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Never before has an hour-long comedy/drama contained more twists, turns, evil-doers and backstabbing divas than this ABC show. I WANT MORE!!!

When it comes to Ugly Betty, I was a late bloomer. I’d heard about the show, but never watched it until several episodes into the first season.

Was I knocked off my keister. Never have I see a nighttime TV drama with so much laughter, twists and craziness. It would take a soap opera 50 years to complete all the twists in just five episodes of Ugly Betty. Nearly every episode keeps me a fan for life.

In Season Three, everything and anything happens. (I’ll try not to give away too many spoilers.)

When Betty returns from her month-long vacation, Wilhelmina Slater has taken over Mode as the right hand diva to Alexis Meade. It is dark, dank and prepped for the baby surrogate Christina is carrying for the shark. Daniel - who was relegated to a titty magazine - is trying to get to know his son. Someone tries to kill Christina, who discovers that the baby she is carrying is actually her own. Daniel gets into a custody battle for his son, only to discover some shocking secrets about the kid’s identity. Connor Owens comes on board to help Meade publications survive a struggling economy. His fiance, Molly, falls for Daniel. Connor falls for Willy (and vice versa) and a deadly game of financial roulette begins between Meade’s power players.

Betty discovers that Gio has not forgiven her for not choosing him in his battle with Henry for Betty’s affections. (Betty chose neither of the dudes and instead chose herself. Good girl!) She also has some run ins with Kimmie Keegan, a snotty turd who used to torture Betty in high school. This was the only thread that I truly disliked about this season.

Betty’s pursuit of an editorial position leads her to a new love with rich, eccentric Matt, which is short-lived after Betty gives Henry a scorching kiss. (Henry was visiting NYC at the time.) Matt’s father, Cal Hartley, helps Meade Publications out of a financial pit, and offers Matt a job in publishing. Cal and Claire Meade had a love child years ago - something that will likely play a key part in the next season.

In Season Four, the spurned lover will now be Betty’s boss. YIKES, Betty! Oh, and Betty has to save the day so many times it is unbelieveable. Sometimes it is her fault; other times she is trying to protect Mode. Once, when she does all the right things, she gets blamed for some terrible disasters. Throughout this season Betty learns that even those she calls close friends will betray her. Some will make it right while others will waller in the glory of pulling one over on her.

Believe it or not, I didn’t give away half of the surprises in this season. Ugly Betty Season 3 was, for the most part, a terrific ride. I really enjoyed the last half of the season - much more so than the first episodes.

I think Season Three sets up viewers for some shocks this season. I believe Claire Meade’s love child with Matt’s father will be Henry. I always did think those two boys looked alike. That means that Henry and Matt will be half brothers - and both will be in love with Betty.

Scandalous!

Maybe I’m wrong, but as soon as I heard about the love child, I was certain where it was going. I cannot wait to see. I look forward to Daniel’s sister coming back on the scene to get a piece of Mode - and the results of Wilhelmina’s hunt for Connor Owens, who fled the country with a substantial amount of her money.

I will miss Ashley Jensen, who played clothing designer Christina McKinney. Who will Betty have to turn to in Season Four, when so many are against her? She will need a new BFF - someone outside of Mode who can give her some stability among the sharks of the magazine business. (Incidenally, Jensen is moving on to CBS for a comedy with Jenna Elfman, Accidentally On Purpose.)

What I didn’t like about this season: Lindsey Lohan. I barely watched the first episodes of Ugly Betty‘s third season on the tube because I simply cannot stand LiLo. Though the Kimmie Keegan character fit her celeb gossip personality to a “T,” it simply was not worth it to see her on my TV. Blech! To me, Linday Lohan just sucks. She had zero chemistry with other cast members and her character ARC (such as it was) added nothing to the show. I watched the episodes more closely while I reviewed the DVDs, but it was next to cinematic torture for moi.

LiLo created some nasty scandals for the show and got her gig cut from six to four episodes because of diva behavior. Read about it in The Huffington Post and TV Squad.

The season got so much better with the introduction of YETI, Daniel’s amazingly poignant love affair with the dying Molly and Wilemenia’s fall from grace. I was seriously glad to see the focus draw back to the main characters. This show is totally character-driven. It has so much flash and flare on its own it doesn’t need the celebrity drive bys to bring up ratings. Who needs them when there are such terrific actors with characters to die for just waiting for some good dialog to keep viewers guessing - and their jaws dropping.

DVD extras for season three include some funny bloopers and “Mode After Dark,” where Amanda and Mark run the show when no one is around. “Mode After Dark” is OK, but not terrific. You can also watch an interesting featurette about moving the show from L.A. to New York - one of the best things they could do for authenticity. I really disliked the segue music on the DVDs - you know, the stuff that plays over and over again between episodes. It was a hideous rendition of the Ugly Betty theme.

Ugly Betty‘s fourth season premieres Oct. 16 on ABC. Be sure to catch up on all the salacious scandals of last season before you jump into shark, er, Mode Magazine, territory.

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