Betty has always dreamed of working in the publishing world, but it seems as though there's no place for the non-thin and non-beautiful in the business. People already have their minds set in the idea that beautiful women are only the thin and perfect! Betty really wants a job in that wonderful, yet cruel, world. But can she really find a place in it?
Betty uses her Queens connections to lure big time photographer Vincent Bianchi to shoot for the magazine. When Bianchi insists that Betty meet him at a posh restaurant, she gets a makeover but things don't quite turn out as planned. In the mean time, Bradford tries to get his hands on Fey Sommers' death car and Wilhelmina primps for a big date.
Betty loses a book, which is the complete new edition of the magazine and is containing un-retouched photos of a popular actress. She has to find the book before the photos get out to the rest of the press. Meanwhile, Wilhelmina plots to use the snafu to bring Daniel down and Bradford Meade secretively inquires about Fey Sommers' final effects.
Christina's swag lottery, with the Mode closet clothes and accessories, creates a feeding frenzy among the office fashionistas, while Betty wears herself out helping Daniel who had his credit card cut off, because of a $20,000 expense report that Betty filled and who was rejected, making it impossible for him to wine and dine an important Japanese designer, Oshi.
After Mode is forced to abandon its big Christmas photo shoot because another magazine has copied the idea, Betty forms an uneasy alliance with Marc and Amanda. The three fear they may have leaked the idea to someone at the rival mag. Meanwhile, Daniel and Wilhelmina reluctantly work together to come up with a new photo spread as Mode's deadline looms, and Betty's nephew, Justin, is oblivious to the turmoil as he spends a day at the magazine for a class project.
It's Halloween and Betty is in for a series of frightful experiences, ranging from showing up dressed for the Mode costume contest until she learns that there isn't one, to dealing with her growing attraction to Henry, and tracking down a watch Daniel left at one of his many girlfriends' apartments, but can't remember which one. Meanwhile, Daniel pays a visit to his mom in rehab, and Wilhelmina is horrified to learn that she can't fit into a designer gown.
Betty takes a break from her escalating family troubles when she's assigned to review a posh new hotel. Meanwhile, Daniel is dismayed when Sofia Reyes and her team take up residence in the Mode conference room, and Wilhelmina goes a little bit country to woo a mega rich Texan to advertise his stores in Mode.
To his dismay, Daniel must attend his family's Thanksgiving gathering at the Country Club. Meanwhile, Amanda and Marc create their own gathering at Mode and there is also a dinner at Betty's house where Santos, Justin's father, is in attendance. Meanwhile, Wilhelmina also hosts a Thanksgiving dinner as well but her feast doesn't look as good as it does in magazine pictures.
Betty is left alone during an important photo shoot during which the photographer, Bruno, has come up with questionable concepts. Meanwhile, Daniel wants people to believe he is a family man, Mr. Green interrogates a mortician about the remains of a client and Ignacio gets in trouble with Immigration and Customs.
While everyone at Mode is celebrating Christmas, Betty is questioning her relationship with Walter and the feelings she has for Henry. Meanwhile, Daniel is sure of his love for Sofia, and Amanda, in order to get Betty's position, is planning a perfect Mode holiday party that fills the office with Styrofoam snow and holiday wishes.
Betty has her job cut out for her getting prepared for Mode's huge event during New York City's Fashion Week. Meanwhile, Marc and Amanda can't delay getting their hands on something everybody desires, Christina wishes to create her mark in the design world and Daniel calls for Hilda to grant her sister a hand.
Alexis' shocking announcement causes great commotion at both Mode and the Meade home. Betty tries to maintain the peace and order at Mode, however, she is about to face her own personal turmoil when Henry asks her out on a date and Walter tells her he's got a big surprise in store. Meanwhile, Whilhelmina plots her next move to conquer Mode and Justin gets sent home from school for fighting.
Daniel keeps secret from Alexis the fact that he is the one who hired Grace to defend their father, something which Wilhelmina uses to bring the siblings apart. Meanwhile, when invited by Henry to Charlie's birthday party, a desperate Betty asks Dr. Farkas, her orthodontist, to be her date. Finally, Amanda catches the eye of an unusual designer who claims that she is his muse.
The Meades are in for some troubling times when a tell-all writer in possession of Fey Sommers' diaries starts stalking the family. Meanwhile, Betty has a hard time getting Daniel focused on his work now that he has reverted back to his old ways with women. Finally, Wilhelmina and Alexis both try desperately to get a hold of Fey's diaries, but each with her own intentions.
After seeing her working relationship with Daniel, her close friendship with Christina, and her chance to date Henry all fall apart, Betty is left with no choice but to turn her back on all three. Meanwhile, romance is in the air: At MODE, Alexis catches the attention of a guy and he asks her out; Amanda flirts with a designer who she believes is gay; and Wilhelmina finds her latest advances very tiring. Over at the Suarez's, Santos gives Hilda a little surprise.
Betty struggles with a dilemma as she attempts to bail her family out of a financial crisis while juggling with the task of planning MODE's big assistants week at a medieval-themed restaurant...where Amanda's past ties to the establishment has a link and could come back to haunt her in a surprising way. On the romantic front involving the Meade siblings, Betty tries to give Daniel advice about his endless sexual addiction, while Alexis ponders about whether she should start taking up Rodrigo's offer. Meanwhile, Hilda prepares for her first exam to determine her future at cosmetology school as Wilhelmina prepares for her future plans to take over MODE as she makes even bolder moves for domination behind the scenes.
Betty and Henry's romance heats up. Meanwhile, Wilhelmina makes great strides in her ambitious power play, as Daniel descends further in a downward spiral. The Suarez family trip to Mexico takes a dangerous turn, with old ghosts creating new problems. Explosive secrets will be revealed, and everything will be tied together by a beloved Broadway musical.
Betty's life is turned into turmoil after the numerous upsetting events that have recently occurred. Despite all this, she refuses to accept the fact that Henry's leaving has deeply affected her. Meanwhile, Amanda has a hard time coping with the news she recently discovered about who her real mother is and Wilhelmina plans to use all the recent tragedies to her advantage.
Betty gets a little overwhelmed about Wilhelmina's brand new hunky bodyguard. Plus, Henry returns to pay for insurance, which has Betty concerned about their relationship. Because of the fatal crash, Alexis gets amnesia and Bradford uses it to his advantage. Hilda comes to terms with recent events. And Amanda gets a surprise inheritance from her late biological mother.
Even though Henry is kind of back in her life, Betty finds herself annoyed and yet intrigued by the new sandwich guy, Giovanni. Meanwhile, everyone at Mode prepare for the Meades' Black and White Ball. Wilhelmina tries to get her wedding back on track. Amanda prepares to make her first appearance as Fey Sommers' birth child and fugitive Claire Meade invites herself to Wilhelmina's wedding.
Betty gets into trouble in her writing class when she submits a pre-written MODE story written by a woman who survived a bear attack (hence the title). Alexis returns to work, still with memory loss and having no idea how to act like a girl. Daniel receives a threat from their top advertiser who is against transsexuals and wants Daniel to fire his own sister. Amanda, still trying to figure out who her real father is, learns a shocking secret about Wilhelmina's past.
Betty tries internet dating and she gets asked out; Marc attracts the attention of a photographer that Marc doesn't see as attractive; Wilhelmina tries to prove to the skeptical Daniel and Alexis that she can be part of the Meade family; Hilda is unaware that Justin has become a changed teen when he starts hanging with the wrong crowd and skips school.
As Wilhelmina prepares for her flamboyant wedding, she quickly realizes that her maid of honor, Victoria Beckham, is stealing all her thunder. Meanwhile, Betty is filled with guilt about her pact with Wilhelmina to keep the latter's affair a secret and Ignacio prepares for his big day as he is about to become an official U.S. citizen. However, when Betty moves in with Henry the father/daughter relationship is strained.
When Justin and his classmates visit Mode, Betty is bothered by the message the magazine is sending across to the kids and encourages Daniel to use ordinary women as models during fashion week. Meanwhile, Amanda visits a psychic for news about her biological father and Wilhelmina gets an unprecedented turnout in her latest plan for absolute power.
Betty finds her attempts to suppress her feelings for Gio useless when the two end up chaperoning Justin's school dance together. Meanwhile, Amanda agrees to do a reality show with Gene, and Hilda goes out of her way to catch the eye of Coach Diaz. Finally, Wilhelmina makes her return to MODE, much to the distaste of the Meade family.
Betty finds herself in a dilemma between Henry and Gio when each makes a romantic offer to her. Meanwhile, a softball game between ELLE and Mode has rivals Wilhelmina and Naomi Campbell facing off in the field. Finally, Hilda makes quite a discovery about Coach Diaz, and a surprise visit from an orphaned French boy stirs things up at Mode.
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.
Betty gets to run her own Mode photo shoot at the United Nations to promote their anti-malaria initiative, "Nothing but Nets," but her big opportunity becomes a baptism by fire when Daniel's neediness takes its toll, and Matt openly demoralizes her. Meanwhile, Amanda does some soul-searching when she bonds with Daniel's new temp, Helen, a career receptionist as fabulous as Amanda is. Wili makes it her personal mission to protect a loved one, and Hilda reaches out to Marc to figure out how to help Justin.
Betty tries to get a scoop with Gucci's new designer, Evan York, through Hilda's customer, Sammy. Marc tries to stop her by getting Amanda and Matt to stage a showdown at Ignacio's restaurant. Daniel goes to a bereavement group and meets Natalie who shows him an interesting night. Wilhelmina flies to Bermuda to try and find Connor.
Betty has Marc as be her temporary assistant thanks to Wilhelmina. Betty ends up covering the worst jobs in New York as an assignment, but she needs to dress up as a hot dog and perform a Bollywood style dance. Marc has insecurities about how his idol at Vogue magazine will perceive him. Daniel is targeted by the leader of the Community.
Hilda has doubts over her relationship with Archie after seeing an old flame Bobby Talercio. Marc helps Justin to fit in high school by telling him to become friends with some mean girls. Elsewhere Daniel is lured into a trap by Bennett. Wilhemina tries to come up with money to help Nico out of trouble.
When Betty becomes concerned that she and Matt are spending too much time together, she tries to give him something else to be passionate about -- a surprise gallery showing of his art work -- with unintended results. Meanwhile, Marc is horrified that his one-night stand, Troy, is falling for him, since Marc was Troy's "first", Hilda grapples with whether or not to tell Bobby that he's the father of her unborn child, and Cal officially replaces Wilhelmina with Denise. Jesse Tyler Ferguson returns as Betty's orthodontist, Dr. Farkas, for a cameo, and Christine Ebersole guest stars as Frances, the gallery owner.
A battered but unbowed Betty recounts her worst week EVER to Mr. Z (guest star Fisher Stevens) as the show flashes back to her horrible last few days. Frustrated over the frivolous assignments Wilhelmina gives her at Mode, and inspired by Audrey Hepburn's memoir, Betty creates her own blog about amazing charitable ventures that inspire her. However, as her hobby enriches her, her job is nearly killing her, since Wilhelmina tortures Betty with beauty experiments for future stories. Meanwhile, Daniel fears Marc is sabotaging him -- and he is; Bobby treats a hormonal Hilda to some pampering during "Hilda Week," which goes awry, and Wilhelmina makes a long-term commitment to the incarcerated Connor.
Betty tries to be neighborly by planning a karaoke party in her apartment building, but before the big day, her building is robbed, and it's partly her fault. Marc is distraught since he lost something irreplaceable in the theft. Meanwhile, Daniel and Wilhelmina are back to being at each other's throats, so Amanda tricks them into attending couples counseling with Dr. Sparks (Frank Whaley), and Ignacio refuses to accept Bobby in Hilda's life. Then a citywide blackout ups the ante for everyone.
Daniel helps Betty to cover a low-priority show. Betty discovers a new designer, Marisa, and decides to promote her however she faces stiff competition from Marc. Amanda struggles to persuade Marc or Betty to vouch for her to Wilhemina about her clothing line. Tyler tries to find Claire in New York.
To speed along the investigation into her house fire, Betty is pressured to date an annoying fireman. Wilhemina tries to prove to Don, an old flame from her past, that she's just "Wanda from the block" instead of an uber-bitch, and Amanda draws closer to Tyler, convincing Claire to hire him as an in-house model at Mode. Meanwhile, Hilda meets Bobby's parents for the first time.
Justin loves his acting class, helmed by the eccentric Lena Korvinka, and finds himself in an unexpected triangle with his new pals, Austin and Lily. When Betty drops by class, she's smitten with a cool young playwright, Zachary, whom she will profile for Mode. But she challenges her own ethics when she starts dating him. And Wilhemina is hospitalized with a perforated ulcer, and can’t help her type-A personality even when bedridden, but then her roommate, Roberta, prompts an epiphany.
Betty is thrilled to get her braces off, courtesy of her chatty new orthodontist, Dr. Frankel. But before this can happen, she gets knocked unconscious at a photo shoot of the "Million Dollar Bra" at the Guggenheim, spinning her into a dream sequence. An angelic Dr. Frankel shows her how different her life would have been had she never worn braces. She's the "pretty sister," while Hilda is homely, Ignacio is a compulsive gambler, Marc is a doting dad and Amanda is married to Daniel. But glam Betty is also mean - she's in cahoots with Wilhemina to terrify and overpower everyone at Mode.
Betty gets an assignment to cover London Fashion Week, accompanied by Amanda, and she brings Hilda along as a bachelorette party treat. She reconnects with Christina and also runs into Gio unexpectedly. Willie joins AA to get closer to Tyler and to double-cross Claire and Daniel, and Bobby can't figure out why Justin is spending all his time with Austin -- until he can.
As Hilda’s wedding day approaches, Betty asks Daniel to be her plus-one, Ignacio invites Elena, and Amanda is set on fixing up Marc with her new client, soap opera star Spencer Cannon. Meanwhile, Justin weighs whether his own plus-one could be Austin, Betty considers unexpected offers in her personal and professional life, and Wilhelmina finds a way to fight the Meade empire by using Tyler as her pawn.