It may come last in my list of rundowns today, but Ugly Betty came first in my marathon of TV viewing list on Thursday. What better way to kick off the evening than with that eternally upbeat go-getter Betty Suárez? Hopefully you were able to refresh your Betty memory before last night. It was pretty easy to pick up from where the show left off, and I thought the opening dream sequence (something in the writers' water? Gossip Girl opened the same way this week) was adorable and fun. Here are my thoughts:

  • Amanda didn't have a lot going on this episode, but she was still funny reveling in her Gene-Simmons'-daughter-dom by hilariously dressing like a rabid Kiss fan, wagging her tongue, and uttering little "hardcore" lines like this one to Gio when he asked if she gave Betty a message: "I’m a receiver, not a giver."
  • Back to Betty's birthday dream: For some reason, when Henry showed up with a horse carriage and Betty asked him where they were, his answer made me laugh and reminded me of something people said in my dreams when I was 12 years old: "We're in the best place ever!"

    • For more of my thoughts on last night's Betty, read more.

    • Hands down my favorite moment of the night was when Hilda showed up at Charlie's door to regulate (aka deliver cupcakes and tell Charlie she sees right through her little game to break up Betty and Henry). I loved when she shoved her fake nails in Charlie's face, yelled, "These are not just decorative!" and then proceeded to scratch the wall out as she exited the apartment.
    • Claire Meade's magazine about "extreme adventures for the over 50 set" called Hot Flash is still making me giggle. Plus, Claire's little tender moment with Betty in the bathroom was so adorable! The best was when she exited a bathroom stall and apologized to Betty with the line, "I try to keep up the appearance I never use the bathroom."
    • Speaking of the bathroom scene, we got a very earnest little speech from Betty to Claire (who was disheartened by the fact that Alexis won't support Hot Flash) about picking yourself up and — this part was so adorably nerdy — utilizing your resources! It totally inspired Claire, so in return she gave Betty her earrings as a b-day gift. Aww.
    • The Henry-Betty-Gio love triangle seems to be building some major steam, and I'm confused about which guy I'm supposed to root for. On the one hand, Betty seems to really love Henry, but he irritated me with how easily he allowed Charlie to pull the "I'm carrying your child" card. Really, ditching your girlfriend for a baby seminar? And Gio was lovably charming in his working-man kind of way and definitely saved Betty's big day, so right now, I'm leaning toward him.

    • Now we know Renee's big secret: She has to see a therapist and take pills to stay mentally stable. And since this is Ugly Betty, and since we got a little sneak peek of next week's episode, this clearly won't be a little garden-variety depression. No, Renee is going to take a sharp turn onto Psycho-Possessive Lane and park it for a while at Violent-Lashing-Out-Ville. I can't wait for next week.
    • Aaaand turns out Daniel didn't forget Betty's birthday after all. It kind of killed me she didn't open the gift. I'm still really curious.

    So was the return of Betty everything you hoped it would be? Are you as annoyed with Henry as I am or do you, like Betty, feel like he should be cut some slack because of the baby? Does Gabrielle Union look more and more like Vanessa Williams to you every episode? They seriously look like sisters. Also, do you really think that a baby born of stolen, dead-man semen will really count as a Meade heir? This plan strikes me as fundamentally flawed on many levels.

    Photos copyright 2008 ABC, Inc.

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