Why can't I break up with "Gossip Girl"?

So can we all agree that "Gossip Girl" kind of bites this season? I mean, is it just me, or has nearly every single storyline been a rehash of something that's happened before. We've had a Serena-Blair falling out, which happens at least once a season. We've had Jenny become so obsessed with being Queen that she loses herself and becomes an insufferable bitch (hello, season one!). We've had Serena in inappropriate hook-ups; Dan struggling with a girlfriend whose social status outpaces his own; the Humphreys struggling with their change in social status. Blah, blah, blah. Snore, snore, snore.
Even last night's "controversial" threesome was a giant snooze, consisting of little more than a few smooches and some morning-after spooning. Yes, the three-way in question did include former teen queen Hilary Duff, so it was probably supposed to be scandalous, but it did nothing for me.
In fact, with the exception of Ed Westwick's still-awesome performance as Chuck Bass, this season has done much for me at all.
And yet...I'm sticking with it. I honestly have no idea why. I can see where the stories are headed ("Vanessa struggles with her feelings for Dan -- again!" "Jenny suffers public humiliation as a result of her haughtiness -- again!" "Serena acts like a skank -- again!) and I don't know if I can sit through it.
Yet I just can't delete it from my DVR. I don't know what it is. I feel like I have to see where this is going, even though I kind of know where it's going. It's this masochistic thing where I feel like I can't possibly give the show up until every single glimmer of enjoyment is gone. I'm close, but I'm not there yet.
There are still moments where "Gossip Girl" manages not to stink, like when Vanessa admitted she'd never been in a threesome before -- even though no one actually ASKED whether she'd been in a threesome before. Or Serena and Blair's admittedly sweet reconciliation in the elevator. But the show is losing me.
And if it keeps up the repetitive stories, I could be gone for good.
Eventually.

"Gossip Girl" returns: Um, yay?

Last night, the CW's Gossip Girl returned for its third season and I must say I was a bit underwhelmed. It just seems like nothing's really changed, except that Serena's finally admitting that her exhibitionist behavior is just a ploy to get her neglectful father's attention (but seriously -- a girl who acts out that much? Of COURSE she's subliminally begging daddy to love her. Duh. Read a psychology book). Oh, and Blair and Chuck are together and playing creepy games in which he pretends to seduce bimbos so she can show up at the last minute and act all pissed off. Admittedly, that's kind of funny. I'm sure people were worried that the show would go flat once C&B hooked up, and this seems like the show's way of saying: "It's OK. We hear you and we don't want it to get boring either." That said, their little waiter and angry customer role play at episode's end? Kinda lame.
Other than those two things, the episode was same old/same old. Vanessa was annoying. Jenny had terrible hair. Dan kept trying to pretend he's just Danny from the block, even in a limo, penthouse and Dior suit. Yawn. Even Scott, Rufus's illegitimate son who's hanging around Vanessa in order to gain entree into the Humphrey inner circle, is kind of bland right now.
But, next week, the kids head to college and Georgina comes back. And Dorota's going to be on it! Yay! Love Dorota! Where was she this week? I would have loved to see her take on Blair and Chuck's sex games.
Oh well. Here's hoping things pick up a bit.