You all remember the ABC series Ugly Betty, right? America Ferrera played Betty, who got a job at a fashion magazine despite being anything resembling a fashionista. Of course, she and the magazine’s owner’s son fall for each other, and there was a power struggle with the villainous Wilhelmina Slater, played by Vanessa Williams. The series is based on a Colombian telenovela called Yo Soy Betty, La Fea, which ran from 1999-2001. Now, 23 years after the original series ended, there’s a sequel.
BETTY LA FEA: THE STORY CONTINUES: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Opening Shot: Scenes from the original Colombian telenovela Yo Soy Betty, la fea, which look like they were shot in the ’90s, because they were: The series ran from 1999-2001.
The Gist: It’s been a few years sine Beatriz “Betty” Aurora Pinzón Solano (Ana María Orozco) left her husband Armando Mendoza Sáenz (Jorge Enrique Abello) and was let go as president of Ecomoda, the company founded by Armando’s father, Roberto (Kepa Amuchastegui). But Roberto has just passed away, and Betty felt she needed to go to the funeral.
Of course, not one of the people there, aside from Armando, want her there, but that’s not much different than how she was treated when she first joined the company 25 years ago, when she had horrible bangs, big glasses, braces on her teeth and a fashion sense that would be generously described as “eclectic”. She changed her image and is now as glamorous as anyone else in Armando’s circle, but she’s still clumsy and quirky and is from a working-class part of Bogotá.
Armando is now president of the company, but he wants more than anything to have Betty back in his life, which is why, after the funeral, he shows up at the airport when Betty picks up their daughter Mila (Juanita Molina). After Betty left Armando, Mila pretty much turned against her mother; probably because she seemed to leave Armando suddenly, after seemingly seeing him kissing Marcella Valencia (Natalia Ramírez), her archrival and the woman he left at the alter to be with Betty all those years ago.
She does come back to Ecomoda in order to hear Roberto’s will. She’s shocked when Roberto splits his shares of the company evenly between Armando, Milla and Betty, contingent on Betty coming back as president. Roberto feels the company had its greatest success under Betty’s guidance, and Armando has been steering the ship poorly. Betty refuses, thinking that she does not want to step on Armando’s toes.
Betty eventually changes her mind about more than just coming back to Ecomoda, though, inspired by a letter from her late mother that told her she “stopped being yourself.”
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? As we mentioned, Betty La Fea: The Story Continues is a sequel to the original Colombian telenovela Yo Soy Betty, La Fea. It’s actually the second sequel, after the 2001-02 series Ecomoda. And, as the headline to this review indicates, the original telenovela inspired the 2006-10 ABC series Ugly Betty.
Our Take: Betty La Fea: The Story Continues is more or less a nostalgia trip for fans of the original Betty La Fea series, with most of the principals from the original back. Of course, it’s now a quarter-century later. But the dynamic that defined the original is still there, buffeted by a much bigger budget and now filmed in HD instead of videotaped in SD.
One of the keys to this sequel is that Betty, after 25 years of not being the “ugly” version of herself, reverts to the bangs, glasses and cardigans in order to feel more comfortable in her own skin. That version of Betty will be in charge of Ecomoda, and the implications of that will be fun to watch.
Of course, we’ll also be going over the last 25 years of Betty’s history with Armando, with the company and with her daughter. There should be flashbacks galore, which will help fill in everyone’s stories for fans and newbies alike.
Is there a lot of cattiness? Sure, especially with lead designer Hugo Lombardi (Julián Arango), staff manager Patricia Fernández (Lorna Cepeda) and receptionists Bertha Muñoz de González (Luces Velásquez) and Sandra Patiño (Marcela Posada). But that’s part and parcel of this series. Part of the viewing experience is catching up with favorite characters from the original series, so the fact that they’re somewhat mean to each other after all this time sort of feels like home for longtime fans.
Sex and Skin: None.
Parting Shot: Betty puts on her old clothes, cuts her hair into bangs and puts on her glasses, helping her feel like her old self again. She cries, thinks back to Armando calling her “ugly” when they first met, and then laughs.
Sleeper Star: Juanita Molina’s Mila is one of the new factors in Betty and Armando’s lives that wasn’t there in the original series, and Betty’s attempts to rebuild their relationship will be interesting to watch.
Most Pilot-y Line: Marcela brings in Ignacio Ortiz (Sebastián Osorio) to help her in the company and eventually take over as president. When he comes into the office, all the women ogle him as if harassment rules don’t exist. It’s not 1999 anymore.
Our Call: STREAM IT. Betty La Fea: The Story Continues is a fun return to the characters that started the worldwide “Ugly Betty” phenomenon in the 2000s.
Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.
The post Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Betty La Fea: The Story Continues’ On Prime Video, A Sequel Series To The Colombian Telenovela That Inspired ‘Ugly Betty’ appeared first on Decider.
