TV Geek Out 176: Fall TV Premieres, Part 2

TV Geek Out returns with the second part of our discussion of all the fall TV premieres that we've been watching. We cover a lot more ground this time, chatting about new shows, returning shows, summer series we loved, and midseason series we can't wait to see, including Fringe, Undercovers, Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, NBC Thursday-night comedies, Dexter, Rubicon, and much more! Check it all out here.

TV Geek Out 85: Gossip Girl, "The Age of Dissonance"

Gossip Girl finally comes clean about its Edith Wharton worship! "The Age of Dissonance" used its allusions brilliantly, nodding to The Age of Innocence and Eyes Wide Shut and even including a cameo from New York Times drama critic Charles Isherwood. Blair is on the warpath, Nate gets to be just a normal dude, Serena and Vanessa are a surprisingly dynamic duo and Dan fiiiiinally sends Rachel packing. The only thing that keeps this episode from perfection is Chuck's still-kind-of-lame storyline of helping party girl/cipher Elle, but thankfully that plot is sent packing by the end of the show. The TV Geek Out Geeks even felt a little bit smarter after discussing this episode. Who would've thought?

Check it out here.

TV Geek Out 79: Gossip Girl, "You've Got Yale" and "Carnal Knowledge"

"You've Got Yale" and "Carnal Knowledge" weren't among Gossip Girl's most stellar moments, and in fact spotlighted some of the show's biggest problems. Chuck's Uncle Jack was sent packing in the opera-tastic "Yale" when it seemed like he could have caused mischief for at least a few more episodes, while Dan and Serena broke up for the umpteenth time during "Carnal Knowledge" ... and the less said about Chuck's Eyes Wide Shut-like adventure with the mysterious party girl Elle, the better. TV Geeks Dana and Heather love Gossip Girl for its silly soapiness, but we couldn't quite get behind these episodes. However, we had a lot to say about them!

Check it out here.

TV Geek Out 73: Gossip Girl, "Gone With the Will"

As hinted by its title, "Gone With the Will" was a truly epic Gossip Girl episode. Long-lost siblings, sinister uncles, breakups, reunions, disastrous brunches -- "Gone With the Will" had them all and then some. In fact, it might have had almost too much going on, in keeping with the show's frustrating habit of burning through characters and plot twists before they've really had time to shine. However, this also means that TV Geek Out Geeks Dana and Heather had plenty to geek out about, from Chuck's literal and figurative lack of will power to Jenny's random rattail braids.

Check out our discussion here.

TV Geek Out 62: Gossip Girl, "In the Realm of the Basses"

Gossip Girl returned from the holidays with "In the Realm of the Basses," one of the best episodes of season two, if only because it dispensed with insufferable hipster Aaron Rose. Even though that meant Serena reunited with the equally insufferable Dan, this episode had a lot going for it: Jenny is no longer 15 going on 35 and Ed Westwick and Leighton Meester got to show off their acting chops. Westwick's turn as a dead-eyed, pot and opium-smoking Chuck was believably creepy, while Meester handled Blair's divided loyalties between a society future and saving Chuck from himself with compassion and humor. TV Geek Out Geeks Dana and Heather geek out about the show's return, wonder if the storylines aren't better suited to characters in their late 20s or early 30s, and rejoice over Aaron Rose's departure.

Check it out here.

TV Geek Out 57: TV News Discussion

The TV Geek Out geeks cover some of the recent news from the TV world, including castings & firings, marriages & deaths, cancelations, ratings, gossip, and more! Find out what two television siblings have tied the knot in real life, what show Heather is intrigued by but just can't commit her DVR to, and just what got the geeks on an uncontrollable giggle tangent. Is A&E exploiting Patrick Swayze with his new series, The Beast? Was Gossip Girl's Rufus Humphrey the frontman for a hair-metal band in the '80s? Did reality TV show titles just hit a new low? Would Heroes be more fun if Pushing Daisies' Emerson Cod could lend the lackluster show his delightfully snarky insights? The geeks ponder these questions and others, and devolve into silliness for your listening pleasure.

Check it out here.

TV Geek Out 46: Gossip Girl, "It's a Wonderful Lie" and "O Brother, Where Bart Thou?"

TV Geek Out Geeks Dana and Heather bid 2008 farewell with a gigantic Gossip Girl geekout covering two episodes, "It's a Wonderful Lie" and "O Brother, Where Bart Thou?" Our favorite Upper East Siders closed out the year with some of season two's best moments, and, as usual, most of them revolved around Chuck and Blair. Their game-playing and doppleganger dates brought wit to "Lie"'s Snowflake Ball drama, but they dropped their poses for real tenderness in "O Brother". Oh, and Bart was killed in a car accident and Lily had a baby waaaay back when with Rufus. Only one more week til Gossip Girl is back with new episodes!

Check it out here.

TV Geek Out 28: Gossip Girl, "The Magnificent Archibalds"

Even though "The Magnificent Archibalds" had a kidnapping plan courtesy of Nate's dad and the revelation that Bart Bass is keeping his entire family under surveillance, it was a surprisingly low-key Thanksgiving for our favorite Upper East Siders. Maybe it was an early case of turkey coma? The TV Geek Out geeks heat up the Gossip Girl leftovers.

Check it out here, and drop us a line at TVGeekOut.at.gmail.com.

TV Geek Out 22: Gossip Girl, "There Might Be Blood" and "Bonfire of the Vanity"

It's a gargantuan Gossip Girl geek out! The TV Geek Out Geeks cover two episodes this time, "There Might Be Blood' and "Bonfire of the Vanity." The rise and fall of Little J -- not to mention the fierce and frequent catfights she had with Agnes -- as well as Rufus' lacking parenting skills, Dan's brief career as an investigative journalist, and the addition of Wallace Shawn as Eleanor Waldorf's squeeze Cyrus Rose are all grist for the TVGO mill.

Check it out here.

TV Geek Out 13: Gossip Girl, "Pret a Poor J"

In "Pret a Poor J," Little J becomes a great big spoiled brat, thanks to the bad influence of her new model friend Agnes (played by the O.C.'s former little hell on wheels, Willa Holland). Dan takes a page from the scheming playbook of the Upper East Siders, sabatoging Blair's attempt to say those "three little words" to Chuck. Serena finds Aaron, an even duller (albeit more successful) artsy-type guy to crush on than Dan was. The TV Geek Out geeks marvel at the different ways Gossip Girl's art manages to imitate life.

Check it out here.

TV Geek Out 10: Gossip Girl, "Chuck in Real Life"

The dangerous liaisons of Chuck and Blair continue in "Chuck in Real Life" as the duo use Vanessa -- and the Brooklyn jazz bar she wants to save from demolition -- as pawns in their love-hate affair. Meanwhile, Dan tries to be a dude, Serena rebels against her mom's part-time parenting, Nate tries to hide his family's financial problems, and what may be the first African-American man on the show makes an appearance. The TV Geek Out geeks geek out about it all.

Check it out here.

TV Geek Out 2: The Office ("Business Ethics" and "Weight Loss" ), Heroes ("Angels & Monsters") and Gossip Girl ("New Haven Can Wait")

Check it out here.