Where the Hell is Blair Waldorf?

by Rachael Nisenkier

I have stuck with Gossip Girl long past what most people seemed to consider its expiration date. I do this in large part because it’s addictive and filled with really pretty people. I’ll probably continue “XOXO”ing until the day the dialogue loses its juicy flavor and the drama stops being oddly intriguing.

But the real reason I’ve stuck with Gossip Girl through five seasons, countless boring Serena and Jenny Humphrey storylines, Empire shenanigans, and Ivy/Charlie ridiculousness is because of one character and one character alone: Blair Waldorf.
Which is, of course, why my Gossip Girl fanclub card might be about to be revoked. There are a lot of things to like about the fifth season of the CW show. I like Elizabeth Hurley, Dan is finally getting some decent storylines (Even if his hair is becoming offensively bad. Seriously, the Humphrey wardrobe is a much better parody of hipster culture than 2 Broke Girls can every hope to put together), and I’m enjoying watching Chuck try to figure out who he is without Blair. But, speaking of which, where the hell is Blair Waldorf?

Pilot Watch: Revenge

by Kelly Bedard

Do you remember Amy Abbott? I do. She was sweet and funny, good natured and forgiving. Do you remember Rebeca Harper? I do. She was smart and self-assured, easy going and charming. Now, the woman who gave life to both is back on network TV in a dark show about the need for ruthless revenge. And who is Emily Thorne? Well she's actually Amanda Clarke, but she's also smart, self-assured, easy going, charming, sweet, funny and good natured. She's every Emily Van Camp character, sort of. I left out one important adjective, the absence of which undermines all the others, because, as we're told at least twice in the pilot alone, "this is not a story about forgiveness".