Brothers (Ugly Betty)

"Brothers"
Ugly Betty episode
Betty "Bumps" the Meades together.
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 15
Directed by	Lev L. Spiro
Written by	Sheila Lawrence
Production code	115
Original air date	February 8, 2007
Episode chronology
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Episode chronology

"Brothers" is the 15th episode from the dramedy series Ugly Betty, which aired on February 8, 2007.

Plot

In the three days since the bombshell at Fashion Week, Alexis Meade's shocking announcement has left MODE in chaos and the dysfunctional Meade family at each other’s throats.

As the day begins, Betty has to explain to a curious Ignacio about the difference between a Transvestite and Transsexual after he comments on how small Alexis' hands are. This is followed by Betty finally meeting Alexis in the elevator at work, where after Betty gives her a full 'look over' Alexis tells her that she had everything done...and that despite a rumor mentioned on Fashion TV, no she did not keep 'it' in a jar.

As Betty tries to talk to Daniel about Alexis, she gets no comment from him; all he wants to do is focus on MODE's upcoming swimwear issue. But as he begins the staff-only meeting Alexis shows up to make massive changes, by firing Daniel and placing Wilhelmina in charge of MODE as the new editor-in-chief. Daniel tells Betty that they aren't going anywhere; he has an injunction because Alexis had a sex-change, and therefore cannot take over Meade Publications since Alexander Spencer Meade is legally dead. And to make matters worse, Claire is excited to see her son-turned-daughter back, which is not sitting well with Daniel, thus prompting Betty to step in by taking Daniel's mother to a spa to calm things down and try to find out about how to squash the Meade squabble, and keep an eye on Claire in case she has a nervous breakdown.

The sibling rivalry between the Meades heat up a lot further when Alexis tries to hold a press conference, and Daniel interrupts it by taunting Alexis and telling the crowd that Alex wet the bed until he was 15 (which was his response after Alexis brought up his brother's 'romance' with Sofia Reyes). This leads to a fight between the two in front of the camera, which is put to a halt by Betty. She then talks the two into going to their childhood getaway, Coney Island, after realizing that Claire is there. When the two see their mother in a bumper car, they end up getting into separate bumper cars, and Betty makes sure that all three don't leave by getting into a bumper car herself until they bury the hatchet. Daniel expresses his deep anger at Alexis for letting the family think (s)he was dead, and also that she didn't tell Daniel she was going to have a sex-change. She gets very emotional and explains that she had confided in Bradford about it (which further upsets Daniel) and he threatened to disown Alex if it happened. Alexis then states that she couldn't stand being rejected like that twice, so that's why she never told Daniel. Claire remarks to Betty that maybe it wasn't a good idea to trick the siblings into talking. Reality sets in the following day for Alexis and Daniel, who both agree that they should work out their differences by working together.

Later that same day, Wilhelmina, upset that her new role as EIC is now short-lived because of the injunction, plots her next move by telling Alexis that she won't set foot in MODE until the injunction is resolved. She also 'meets' her housekeeper, Evelyn, who has actually been working for Wilhelmina for thirteen years, but whom Wilhelmina has never seen as the housekeeper works during the day. We also learn that Wilhelmina's walkout is actually a front; at home she calls Marc to tell him to check on his flowers and tells him to rotate them in front of him. As he does, she tells Marc to check his nose hairs; she can see everything from the flowers, which is actually a hidden camera that can be seen via Wilhelmina's laptop computer. She also gets a glimpse of people celebrating Wilhelmina's departure (but Marc lies, telling her its a birthday party). The camera comes in handy as she watches Daniel and Alexis shake hands and be civil, leading Wilhelmina to suspect that she has once again been screwed over, this time by both Meades.

Meanwhile, Betty is in for even more turmoil in her love life, as Henry asks her out while Walter tells her he’s got a big surprise in store. At work Henry asks Betty if she wants to go to see Wicked after learning that it is her favorite musical, but Betty says that they'll go as friends because of her relationship with Walter, which disappoints Henry. Speaking of Walter, it turns out that he has accepted a job offer as the assistant manager at a new Pro-Buy in Maryland. Knowing that he and Betty are drifting apart and wasn't meant to be a couple any longer, Walter tells her that he is taking the job, and they have their final kiss. Betty sincerely tells Walter she'll miss him. The next day the now-single Betty gets a shock from Henry when he tells Betty that he went back to Arizona over the holidays, and is going to try to work things out with his ex-girlfriend, who just showed up in New York by surprise. He also gives Betty the tickets, thinking that she is still seeing Walter.

Back at home, Hilda is miffed when Santos gets involved after Justin is sent home from school for fighting. Hilda wonders why Justin would call Santos instead of her, but Santos says Justin has every right to call his dad. Hilda learns from a visiting mother that Justin hit her son during flag practice because the boy made a comment about Hilda being a "slut mom" (presumably in reference to her mode of dress). Both Hilda and Santos defend Justin's actions. Justin asks Hilda if she's mad at him, and she tells him she's not mad at him at all. Santos praises Justin, saying he stood up for his mom and he's proud of Justin. The following day Justin sees Hilda trying to be dress conservatively, but Justin says he accepts Hilda for who she is and how she dresses, even if she does overaccessorize. She's always telling him to be proud of who he is and not let anyone make him feel bad about it, so shouldn't she do the same thing?

Claire appears to have booked herself into a hotel, and run up so many charges that the magnetic strip has worn out. Daniel gives Betty a credit card to take to Claire. When Betty gets to Claire's room, she sees Claire is drinking again and then is offered a drink (at 10am). Betty assures her that everything will be all right and that Bradford is not a killer. Claire replies to Betty "I know who killed Fey Sommers and it wasn't Bradford. It was me." After hearing that confession, Betty swallows her martini in shock.

Production

The episode's original working title was "Brothers and Friends", which was the episode's title that aired in Hong Kong. On iTunes, that is also the episodes listed name. This would also be Kevin Sussman's last appearance in this episode as Walter, even though Sussman's name would continue to be listed in the series as a regular throughout the remaining seven episodes. Also, when Amanda was caught faxing her resume by Wilhelmina, she tears a piece of her resume and puts it in her mouth. As she was chewing on it her resume that she was holding in her hand was not torn. But when she said "amen" her resume was torn again.

There are two deleted scenes that were cut from the episode, an extended story on Alexis' return and Wilhelmina's closetfull of dresses at her apartment. The scenes are featured in the extras CD on the season one DVD.

In one scene Marc tells Wilhelmina that Anna Wintour called, but Wilhelmina says that she should've returned her call back in 1998 instead of 2007. Wintour was of course the inspiration for both series characters Wilhelmina Slater and Fey Sommers. Also, Wilhelmina's maid, Evelyn, watches the same telenovela that the Suarezes watch, "Muchas Muchachas," whose segment was featured in the episode.

Casting

Ashley Jensen, although credited, was absent from this episode.

Other notes

In this episode we discover Meade Publications' actual address when Wilhelmina picks up one of her business cards: 100 MEADE PLAZA SOUTH, NEW YORK, NY 10016. Accounting is on floor 3, Mode on floor 28, MYW on floor 27, Psychology Now (Mentioned in "Secretaries' Day") on floor 14, and owner/CEO Bradford Meade's office on the Penthouse, which is the 30th floor. Another piece of Meade family history was revealed by Claire when she mentions that Daniel lost one of his pinky toes after Alex pushed him into an icy lake.

According to Hilda, Justin was conceived in the back seat of Santos's rented Camaro. Santos later hints that this occurred on Prom Night. Hilda confirms this on episode 18 during dinner with Mrs. Weiner and Mark when she says that the condom broke. This was later confirmed in episode 20 when Hilda tells Justin how she got a "precious reminder" of her prom night 9 months after it happened.

Reception

The episode received mixed reviews because of its drama-heavy theme throughout the show. Notes Entertainment Weekly's Tanner Stransky, "I suppose that by definition a dramedy will be a mix of funny and heavy moments. After the past couple of episodes of Ugly Betty — which focused on lighthearted topics like fashion shows and swag — this one hit me a little hard, falling much more in the drama column. Bradford is incarcerated, Daniel and Alexis duked it out, Betty avoided Walter, Justin got in a fight at school, Claire admitted to killing Fey Sommers. Ughhh, why don't you just stab me with a Christian Louboutin spike, UB! Or suffocate me with a Kate Spade. The laughs are just so good it sometimes makes the drama a harder pill to swallow."^[1]

Awards

"Brothers" was submitted for consideration in the category of "Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series" for the 2007 Emmy Awards. In addition, Judith Light submitted this episode for consideration of her work in the category of "Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series".^[2]

References

Also starring

• Judith Light (Claire Meade)
• Kevin Sussman (Walter)
• Christopher Gorham (Henry)
• Kevin Alejandro (Santos)

Guest stars

• Tim Gunn (himself, as "Fashion TV" reporter)
• Liz Torres (Evelyn)
• Funmi Desalu (Assistant #2)
• Ogy Durham (Reporter #3)
• Lauren Glenn (Assistant #3)
• Jeffrey Scott Kelly (Guy)
• Jill Latiano (Assistant #1)
• Abigail Marlowe (Reporter #1)
• Amy Lyndon (Shelly)
• Jack Maxwell (Reporter #2)

External links

• "Brothers" at the Internet Movie Database