Ugly Betty 1.07 'Trust, Lust and Must'

I’ve never been a huge fan of Daniel. I see him as more of a means to an end, and while I appreciate his role in the Betty/Daniel friendship, which I love, he never really brings anything truly unique to the show. The Sofia storyline suffered mostly from being a little too long for its own good, but it took Daniel past his initial girl playing self, which had become necessary at this point.

In ‘Trust Lust and Must’ a new Meade editor, Sofia Reyes (Salma Heyek) catches Daniels eye. Betty and Hilda continue to fight for Ignacio’s right to stay in the country but are shocked to learn his real reason for fleeing from Mexico.

Though they become a burden of sorts during the following seasons, I’m really enjoying all of the Suarez drama in these early episodes. The big twist of Papi’s true reason for leaving Mexico was one that always annoyed me. It worked based purely on a superficial OH MY GOD sort of way, but it was never something that felt true to who Ignacio is. He’s not the violent type, and would never stoop so low as to take another man’s life, even if it was in self-defence.

Like I said, the Sofia arc wasn’t paced quite right, but the first episode was one of the better examples of when it worked best. Salma Hayek sizzles on screen, and it’s a shame that she and the producers weren’t able to come up with a suitable return appearance. With his recent conquests being the standard, brain dead type, Daniel’s attraction to Sofia shouldn’t come as a surprise. He’s never been faced with such a challenge before.

I’ve always loved that Wilhelmina had a daughter. Not just because the thought of her being pregnant is more than a little funny, but because it took her character to some really great places. Jowhara Jones would later be replaced by Top Model alum Yaya Decosta, which isn’t too depressing a thought, because her performance here didn’t really emulate someone truly deserving of carrying Willy’s DNA.

I’m not sure if Fey was the character who was originally supposed to return or if the storyline in episode 13 was planned all along, but this episode felt like it was all about Bradford and the hurt he had caused the late editor in chief.

'Trust Lust and Must' works quite well, especially as it takes our characters to new, unexplored places, even if they are places they should never really have gone.

8/10