Ugly Betty
The Butterfly Effect (1)
TV Flash files “The Butterfly Effect (1)” as the first listed hour of season 4 — Ugly Betty (2006–2010) on ABC, season 4, episode 1, aired 2009-10-16, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S04E01: listed hour 66 of 85 in the Ugly Betty guide, first listed hour of season 4. It aired 2009-10-16 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “The Fall Issue” (S03E24). Next is “The Butterfly Effect (2)” (S04E02).

Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
Betty finds that everything is changing as she begins her new job as associate features editor, especially since her boss is her ex-boyfriend, Matt Hartley, who is still unhappy about their breakup. In addition, Betty's new officemate, Megan, openly resents her, while Marc is constantly undermining her because he felt he was more deserving of the promotion. Meanwhile, without Betty as his assistant, Daniel is adrift, still mourning the loss of his wife, Molly. Betty tries to help Megan out on an assignment and connects with a thoughtful insect jewelry designer, Olivia, while Justin starts high school and is victimized by bullies-but won't tell his mom, Hilda. Claire Meade is finding that her power struggle at the company has her sitting pretty - for the moment -- opposite Wilhemina, who lost her claim to the Meade throne last season. But Wili has perhaps an even bigger problem than job security - she is harboring a secret at home that is driving Marc to distraction.
Viewer FAQ
Where does The Butterfly Effect (1) sit in the Ugly Betty guide?
S04E01 is listed hour 66 of 85 — first listed hour of season 4, season 4 episode 1.
When did Ugly Betty S04E01 air?
The Butterfly Effect (1) aired 2009-10-16 and is listed at 60 minutes.
Do I need Yo soy Betty, la fea first?
No. The ABC series is the U.S. telenovela adaptation: Betty at Mode, Queens family warmth, Wilhelmina as camp villainy.
In the series
Why this series still plays
America Ferrera's Betty Suarez outworks a fashion magazine that treats braces like a character flaw. Ugly Betty is Guadalajara-to-Mode telenovela energy on ABC: Wilhelmina as camp villainy, family warmth in Queens, and a fish-out-of-water comedy that earned the heart instead of renting it.
Betty Suarez walks into Mode and the building flinches. That is the flash: braces as a character flaw, Guadalajara-to-Manhattan as a carpet no publicist staged, America Ferrera outworking every snob in the fluorescent. Silvio Horta's Ugly Betty (2006–2010) is ABC telenovela voltage based on Colombian Yo soy Betty, la fea — Eric Mabius, Vanessa Williams's Wilhelmina, Becki Newton, Michael Urie, Ana Ortiz — and it made Ferrera a lead-actress Emmy winner while the fashion closet treated kindness like a dress code…
Filed against
- America Ferrera as Betty Suarez
America Ferrera’s Betty Suarez outworked Ugly Betty’s fashion closet until braces became a protagonist — 2000s catalog telenovela energy on ABC, then Superstore smuggling class teeth into fluorescent NBC farce. TV Flash files her as the…
- Eric Mabius as Daniel Meade
Eric Mabius played Daniel Meade on Ugly Betty — Mode magazine glamour, Guadalajara-to-Queens telenovela energy on ABC, a handsome editor who made America Ferrera's outwork look like a fairy tale with teeth. TV Flash files him as 2000s…
- Vanessa Williams as Wilhelmina Slater
Vanessa Williams’s Wilhelmina Slater made Ugly Betty’s Mode a camp-villain runway — America Ferrera’s Betty outworking a fashion magazine that treated braces like a character flaw, Guadalajara-to-Mode telenovela energy on ABC. Family…
- Becki Newton as Amanda Tanen
Becki Newton’s Amanda Tanen glittered through Ugly Betty as Mode’s weaponized blonde — America Ferrera’s Betty outworking a magazine that treats braces like a character flaw, Guadalajara-to-gloss telenovela energy on ABC, Wilhelmina as…
- Michael Urie as Marc St. James
Michael Urie’s Marc St. James camped Ugly Betty’s Mode floor like a telenovela that had learned to type — America Ferrera’s Betty outworking a magazine that treated braces as a character flaw, Wilhelmina as villainy, Queens family warmth.…
- Ana Ortiz as Hilda Suarez
Ana Ortiz’s Hilda Suarez held Ugly Betty’s Queens warmth against Mode’s braces-as-character-flaw cruelty — Guadalajara-to-magazine telenovela energy on ABC, Wilhelmina as camp villainy, family dinners as the actual fashion house. TV Flash…