Ugly Betty - Dress for Success

Last night's episode of Ugly Betty was probably one of my favorites. Tightly written, full of tension and drama. Plus it had Bernadette Peters and Nikki Blonsky. Both of the musical performers played thorns in Betty's side--Peters as Jodie Papadakis, the person running the YETI (Young Editors in Training) program and Blonsky as Teri, an assistant at rival Elle magazine.

Betty's feeling the squeeze between participating in the YETI program and maintaining family ties. When she blows off a YETI mixer to attend to family obligations, she is chastised by Jodi who threatens to kick her out of the program. Tasked with making 40 new contacts, she appeals to Marc for help.

Reminded of how Betty helped him get into the YETI program in the first place, Marc takes Betty out to a hot club to network. After she spends 20 minutes chatting up a caterer, Marc gives her lowdown on how to efficiently network and tells her, "You're a mean, not so lean, networking machine." Marc leaves the "Bettinator" to contact making--the Terminator special effects were a nice touch.

With only one contact left to make, Betty meets Teri--a seemingly kindred spirit who admits that she hates networking. But when Betty excuses herself to use the ladies room, she leaves her Blackberry behind for Teri to access.

On it, was the info about the super special Halston fireworks dress that was to be worn by Keira Knightley on Mode's next cover. When Betty goes to pick up the dress, she's told it's already been picked up. By Betty Suarez. The representative at Halston even produces Betty's business card as proof. The "Betty" who picked up the dress, however, had a pink stripe in her hair just like Teri.

Betty has to slink back to Mode and explain what happened to a murderous Wilhelmina and a disappointed Daniel. "I thought she was my friend!" Betty says. "Friendship is the oldest trick in the book!" Willie counters.

Meanwhile the love quadrangle between Willie, Connor, Molly and Daniel has been heating up. Willie shows Daniel the security recording of the encounter between him and Molly. But instead of blackmailing him, she gives him the disc--and some advice. She tells him he owes it to himself to see if there is a future for him and Molly. (Of course a future for Daniel and Molly leaves Connor free for Willie...)

Willie invites Daniel to her super elite cocktail where she will pull Connor aside so Daniel can get some alone time with Molly. Daniel poses the question to Molly, but her response is to ask Connor if they can leave the party because she isn't feeling well. Molly ends up interrupting what almost was a moment between Connor and Willie.

At Hilda's big launch party for the reopening of the new and improved Beautilities, Betty realizes that her catering contact could help her recover the missing dress. Much to Hilda and Ignacio's chagrin, she leaves Hilda's party in order to retrieve the dress and her reputation. The caterer lets Marc and Betty into Elle where they infiltrate "the closet" and locate the dress hanging on a mannequin.

With Teri hot on their heels, they escape with the dress--mannequin and all--and show up with it at Willie's door. The coveted dress allows them access to Willie's exclusive party, where Betty chooses to ignore Hilda's calls in favor of sucking up to Jodie Papadakis.

Willie and Daniel commisserate over losing out on Connor and Molly respectively, but when Daniel goes home he finds Molly waiting for him. She admits that she has feelings for him and that she broke up with Connor. Connor shows up at Willie's for a bit of consoling.

And while Daniel and Molly and Connor and Willie were sucking face, Betty arrives home to find the house empty. Checking her cell phone, she sees a whole slew of messages from Hilda. It seems while Betty was hobnobbing with celebs at Willie's soiree, Ignacio was rushed to the hospital due to a heart attack.