"Queens for a Day" is the third episode in the American dramedy series ''

Ugly Betty ''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which was originally broadcast on ABC. It premiered on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian t ...

'', which aired on October 12, 2006. Although this is the third episode overall in the series, it is listed as the second episode on the first season DVD release, while "The Box and the Bunny" was listed as episode 3.

Plot

At a club to celebrate Daniel's first issue party, Bradford congratulates Daniel on his success as ''Modes editor-in-chief. Wilhelmina spoils the festivities when she compares Daniel to how his older brother Alex revamped ''Hudson'' magazine, which prompts Daniel to set out to put his own mark on ''Mode''. Meanwhile, Betty goes home after being turned away from the party, and Hilda worries that Betty is not fitting in at ''Mode'' and offers to give her a makeover, but Betty dismisses her concerns. Betty scolds Ignacio for drinking coffee, which is not recommended by his medication. He tells her that he is running low on his pills but Betty insists that Ignacio take his medication as prescribed and the family will find a way to get him a refill. The next day, Daniel enlists Betty for a brainstorming session to change the look of ''Mode'' by looking through back issues of ''Hudson'' for inspiration. Betty discovers a series of past layouts from Vincent Bianchi, but Daniel tells Betty that Vincent vowed that he would never work for Meade Publications because of differences of opinion with Alex. Back at home, Betty learns from Ignacio that Vincent and his family lived four blocks away from them. With this information, Betty uses her

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

connections to convince Vincent to meet with ''Mode'' to discuss a photoshoot. Daniel asks Betty to book a meeting at a posh restaurant, and invites Betty join them. Betty enlists Hilda to help with the makeover and arrives to work, confident in her new look. But at a staff meeting, Wilhelmina disparages Daniel's proposed changes and mockingly compares them to Betty's new look. Embarrassed, Betty decides not to go to the restaurant, so Daniel and Bradford take Amanda, who pretends to be Betty. As the three pitch the photoshoot concept to Vincent, Betty discovers the proposal document has been left behind on her desk and delivers it to the restaurant. Vincent is pleased to meet the real Betty he liked on the phone, thus salvaging the meeting and he agrees to work for ''Mode''. Meanwhile, Wilhelmina prepares for a big meeting with "the senator", who turns out to be her unimpressed father who is disappointed that Wilhelmina is still not editor-in-chief. Bradford orders his private investigator Steve to track down the car Fey Sommers was driving at the time of her death. Steve finds the vehicle up for auction at an auto salvage yard but so does the mysterious masked woman. The masked woman calls Daniel and advises him to ask Bradford about the car auction. When Daniel confronts him, Bradford lies and claims that the person calling must be a prank. Wilhelmina and the masked woman discuss how to use Fey's car to further drive a wedge between Daniel and Bradford.

Reception

In its review of the episode, ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

''s Michael Sleazak noted that "Tonight's episode, the series' third, was the best Betty to date, filled with so many zippy one-liners and juicy set details that our heroine's

Extreme Makeover ''Extreme Makeover'' is an American reality television series that premiered on ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * Am ...

: Queens Edition played out as more of a side dish than a main course."Ugly Betty , Episodes , Entertainment Weekly
/ref>

Other features

This episode also featured the second installment of the telenovelita Vidas de Fuego, which starred

Marlene Favela Marlene Favela (born Silvia Marlene Favela Meraz on August 5, 1977, in Santiago Papasquiaro, Durango, Mexico) is a Mexican actress and model. In Mexican television, as of 2013 she was best known as Esmeralda in the TV show ''Zorro, La Espada y l ...

, Ninel Conde and

Helena Rojo María Elena Enríquez Ruiz (born August 18, 1944), known as Helena Rojo, is a Mexican actress and model. Biography Born in Mexico City, Mexico, she began her career as a model in the 1961. Toward the end of the decade, she studied drama with ren ...

Featured music

The club setting in the episode features music from The Voodoo Trombone Quartet ("Voodoo Juju"),

The Pussycat Dolls The Pussycat Dolls were an American girl group and dance ensemble, founded in Los Angeles, California, by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995 as a burlesque troupe. At the suggestion of Jimmy Iovine, Antin decided to take the burlesque troupe ...

Buttons A button is a fastener that joins two pieces of fabric together by slipping through a loop or by sliding through a buttonhole. In modern clothing and fashion design, buttons are commonly made of plastic but also may be made of metal, wood, ...

"),

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is ...

Hips Don't Lie "Hips Don't Lie" is a Latin pop and reggaeton song by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira, featuring Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean, released by Epic Records in 2006 as the second single from the reissue of Shakira's seventh studio album, ''Oral Fixa ...

"),

Los Niños de Sara Los Niños de Sara (in Spanish, "Sara's children") is a Spanish-speaking Gypsies musical group from Montpellier, France. They perform on their own, but they are best known for the involvement in the musical group Alabina. Background They are co ...

("La Cubanita") and

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

(" Unfaithful").

References

Also starring

Michael Urie Michael Lorenzo Urie (born August 8, 1980) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Marc St. James on the ABC dramedy television series ''Ugly Betty''. He can be heard as Bobby Kerns in ''As the Curtain Rises'', an original podca ...

Marc St. James Marcus St. James (born Marcus Weiner) is a fictional character in the American comedy-drama series ''Ugly Betty'' and spin-off (media), spin-off web-series ''Ugly Betty#Mode After Hours, Mode After Hours''. He is played by Michael Urie. Backgroun ...

* Kevin Sussman - Walter * Elizabeth Payne - Masked Woman * Stelio Savante - Steve *

Ron Canada Ronald Ellis Canada (born May 3, 1949) is an American actor with a specialty in portraying judges and detectives. He is best known for '' One on One'' (2001–2004), ''The Shield'' (2003–2004), and '' Lone Star'' (1996). Career Following ...

- Senator Slater

Guest stars

Rhys Coiro John Rhys Coiro (born March 12, 1979) is an American film, television, and stage actor. He began acting on Broadway but is best known for on-screen roles such as Billy Walsh on the television series ''Entourage''. Early life Born in Santo Stefa ...

- Vincent Bianchi *

Thea Vidale Thea R. Vidale (born November 20, 1956) is an American stand-up comedian and actress. Vidale is perhaps best known for her role as Thea Armstrong-Turrell in the ABC sitcom '' Thea'', which originally aired from 1993 until 1994. Vidale is noted as ...

- Cholli *

Greg Proops Gregory Everett "Greg" Proops (born October 3, 1959) is an American actor, stand-up comedian and television host. He is widely known for his guest appearances on the U.K. and U.S. versions of ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?''. He has also voiced the ...

- TV Fashion Reporter *

Gilles Marini Gilles Marini (; born 26 January 1976) is a French actor known for his roles in the film ''Sex and the City'', and in the American television shows '' Brothers & Sisters'', '' Switched at Birth'' and ''Devious Maids''. He was also the runner-up i ...

- Jean-Luc *

Eve Mauro Eve Mauro (born December 21, 1981, Atlanta, Georgia) is a Sicilian-American actress and model. Biography Born to a Sicilian father and a Russian mother, Mauro is the youngest of six siblings. She moved from Orlando, Florida to Los Angeles at the ...

- Assistant *

Jill Latiano Jill Latiano Howerton (born September 17, 1980) is an American actress, model, dancer, documentary film producer and television personality. Career Latiano began her career in 1999 as a dancer for the New York Knicks. From 2003 to 2005, she wa ...

- Model * Andy Kreiss - Host *

Ash Christian Ash Christian (born January 16, 1985, in Paris, Texas – d. August 14, 2020 in Puerto Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico) was an American actor and film director and producer. He was the founder of Cranium Entertainment. He wrote, directed and pro ...

- Jeff * Stephen Keys - Doorman * Teresa Huang - Reporter #1 *

Ron Butler Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...

- Reporter #2 * Mark Hames - Waiter *

Arturo Carmona Arturo Aram Carmona Rodriguez (born 9 July 1976) is a Mexican actor and former footballer. Biography Carmona was born on July 9, 1976, in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. He is son of Arturo Carmona and Guadalupe Rodriguez. He has two sibling ...

- TV Villain * Ninel Conde - TV Sexy Woman *

- TV Esmeralda *

Patricia Manterola Patricia Manterola (; born Bertha Patricia Manterola Carrión) is a Mexican singer and actress born in Mexico City. Background Patricia Manterola Carrion was born to Jorge Manterola and Maria Dolores Carrion, the second of three children. Her ...

- TV Dancer *

Marco Méndez Marco Méndez (born Marco Anibal Méndez Ramírez on October 1, 1976, in Uruapan, Michoacán) is a Mexican actor. Méndez began as a model and later studied acting in Televisa's CEA. He made his television debut as 'Oscar Méndez' in the teleno ...

- TV Guy * Eduardo Rodríguez - Soccer Player *

- TV Mother *

Sebastián Rulli Sebastián Oscar Rulli ( or , born 6 July 1975) is an actor and model. Born in Argentina, he has spent most of his professional career in Mexico, becoming a dual Argentine and Mexican citizen. Biography Rulli was born in Buenos Aires, the ol ...

- TV Handsome Guy * Sherlyn - TV Girl #1 * África Zavala - TV Girl #2 {{Ugly Betty episodes Ugly Betty (season 1) episodes 2006 American television episodes