Ugly Betty: Odor in the Court (Episode #212)

Seeking sympathetic jurorsAfter a long break, we're back to Claire Meade's legal woes. She's finally on trial: what will be the verdict? And on the icky front, whose "basket" will Willy put her eggs into?

We open on a just waking Betty in Gio's sandwich shop (say it with me now: "oh no, Gio!!"). She's handcuffed, and surrounded by broken glass -- there of her own doing! A cop explains that she threw a trash can through Gio's window. How did we get here? Zooooom back!

Two days ago, Daniel sends Betty to fetch a number of his mom's belongings for her pre-trial. One of those items is a fancy bottle of perfume. When the bailiff says Mrs. Meade can't have it, Claire tells Betty to hold onto it. It always made her feel "so special."

Betty feels guilty using the perfume at first, but one whiff and she's sold. It makes her feel great! She's typing like a mad woman, putting together a care package for Henry who is on his way off to Charlie's sonogram, and on top of her assistant game. What exactly is making her so jazzed?

Amanda knows. She's found the missing pages of her mom, Faye's, diary, and learned that the very same perfume Claire has given Betty was given to Claire by Bradford at Faye's suggestion. The trick? It's poisoned to make the wearer nuts, and then dead.

Sounds like a fact the defense in Claire's case could use -- their temporary insanity defense had been going well until a misunderstanding causes a sympathetic judge to recuse herself. But Amanda has no interest in saving Mrs. Meade. She wants the woman who killed her mother to pay. Mark thinks it's wrong. Too bad his morality doesn't extend to...

Willy's baby plans. She and Mark pitch the surrogate thing to Christina, who denies them her womb because she has an alternate plan. She shows Betty, she's found a vintage mint condition gown worn by Jackie O, which she can sell for Stuart's surgery. Too bad Mark is always lurking in the closet!

Meanwhile, Betty is going crazier with each spritz of perfume, and Gio's presence is making things worse. He keeps suggesting that Henry may stray from Betty while in Tucson, and being highly suggestable -- she bites. She gets furious, and eventually (thanks to Amanda's claim that Gio's doing it because he likes her) she breaks Gio's window down to tell him to leave her alone.

After being found in the deli, Betty is taken to the doctor, who figures out what's wrong with her. Betty matches her behavior to the perfume and realizes what Amanda's been trying to hide -- it's drugged. She goes back to Mode to get the exonerating evidence, but Mandy's hidden it. They have a heart to heart and Betty gets the perfume...or does she?

Betty rushes the bottle to court, only to be foiled by the prosecutor who proves that the poisoned perfume is simply water...Amanda switched it. But just as everything is looking bleak, Mark convinces Amanda to come clean. She heads to court, hands over the evidence...and Claire Meade is free!

At the celebration, Betty and Gio share an awkward hug (booo). The Meades are eternally grateful to Betty, and she's again, the hero. Yay!

In a creepier way, Christina is going to be a hero, to both Stuart and Willy. When her Jackie O dress is mysteriously shredded, she agrees to carry Willy's demon spawn. But, of course, with Betty by her side!

Next week: Amanda meets her maybe-dad, Gene Simmons of KIIS. He's such a media whore!