I have to admit to being a tad disappointed with last week's frenetic episode of Ugly Betty, but this week's stellar outing is definitely in the running for "best of the season". It has laughs, tears, a gaggle of Zac Efron clones, and the return of Max Greenfield as Nick Pepper!

See it all after the break!

This week's Ugly Betty contains a tornado, a heartbreaking confession, and hideous hats. Will it be as terrific as last week's episode, or prove to be a disaster?

Find out after the break!

This episode of Ugly Betty is one of the best of the season, combining a surprise proposal, a mancrush, a mess of betrayals, a dirty fantasy and the roommate from hell.

See it all after the break!

David Blue as Cliff on Ugly Betty

Several weeks ago we reported that after not appearing since before the writer's strike earlier this year, Marc's boyfriend Cliff (David Blue, pictured above) was finally going to return to Ugly Betty on last week's episode to shoot a photo spread for Mode. Those who tuned in on Thursday were likely quite annoyed to see Cliff in only one brief scene with one line. Not exactly the return we were hoping for or expected. 

After the ep aired, I speculated that Cliff's photo shoot at Mode got cut out due to the show's decision to hustle Lindsay Lohan out the door and I've since heard from sources that such is the case. Thanks for nothing, Lindsay!

However, I've actually seen tomorrow night's ep and I can report that Cliff is present and accounted for and not only has a plot, but actual plot twists.

Swoon!

Learn more after the jump!

Remember that episode of The Simpsons where they added a new character to Itchy & Scratchy? His name was Poochie, and he was supposed to jazz things up, and add a hip presence to an already established show. Unfortunately, he was instantly hated by the audience because of his obnoxious attitude and annoying behavior, so at the end of the episode, they sent him on a rocket into space, where he died.

You're probably asking "what the hell does this have to do with Ugly Betty?" Well, join us after the break to find out (where you can also read about the return of Betty's dreamy neighbor, Marc's bearish boyfriend, and ... the Karate Kid?).

This week's episode of Ugly Betty includes angry sisters, dancing bullies, a tragic dating service set-up, and one tiresome guest star.

Experience the carnage after the break!

There were a lot of developments on this week's Ugly Betty, as we may have seen the last of a number of cast members. Find out who's staying and who's going after the break!

Previously, on Ugly Betty:

"You're dating a married man?" "You think that doesn't tear me up?!" "Well, then walk away" "I can't! I'm in love with him."

"Are you offering me a job?" "You will be my protege" "But that's Marc's job!" "And now it's yours!"

"Stuart, what are you doing here?" "What's wrong?" "I think he's doing drugs again." "What?"

"I was on that trip with you to Paris, I don't remember you drooling all over his mother!" "Your son's grandparents in France filed a claim for custody". "I vant to stay wit my fadder".

"I've made a decision. Tonight we are welcoming back as editor-in-chief of Mode, Daniel Meade!" "You can't push me aside!"

"AAAIIIIYYYYEEE...I'm pregnant Christina, and someone from the show has just pushed me down a flight of stairs!"

Tonight, on Ugly Betty:

We open with Betty being interrogated by guest star Mark Consuelos (who can plant his evidence on me anytime), and she gets flummoxed when she's asked where Daniel was the night before. Could she be covering for him? Probably.

We flash back to "six hours earlier", with Betty on the phone to her dad, who's worried that she doesn't have enough locks on her door. She insists that she's safe, but as she's leaving, notices that someone has stolen her umbrella (which she kept outside her front door). Okay, I don't live in NYC, but I've seen enough movies to know that you don't leave stuff outside your door. Between the C.H.U.D. and the mute vigilantes with .45's, an umbrella is not likely to last for long.

Back at Mode, Daniel asks Betty to get his raincoat dry-cleaned (for some reason, it's covered with dust ... hmmm) and he asks her to lie and say that the two of them were together the night before. Well, it's obvious that he's guilty, right?

Marc stands on top of the desk and tells everyone to gather around, like he's Norma Gay, and announces that Wilhelmina is in the hospital, but not to worry, she's just there to visit Christina, who ... oh yeah, fell down the steps and is unconscious.

We get one of those fashion newsbreaks from Suzuki St. Pierre, who helpfully provides a list of the possible suspects, and Willi holds a press conference announcing a reward for information about who tried to harm her unborn child ..."and others". Back at the magazine, she and Marc are in full Mr. Burns and Smithers mode, as she teeters on the edge of cartoonish super-villainry, and he has to pull her back.

Later, she visits Christina in the hospital (accompanied by a platoon of paparazzi), and in my favorite scene in the episode, does a perfect Aurora Greenway at the nurses station, pleading for a glass of water.

Over at the Suarez house, Betty tells her dad and nephew that she let it slip to the police that Daniel asked her to lie, and Justin quips about watching cop shows, and how fabulous Mariska Hargitay looks in pantsuits. Justin has averaged about two lines an episode so far this season, but thankfully, that's about to change.

Hilda comes in, and asks Betty for permission to use her apartment, so she and Tony can "talk". Betty has trouble believing it, but Hilda insists it's just to "talk", and Betty agrees.

Eddie Cibrian is bringing back the lost art of conversation

As Hilda and Tony are "talking" at Betty's apartment, he mentions how dirty he feels, and the water is out at school, and Hilda asks if he wants to take a shower. Okay ... you know what ... that's so hilariously blatant that I have to give Eddie Cibrian props for being such a good sport. He must open the script every week and get a chuckle at the lengths the writers go to to get him naked. Naturally, as he's taking the shower, Ignacio comes in (he's there to add more locks to Betty's door) and catches him naked ... and sees his wedding ring.

Back at the office, the police arrest Daniel (something about his size 11 shoes being a match for the footprints at the crime scene), and Betty vows to find out who really pushed Christina down the steps.

Whodunit? Find out the shocking answer, and see the even more shocking revelation, after the break!

In last week's Gay TV Scorecard, I matched up CBS' The New Adventures of Old Christine against CW's Privileged and Fox's Do Not Disturb. Even though Old Christine is the only show of the three without an actual gay character, it was a blowout with Christine winning easily. (As a side note, as predicted, the utterly dreadful Do Not Disturb hit the skids after only three episodes taking with it one of the few new gay characters with significant screentime.)

In today's face-off, I'm pairing last week's winner against the third episode of Survivor: Gabon and the second episode of Ugly Betty to see which provided the best gay moments on a scale from one to ten.

Michael Urie, Eddie Cibrian, and Becki Newton in Ugly Betty

Last week's Old Christine won by featuring a same-sex marriage between Christine and Barb even though they aren't lesbians. The episode was very pro-gay, featuring much dialogue about it not mattering who loves who, equal rights, etc. And word is that the storyline, about Barb marrying Christine to stay in the country since she isn't a citizen, will continue on during the season. (Some viewers pointed out last week that this storyline couldn't happen because immigration rules are federal and California's allowing same-sex marriage won't help binational couples.)

Unfortunately, this week's episode featured nothing with the Christine/Barb storyline except for Christine once calling Barb her husband. I'm sure they'll revisit the issue, but nonethless this episode only scores a half point out of ten. Gonna be hard to win again with a score like that!

For those who missed the first two episodes of Survivor: Gabon, the show is a generating a great deal of gay buzz this season due to the hottest potential bromance since Ronnie met Ben on Make Me a Supermodel. This time it's between the out Charlie and the straight Marcus who are at the core of their tribe's alliance. In the first two episodes, Charlie made his attraction to Marcus well known and, in turn, Marcus was not only untroubled by Charlie's crush, but seems to genuinely like his gay admirer. How cool is that? And how cool that CBS isn't afraid to put it out there?

Marcus and Charlie

Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS

Alas, Charmarcus (Charlus? Marlie?) were barely featured in Thursday's episode, earning the show a measly two out of ten for gay visiblity. Oh, well. There is always next week! 

Read more after the break!

This week's episode of ABC's Ugly Betty opens with our heroine continuing to deal with boss Daniel and the cesspool known as Player magazine.

They're on the steps of a NYC courthouse* with scantily clad models in lingerie posing as lawyers (isn't that how Nancy Grace and Gloria Allred got started?), when Betty realizes that Daniel has been making notes about the upcoming issue of Mode. He denies caring about what happens to the magazine he was fired from, but Betty doesn't buy it, and later brings it to the attention of Alexis. She dismisses it at first, but after looking at his input, is intrigued ... could she be regretting her decision to replace him with Wilhelmina?

Hilda and her too-beautiful-for-words boyfriend Tony (Eddie Cibrian) are taking a romantic stroll past Riker's Island when he proposes they do something "special"... in a few days when his wife is out of town. For some reason, this doesn't sit too well with her, but he promises her that she's not "the other woman", she's the "only woman" (a groaner of a line, but with abs and package sincerity like his, you can almost buy it).

* On a side note, the production of the show moved to NYC this season to make it "more authentic", and they're certainly milking the location shooting for all it's worth.

"I like Doggie Chow, too"

Alexis takes Daniel's notes and confronts Willi about the upcoming issue, but Willi is suspicious about the crudely written post-it notes on Alexis's mock-up, and realizes what's going on ... she can recognize Daniel's dangling participles anywhere.

Nervous that Daniel might be trying to usurp her, Willi and Marc plot to stop him ... by removing Betty from the picture, which leads to this chilling line that reverberates through the halls of Mode: "Betty, you have a lunch date ... with Wilhelmina".

Betty and Willi have lunch together, in the most uncomfortable scene of its kind since Showgirls, and Willi (who looks like she's wearing a bottle opener around her neck) makes excruciatingly awkward small talk. After she tells Betty that her blouse is "lovely", Betty calls her on her BS, and Willi delivers my favorite line of the night: "you're right, it's hideous ... like driving through Ohio". Willi makes Betty a job offer, working for her at Mode, but says, "don't worry, I won't ask you to do anything morally suspect ... that's what i have Marc for."

Betty discusses it with her family (in the only scene tonight where they're all together), and they're for her going back to work at Mode (especially Justin, for whom reading Player is like reading a National Geographic about lost pygmy tribes).

Willi runs into Daniel in the elevator, and "innocently" mentions the lunch she had with Betty, and when he confronts Betty about it, they have a tiff, which leads her to accept Wilhelmina's offer.

Even with Bob Mackie's help, the musical version of Sigmund and the Sea Monsters was panned.

Marc makes it clear that he's still in charge (but tells her that if she gets the filing right, he won't "beat her with a bag of oranges"), and Betty takes on her first assignment ... delivering a cup of coffee to Willi during the big meeting with an Italian cosmetics advertiser. The owner of the company (who's wearing an atrocious green outfit that makes her look like a hairy celery stalk) asks Betty if she wears her line of makeup. Betty says no, she can't afford them, but if he woman advertised her new budget line in Mode, all the girls in Queens would buy it.

The woman ends up extending her contract with Mode, thanks to Betty, which garners a smile from Willi (unfortunately, Marc explains that she wasn't actually smiling, but "showing her teeth").

Will Betty be seduced by the dark side? Find out after the break!