Some of our dear readers have been asking me why I haven’t returned to recapping Supernatural since . . . oh, 2010. That is a long time, isn’t it? So, it looks like I haven’t recapped since Sam came back. Real Sam instead of my beloved Soulless Sammy. Part of is the obvious: recapping takes a long time, and I’s be busy. Part of it, and maybe the bigger part of it, is the same thing I’ve been struggling with all season: I’m just not loving Season 6. There have been good episodes here and there (stand out: “Weekend at Bobby’s”), but nothing that much seems to happen anymore. I don’t feel like we’re building anywhere (plus, Season 7?!), and “The Man Who Would Be King” just furthers my point.

I’m going to have to go way off topic here to illustrate my point, so please hang in there, because there is one.

Okay, do you remember “I am God,” Season 2, Episode 18 of Veronica Mars? It directly followed “Plan B,” which was flat out one of the best episodes of Veronica Mars ever (it might just be my favourite). “Plan B” wrapped up the mystery that had carried over from the Season 1 finale (Felix’s murder), whereas “I am God” focused on the mystery that began Season 2 (bus crash). Here’s the difference: Felix’s murder was a huge deal. Solving it was important to multiple main characters (Logan and Weevil primarily), and they all put a lot of effort into it. The bus crash, despite being a mass murder of which Veronica mistakenly initially believed she was the target, just wasn’t. It wasn’t addressed for episodes at a time, Veronica never seemed to put that much thought into it, and, aside from Meg, we didn’t really know any of the victims. Yet suddenly, five episodes from the end of the season, we’re expected to believe that not only has this unsolved mystery been on Veronica’s mind all along but also that she’s being HAUNTED by the victims. Yeah, in her dreams, but still. Haunted. It felt like the writers realized too late that they had broken the arc incorrectly over the season and jammed an episode in to correct the pacing.

Last night’s Gossip Girl, “It-Girl Happened One Night,” sadly does not feature anyone hiking up her skirt in order to hitch a ride. It does, however, feature a Valentine’s vendetta, a really ugly side of Chuck, and further Damien menace. Also Blair and Dan, if you care about that sort of thing.

Blair doesn’t care about your photo-cles

Serena apparently wanders around in a men’s dress shirt and knee socks regardless of where she wakes up. Aw, she buys her own men’s dress shirts! So Blair’s been très busy at W, and it’s either the day before Valentine’s Day or the day before that or even the day itself (we all know how time works on the UES), but the point is that she’s working a lot, so Serena never sees her. Still, they sit down in Blair’s bed and love on each other for a while. Serena gets a plot for the episode by revealing that she and Ben decided not to spend VD together because their relationship is new and doesn’t need the pressure. And while I agree that they don’t, I don’t see why it didn’t occur to them to do something small and simple, nor why Blair didn’t suggest it. Perhaps because she’s too busy reminiscing about the “own private bacchanal,” sans goats, that she and Chuck has last year. Also -- and this is a big continuity problem if you ask me -- Blair still thinks that Chuck’s relationship with Raina is a fake and that they will find their way back to each other eventually. While I agree with the latter, poor Blair to think the former. Also, it sounded a bit like she was talking about Serena and Dan, which grossed me out for even thinking it.

Man alive, every episode of The Vampire Diaries should be like “Plan B:” shifting alliances, personal sacrifice, hot guys with no shirts on. Katherine continues to get me to care by being evil rather than sitting around talking about her love for Stefan, and it looks like Damon may have reason to hope he’ll win Elena yet.

Everyone Lives Happily Ever After

“Plan B” tries to win me over right away by 1) naming itself after one of the all time best episodes of Veronica Mars and 2) giving me another intercut intro like the one that kicked off “Bad Moon Rising.” It’s not as effective, but it’s still pretty good. Elena’s doing her best Bridget, staring Stefan awake while the rest of us wonder if this sleepover is really a good idea. Stefan teasingly points out that the difference between “gazing adoringly” and “staring creepily” is pretty thin, and the making out commences. Over at some charming old B&B that no doubt makes Katherine feel nostalgic, she and shirtless Mason are also in the midst of a morning make out and chat about the moonstone, which Mason has hidden and which Katherine claims means “everyone lives happily ever after” once she gets her hands on it. If I were Mason, that would be my cue to run. Katherine is, of course, wearing a black push-up bra while Elena is in a comparatively demure pink camisole, but don’t think we don’t notice the way Katherine’s bound up in that sheet soap opera-style, show. Elena cuts the making out off because she has to grab a shower (Stefan: Great, let’s go) before swinging by the Lockwoods to help decorate for next week’s masquerade ball which will no doubt have Katherine and Elena confusion and people revealing their real feelings to the wrong person in the general masquerade madness. What? I’ve watched TV before. What a coincidence, faux-marvels Stefan. He has to go help set up, too. The audience is reminded that our lovebirds will have to keep their distance for appearances’ sake, then Elena grabs a pin and much-more-reasonably-than-last-time pricks her finger tip for Stefan’s daily blood dose. Stefan looks both greedy and guilty as he reaches for her finger. Instead of looking pained or disgusted, Elena looks pleased. Mason and Katherine just keep getting it on because they are sexy adults. I think Stefan could have had the same result if he had taken the shirt off.

Last week's Gossip Girl, "Goodbye Columbia," offered the usual scheming and machinations by Chuck and Blair, eye-popping stupidity for Vanessa and Nate, and stupendous lack of awareness for Serena. I would complain, but this (and the insane clothes) is why we watch the show, is it not?

Scheming: I Almost Forgot How Much I Used to Enjoy Your Pie

Blair's deluded herself into thinking that Columbia's campus will provide an oasis from her war with Chuck. Naturally, this incantation summons Chuck to campus: he's "auditing a few classes" for . . . something . . . related to the Bart Bass Memorial Rotunda. Amazingly, Blair's reaction is pretty much, "Buh?", so Chuck starts explaining a rotunda in a way not dissimilar to the time he cut Gabriel (who's amazing in The Social Network, btw) off with "I think we all know what a Ponzi scheme is." Blair's shock, however, is to seeing her oasis so quickly revealed as a mirage, and this will not be the last time this episode the Chuck has to explain the concept of war to Blair.

[Ed. Note: technical issues delayed this post.]

Last night’s season two The Vampire Diaries opener, “The Return,” gave us so much of the good stuff we’ve been missing the last two months: someone gets stabbed, two people get vampire blood, and someone gets vampired! Is there any other show as plot-tastic as this one?

Last night's The Vampire Diaries episode, "Children of the Damned," featured the show, once again, at its best: equal parts doom and gloom, romance, and madness. If the ladies were featured heavily in last week's episode, it was the boys turn to shine this time around.

Damon

Damon, as you would suspect, is thrilled to be working with Elena and Stefan toward a common goal (not unlike Veronica Mars' Logan, he's at his most honest when he's at his most sarcastic). He even gets Jenna drunk and makes the family dinner (why? Don't ask. We'll never know). He also, thanks to a series of flashbacks, figures out that Jeremy's new friend Anna is Annabel, the daughter of a vampire he knew back in his human days. He grabs Jonathan Gilbert's diary (endless, endless journalling on this show), declines her offer to work together, and heads off to dig up his dad, who took Emily's grimoire to his grave. Of course, that's where he finds Stefan and Elena, who already accomplished that task (not using vampire speed for reasons unknown) and are just about to open the grimoire (why? To check for an "if found, please return to Emily the Witch. P.S. That last part is a secret" inscription?). Damon, not doubt thankful since he didn't bring a shovel anyway but definitely feeling betrayed, (unbelievably) forced his blood down Elena's throat, so Stefan handed over the grimoire. Guess it's time to crack that puppy open!

Fanboys is a film with a troubled past; subplots that were shot, then deleted when a new director was brought on board, only to be re-inserted by the original director after that.  The film hit theatres years after its original intended release date, and it played on a limited number of theatres with little marketing to support it.

Which is unfortunate. The film isn't great, but there are definitely three or four huge laughs in there (Peyote Ewok, I'm looking at you) and it is a story with real heart to it.

That said, the studio missed a HUGE opportunity in the marketing of this film. Forget about the all the fantastic cameos (Shatner!). Forget about Seth Rogen playing multiple characters. Forget about all of that.  The studio could have advertised one thing and on thing only, and this movie would have been a hit!

Yes, ladies and gentleman, Fanboys features Veronica Mars in a Slave Girl Leia outfit: