The wreaths have come down, the eggnog has been drunk — but the merry-making was still in full swing at the start of this week’s Gossip Girl.
I have to say, opening the episode with a pool party was a stroke of genius. Not only did we get to see the kids act like kids for a change, but bulky winter duds and snow clouds gave way to soaking wet skin and soft lighting. Why hasn’t this happened sooner? Also, nice touch with the cocktails on a kickboard and vintage-style suits, though personally, I expected a little more wretched excess: Where were the Hermes waterwings? The hired mermaids?
That said, in true GG style, this was no innocent aquatic romp: The partygoers broke into the school after hours and brought enough booze to turn the pool into a gigantic mixed drink. And sure enough, it took about two minutes before Swimming Extra No. 1 got hurt and everybody ended up in the headmistress’s office with an order to turn in the person who arranged the break-in… or else. At this point, I was getting all revved up for a Gossip Girl procedural — Law & Order: Fashion Victims Unit? —but the whodunit angle got dropped in favor of a rich-versus-poor storyline that felt a little tired.
We get it: Dan is poor. He lives in a sweet apartment in an expensive neighborhood and never wears the same shirt twice, but he is poor the same way Adam Brody was geeky and America Ferrera is ugly. And this makes his relationship with Serena very difficult. Thankfully, hotness transcends socioeconomic status (isn’t that the central theme of the show?), allowing Dan and Serena to weather yet another spat without much more than a pout and a make-up hug.
A second plotline found Chuck blackmailing Blair by threatening tospill the beans about their backseat tryst if she didn’t keep thingsG-rated (or at least, PG-13) with Nate. It was cute to watch Chuck’spassive-aggressive attempts at flirting, but I have trouble believingthat Blair would take it at face value. But she did, and things goteven goofier later, when Chuck and Blair had to vie for a videotape withevidence of their dirty deal, conveniently filmed by Vanessa for her"documentary," which so far seems to be a stalker-y meditation on themany adorable faces of Dan Humphrey. Good luck with that, V.
Finally, we had a few arduous scenes with Lily and Rufus pining foreach other before she finally decided to accept Bart’s proposal. Thedeciding factor: Serena thought it would be gross if she and Dan werestep-sibs. Wow. Asking your mom to give up the love of her life so youcan stick with your high-school boyfriend? That’s selfish evenby Upper East Side standards. The silver lining was that Lily acceptedBart’s proposal, which means Serena and Chuck are going to bestep-sibs! Obvious debt to The O.C.’s Cooper-Nichol mergernotwithstanding, this is one awesome twist, and I’ll consider it a belatedChristmas present from Gossip Girl, whoever she may be.
You forgot to mention Chuck gave V 10 grand to give him the tape, and she took it…and gave him a blank one. Then she gave the real one back to Blair, hinting at some not-so-cold attitude from Bair to V in the future.
One of my favorite episodes yet. I don’t know what I’m going to do when there are no more new ones airing. Vanessa just might give Blair a run for her money: ten grand AND free rent for a year with just a little tape switcheroo – how brilliant is that?
I loooooove this show so much! I can’t wait for next week. Anyways, I’m telling you – I have a hunch that the Bass-van der Woodsen wedding is not going to happen! I think Lilly is going to say no, probably at the altar. And then maybe her an Rufus will get together and keep their tryst a secret from Dan and Serena…. we’ll see!
I thought Serena’s objection was more because she thought it would end badly between Lily and Rufus and that would affect her and Dan.
My fave part of the episode was Chuck skeevily hitting on Serena, then checking out her @ss after she turned away from him. Is it wrong that I absolutely love Chuck?
Where was Jenny in this episode and why is Nate such a bore? But, otherwise…I loved it!!
One good thing about the writers strike? It’s giving me a chance to watch shows that I missed the first time around. Gossip Girl rocks!!!! Love Jessica Szohr’s character.
This was a fabulous episode. I am more and more a fan of Chuck; the guy is so evil. And petulant. I also loved Dan bringing the testosterone on when he reminded Chuck that he still had a black eye coming. I don’t think Lily will get married to Bass, Sr., the big arrogant bore. She’ll go underground with Rufus (I hope). Vanessa is getting quite creepy and that is unsettling. But other than that, this show remains one of my favorite guilty pleasures.
Did I miss when they discussed whether Vanessa is in school as well as working? I found it kind of odd that she has all this time to hang out in front of Constance Billard and St. Jude.
You think Serena was being selfish by asking her mom to not start dating her boyfriend’s dad?! I thought it was completely the other way around. Throughout the first half of the episode when Lily and Rufus were talking, I kept screaming “WHY DON’T YOU EVEN MENTION THE FACT THAT YOUR CHILDREN ARE DATING?! HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN?”
I thought Lily and Rufus were being incredibly selfish, bad parents. Especially after Lily gave her little schpiel in the debutante ball episode about how Dan has been such a good influence on Serena!
am I the only one who don’t think any of serena and dan’s friends wouldn’t care or think it was gross if their parents did hook up. I mean its not like the rest of ggs cast is perfect.I mean the bradys couldn’t do it because they were young when their parents got together and they were raised like real siblings but these guys have hooked up before the fact.
nope, i agree with wend. none of their friends would have thought it was weird if they continued dating, but this new twist allows lily to cheat on bart with rufus! yay! gg is trying to scale it back on the drama so they don’t blow it all too quickly, but i miss the extreme camp of the OC. bring it back, josh!
Enjoyed the episode but not my favourite one yet. Kinda sad about the non Blair/Chuck interaction and with only one episode yet I really hope we get to see Blair/Chuck in the last episode to tide me over during the writer’s strike!
Loved all the scenes between Chuck and Serena, they were HILARIOUS
Nate such a contradictory character, he only seems to “love” blair when she’s not with him…
Didnt even notice Jenny was gone…but always notice when CHUCK is gone…CHUCK STOLE THE SHOW AGAIN!!!
Loved how chuck called dan “humphrey dumpty” lol
Unlike the majority, I like Vanessa BUT in this episode she made me angry, who teh hell is she to tell Blair that Nate is good for her? She’s only known Nate for 5 seconds. Vanessa doesnt even know how Nate treated Blair before.
Loved the scene between Serena and her mom (so sweet) and the scene between the serena and the two bass men, HILARIOIUS
WRITERS please give me more Blair/Chuck interaction next week!
Can’t wait for fight
even though the Upper East Siders arent perfect, they never let up on dirt. it was a shock that B was a bulemic, judging by how hard she bashes everyone else. i think if Rufus ans Lily got together, S and Dan would become black sheep at Constance.
BTW: there were probably no hired mermaids because the party was spur of the moment, very illegal, and it was only supposed to be a girls night out.
I didn’t find this episode very good.
Oh Chuck, my Chuck, my so pretty Chuck. Don’t worry, if Blair doesn’t want you, I’m here.
Gotta say it again. No matter how great this show is, it’s no way better than “Veronica Mars”. Shame on the CW for cancelling this show. “No “Veronica Mars” or “Veronica Mars: FBI”, No CW!”