When Ugly Betty ended its run on April 14, 2010, the fans were just as devastated as the cast. ABC may have pulled the plug, but America Ferrera’s Betty Suarez still remains in the hearts of fans, (all of whom are still waiting for a movie) even with the rise of another award winning Latina character making waves on television, Jane Villanueva, (Gina Rodriguez) on The CW’s Jane the Virgin, also a loose adaptation of a telenovela. Rodriguez has even expressed her wishes to have a Jane and Betty crossover episode, and credited Ferrera’s groundbreaking character that “opened the doors for so many.” This week for #Throwback Thursday, we’re looking back at one of Ugly Betty finest hours, “The Bahamas Triangle.”
Like many getaway TV episodes, “The Bahamas Triangle” was automatically exciting, as it offered an entertaining break from the traditional setting of the show—the minimalist atmosphere of Mode magazine offices. This installment was packed with love triangles, island passion, drama and the great Shakira.
The episode opens with Betty in a black and white reenactment of Annette Kellerman’s famous 1907 arrest for indecency (for wearing a one-piece bathing suit), an inspiration for Betty’s pitch for the Mode magazine swimsuit issue. It happens to be Wilhelmina’s last photo shoot with Mode—one which could make or break her chances of getting the coveted editor-in-chief position at Isabella magazine, against a fashion industry rival. At one point she offers this hilarious threat:
I’ve told you many times before that people will die at my hands if things are not perfect, and this time, I ain’t playing.
Betty is visibly distracted by her unresolved attraction and feelings for her former boyfriend Matt, who has secretly started going out with secretary, Amanda and invited her on the trip. After arriving to the Atlantis Resort, Betty sees Colombian singer, Shakira who’s dressed in a Carmen San Diego-esque disguise.
One favorite scene that made a big splash, literally, was the jaw dropping return of Wilhelmina’s equally cynical and dashing lover, Connor Owens—who faked his own death. He emerged from the crystal blue waters (to a Barry White track, of course), to a stunned Wilhelmina, who is mourning her loss (cheeseburger in hand) of the EIC position to her rival Penelope Graybridge. She slaps him in anger for the staged death and they roll around in the sand making out. Connor’s seductive trance thaws her icy demeanor, causing her to walk around naked… which catches Betty off guard, as they have “hot secret sex” before planning to escape.