Are you a devoted fan who tuned in for the two-part, hour-long Season 3 premiere of The Hills?  As one who jumped on the train a little late (the end of Season 1), I can tell you that waiting too long to catch up is a bad idea. Whether or not you were ever a Laguna Beach (R.I.P.) fan, The Hills is far superior if drama, nightlife scenery, and must-have fashion are on your list of guilty pleasure criteria. For those in need of a quick recap of the Season 2 finale, as well as last night’s premiere, check out my “then and now” format:

   Then: Lauren Conrad stood on her Hollywood sidewalk as her (former) BFF, Heidi Montag, gazed poignantly back in the moving van mirror while driving off into the sunset with Spencer Pratt. Shaking the dust off rather quickly, Lauren moved in new roomie (and Heidi “frienemy”) Audrina Patridge. Now: With Internet rumors swirling around a possible – uh, feature film - starring Lauren and ex-BF Jason Wahler, Lauren is out for blood. During a mutual friend’s party at Les Deux in Los Angeles, suspecting Heidi and Spencer as the culprits of the scandal, Lauren screamed, “You’re not in my life anymore, and you’re a sad, pathetic person!” Ouch. Remember when she was the shy girl? 

            (Lauren, Audrina, and Heidi in mid-argument at Les Deux)

   Then: Back at Teen Vogue, work-buddy Whitney Port was in the running for the position of fashion contributor. Now: Whitney scored the job, and assumes the title of Lauren’s boss, even sporting her own desk (now that’s power!). I am already noticing a different dynamic between these two…did you? They’ve come a long way from working in the back closet together; let’s hope this is one friendship for Lauren that she manages to keep in tact!

   Then: Lauren’s romantic sensibilities were proving questionable, as she was on, then off, then maybe back on, with Brody Jenner. After ex-Laguna friend Jennifer Bunney made her move on him, the drama in Lauren’s life seriously kicked up a notch. Now: Lauren makes a habit of flirting with reckless abandon, the likes of which we’ve never seen. Later, a sneak peek reveals that she will meet with Jason to discuss a possible reconciliation. Adding to our collective shock, Whitney (!) is the one who gets caught kissing Brody this time (but for some reason, Lauren acts delighted). Huh?

         (Brody tries to turn Spencer away from popping the question to Heidi)

     Need an update, but don’t want to stay up past your bedtime? Keep visiting Beauty Chat every week! New episodes of The Hills airs Mondays at 10 p.m. on MTV. 

~ Brook

 Photo Credits: www.MTV.com