(S01E09) Tonight, we got a "very special episode" of Ugly Betty. Heavy on the holiday sentiment, the hour kicked off with Daniel's question to Betty, "What is a family?" One day in Queens later, and he just may have figured it out. Fortunately, Marc's last minute blackmailing of Wilhelmina and Ignacio's arrest kept things from getting too sticky sweet.

I know a few writers who think creating parallels between characters or storylines is a cheap, sorta lazy tactic, but I love it. Juxtaposing characters and letting them play out similar themes in separate storylines is always satisfying to me. The show has contrasted Wilhelmina and Betty effectively in the past, but the series' real core involves the parallel arcs of Daniel and Betty. They're both young, in new positions at Mode, have trying family situations and are romantically-challenged. They have the greatest potential to learn from one another - Daniel about family and Betty about her capacity as an independent, professional woman.

Seeing Daniel hang ornaments at the Suarez home was almost too much. I had a lump in my throat, but that may have been Auntie Doris' candied yams coming back up. I did, however, appreciate Daniel protecting Justin from Santos' thinly-veiled "I don't want my son to be a fag" rant. Our sweet Justin makes chenille ornaments and admires the "flawless" skin of a queen who wraps herself entirely in meats. How can you not love that kid?

As for Betty, how fabulous was she taking on that creep Bruno? You can take the girl out of Queens, but you can't the Queens out of the girl. I was getting a little worried. Covering for Daniel required her to be a such a simpering doormat. It was driving me crazy to see her fetching coffee and taking Bruno's verbal barbs. Admittedly, some of those verbal barbs were pretty damn hilarious - "That baby fell off the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down." Fortunately, the Betty we all know and love reappeared to a Shelia E.-accompanied montage no less.

Whether Betty will leave Mode for the job at Sofia's magazine remains to be seen. She should, of course, take it. There's no upward mobility for Betty at Mode. It will be interesting to see how the writers play this one out. I think it would be a mistake to have the decision made for Betty by circumstance - Sofia leaving or the offer somehow dissipating. Daniel's let her off the hook so she doesn't need to stay at a Mode out of a sense of responsibility. The whole premise of the show is based on having "ugly" Betty at "pretty" Mode so she can't end up taking it, right? You could get away with it in a third season, but it's too early in the life of the show to actually pull a stunt like that.

Marc and Wilhelmina had an interesting little adventure. Marc and Amanda being roped into the Fey storyline actually makes it more interesting if only because it reveals Marc as more power hungry than we may have initially suspected. I thought for sure that the prostitutes the two of them encountered were going to be drag queens that would mistake Wilhemina for one of their own. The joke didn't go that way, but it was funny nonetheless. I'm now referring to all my cash as "Benjis."

All in all, this was a decent episode, but the joy factor was a little lower than usual. I'm really looking forward to the return of Henry next week. That promo couldn't get much cuter - "I guess I'll be on top of you for the next couple of days." Maybe, on top and in-between those Little Mermaid sheets. Hot Betty action - it could happen.

Wilhelmina quip of the week: "Poor people are so cheap."