Stream It Or Skip It?

One of the reasons why classic series get sequel or reunion versions years after they end is because the cast want to recapture how much fun they had on the set of the original. You can tell they’re having fun reprising their favorite roles and playing off each other again, even if things aren’t 100 percent the same as they were the first time around. That’s what we’re seeing in the second season of the sequel series Betty La Fea: The Story Continues.

Opening Shot: Beatriz “Betty” Aurora Pinzón Solano (Ana María Orozco) walks along the beach in Cartagena, and we hear her voice over saying, “The three biggest mysteries in life are still life after death, life on other planets and life with a partner.”

The Gist: Betty seems to really be through with Armando Mendoza Sáenz (Jorge Enrique Abello) this time, even singing divorce papers and telling him to sign, as well. As she thinks about all of the tumultuous things that happened since she returned to Ecomoda and Armando came back in her life, Armando approaches her on the beach. He hands her the signed papers, but she tosses them into the ocean and decides to take him back (again).

This time, though, she wants them to keep things secret, even to their daughter Mila (Juanita Molina), who is still distancing herself from her father because of what she found out about what he did to Betty before Mila was born. When Mila surprises Betty in Cartagena, Betty forces a naked Armando to stand on the balcony of their hotel room.

Mila has her own issues, having made out with Jeff (Jeronimo Cantillo), despite the fact that he’s about to move in with Carmen (Valentina Lagarejo). Other members of Betty’s family are also going through some things: Her best friend/ de facto brother Nicolás (Mario Duarte) has found out that Patricia (Lorna Cepeda) is pregnant and claims he’s the father; she’s pressuring him to get married.

Meanwhile, back at Ecomoda, things are getting bleak. Betty has already had to cut employee pay and severances given the company’s budget problems and massive debt. But they found out that, after selling their warehouses to “onion man” Pascual (Carlos Humberto Camacho) that Nacho (Sebastian Osorio) and Majo (Zharick León) are also involved in that transaction. “Team Nacho” holds a lot of cards now that they own the warehouses where Ecomoda’s clothes are distributed from.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? As you probably know, Betty La Fea: The Story Continues is a sequel series to the 1999-2001 Colombian telenovela Yo Soy Betty, la fea. The original version was the basis for the 2006-10 ABC series Ugly Betty.

Our Take: In its second season Betty La Fea: The Story Continues is in full telenovela mode, rather than being the nostalgia play that the first season was. Sure, the first season had lots of twists and turns, and the second season has moments of nostalgia for the original series, but the second season really leans into crazy plot twists, ever-shifting relationships and the cattiness of the staff at Ecomoda.

There’s lots for the staff — namely Patricia, Hugo (Julián Arango), Bertha (Luces Velásquez) and Sandra (Marcela Posada) — to sink their teeth into, from Patricia’s pregnancy to Esteban (Rodrigo Candamill) inexplicably volunteering to lie to Mila and say he was with Betty in Cartagena. Remember, they’ve never been fans of Betty’s, and they still call her “ugly” to this day, so any controversy that involves her sets them all atwitter.

This season is purely for the people who want to see Betty’s story continue, even though her return to Armando might be exasperating, or her desire to keep their reunion secret might feel like a contrivance. It’s a telenovela, after all; exasperating contrivances are baked into the format. What we do know is that the entire cast looks like it’s having a hell of a good time being back on set with each other, and in a show like this, that’s half the fun.

Sex and Skin: Nothing in the first episode, but there’s always potential for light snogging and underwear-clad grinding to happen during the season.

Parting Shot: Betty assures Armando that the Esteban thing is a ruse for Mila’s sake, and that it’s best for everyone involved if their reunion is kept secret for now. Then they express their love to each other.

Sleeper Star: Stefanía Gómez plays Aura María Fuentes, who returns to Ecomoda to find out it’s in financial trouble, and somehow she might be able to help with that.

Most Pilot-y Line: Pascual hits on Marcela (Natalia Ramírez) by saying, “I’d love for our hearts to beat underneath one poncho.” When Marcela says she doesn’t wear ponchos, Pascual replies, “That’s a shame, because the V-neck would look amazing on you.”

Our Call: STREAM IT. Betty La Fea: The Story Continues has settled into a fun rhythm in its second season, with a cast that knows each other so well that they look like they’re having a blast reprising their original roles from 26 years ago.

Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.