Triumph of the Willy

''Ugly Betty'': Wilhelmina pulls Betty in

Although we love Betty for her fortitude, good nature, work ethic, and moral compass (and, unforgettably, the ability to rock a mean Guadalajara poncho), there was something downright gleeful about seeing her take a turn for the worse in this week's episode. All those wrinkles in her forehead? The frowns? The snappy, let's-punch-Henry-hard moment? It all came thanks to Willy, who summed up Betty's new groove with glowing approval: ''You surprised me, Betty,'' the evil creative director said. ''Stealing my keys? Breaking into my apartment? Taking the book? [Laughs.] Good for you — you're growing.''

That approval showed that two can play at a game Betty never seemed up for playing before — but, of course, it came at a price. The dastardly Wilhelmina discovered that her affair with bodyguard Duane wasn't a secret to Betty anymore. (After finding the clue — Betty's earring on her bedroom floor — she gut-splittingly announced, ''I smell a burrito.'' Loved that one.) Knowing that Betty would spill the beans ( ''I'm sure you understand,'' Betty said bravely, ''my loyalties are with Daniel''), the cunning Willy — always one step ahead of whomever she's manipulating — deftly pulled the family card, the one thing Betty can't turn a blind eye to. At the first mention of Willy's deal — in exchange for Betty's silence, Ignacio would be granted a visa — I thought there wasn't a chance Betty would bite. Just a week ago, the girl had a touching late-evening burial ceremony with Daniel. There's some serious love, or maybe it's just mutual admiration and respect, in this relationship.

But on second thought, Ignacio has been stuck in Mexico for weeks. As has always been the case with the Suarez clan, family comes first. I'm actually totally fine with Betty's deceptive turn. She had no other choice. But what's in store for her when Daniel and Bradford find out what she's hiding? My fan intuition tells me that nothing could break down Daniel and Betty's bond, especially since Daniel isn't a huge fan of Willy. Honestly, would he care if he found out that Willy was cheating on his dad? I suppose he wouldn't necessarily be hurt about the infidelity, but at the same time, he wouldn't want to be kept in the dark about it — and mostly wouldn't want to see his father hurt. (Although, after the way Daniel talks to Bradford sometimes — like when he got heated about Bradford lying to Alexis — I'm not sure Daniel even likes his father.)

What's more, this story line spawned one of the best recent Betty scenes, with the Western-soundtracked shootout between Willy and Betty on the mannequin-littered Mode rooftop. And the Wilhelmina rage scene at the end, with her bashing the mannequins in frustration, was simply priceless. The icing on the cake? Marc supplying the thunder sound effects.

Speaking of Marc, how much are you loving the intern boot camp he was running downstairs? (I couldn't get over the part where Marc went off about Shakira not having bendy straws. Great acting!) The ever cute Justin's internship at Mode has to be one of my favorite story lines ever on this show. He's not a stranger to the office (last week definitely wasn't the first time he snuck in), but for so long he was vicariously living at Mode through Betty. And now he can pick up dropped pencils, update Wilhelmina's contacts, and go rice-cake searching to his heart's content. He's ecstatic. ''You want me to bring my lunch?'' he said to Hilda after she handed him a brown bag for his first day. ''Mom, the famous Mode cafeteria? Where Naomi Campbell had a tuna melt and a meltdown. They now have it on the menu — the Naomi Campbell Tuna Meltdown. Yah.'' It's rewarding to see him so happy — especially after everything that's been happening at the Suarez house.

NEXT: The return of Henry