recess guides you through this fall's hottest shows

Take a popular Spanish telenovela, add American actors, the perfect mixture of glam and melodrama and you get Ugly Betty. Right now, the male crowd may still be skeptical of plunging into a world of hairspray and high fashion, but beneath the superficial façade of this show is a witty commentary that makes fun of America's ridiculous commodity circuit-in the most entertaining way possible, of course. For those unfamiliar with the show, our lovable heroine Betty Suarez (America Ferrera) takes on the fashion world of Mode Magazine by storm, with braces, bangs and a whole lot of curves. Having to deal with daily attacks from her anorexic coworkers and the Meryl Streep-esqe Creative Director, continuously defies stereotypes and helps those closest to her realize that beauty is more than just high-heeled stilettos and caked-on makeup. In the season premiere last Thursday, Betty is still as busy as ever: she's trying to get her father out of Mexico, her boss is recovering from a car accident and the magazine needs to be pried out of evil Wilhelmina Slater's grip. Christina, Betty's superficial coworker, may be the daughter of Meade Publications' head honcho, but Wilhemlmina could become her new stepmother if things go as planned. With no time left to herself, Betty is fighting to forget about her love Henry. Though the web of connections gets increasingly bizarre and a little too far-fetched, the second season is all in the spirit of a true telenovela. It maintains the same level of subtle sarcasm and punchy one-liners as the first, if not more. No one can deny that Christina saying through teary eyes, "Pretty girls have problems too" is not ridiculously stupid and yet ironically funny. The overwhelming candy-coated gaudiness of the fashion industry still manages to be counter-balanced with genuine characters like Betty and her outspoken nephew. And if nothing else, it's satisfying to watch the plastic Barbies and Kens of Mode's Fashion Wonderland attempt to "solve" problems and get over their apparent shallowness. Ugly Betty is headed in the right direction... and by right, I mean all the more dysfunctional, chaotic and obnoxiously addicting.