Last week’s episode of Ugly Betty was great, even if, yet again, poor little Justin wasn’t given much space. OK, OK, I admit, I’m pushing the Justin angle a little too much. Maybe they should just do a spin-off (God save us…).

I was wondering if thing lightening up between the Meades and Wilhelmina would take from the show the spice that made it so wonderfully unique. While there does seem to still be space for intrigue and manipulation, it’s nothing compared to what was going on during the first two seasons. Will it be enough to keep the show the success it has been up to now?

Let’s take a closer look at what went on last week.

The fight between Betty and Kimmie seems to be an assistant-level reproduction of the tension between Daniel and Wilhelmina vying for the Editor-in-Chief position. It was quite entertaining and gave the feel-good lesson of sticking to ones values, as well as justice prevailing when intelligent parties are involved in the situation. It makes you wonder if justice will prevail if the parties hasn’t been intelligent… But maybe that’s an angle the show can explore. I also like the message that while you can definitely get places by backstabbing and manipulating others like Kimmie did, you run the chance of eventually getting caught up in your own lies. Speaking of Kimmie, I liked Lindsay Lohan’s performance on the last two episodes, although I wasn’t too impressed with reports of her diva-ness on set.

While it was obvious from the beginning that the way too timely arrival of Connor Owens was suspicious, I have to admit that I didn’t see the friendship between him and Daniel coming. This could (hopefully) be the beginning of increasing tensions between Daniel and Wilhelmina.

Speaking of which, Vanessa Williams’ portrayal of Wilhelmina continually impresses me. I and, I’m sure, many people out there have a fabulous love/hate relationship with this woman who is so determined to get what she wants by any means possible, and yet seems so vulnerable at other times. The only thing that bothers me is that Wilhelmina’s typical white outfits are, well, gone! It’s unsettling to see her wearing anything other than white. Is this a reflection of the new Wilhelmina? If so, come back, oh evil Wilhelmina wearing white, white and more white!

And, big surprises: there is a new love interest, as Betty flirts with her neighbour. The preview for next week shows Amanda moving in – which could create quite an interesting entanglement. Already the idea of Amanda and Betty living together is quite hilarious; the idea of Betty and Amanda vying for attention from the same guy, even more so.

The writers continue delivering some really funny lines. A couple of noteworthy ones:

• Betty came home with a huge basket of fruits and Ignacio quips: “I left Mexico so that my family wouldn’t have to sell fruit on the street!”

• Amanda, referring to Kimmie, tells Betty “We are facing a problem that affects us all: global warning”, right after which Mark quips that “the inconvenient truth is that Kimmie is taking too much space”.

• Hilda recommending a haircut “the Senator Clinton, the style that never quits”.

• Kimmie, not wanting the necklace in the Adriana Lima shoot, telling Wilhelmina: “Don’t worry baby! Sit back, relax, and have a doughnut”, to which Wilhelmina replies: “Do you have a death wish?”.

• Wilhelmina, panicking about the lack of tico berries for the same photo shoot (which, by the way, don’t exist), tells Betty: “I know what they say about models, but this one is a smart one”; then, on cue, Adriana Lima is shown brandishing a Rubik cube she just finished solving then asking for the Sunday New York Times crossword.

Speaking of which, Adriana Lima is gorgeous and so was the dress she wore for the photo shoot.

While Ugly Betty is still lovely to watch and I am looking forward to next week’s episode, I have to admit the show is definitely not yet at par with its own performance during the last two seasons and even at the beginning of this season. Hopefully the arrival of Connor and the birth of Wilhelmina’s baby will stir up a little trouble. And hopefully Alexis will also come back. This show wasn’t made for tidy endings, not when they come with a pretty little bow.