Episode Report Card Jessica: B+ | 5 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT Pilot
By Jessica | Season 1 | Episode 1 | Aired on 09.27.2006
Up in his loft, Daniel takes this cue to tell his bedmate -- Amanda the receptionist -- that she'll have to sleep over another night. She gets out of bed -- wearing only green panties, a matching bra, and what looks like an emerald chocker -- and puts on her coat, asking him when "this position's gonna open." I believe she means Betty's job, not the position of girlfriend. Or some mysterious, sexual position that he prefers to save for specific, astrologically-mandated times. "Hopefully, very soon," Daniel promises. "Well, good night, boss," she purrs, and flashes him once more before she leaves. Daniel is back on the phone with Betty as soon as Amanda leaves, in a weird cut that sort of implies that Betty could have heard that conversation, but which I think is actually just weird editing. He asks her to stick around for a little bit and make sure everything's okay. She tearfully agrees. Daniel gazes down at her sitting on the stoop and looks moderately guilty. At least, until the next girl comes in and undoes her coat to reveal nothing but black undies and thigh-high stockings. "Perfect timing," he tells her.
Finally, Betty gets home to Queens. Sad music plays. Oh, woe is she. She walks past Walter and his new lady making out, as if the evening could not be worse, and then gets home, where it seems that she has missed her father's birthday party, for the first time since her mother died. Hilda gives her a moderately hard time for missing the shebang, but finally admits that she saved her a piece of cake. Betty sits down in the living room and feels sorry for herself, and then looks over to see a picture of herself with her mother on the side table. She appears to be helping her mother put on her makeup. It's very cute. AND inspirational, since she takes out her notebook and writes, in huge letters, WORK IDEA.
After the ads, Betty and Daniel head out to the Fabia photo shoot. He acts typically dismissive of her, and has no interest at all in looking at her WORK IDEA. They're all the way down at the car when he sends her back to the closet to fetch an outfit they've forgotten. Let's all just pretend the editor-in-chief would be responsible for bringing the wardrobe for shoot, although I suppose this can maybe be excused by assuming that Daniel isn't trusting anyone else at Mode to work on this particular project. He very pointedly does not take Betty's proposal along with the rest of his papers, and instead orders her to meet him at the shoot. "'Please'?" she retorts to his departing Town Car. Oh, honey. He shouldn't be making you pick gum off his shoe, and it would be nice if he said "please," but the big boss is going to be order-y more often than not, and that, my dear, you are going to have to get used to.