Ugly Betty Episode 202 Recap: “Family Affair”

Cut to Justin walking down the street listening to his iPod and singing along to, I’m guessing, some Shakira song, the only parts of which I can make out are something like “Forever … whenever … whoever … you’d better.” Or something. Whatever.

In a store window, he spies that most rare of delicacies, the organic rice cracker. He goes in and it’s the same store where Santos was shot. We know this because, lucky us, they repeated the shooting in the previouslies at the beginning of the episode. Also, the proprietor pretty much says, “Hey, this is where your father got shot.” Then he goes on about how Santos died trying to save him and is a hero. “I’ll bet you’re just like him,” he tells Justin.

Justin says, “No, I’m not,” and the look on his face is enough to break your heart.

Cut to Betty, about to tell Daniel about Wili’s afternoon of delightful snogging. But then her father calls and says he’s planning to cross the border on his own. She’s worried that if they catch him, he won’t be allowed to come home ever again, plus she knows how dangerously tight they pack those trucks. She tells him to hold off and she’ll get him home. And then she goes to see Wili to cut a deal.

Casa Suarez. Hilda and Justin are going through Santos’ things deciding on the one item they’d each like to keep. Hilda decides on “the pictures Santos took of himself at the gym.” Seriously? He took pictures of himself at the gym? You have to hand it to the guy, he sure must have loved himself. Let’s just hope he wasn’t using those pictures to love himself, you know what I mean?

Justin picks through items that would have made fantastic material for Halloween costumes or any number of gayish, ironic pastimes, and settles on a basketball. Uh oh. Please don’t tell me he’s going to get all butch on us.

Back at Mode, Wili and Daniel go over the book and his changes without any conflict. Betty is noticeably silent throughout the meeting, even when Daniel specifically asks if she’s got anything to add. On the way out, Wili — apropos of nothing I’m sure — tells Betty how pleased she was to hear her father would soon be back from Mexico.

After she leaves, Daniel tells Betty how much he appreciates her getting the book back, and then drives the knife in deeper by throwing in, “When everything’s on the line, you’re the one person I can truly count on.”

Bradford’s Office. Wili comes in to update him on their wedding plans. He hems and haws, all “actually, about those plans,” and proceeds to tell her he wants to postpone the wedding. He feels he’s getting close to Alexis and doesn’t want to jeopardize it by telling her about getting remarried before she’s ready.

“Are you sure you’re all right with this?” he asks. “I’m fine,” Wili smiles reassuringly.

Cut to, a clearly enraged Wili up on the roof, wielding a baseball bat to smash apart mannequins (ah, so that’s what they keep them around for), and letting out a brutal primal scream as thunder — real thunder this time — loudly claps above. It’s totally awesome.

Casa Suarez. A visibly upset Betty comes home, the guilt about her treacherous deal with Wili already eating away at her. Hilda greets her and talks about how happy she is their Papi will soon be home, then wonders if it’s wrong to make him cook for his own welcome home party.

Meanwhile, in Fake Mexico, there’s a knock on the door from a thug who asks Betty’s Papi if he’s Ignacio Suarez. Papi says, “Yes, can I help you?” and the thug pushes him inside and points a gun at him. This can’t be good.

Back at Casa Suarez, another ominous knock at the door. It’s Henry. Christina told him about Charlie cheating on him, so he’s gotten drunk on a single wine cooler, although he lined his stomach with milk first.

Henry (to Betty): Charlie was the only reason we couldn’t be together. But she’s not a reason any more. I want to be with you.

She gazes at him thinking about how much she wants him, while the storm rages on outside – as it also does inside her deceitful, lusting heart.

Justin Fabulousness Meter (scale of 1 to 11): 5.

We knew he’d shine at Mode, so no big surprise there. But his gravitation to that basketball only to please his dead father has me fearful he’ll lose his rainbow-flagged, musical-loving, Coco-Chanel-quoting soul. No matter what Disney’s High School Musical propaganda would have you believe, basketball and musical theater just do not mix.