Without A Trace - TWoP Forums: ok! found discssn of these episodes - yes, 29 Oct (imdb says Amer Goddess aired on 28Oct 2004)
huh so the ones I watched last week are later in the season? ah no that was Saturday I guess on diffrnt station that I saw Nickeld & Dimed and found discussion ~ p.100 from November 2004 but hmm in tonite's episode where Martin was jogging in Sam's neighborhood in am and saw kidnapping, at end Jack says "I know. about you and - . Good luck with that." but a month later when Martin goes with Sam in ambulance at end, discussn was about that being a moment when Jack realized they were together ~?
Anyway: 88 89 90 91 92

I thought this was a terrific episode and the acting was top notch. Elizabeth Berkely and Stephanie Courtney [as preMakeover Lynette] really shined in this one.

Can you imagine being cast as the ugly one?
By the same token, can you imagine the casting sides? "We need someone who could conceiveably become Elizabeth Berkley after a ton of plastic surgery."

That's what Mr. Serendipity and I said. "How would you like to get that call from your agent: 'They're looking for someone who sorta looks like Elizabeth Berkley, but much, much uglier.'"

A for 'being cast as the ugly one', I checked out Stephanie Courtney's imdb entry, and she's certainly not ugly. It's amazing how a little make-up can really ugly a person up.

In that scene where the two girls were with the guy from the show, and the one was ratting out the other: they were trying so so hard to make those perfectly fine actresses look haggard and ugly. yep yep that's where I was wondering what it is (what the tricks are, say) that connotes ugly? I think they were using the same lighting as in that Seinfeld ep where Jerry's girlfriend looked completely different in different lights.

In some sense, all five of the actors are too attractive. It's a little hypocritical to have a show criticizing plastic surgery being performed by such beautiful actors. I tht sth like this when Sam says to Danny that maybe now he'll be nice to the fast-thin (not to say? Slim Fast) drinking girls.

That was a cool parody of The Swan and those other make over shows. I bet there are situations like that on those shows the public doesn't hear about.

"American Goddess" reminded me just how repulsive "The Swan" was.