(S01E11) Yay! The Vampire Diaries is back, and they covered a lot of stuff in this episode. More questions, a few answers, new relationships, more sinister stuff. We picked up right where we left off in the previous episode, with Elena driving tearfully away from Stefan after seeing Katherine's picture, getting into a car crash and seeing an unknown person approaching.

At first, I thought it was Damon, but he arrived a second later to pull her out of the car. There's something satisfying about seeing Damon speeding down the road in a muscle car with Elena in the passenger seat. She doesn't really fit into the whole damsel-in-distress thing. I mean, she's her own person, but yet you can feel that there's something between her and Damon.

(S03E11) It's Thanksgiving time on the Upper East Side, and you know what that means? Loads of drama and awkward situations. This special episode also marks the return of a few of the show's mothers, including Jessica's mother, Blair's mother, and Lily's mother CeCe.

Sadly, due to a prior engagement, I will not be able to offer you a full review of the episode in due time. Please take a few minutes to post your reactions to the episodes in the comments section below. In my review of the December 7 episode, I'll post my comments about "The Treasure of Serena Madre" and may include a few of your own comments.

So don't be shy. Let the other TV Squad readers know what you thought of this week's episode. What did you think of all the mother drama? Was Jenny's revenge against Eric too much? How about the damaging info Chuck has on his friends? Share your reactions, theories, and comments below.

The last episode before the holiday break, "The Debarted," will air next week on December 7.

The blood suckers on 'The Vampire Diaries' are about to get an infusion -- of cool.

According to Comcast, geek queen Gina Torres will be guest starring in an upcoming episode of The CW's freshman vampire drama as a witch named Bree who has a bit of a history with Ian Somerhalder's devilish vampire Damon.

(S03E06) "What are friends for?" - Vanessa to Dan

Thanks to Gossip Girl, Firefly's Gina Torres is back on TV! It was about time that this fantastic actress returned to the small screen. Torres plays Vanessa's mother, Gabriela, and is set to appear in a few episodes. This new character finally allowed the viewers to know more about Vanessa, who's been a background character/sidekick for the past seasons.

As it was posted here before, I wasn't able to watch the episode live but allowed you to post your comments in a temp post. Here we go with my review, which includes some of the comments you left.

When I first started exploring this project, there were a few shows that I knew were going to be important to hit. This is the first of those. Firefly was Joss Whedon's sci-fi western series. The show mustered disappointing ratings in its short eleven-episode run on FOX.

Since then it's gone on to near mythic cult status. There was such an outcry of support from its loyalists, the Browncoats, over its cancellation that the producers made a feature film sequel. That movie, Serenity, answered a lot of questions about the future fate of the cast. Unfortunately, like the television series, it couldn't find quite enough people to show up and tune in to warrant a sequel. Nevertheless, the few morsels of Firefly we did get are enough to prove that this is one of the most innovative and enjoyable series ever to hit the airwaves.

Unlike our own Jane Boursaw, I've yet to dive head first into the trashy teen world of The CW's Gossip Girl. I'm sure this comes as a surprise to no one, since my favorite shows tend to take place on spaceships or feature brooding vampires. But a recent addition to the cast might get me to start watching the saucy soap for the first time when it returns in September; one of my favorite sci-fi actors, Firefly alum Gina Torres, has signed on to play the recurring role of Gabriela Abrams, Vanessa's mother.

Gabriela is described as a warm and outgoing free spirit from Brooklyn who has been hiding out in Vermont. The show's privileged teens are in for one hell of a season if Gabriela is anything like Jasmine, Torres' duplicitous character from the fourth season of Angel. It's probably not crazy to think that Gabriela will have some kind of edge to her. I've heard some of the parents on Gossip Girl make Lucille Bluth look like Mrs. Cunningham.

Torres is set to appear in two episodes and expected to recur throughout the series. Gossip Girl's season premiere airs Sept. 14.

[Via TV Guide]

I'm almost to the end of Firefly, my Jane After Dark readers' choice for this week. I really love this series, from the quirky characters to the general theme of a band of renegades burgling their way through the universe.

But even though it's set 500 years in the future, Firefly isn't your typical sci-fi space series that includes all manner of aliens and weird creatures. They're on a spaceship, and yet they rob trains. How cool is that?! It's like Alias Smith and Jones meets Babylon 5.

As with the other Whedon shows I've watched – Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel – the stories are fun and deep and fanciful (yes, I said fanciful), but it's the characters and their interactions that make the shows.

(S04E19) It wasn't until I saw George Segal that I realized how much I missed seeing him on TV. It made me long for the days when he and Finch made me laugh out loud and lament the fact that David Spade hasn't done anything funny since.

While the thought of Denny Crane being President of the United States is certainly funny, the idea that he would be chosen for his electability is ludicrous. Aside from the more obvious problems, the Republicans would never nominate a single man with multiple divorces and an embarrassing arrest record. Let's be honest.

The reports of Claudette's death are greatly exaggerated, it seems; we nary hear a word of her fall, just Dutch's report to Kavanaugh that she's doing better. This episode primarily dealt with the now svelte Kavanaugh and the story behind his still-worn wedding ring. I have to admit that, at first, I thought Vic was behind Sadie's alleged rape. Though that turned out not to be the case at all, it sure seemed to help the Strike Team out in some respects.

Oh, and by the way, it's great to see Gina Torres, one of the Firefly crew, back on the small screen!