Ugly Betty: The Problem with Henry
This week marked the return of Ugly Betty. I've thought in many ways that this season was superior to the first, with better storylines and a lot more laughs (most of them, as usual, care of Marc). But this week's episode was just too much for me to handle... Henry Grubstick, the guy who seemed so perfect in the beginning, has become a serious problem for me.

Let me preface all of this by saying I know this show is a telenovella, that it's meant to be soapy and crazy, etc. etc. and that generally I see it all as good fun and nothing more. But this point is still irking me, so here goes.

Last season, Henry's girlfriend Charlie showed up, and of course we all just wanted her to go away so Henry and Betty could be together. At the end of the season, Charlie announced she was pregnant, and the baby was Henry's. There's a lot of evidence to suggest that the baby is most definitely not Henry's, but he doesn't know that, and as far as he's concerned, it's his. He's decided he's going to be there for his baby... as soon as it's born, and not a moment sooner.

But here's the problem: she goes away during the pregnancy, leaving Henry with Betty, where they plan to have a whirlwind affair until the baby comes, at which time they must say good-bye to each other and he'll go become a daddy. Sounds romantic, except: Charlie knows this. Henry isn't hiding it from her.

In this week's episode, Charlie shows up again, pregnant out to here, and everyone goes nuts. Her presence means Henry and Betty can't go out for her birthday date, and Hilda shows up to threaten Charlie that she'll basically gouge out her eyes with her fingernails if she ruins the last month or so that Betty has with Henry. HUH?! Hasn't anyone even once considered what this ridiculous arrangement will do to his future child? Yes, we all know that it's not his, but HENRY DOES NOT KNOW THIS. He's "doing the right thing" by his kid by staying in the picture. Why? So he can denigrate the baby's mother every day? Perhaps start drinking and go on drunken shouting matches telling Charlie she ruined his life by having the kid, and he wanted to be with Betty? Perhaps continuing the affair and being nothing but rude to Charlie? The baby will be taking this in every day.

Charlie's a manipulative little so-and-so, but this baby is innocent in all of this. If Henry wants to "do right by him," he will help him out financially, but not be in the baby's life, and therefore not remind him every day that he despises the baby's mother. I was disgusted in the scene where he's leaving the message on Betty's cell and saying, "I think Charlie was exaggerating her condition. I LOVE YOU, Betty," while Charlie is lying on the couch next to him. The woman is pregnant, and Henry, assuming she's carrying his child, is leaving her to deal with it herself, not showing any interest whatsoever in his child, but saying he's "doing the right thing" by staying in the child's life.

I think the only way he could do the right thing at this point is to get OUT of the child's life, and offer Charlie some financial assistance.

And while he's at it, get out of Betty's life so she can be with Gio. :)