The show is still trying to be a pseudo-reality/scripted/reenacted/ version of what Clarissa Explains It All was in the 90's, except Clarissa Darling had interesting things to say from her budding adolescent point of view and a real thirst to understand her world. Liz Lee has thirst, but only to whine about the same constant boy troubles and to use her friends to boost her confidence whenever she needs it.

Speaking of Liz's friends, they were the lone highlight of last night's episode. We caught a glimpse of bleached blonde Taylor playing poker with Sully and his band of misfit boys. When do you ever see the hot blonde chilling out with the nerds? Seriously, can Taylor, Sully, and the boys get their own reality show? To me, this group steals the show. Wearing a T-shirt with Disney's Finding Nemo on it while jamming out to Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" earns points in my book. That kind of quirkiness feels real - when these kids dork out, we dork out with them. That's in sharp contrast to the utterly alien star of the series.

If Liz Lee is a "serious art student," why was she digging in a dumpster to find any excuse for an art project? Couldn't she have dug a little deeper for a decent hair color that doesn't give me flashbacks to "Killer Klowns from Outer Space"? If she kept on digging, would she have find humility or a rotten slice of humble pie? Or a couple of dollars to buy herself a clue? Liz never did find her art project in the premiere, but she did find something far more valuable: your typical, Gap-loving, Crest-smiling kind of a guy, named Louis. This Anti-Bryson will do all the things Bryson neglected to do in the first season: give Liz his undivided attention, ask her on real dates and offer her a connection more authentic than a plastic straw. Don't be fooled, though. The Anti-Bryson shares one thing in common with the real Bryson: sedation. I have never felt so sedated watching guys perform on camera. Talk about a completely wooden and stilted personalities.

Naturally, the Bryson vs. Anti-Bryson conundrum was played to the melodramatic hilt in this first new episode, with Liz's iPhone telling her that Bryson had gone to New York without informing her. Did this mean their budding true love wasn't quite so true? Why else would Bryson ditch our charming Liz Lee? Oh-Em-Geez. The camera then followed Liz as she pouted all through the East Village in search of... something. Brains to solve her problems? A heart to offer her misfit friends? The courage to not waste her time on this dude anymore? No, she found none of these things.

Instead, Liz conveniently stumbled across a Soft Power poster on a random wall. Light bulb. In a city of over 8 million people, Bryson must be at this one particular concert, right? (Don't worry, I forgot Bryson was into Soft Power, too.) Surprising no one but Liz, he wasn't there - but Anti-Bryson was. Yes, Louis is everywhere: near dumpsters, at Soft Power, at the Gap. He walked Liz home after the show but who was waiting on Liz's stoop? Yep, Bryson, in all his Bieber-wannabe red trucker cap glory. Smell that? That's conflict.So, defying all logic, it looks like Liz will have not one, but two boys pining for her affections this year. And as she did in the first season, Liz will no doubt again act like the world owes her something and that she's somehow being shortchanged. She will continue to believe that people don't like her because she's a rebel or because she dyes her hair or because she's an "outsider." And at no point will she realize it's actually because of her bad attitude, her rudeness and her complete self-absorption. The first season of My Life Is Liz was (barely) watchable because of the supporting ensemble cast (including the contemptible Cori). Without her outrageous friends close by, we're left with Liz wandering the city streets searching for something she'll probably never find: our compassion.

What do you think of the new season of My Life As Liz? Sound off below.

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