Alexis Meade (born
Alexander Spencer Meade) is a
fictional characterA character is the representation of a person in a narrative or dramatic work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr through its Latin transcription character, the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its...
from the
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. It first broadcast on television in 1948...
dramedy series
Ugly BettyUgly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series created by Silvio Horta, which premiered on The American Broadcasting Company on September 28, 2006. The series revolves around Betty Suarez, an unglamorous and good-natured girl, and her incongruous job at the ultra-chic New York City...
. She was initially played by Elizabeth Penn Payne (when she was listed in the credits as "Masked Lady") and is now played by
Rebecca RomijnRebecca Alie Romijn is an American actress and former model . She is best known for her role as Mystique in the X-Men films, and for her role as Alexis Meade on the hit show Ugly Betty.-Early life:Romijn was born in Berkeley,...
.
Biography
Alex Meade was a background presence in the series since its debut. The former editor-in-chief of
Hudson magazine, he was believed dead by the world at large. His example as an editor was held over
Daniel MeadeDaniel Meade is a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. He is played by Eric Mabius.-Background:Daniel is the son of magazine publisher Bradford Meade...
's head by his father
BradfordBradford Emerson Meade was a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. He was played by Alan Dale. Bradford's character was equivalent to Roberto Mendoza in the original Betty la fea, Armando's father, with Armando equalling Daniel....
and his "death" cast a pall over the entire Meade family, contributing to his mother
Claire'sClaire Meade is a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. She is played by Judith Light.Light's performance as Claire has resulted in a nomination for outstanding guest actress in a Comedy series at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards, when Claire was a recurring regular in season...
alcoholism.
Alexis Meade appeared repeatedly since the first episode, swaddled in bandages. She had been conspiring with
Wilhelmina SlaterWilhelmina Vivian Slater is a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. She is played by Vanessa Williams, who received a supporting actress award at the 2007 and 2008 NAACP Image Awards, a Best TV Villain award at the 2007 Teen Choice Awards and a supporting actress...
to take over
MODE magazine from Daniel. She had also been actively trying to implicate Bradford in the death of former
MODE editor-in-chief
Fey SommersFey Sommers is the name of a presumed-to-be deceased fictitious fashion editor in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty and is believed to be based on Anna Wintour. She is played in some TV clips by Christine Jones and in others by another actress, who also appeared as Fey in still photographs,...
. Dialogue between Alexis and Wilhelmina fueled speculation the mysterious bandaged woman was actually Sommers.
In the January 18, 2007 episode
In or OutIn or Out is an episode from the dramedy series Ugly Betty, the thirteenth in the series overall, which aired on January 18, 2007. It was written by Myra Jo Martino and directed by Michael Spiller...
Daniel told
BettyBeatriz "Betty" U. Suarez is a central fictional character and heroine of the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. She is portrayed by America Ferrera, who won a 2007 Golden Globe and 2007 SAG award for her portrayal of the character, as well as the Outstanding Actress in a Comedy award for the role...
that Alex had been killed in a skiing accident. In the final moments of the episode, Wilhelmina told the mysterious bandaged woman, now out of her bandages, her "skiing accident" had done her a world of good, and called her "Alex Meade." The woman corrected Wilhelmina, advising her she was "Alexis" now.
Alexis attended
Fashion WeekA fashion week is a fashion industry event, lasting approximately one week, which allows fashion designers, brands or "houses" to display their latest collections in runway shows and buyers to take a look at the latest trends. Most importantly, it lets the industry know what's "in" and what's "out"...
in the episode
I'm Coming Out. After initially flirting with Daniel, she told him her true identity, explaining she had felt from a very young age that she was "in the wrong skin." This revelation put Daniel into a state of shock. Wilhelmina insinuated Alexis into the MODE "up and coming designers" fashion show. Following the show, Bradford began a speech but Alexis interrupted him, announcing her former identity as Alex moments before police arrested Bradford for the murder of Fey Sommers.
Following Bradford's arrest, Alexis moved to consolidate her control of Meade Publications and tried to install Wilhelmina as editor-in-chief of
MODE, but Daniel obtained an
injunctionAn injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order, whereby a party is required to do, or to refrain from doing, certain acts. The party that fails to adhere to the injunction faces civil or criminal penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions for failing to follow the...
to block her actions. At the instigation of Betty and
their motherClaire Meade is a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. She is played by Judith Light.Light's performance as Claire has resulted in a nomination for outstanding guest actress in a Comedy series at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards, when Claire was a recurring regular in season...
, Alexis and Daniel set aside their differences and formed a fragile
détenteDétente is a French term, meaning a relaxing or easing; the term has been used in international politics since the early 1970s. Generally, it may be applied to any international situation where previously hostile nations not involved in an open war de-escalate tensions through diplomacy and...
.
While Daniel always thought their father treated Alex like the golden child, Alexis informed him the real reason Bradford spent so much time taking part in characteristically masculine activities (the Boy Scouts and football games are mentioned) was to try and "cure" Alex's desire to be a woman. When Alex told his father he was going to undergo the sex change, his father said if he did, Alex would be cut off from the family forever and Bradford would rather have Alex dead. She also said the reason she didn't want to tell Daniel the truth was because she feared her brother "was just like Dad."
Alexis later had a change of heart about Daniel; when Wilhelmina reminded her he is the enemy and should be fired in favor of Wilhelmina as Editor-in-Chief, Alexis told her she wouldn't fire him because he was her brother. That statement resulted in Wilhelmina ending their partnership and endeavoring to drive a wedge into their sibling relationship.
Alexis was furious when she found out Daniel was having an affair with Grace Chin.
After Bradford was released from jail and had Alexis fired, Claire Meade, the actual legal owner of
MODE, appoints Daniel and Alexis as co-editors-in-chief in an effort to keep the Meade family from falling apart. But although Daniel makes some effort to share, it appears Alexis might still be trying to outdo Daniel even as they try to work together for the sake of the family. In the meantime, Wilhelmina bides her time and tries to sow chaos through fueling the siblings' enmity.
Alexis was also hampered by Bradford's scheme to get rid of her, who plotted with Wilhelmina to pay off Rodrigo Veloso, a creative director at sister publication "MODE Brasil", to get her out of the United States by having him romance Alexis after she falls for him. Alexis later found out about Rodrigo's deal after she picked up his phone and overheard the conversation, prompting Alexis to dump him. After this Alexis' hatred of her father grew, leading her to call a hired hitman to see about getting rid of someone "...in her life."
In the season one finale, an intoxicated Daniel stumbled into her office, his drug use out of control. As she was driving him to the hospital in their father's car, she realized the brakes had been cut and the car crashed. The season finale ended with them lying unconscious beside each other.
At the beginning of season two Alexis was in a coma, waking at the end of the season premiere with partial retrograde
amnesiaAmnesia is a memory condition in which memory is disturbed. In simple terms it is the loss of memory. The causes of amnesia are organic or functional. Organic causes include damage to the brain, through trauma or disease, or use of certain drugs. Functional causes are psychological factors, such...
, not remembering the past two years or becoming a woman. A few episodes later, while attending a dinner hosted by Bradford and Wilhelmina, she started to remember after witnessing an angry exchange between Bradford and Daniel, mirroring Bradford's own treatment of Alexis prior to her transition.
In the weeks that followed, Bradford decided to bond with Alexis, which didn't sit well with Daniel, who he supected of taking advantage of her amnesia as a way to reestablish the father-son bond they had. This ended tragically with Bradford's fatal heart attack during his wedding to Wilhelmina. Before his death he asked the two to be civil and forgave them. But that union did not last long: after learning Bradford (in an unfinished taped will) left no clear successor for the CEO spot at Meade Publications, Alexis and Daniel resumed their competitive rivalry with a paintball contest. Unfortunately after Daniel tried to help a seemingly injured Alexis, she took his paintgun and shot him with it, making her the President/CEO of Meade Publications.
Alexis, Daniel and Claire were also responsible for terminating Wilhelmina's job at
MODE after learning of her attempt to manipulate the Meade family, especially her attempt to marry Bradford. However in the season two finale, after Wilhelmina returned to Mode through her plan involving Bradford's baby, Alexis made her Editor-in-Chief after Wilhelmina pointed out to her how easy running the magazine was, and how much easier it would be if Daniel left.
But it turned out Wilhelmina may have used Alexis' friendship as a front in her quest to make
MODE a priority over the other Meade publications. When Alexis announced she was going to help get Claire's
Hot Flash off the ground, Wilhelmina tricked her into appearing on Alexis' favorite TV show "
Live with Regis and KellyLive with Regis and Kelly is a syndicated American television morning talk show, hosted by Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa. Before 2000, the show was known as Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, with Kathie Lee Gifford co-hosting with Philbin...
", where she was sabotaged by the two hosts. After Claire scorned her for giving in to Wilhelmina by telling her that she was a puppet, Alexis finally came to her senses when Betty showed her a mock-up of
MODE Daniel got by mistake. Alexis, more impressed with her brother's ideas than with Wilhelmina's (especially after seeing her version plummet in sales, along with fan letters from readers sent to Daniel) gave Daniel his former EiC job back, demoting Wilhelmina back to Creative Director.
In the episode "Crime of Fashion" it was revealed Alexis pushed Christina, pregnant with Wilhelmina's child, down a flight of stairs. She told Betty she didn't mean to and she was so upset at Wilhelmina that she kept seeing her when she looked at Christina. At the end of the episode, Alexis turned herself into the police, but not before revealing to her mother that she, not Daniel, was the biological father of Daniel Jr.
Following her arrest, in exchange for Wilhelmina's help in escaping prosecution for attempted murder, Alexis agreed to give 50% of her Meade Publications stock to Wilhelmina's unborn child and 50% to Daniel, causing ownership of the company to now be divided equally between the two. She then left New York City for an extended trip to France. Before departing, she promised Daniel she would try to connect with DJ and assured her mother she would always be in her life.
Critical response
SlateSlate is an English-language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft, as part of MSN. On December 21, 2004, it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
named the character as one of the reasons they were looking forward to the return of the show in fall 2007.
Future
It was announced that in Season 3, the role of Alexis will be demoted from a regular character to a recurring character. Romijn stated she is unhappy with the direction the writers have given her character. Her exact words to the
New York PostThe New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
's
Popwrap were:
"They made a tremendous amount of changes, especially with the writing staff [during the writers' strike]. And while I know I'll be coming back next season, with all the changes, I'm not sure they can take care of my character they way they have been. So I'll be leaving, back in a recurring capacity, but time for me to leave and find something else."
E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos recently reported Alexis will ultimately exit the show in Season 3 due to Romijn's pregnancy.