Hey PopWatchers, did you hear? Word is a very naughty newcomer with a mysterious past returned to stir things up for everyone, but especially one, on last night’s Gossip Girl.
See, I too can write like our omniscient narrator, voiced by Kristen Bell. In fact, the acronym-tastic way of speaking is pretty addictive. I’ll confess to seeing GG star Taylor Momsen (Jenny) on the street in the New York’s Meatpacking District one sunny Saturday afternoon—and immediately texting my co-worker Tanner Stransky with the following: “Spotted. One social-climbing freshman with a nose for trouble heading into a coffee shop. Guess who? XOXO.” Groan, I know. But the funny thing? Nearly everyone who passed by her appeared to be doing the same thing, whipping out their phones and whispering madly into their companions’ ears. The whole situation felt very meta, as if the 14-year old Momsen were the Serena to my Kati, with someone else, far away, writing about it.
But enough about that. Let’s move on to the multiple-choice test GG slipped us last night. So many possible answers to the huge question mark that is Serena’s troubled past—and Georgina’s stranglehold on her. Mischa Barton reportedly turned down the part of the UES muckraker, but Michelle Trachtenberg excelled at playing harlot-villain Georgina. The first sign that her intentions were evil? Those inky latex leggings. They don’t look good on anyone, and no "good" girl I know would actually wear such things. Anyway, I enjoyed the two joining forces at a club and reminiscing fondly about their party-girl ways, holding hands, fending off the Wall Street-types swarming around them. (And Crystal Castles in the background! Double happiness.) Aww! Until? Serena realized she was drunk, and had to return home immediately…to Chuck. But more on that later.
Georgina certainly has a bag of tricks up her sleeve—staging anaccidental meeting with Dan at Central Park wasgenius—but slipping a drop of GHB into Serena’s diet coke? Really? What exactly was she trying to accomplish? Either way, a crumpled Serena woke upthe next morning too woozy to remember the previous night’s antics, and justminutes too late to make it to her SAT exam. (The anxiety surrounding the latter incident felt realistically handled.) Nate’sdonation of SAT hand-me-downs, however, was not, especially if you were like meand you scribbled all of your answers into the book. And given Nate’s behavior on the show, I’m guessing that most of those filled-out bubbles were wrong. Sly sabotage? Don’t they both want to go to Dartmouth?
Speaking of rivalries, B. spent her time finding a weak spot in impenetrable Asian nerd Nelly Yuki’s armor.Completely randomly, she discovered Yuki’s soft spot for a certain hip-hop song and an ex-boyfriend, who B. casually bribed with god-only-knows-what. Likely sex, given her off-handed comment to one of thehangers-on, and said hanger-on’s defiant response: “What? I’m notsleeping with him!” (Very Cruel Intentions in terms of silly-evil, no?) Still, I couldn’t help think that all this energy might’ve been better spent, say, studying, instead of getting spa facials and plotting rivals’ downfalls. But maybe I’m just old-fashioned.
Perhaps because everyone else on the show was preoccupied, theproducers threw us a curve ball with Nate and Vanessa’s buddingrelationship. I, for one, was thrilled to see Nate bring somethingto the table aside from his typical beautiful-but-blank stare, although Vanessa’sI-don’t-need-to-go-to-college-but-I’ll-study-for-the-SATs shtick gottired, really fast. Really, who does that for fun, and especially foranother person? Please.
All right, PopWatchers, now it’s time to tell me what you think. Is Jenny’spotential romance destined to implode? (How will she react when she discovers he’s not from money, that the maid with the gaggle of dogs is his mother?) Who else enjoyed Chuck’s turn as thedo-gooder, bailing out Serena not once, but twice inthe course of two days (although having someone else take your SAT exam is the perfect example of his twisted moral code). I finallyunderstand Chuck’s appeal—he’s the go-to-guy for all embarrassing situations because he’s resourceful and never runs out of shadyconnections—but who wants to acknowledge his actions in the harsh light of day? And finally, who else is ready for a full-on fight between Serena andDan?
Comments (1-30) of 42 Add your comment
I’m no druggie but I’m pretty sure that if Serena took PCP she would have been raging out of control with super strenght. Looks more like she took GHB or Ketamine. They both come in vials like that and will definitely loosen you up. I am so over the blonde girl replacement for Kati. Cut. Her.Out.
Seriously, what took so long to post this today!!!
And I agree with Mel, it was most definitely supposed to be GHB not PCP. PCP?? Come on now…
I loved Chuck as Serena’s puckish savior and think the van der Woodsen-Bass family merging was a stroke of genius on the writers’ part, bringing out entertaining dynamics between characters that hitherto had not had much interaction. Also, about time Serena and Dan have a major conflict; I’ve appreciated their stabilizing presence on this series, but their schmoopiness was finally beginning to grate in the last episode. Keep Georgina around! Oh, and on another note, kudos to Chace Crawford for evincing an emotion other than his typical blank variants of confusion/aggrievement.
It’s probably because I just finished watching the entire Buffy series again on DVD, but Michelle Trachtenberg was just about as annoying and abrasive last night as she was on Buffy.
I hope they don’t do this Jenny Blair back and forth thing forever. It might get old. Serena’s annoying because she is the dumbest person on Earth. She is so easily manipulated. And why wouldn’t she just tell Dan the truth? Jenny’s character is so unrealistic; She is a middle class freshman hanging out with wealthy upperclassmen? It was more realistic when she was playing Blair’s personal assistant for clothes. Vanessa and Nate was a refreshing plot twist(reverse of Serena and Dan), but if they keep going this quickly through the cast they are going to need to hire more to hook up with. Oh and can we have one stable relationship? I vote for Nate and Vanessa. She’s tons more likable when she’s not following Dan around.
I agree that Chace is a pretty god actor. He doesn’t come off as whiny, and this is great given the writers don’t give him a lot to work with. Nate has a lot of dignity and masculinity. But he’s not caught up in his looks. Almost like Paul Newman. Almost.
Gigi: Blake Lively has hinted that the Serena-Georgina secret, if exposed, would get Serena into major trouble with the law, so that’s an obvious reason she’s trying to keep this incident on the down low (she can’t even confide in Chuck). Also, Serena cherishes her reformed good girl image, apparently believing that revealing what she did would would destroy all the progress she’s made with herself and everybody else, so that’s another motivation for her to keep mum. After all, Dan was prepared to call it quits with Serena after learning she had cheated with Dan; if she committed a crime of much more serious nature, she could reasonably conclude that her relationship with Dan would be irreparable, so she would rather keep him in the dark, no matter how much of a long shot it is – than come clean. Given that this is a television drama, that course of action, of course, won’t work, but I can understand her reasoning.
.
Btw, sorry, but I can’t let a Paul Newman – Chace Crawford comparison slide. No way.
i liked this ep, i like that jenny is becomming bitchy. i like the georgina character, but i wish they would have gotten a better actress, m. tractenberg is terrible. i love chuck, but why do they dress him so gay! come on bright and red trechcoats. it’s fab but a little over the top, esp for a high school student. no matter how rich he is, he would get his but kicked in high school, even a prep school like that. am i the only one that thinks maybe the secret that georgina holds over serena is that her and serena hooked up? i think serena might be the gay/ bi character???
i liked this ep, i like that jenny is becomming bitchy. i like the georgina character, but i wish they would have gotten a better actress, m. tractenberg is terrible. i love chuck, but why do they dress him so gay! come on bright and red trechcoats. it’s fab but a little over the top, esp for a high school student. no matter how rich he is, he would get his but kicked in high school, even a prep school like that. am i the only one that thinks maybe the secret that georgina holds over serena is that her and serena hooked up? i think serena might be the gay/ bi character???
the most frustrating thing about this episode is that no one seemed to remember you can take the sats as many times as you want! so serena misses one? so nelly yuki flops? it doesn’t matter! next month, they can do it again. didn’t nate say something when he gave dan the study books about having taken the test several times to ensure acceptance into usc (i don’t think he wants to go to dartmouth. wasn’t that his crackhead father’s plan?)? it seems like if a dense character such as nate could remember that, the others could, too.
The Nate/Vanessa storyline was kinda cute, but I just can’t get into her character or not find her annoying. She just annoys me.
Here’s the more pressing question, Upper East Siders… Why hasn’t EW given Gossip Girl a full TV Watch column? What, Big Brother is worthy of one but GG isn’t? That’s almost as believable as Buffy’s little sis as a vamp. BTW, when was it written that black pleather leggings = bad girl? That is so Sandy from the end of Grease. Oh wait, most GG fans are probably too young to get the reference.
P.S. I’m totally thinking sex tape/porno for Serena’s secret, in the grand tradition of Paris Hilton.
It sounded like Georgina said something like, “It wasn’t like you just wandered in on me with…” or something like that. I’ve also heard that it’s going to be really big and bad. I, for one, cannot wait to hear what it is. Oh and Chuck dresses completely fashionable, not “gay”.
As far as the Chuck dressing “gay” comments go, he dresses like that in the books, and even turns out to be gay (or bi or something – I don’t think anyone knows for sure!).
Chuck continues to be the best damn thing about that show, but please can he have his own storyline now?
I liked the G/S storyline and I can’t wait to find what Serena did that was so bad.
Nate is still boring and still playing by the worst actor of the show. Chace is not that bad of an actor, but he’s just an average one.
Was it just me or did this episode seem far more outlandish than previous eps? And the entire Flo Rida thing was cross-promotion in the most disgusting way ever. (I for one, though, prefer my TV minus pop culture references.)
Where the hell is the CHUCK AND BLAIR INTERACTION???
I AM PISSED…its been 4 months since the MOST POPULAR COUPLE ON TEH SHOW has talked!! Is too much to ask for a alittle interaction??
I’m sorry but its sad when the HOTTEST scene in the episode is the stare between Blair and Chuck. My sis, watched GG for the first time yesterday and SHE EVER NOTICED the amazing chemistry between CB.
What the hell are the writers waiting for? CB is 1) popular 2) gave GG the highest rating increase they ever had (b/episode 7 and episode 8…and the ratings continued to stay up until episode 9 aired…hmmm, I wonder why!!)3) CB is all anyone still talks about
I don’t know how much more lack of CB I can take…
Georgina was LAME. Blair is even more badass than Georgina is.
And did we really need an entire episode all about SErena…YAWN. Why not gave Blair and Chuck (the two favourite characters) their own storylines!!! Their the best actors on teh show fora reason…USE THEM!!
You know Nelly’s hot ex-boyfriend? I went to high school with him! He and I had an act in the school talent show together doing a scene from a Neil Simon play.
Which means thanks to 6 Degrees of Separation, I am now connected to Kevin Bacon. Someone else do the math on that.
Just bring back “Veronica Mars” and I’ll be a happy camper!
I’m pretty sure you can’t just waltz in and take the SATs… I had to register a month in advance. I’m sure Nate did NOT register a month in advance for Vanessa, so how did she take them?
BTW…Nate does not want to attend Dartmouth, he wants to attend USC. Which is why he enrolled in so many SAT prep courses and took the test early. He didn’t want to sabatage Dan, he probably just needed an excuse to see Vanessa. Or shocker, maybe he was just being nice. Can we have a writer that actually pays attention to the show?
When are they going to turn this show into a FULL TV Watch?!?
Now I’m officially nervous that this is the beginning of the end. This episode was like a brain-dead daytime soap opera. The ridiculous Asian stereotype, the utter lack of any logic whatsoever, and personally, I thought Michelle Trachtenberg was just annoying. Not that it was her fault. When every scene is the exact same thing, there’s not much you can do.
And I’d almost be willing to bet that next episode will feature the fake-out tease. Either a minor character comes out of someone fakes coming out to cover something up. My guess is Jenny takes her new fella to a party to show him off and he turns out to be gay.
I’m still holding out hope but I have a feeling that this is another half season collapse by Schwartz.
Adore this show. But is Blair back with the group so suddenly now after that stellar power struggle between her and Jenny last week? It seemed so easy for her to take control this ep that it felt out of order almost. I was disappointed–I wanted more venom between the two mean girls, because that’s when they are at their best. Blair’s charms are wasted on dumb schemes like the SAT sabotage. I love Chuck and Serena leaning on each other and YES, thank God, I am ready for a Dan/Serena fight. He’s so sanctimonious and annoying. She can’t be herself or open up around his judgmental ways. And Vanessa makes me gag. What are you thinking, Nate? Did you see her earrings???
Hey Rosie don’t worry the Blair vs. Jenny was is FAR from over…
I’m also still waiting for the Chuck/Blair interaction!
Q: I totally agree, it’s been mentioned SO MANY TIMES that Nate does NOT want to go to Dartmouth. It would be nice to have someone who knows the show to review it!!
Please, please, please let Serena’s secret involve her and Georgina being part of or running an ‘escort service’ and some ‘concerned citizen’ (read: Blair in a board shot aimed at Jen) lets Reverend Immaculate Dan know. The ensuring Dan/Jen vs. Blair/Chuck chain reaction could surely make for some quality TV.
I agree with the person who said that Michelle Trachtenberg was just as annoying on GG as she was on Buffy. Too bad Mischa turned down the role… perhaps she was too busy smoking/boozing/driving drunk or something. Anyways, GG is such a good show, and I am totally ready for Dan and Serena to duke it out… their sappy love story needs some much needed drama.
And Chuck… I wish that he was my brother! He may be devious, but damn, is he resourceful. Oh, and he and Blair need to duke it out too. That would be REALLY fun to watch.