of the actress who played Earl's wife...Guess they never saw Who's the Boss? or Charmed...) goes around Camden County undoing Earl's list. I also liked the way the writers managed to get rid of the Billie character expediently without either her or Earl ending up as the bad guy. My favorite moment in the show was when Randy was explaining to Camdenite Greta about modern technology:

"That's a phone, isn't it cool?" "How does it work?" "Nobody knows..."

It reminded me of the time my parents put me on the phone to try to explain what a fax machine was to my grandmother. "It's like a combination telephone and xerox machine...you can transmit documents over the telephone lines..." "How does it work?," my grandma asked. "It's magic!" I replied.

Let's face it--other than Joy snappy remarks (which have been too few and far between this season) and the really sweet sibling relationship between Earl and Randy, the best thing about My Name is Earl is the kitschy 70s/80s tunes that populate the soundtrack. The finale featured tunes by Fleetwood Mac and John Denver.

Sweeeet!