ABC's "Ugly Betty" is of to a Pretty Good Start

Last season, ABC's "Ugly Betty" left viewers on edge. After the shocking season finale, questions were all the fans of the breakout hit had to hang on to. Did Alexis and Daniel survive? Is Henry's girlfriend really carrying his baby? Did Santos really die? Where is Claire Mead? What will become of Ignacio in Mexico? Will Wilhelmina and Bradford really marry? Who is Amanda, anyway? Will Christina's husband resurface? And, of course, who killed Fey?

I guess the biggest question that isn't being asked, is what about Betty? The endearing star manages to hold her family, friends, and coworkers together while everything around her seems to be falling apart. With this in mind, I sat down to watch America's darling once again.

The show continues it's fast paced and lively dialogues, great and varied sets, and twisting turning plots that have made it famous. All the characters of last season return in full force, albeit temporarily. Here's a run down of what's new:

Alexis and Daniel did survive. However, Alexis remains in a coma. Daniel remains in the hospital. He has become dependent on pain medication to avoid his emotional issues. But as he helps Betty deal with the end of her almost relationship with Henry, he decides that despite the guilt, he needs a fresh start, and buries his pain medication. When Daniel finally goes to talk to his sister, Alexis awakes, but does not remember changing from Alex to Alexis.

Wilhelmina stoically pushes the wedding through, while Claire desperately looks for away to reach her children. She wants her husband, family, and life back, as much as Wilhelmina wants "Mode". Sadly, there is still no reconciliation here . . . Claire is still on the run and Wilhelmina is still charging towards victory.

Amanda and her trusty sidekick Marc head off to confront her parents about whether or not she is Fey's daughter, and find that she is. But who is her father? Amanda, by the way, is eating constantly, and has gained a significant amount of weight. In her quest to find out who her father is, Amanda finds reason to believe Bradford may be daddy dearest.

Hilda remains locked in her room with Betty at her service. Throughout the show she is seen talking with Santos, but in a tear jerking ending, we find out that Santos really is dead, and Hilda is just beginning to deal with it.

Betty is about to crack under the pressure of taking care of her family, Daniel, and her work. But Daniel, in a sweet, yet typically self-centered manner, helps her through her bad day, and encourages her to let Henry go. Of course, that can't really be the end of Henry, can it? He appears again, in the final scene of the premier, stepping off of a bus, alone. In any case, Betty gets back to herself, getting Justin an internship, making dinner, and hugging Hilda.

Justin is off to arts and crafts camp rather bitterly, but escapes to "Mode", were Wilhelmina is in desperate need of his fashion sense. She dubs him "fashion elf". Ignacio is in Mexico and is fine, but with the plot twists so far, it seems unlikely he could remain fine for long. Christina is her usual flighty self with no real news here, but she is still one to watch.

With all the action, the only plot that is really reconciled is that Santos really is dead. And the show that ended its' first, highly successful season with questions, ends the premier of its' promising second season, with, well, questions. Stay tuned this fall, to find out some answers, or at the very least, be well entertained.