Trust, Lust, and Must

"Trust, Lust, and Must" is an episode from the dramedy series Ugly Betty. In the United States, Canada and Australia, it aired as the sixth episode, but is actually the seventh overall. Written by Cameron Litvack and directed by James Babbitt, the episode first aired on November 2, 2006. This episode will be executive producer Salma Hayek's first on-screen appearance on the series as a recurring regular outside her cameo from the telenovela scenes that appear on the episodes.

Plot

Betty, Hilda and Ignacio consult with a lawyer on ways to keep Ignacio in the United States as Ignacio is asked about why he never applied for a green card or took up the amnesty program that was offered in 1986. The only answer was that "He was busy" and when the lawyer told them that he would take up the case for only $20,000, the Suarezes knew that they had their work cut out for them.

At home Betty and Hilda went through files and papers that would help their dad stay in the country, only to find a photo of their mother with part of the picture torn off but featured a hand of someone else. When Betty asked who it was, Ignacio was not in a good mood to tell her, only to say that was that it was a boyfriend of hers, which contradicts his claim that they were first time loves.

Despite that setback Betty is dragged into a plan to raise money for their dad by Hilda...sell Herbalux at MODE. Betty isn't happy about it but agrees to it as a way to solve their legal problems. While Betty bombs at selling Herbalux at work, she does take a closer look at the picture and tells Hilda that their mother has a wedding ring that dates back to 1975, but Hilda is too caught up in selling trying to sell the products in another part of town, where after a mêlée outside a gym she runs into a lawyer name Leah Stillman, who quickly bails her out of the argument. Leah then gives her a card if she needs to hire her.

With that out of the way, Hilda decided to go to MODE personally to help her sister sell the stuff, of which they succeed in a big way...knowing that selling products at Meade Publications violates company rules as pointed out by Wilhelmina, who calls Betty into her office.

As Wilhelmina asks Betty why she did it, Betty told her it was to help her father. That prompted Wilhelmina to write a check, even though there was a catch: Betty would have to sell out Daniel. After telling Hilda the consequences and later on in the evening after having a drink with Christina at the rack (In the background you can see Marc), Betty found herself pondering what to do if she accepted the check, especially after arguing with her dad. In the end Betty decided not to cash it and gave it back to Wilhelmina.

Meanwhile Wilhelmina had her own problems to deal with. Her daughter Nico has arrived from boarding school and so far has stirred up trouble for her mother in an effort to get attention, and so far it hasn't worked: her shoplifting incident was quickly brushed under the rug and after a phone call to Fashion TV she takes advantage of MODE's upcoming January 2007 issue by showing up in PETA-inspired clothing to criticize their support of fur...only to get upstaged by Wilhimena wearing real fur and then covered it up by telling everyone that this was a staged event to debate the war over wearing fur in the upcoming issue. In the end Wilhelmina decided that the only way to get Nico out of the way was to send her to boarding school in Paris, and Nico had no choice but to take her mother up on that offer, but from the expression on Nico's face, this friction between this mother-daughter relationship is far from over and everyone who saw the fracas in the lobby knows it.

Wilhelmina also had a conversation with the mystery woman, who dropped hints at what was to come, which was Fey's birthday, celebrated every year with Bradford. And as Bradford remembers the times that he had with Fey, it appears that the spirit of Fey is now haunting him. When he went to the cemetery where her body lies in a tombed casket he noticed someone who looked just like Fey watching him and before he can find out who it was the person was gone. Even a security camera had no trace after his informant talked to him. That left Bradford to call someone who he feels may know what is going on.

For Daniel, his day at MODE began with a conversation with Amanda, who was hoping that her chance with Daniel would be her dream come true, but Daniel brushed her off after he saw a hot and attractive Latina, so he follows her to the elevator, where after spilling her coffee on her dress he offered a chance to give her some clothes, but she assumed that he's trying to bed her, so she turns him down. Unfortunately Daniel wouldn't give up until he knew who the girl was. Apparently he would find out in a big way when at a meeting of editor-in-chiefs in Bradford's office that this hard-to-get woman, best-selling author Sofia Reyes, is part of an upcoming new magazine that is being launched in 2007.

With Daniel now knowing her extensive background or lack of, he decides to apologize to Sofia, but the two seem to be playing hard-to-get since she is on to him but it appears the tension between the two might put them a little closer. The thought of Daniel having Sofia on his mind would carry into the bedroom after he slept with Amanda, who figured out that he still isn't interested in her. The following day Amanda would later come to his office to apologize for taking his watch, but then told him that she wasn't going to waste her time going after him now that she sees Daniel as just a womanizer.

Meanwhile at the Suarezes, Betty finally apologizes to Ignacio for lashing out and wanted to forget about the photo. But Ignacio felt that it was time to let his daughters know the truth about why he came to United States. It turns out that the hand in the photo was that of their mother's first husband, a banker that he had worked for as their cook. He then told them that he and their mother were in love but she couldn't escape the abuse of her husband, so Ignacio beat him after the husband pulled a knife on him. But in the end he told them that if the authorities send him back to Mexico he could face time in prison because Ignacio killed the banker in self-defense.

Production

Marlene Favela and Sebastián Rulli appear in another telenovela scene from Vidas de Fuego, which continues the storyline that was seen in "The Box And The Bunny", that featured a pregnant housekeeper (Favela) who kisses a priest (Rulli), but in this one the housekeeper's sister (Sister Eva) used a soccer ball from her handsome player boyfriend to find out if the priest was the father of her sister's baby. After the soccer ball dropped from her belly, the father learned that he spilled the truth to the nun. The telenovela scene also featured English subtitles.

Casting

Mark Indelicato, although credited, was absent from this episode.

Reception

Entertainment Weekly's Allysa Lee notes "This episode of Ugly Betty was a must-see, if not for all the skeletons that emerged from the characters' closets, then for the flagrant use of the word must, as in Mode magazine's Must List for 2007. Or, as in our Must List, a concept the Betty writers blatantly stole. Don't know whether to tip our hat or tip off our lawyers on that one."^[1]

Ratings

The episode was ranked 22nd with 13.62 million viewers in the United States tuning in^[2]

References

Also starring

• Salma Hayek - Sofia Reyes
• Elizabeth Payne - Masked Lady
• Stelio Savante - Steve
• Jowharah Jones - Nico Slater
• Diane Cary - Bradford's Assistant

Guest stars

• Debi Mazar - Leah Stillman
• Andy Milder - Lawyer
• Chris Damino - Gym Manager
• Alexis Krause - Hot Mode Girl
• Lauren Rose Lewis - Lara
• Lizzie Murray - Store Manager
• Allen Nabors - 1990 Fashion TV Host
• Rayan Raftery - Karaoke Singer