Jenny Full of Grace Promo

Here is the promo for the next episode of GG. But remember, it will not air for six weeks because Gossip Girl is taking a break while a new show airs in its place. This episode looks like it might be the most exciting episode yet. Take a look at the promo and see what you think.

Blake Lively (Serena) in upcoming movie: The Private Lives of Pippa Lee

Both Blake(Serena) and boyfriend Penn Badgley(Dan) have been in movies this year. Penn was in The Stepfather, which came out a few months ago. Here is the movie trailer for Blake Lively's new movie, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee. The release date is in July. I don't know if I would want to see this movie, but i'm into more light-hearted movies and comedies. This movie looks pretty weighty. But, Blake seems like she has a pretty big role.

Episode 12, Part 2: Like Father, Like Son (or maybe not)

Chuck was having his own issues last night because it was the anniversary of his father’s death. Chuck sees visions of his father talking to him. His father repeatedly tells him how weak and soft he is. Chuck tries to push Blair away and be tough. Blair repeatedly tries to take care of him, but he won’t let her.

Maureen has the letter that Lily meant to put in her coat pocket, but accidently put it in Maureen’s coat pocket from the last episode. The letter is proof that Lily was staying with her ex-husband, Serena’s father. We can only assume that she was having an affair with him. Lily has been acting strange, and Rufus thinks its because it is the anniversary of Bart’s death. Poor Rufus, after all Lily and he have been through!

In the end of the episode Maureen gives the letter to Rufus. Chuck also tells Blair he won’t shut her out. Blair tells Chuck how much he has grown up and that he can share his feelings now. I really liked Chuck in this episode. He acted very sincere and open. I am very disappointed in Lily though. I can’t believe she really had an affair! She and Rufus recently got married, and I thought he was the love of her life!

Episode 12, Part 1: Bad Romance

In my opinion, last night’s GG was one of the best episodes of the season! It was full of drama and suspense, but also love. The first scene shown was Trip and Serena getting in a car crash. But then “12 hours earlier” appears on the screen and the viewers get to see what happened leading up to the crash. Serena is staying with Trip, but he leaves her alone to supposedly go meet with his grandfather all day. Then Maureen, Trip’s wife, comes in and tells Serena that she can be Trip’s mistress as long as Maureen stays Trip’s wife. Serena freaks out, as she should have, realizes that Trip has lied to her and tries to leave. Trip comes and they get in a wreck. Trip calls 911, but moves Serena’s body to look like she was the one driving. He then runs away.

Nate arrives and discovers that Trip had moved Serena’s body. He confronts Trip outside the hospital and then proceeds to punch him out! Haha. I am so glad Nate stood up for Serena. He really is her knight in shining armor; she just hasn’t realized it yet. I hope this relationship between Serena and Trip is completely over now.

Dan finally told Vanessa that he loves her. She replies that she loves him too and that sometimes when something shocking or sad happens, such as Serena’s car accident, people don’t really mean what they say. Then she gets up and walks away. Better luck next time, Dan!

Blake Lively (Serena) hosts SNL

Blake Lively, who plays Serena on Gossip Girl, was the host on SNL last weekend. The skit deals with the current Tiger Woods scandal. I thought this video was hilarious. But some say this video makes light of domestic violence, and is inappropriate. I know that it is wrong to undermine the fact that domestic violence is a serious issue. But this isn't Blake's fault, so here's to our ever dramatic, Gossip Girl, Blake!

Next Week's Episode 12 Preview

Above is the promo for next week's episode of Gossip Girl called "The Departed." It looks like it will be really interesting. Serena and Trip are obviously still to gether. It looks like they will be in a car wreck - I hope they are both going to be okay. Also, it looks like Trip's wife Maureen will try to blackmail Serena with the letter from Serena's father. Remember how Maureen and Lily were wearng matching coats on Thanksgiving? I bet that Lily put the letter in Maureen's coat mistakingly. Also in the promo you saw Nate punch Trip. Go Nate! Someone needs to stand up for Serena.

Episode 11, Part 2: Holiday Drama

Gabriela: I can't believe I didn't see this until now.
Dan: See what?
Gabriela: You're in love with her. It's all over your face.

There was an awful lot of drama at the Thanksgiving table on last night’s Gossip Girl. Jenny and Eric are fighting because Blair told Jenny that Eric was the one that tried to sabotage her Cotillion. Rufus invites Cece, Lily’s mother, to Thanksgiving and realizes that Lily lied to him and stayed with Cece for months longer than she was supposed to. Cece asks Lily if she told Rufus about the trip? I wonder what trip Lily was on when she was supposed to be with her mother or with Rufus? Maybe she went to visit Serena’s father and maybe that’s why Serena’s father finally sent Serena a letter.

Blair finds and envelope that deals with changing her mother’s will. She then sees Dorota with a bag and in it were pregnancy tests! Blair thinks her mother is pregnant and that’s why she is changing her will. At Thanksgiving she confronts her mother and her mother says that she’s not pregnant, but that she and Cyrus are moving to Paris full-time. Blair asks, “So who is pregnant?” Just then Dorota walks by and Blair and her mother realize that it is Dorota who is pregnant, and that is why she hasn’t been talking to her boyfriend Vanya, the Van der Woodsen’s concierge.

Dan invites Vanessa’s mother to Thanksgiving dinner. Vanessa is annoyed with her mother, and always feels like she is not good enough for her. Vanessa’s mother confronts Dan and says that Dan is in love with Vanessa. Apparently Dan keeps giving Vanessa this “face” that means he loves her. In my opinion his “face of love” just looks dumb. Vanessa’s mother also tells Dan not to break Vanessa’s heart and to only tell her his feelings if he really means it. He chickens out and Vanessa goes and meets another guy for drinks.

Episode 11, Part 1: Love or Lust on the Upper East Side?

Chuck: [to Nate] “Tell her how you feel. Give her a chance to be with a guy who does deserve her.”

Last night’s episode of Gossip Girl had a lot of stuff going on! I always love the Thanksgiving and Christmas episodes of GG and this year’s Thanksgiving episode did not let me down. Serena and Trip are really pushing the boundaries in their relationship. Trip tells Serena he is leaving Maureen. Trip wants to spend Thanksgiving with Serena so Serena tells her mom that Trip has her working in a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving. But then Lily runs into Maureen, Trip’s wife, and Lily invites them all over for Thanksgiving. Chuck, Blair, Mrs. Waldorf, Dorota, Vanessa, and Vanessa’s mother are also there. Serena also invited Nate to Thanksgiving. Nate is trying to stop Serena from being with Trip. He gets the tape of Serena and Trip’s make out session in Chuck’s hotel elevator and shows it to Maureen. Maureen freaks out, Lily sees the tape, and Serena promises to stay away from Trip.

Serena and Blair make up and Serena decides to go to Paris with Blair and Mrs. Waldorf. But when she is getting her passport out of the safe, she finds a letter from her father. Serena’s father had tried to contact her and her mother had never given her the letter. Trip asks Serena if she will leave with him and she says yes.

Nate is so upset, since he is the one that loves Serena. Chuck tells him to go tell Serena how he feels. Nate runs out to Trip’s car and pleads with Serena not to go with Trip. Of course, Serena goes. Poor Nate! I really want Nate and Serena to get together. I have no idea why Serena would leave with Trip, when she has someone like Nate who loves her. She isn’t even sure if Trip loves her or not, or if he is even going to divorce his wife.

Gossip Girl Episode Spoilers

There will not be a new episode of Gossip Girl next week, so I’m posting some spoilers about upcoming episodes. Here are the following spoilers:

1. According to Gossip Girl Insider, they received a tip from someone who took a picture on their phone of a scene from the set of episode 13, called “Jenny, Full of Grace.” The picture is of Serena and Nate kissing! The picture was really grainy and hard to see but it was definitely our beloved S and N! This wouldn’t be too surprising because on last night’s episode Nate finally told Serena that he loved her and he couldn’t get over her after what happened between them three years previously.

2. Another interesting thing that will be going on this season will happen when Serena’s father sends her a letter! Apparently, Rufus and Lily’s relationship will be rocky because of this letter. I wonder what Serena’s father said and why he decided to get in touch will Serena after he avoided her for so long.

3. There will also be the weird return of Bart Bass, Chuck’s deceased father, that is rumored to be like something from A Christmas Carol. Is Bart Bass the Ghost of Father’s Past? This episode will probably be in January, since the six week break from Gossip Girl will happen over Christmas.

Leighton Meester's (aka. Blair) New Music Video

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Leighton Meester is trying to pursue a career in singing. Since she was featured in "Good Girls Go Bad" by Cobra Starship, she has released a new single "Somebody to Love." The song and music video features Robin Thicke. I honestly don't like this music video. I think it seems kind of trashy(i'm not even really sure this is appropriate to post), even with the clothing that is supposed to look sophisticated. I am so used to seeing Leighton Meester as Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl, where she acts refined and classy. But in this video she acts slightly risqué.

Episode 10, Part 2: Who will be the men for J and S?

Love doesn’t make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile. –Franklin P. Jones

Serena is trying to avoid Trip and do the right thing by staying away from him because he is married. She asks Nate for help (he would know about her situation since he had an affair with a married woman). Nate tries to keep Serena away from Tripp so they hang out and then get drunk together. Nate tells Serena that he loved her and tried to tell her two years previously. He leans in to kiss her… and Trip walks in. He tells Serena that his wife, Maureen was responsible for the Hudson River hoax that won him the election. Trip says he doesn’t trust Maureen anymore. Serena leaves with Trip and Nate tries to stop her saying, “If you go with him now you’re going to cross the line.” Serena replies, “But the line just got a little blurry.”

Meanwhile, Jenny is trying to find a date for the horticultural society ball. Damien, a diplomat that Chuck was supposed to show around New York, walks in with Chuck. Lily suggests that Jenny be the one to show him around. Damien starts playing with the remote-control sailboats in the pond and Jenny is getting annoyed. But then she realizes that it was a means for Damien to deal drugs. That night Jenny goes with Damien to a club, where she actually participates in the drug deal, handing over money to Damien and the dealer. Chuck walks in and takes Jenny home, as well as kicking Damien out of his hotel. Chuck warns Jenny about getting caught up with a dangerous drug dealer. She doesn’t seem worried at all.

I think that Jenny thinks it seems adventurous and fun to be with a dangerous guy like Damien, but she doesn’t realize how badly things could end. I’m worried about Jenny and her judgment. As for Serena, she is old enough to know better than to get involved with a married man. I personally don’t think that she should get involved with Trip, but I think she should go for Nate. He finally got to say that he really loved her and couldn’t get over her after the wedding three years previously.

Episode 10, Part 1: Consequences

“Two is company, but three is a crowd”

Dan, Olivia, and Vanessa have some major issues to work out. Dan is feeling really good, acting like he is on top of the world. Nate asks him, “How stupid can you be?” This is exactly what I was thinking. How can Dan not realize that he can’t have both Olivia and Vanessa?

Dan makes plans with Vanessa to see Morrissey live. When Olivia hears this she plans for Dan to write a play for his application to the playwriting program at Tisch. Blair wants to get in on this too and says she will produce the play. Dan wants to include Vanessa, so he lets her be the director. This infuriates both Olivia and Blair. The play is Snow White featuring songs by Lady Gaga. They perform the play, with Olivia leaving and Vanessa having to fill in for her, as Snow White, in the kissing scene. Dan asks Olivia what the problem is and Olivia tells him that the problem is with him. Olivia says that Dan won’t admit it, but he is in love with Vanessa.

Olivia is leaving to work on a new movie and Vanessa tells Dan she has no romantic feelings for him. Dan had two girls, now he has none. I want Dan and Vanessa to get together, because now Dan has feelings for Vanessa and Vanessa has always had feelings for Dan. But currently, I’m glad that Olivia and Vanessa have both rejected Dan. His ego needed a bit of a check.

Goodbye Gossip Girl (Temporarily)

Starting January 18, Gossip Girl is going to take a six week break. The premiere of Life UneXpected on The CW will take the place of Gossip Girl during those six weeks. The Gossip Girl season will not be shortened and will resume in March after the hiatus. There will be 11 or 12 more episodes after the six week break beginning January 18.

Six weeks without Gossip Girl will be annoying but maybe the CW hopes that regular Gossip Girl viewers will watch Life UneXpected instead. I probably won’t watch it though. I will just wait for the Gossip Girl season to resume. At least the season isn’t shortened.

There are also rumors of Bart Bass, Chuck's deceased father, returning in an episode of the show. Possibly during a winter episode because it might be something like a ghost from the past in A Christmas Carol. This seems strange to me and I am surprised that there are already rumors about it. It must be pretty interesting if there is already talk about it.

Episode 9, Part 2: Uh Oh, This Could Be Dangerous

Things are heating up…

Serena talked to Trip Van der Bilt, the new congressman, in the last episode and he hires her as part of his staff. Trip never wants to be around Serena and basically pretends that she is not even there. Serena confronts him and he explains that he is attracted to her, but he isn’t allowed to be because he is married. Serena wants to quit, but doesn’t. She and Trip agree to keep things “professional.” I don’t know about you but I’m seeing something like the Bill Clinton scandal in the making.

The other thing that happened last night was the threesome between Dan, Olivia, and Vanessa. This was just disgusting! I totally didn't expect these three. I can see Nate and Chuck doing this, but Dan (aka. Lonely Boy)? Now, Dan has made a mess of things because as shown in the next week’s promo, both Olivia and Vanessa are in love with him and he can only pick one.

Blair and Serena are still fighting so Chuck does what he has to do to make them realize that they need each other. He tricks Blair into going and seeing Serena and they get stuck in the elevator together. Blair calls for operating assistance and Chuck’s voice answers her (I must admit that I actually laughed out loud at this part). Chuck tells the girls that he won’t let them out until they make up. S and B actually do make up and are friends again (at least for now). I find it funny how S and B don’t know how important they are to each other and that it took Chuck’s ingenuity to make them see that.

Episode 9, Part 1: Coming Out On Top

Should Jenny wave the white flag or keep fighting?

This episode of Gossip Girl was completely centered on Jenny Humphrey. She was dying to make her début at the Debutante Ball with the perfect date (Graham). Graham texts Jenny asking if she still needs a date and Eric texts him back saying that Jenny already has a date. Eric wanted his boyfriend to go with Jenny because he sees that Jenny is changing and also because he says Graham is a creep (apparently Graham and Eric went to the same summer camp and Graham did something scandalous). Jenny finds out and calls Graham. It seems as though she is going to be escorted by Graham. Then another girl’s name is called and the announcer says she is being escorted by Graham. Jenny doesn’t even get to walk on the stage. But, awhile later the announcer calls Jenny up on stage with her date (Nate Van der Bilt). Jenny is now the Queen of the ball for having a date like Nate.

I am completely on Jenny’s side in this episode. How could Blair and Eric try to ruin the one chance she gets to come out into society? I’m glad Nate helped Jenny out once again. He is always there when she needs him! I’m glad that Jenny could prove to all her enemies that she can be on top even when they try to ruin her. She showed that she had a strength that the back-stabbing friends of her didn’t. She didn’t need Graham as a date when she could get Nate.

Episode 8, Part 2: Blair vs. Serena

Politics and S and B’s Cold War…

During Tripp’s election party Blair and Serena get into somewhat of a cold war. Serena is still “dating” Patrick Roberts. Blair says she doesn’t want to be friends with Serena anymore so she tries to find a new friend to take to the election party. At the party, Blair shows up with a new friend from NYU who knows all of the politicians. Patrick Roberts gets drunk and Blair has him escorted out, but not before he tells Serena that Blair’s new BFF is a high priced call girl. So Serena gets her escorted out. Blair calls Serena a prostitute for getting paid to date Patrick Roberts and Serena pushes her into the cake! Blair and Serena are obviously still very mature (just kidding)!

I am really sick of Blair and Serena always being in a fight, and when they aren’t fighting (which is unusual) then they are competing with each other. It might be easier if Blair and Serena aren’t friends, but the show wouldn’t be as good. I they will become friends again within the next few episodes.

Another strange thing that happened during the election night was the heart-to-heart between Tripp and Serena when the election was over. I definitely sense something between them!

Episode 8, Part 1: The Problems with Politics

When should you protect your family and when should you turn them in?



The political race in which Tripp Van der Bilt is running is taking place, and Tripp appears to be losing. Nate’s Grandfather talks to Nate and it seems like he is planning something to make Tripp win. Then Nate, Tripp, and Vanessa are walking along near the water and a man in the water appears to be drowning. Tripp dives in and saves him and Vanessa films the incident. Nate wonders whether or not his Grandfather planned the incident. When Vanessa watches the tape back she sees the man who appeared to be drowning jumped in the water on purpose. She tells Nate that she thinks his Grandfather is behind it, but she is still selling the tape to New York 1. Nate tricks Vanessa and cancels the NY1 contract, then sends someone else to pretend to be the NY1 journalist to meet with Vanessa.

I completely understand why Vanessa wanted to send the tape to NY1. She should sell the tape because it was morally wrong for someone to set the incident up, and it will further her career as a film maker. However, I know that family is very important and if I was Nate, I might do the same thing to protect my family.


In the end the tape was released and Tripp won the election. After the elections, allegations about the a setup were announced on TV. Nate took the blame on national television to protect Tripp’s name, saying that Tripp didn’t know it was a setup and is still a hero. The person who set the whole thing up was actually Tripp’s wife! She is so sneaky and power-hungry!

Episode 7, Part 2: Halloween in Manhattan

Love at first bite?


Dan watched Endless Knights (based on the Twilight series), the movie that Olivia starred in, and was upset because of the sex scene between Olivia and her co-star, Patrick Roberts. Apparently, Patrick Roberts was Olivia’s boyfriend at the time and the scene wasn’t just acting. Patrick Roberts is supposed to be like Robert Pattison. Olivia’s publicist doesn’t want her and Dan to be dating; she wants Olivia to still be dating Patrick Roberts so he can have publicity.

Chuck is still mad at Blair for using him in the last episode and he wants to run his business his own way. Chuck asks Serena to be the publicist for the opening of his Speakeasy on Halloween. The only problem is Chuck’s liquor permit hadn’t been approved yet. Chuck gets a call that his liquor permit gets approved and finds out that Blair called Jack Bass, the man who tried to take over Bass Industries, which Chuck’s father left to Chuck in his will.

Chuck and Blair figured that Jack would try to get them in trouble and that the permit probably wasn’t approved yet, so they called the cops and busted their own party. This way they got tons of publicity. The only one who was upset was Serena because she wanted the party to be a success to impress KC, her boss.


In the end, Olivia and Dan go public with their relationship and Serena pretends that she is dating Patrick Roberts. Serena’s boss was happy because of the publicity but told her she would have to really start dating Patrick. Go figure!

Episode 7, Part 1: Trick-or-Treat

Clothes make a statement. Costumes tell a story. ~Mason Cooley

Rufus is really into Halloween. He dresses up, even donning a black wig, and wants to pass out candy even though Lily knows that there will be no trick-or-treaters. Lily actually hires a group of children to act like trick-or-treaters. They even come to the door multiple times after changing costumes. Rufus figures out what Lily has done and laughs about it. He said he appreciated that Lily wanted him to enjoy passing out candy to kids like he did in Brooklyn. I think that this is so cute! Lily and Rufus are finally together and acting the way a couple in love should.

Little J has decided to accept her role as Queen at Constance and is now trying to maintain her status. So when her stepbrother and friend, Eric sits above her and the mean girls on the Met steps it is unacceptable. Jenny orders her minions to dump their yogurt all over Eric, forcing Eric to go home and change clothes. I am disappointed in Jenny. Eric has been a loyal friend to her for so long, why would she jeopardize their friendship for some girls she doesn’t like anyways. I know Jenny is being pressured by Blair and by others to be Queen but she needs to realize what matters more is her friendship with Eric. I think Jenny will somehow make it up to Eric for being so mean to him. She has made mistakes in the past, but she always comes around eventually.

Episode 6, Part 2: Love and Hate on the Upper East Side

Why does love always feel like a battlefield?

Serena and Nate are trying to help Carter pay off his debt so he doesn’t have to go work on the Buckley’s oil rig in Texas. This seems so stereotypical. Really, the rich Texans are having Carter work on their oil rig? Anyways, Nate wants Serena to play Bree’s brother in poker because he says he played with Bree’s family before and knows how Bree’s brother plays and what he says when a hand is hot. Apparently Bree’s brother did something unexpected and Serena lost Nate’s money and couldn’t pay off Carter’s debt. Nate also betted a photo of his cousin Tripp Van der Bilt at a batchelor party doing drugs and since Serena lost he gave the photo to Bree’s brother. Later Serena overhears Nate talking to his grandfather about the poker game. Nate told his grandfather that the photo of Tripp was edited and the real one didn’t have a bong in it. Nate planted the photo to discredit the Buckley’s name and make Tripp win the upcoming election. Serena realized that Nate used her to help his family; he didn’t care about Carter at all!

Even though Nate shouldn’t have used Serena, I understand that he is mad at Bree and the Buckley’s for using him to get to Carter. I kind of feel bad for Nate right now because he seems to have such bad luck with relationships. He dated Blair, who slept with his best friend. He always had feelings for Serena, but when he finally told her she was dating Dan. Then, he got between Jenny and Vanessa’s friendship when he tried to date both of them on Season 2, so that didn’t work out. Nate also dated an older, married woman in exchange for money and now the mess with Bree. How can anyone have such relationship problems?

Episode 6, Part 1: Oh, the Destructive Nature of Ambition

It’s all about getting what you want, or at least trying…

For parents weekend at NYU, there is a party with a toast by one member of the freshman class. Olivia Burke is supposed to be the speaker, while Vanessa is the back-up. However, Blair Waldorf can’t let an opportunity to be in the spotlight pass her by. While Blair is trying to worm her way into the spotlight, Vanessa finds out that Olivia is the intended speaker. So even though Olivia was going to go to the dinner with Dan’s parents, Vanessa convinces Dan to cook something for Olivia at home so she won’t go to the dinner. A lot of the reason Vanessa did this was because she had already told her parents she was speaking and her mom was coming to see her. It is unlike Vanessa to want to be in the spotlight and impress others, but I think she deserves time in the spotlight. I was slightly disappointed when Vanessa didn’t get to speak because she seemed to be the one who truly deserved it. Blair is always trying to be the best and ruin others’ lives, so she definitely didn’t deserve it and Olivia is an actress so she already gets tons of attention. I wanted Vanessa’s mother to watch Vanessa’s speech and be proud of her. Instead, Vanessa didn’t get to speak and her mother told her “Look what this school is turning you into.” I know hard it is to do something when your parents don’t support you, even if you know in your heart that it is the right thing to do. If you aren’t supported you tend to question if what you are doing is truly right. Dan seems to be one of the only people that support Vanessa but since she lied to him, he might not be able to trust her as much anymore.

How did Blair try to force her way in to be in the spotlight? She used the one she loves the most, Chuck. She actually made Chuck try to seduce Ellis, the man in charge of who gives the toast. Chuck was actually kissed by him! Chuck doesn’t seem to care until he finds out Blair used him to try and be the speaker at the dinner. Things have gone way too far and Blair just needs to give her ambition a rest for a while! She is hurting everyone she ever cared about.

Episode 5, Part 2: Revenge is Sweet

It is better to forgive and forget they say, but sometimes revenge is oh so sweet...

Nate finds out that Bree Buckley has only been using him to get to Carter. Apparently, Carter owed a huge amount of money in gambling debts and used Brie to get his debt paid off. How did he do this? Well, Brie fell in love with him and he proposed to her so the Buckley’s paid off his debt. But, before the wedding occurred Carter backed out. Brie had already gotten a dress, flowers, etc. So now Nate is mad at Bree, Bree is mad at Carter, and Serena is mad at Carter. Carter is definitely the one to blame most in this situation because Bree only used Nate because Carter did such a horrible thing to her. As a woman, I can’t imagine planning a wedding with the man I love only to be dumped right before the wedding. As bad as it seems, I think many people in Brie’s situation would do anything they could for revenge. I also hope that the relationship between Serena and Carter ends because Serena has really gotten to see what kind of man Carter is. Why would she stay with someone who treats others so cruelly? With Bree out of the picture and Carter possibly out of the picture, will Serena and Nate get together?

In the end of the episode, Carter is seen in between Bree’s two huge, football-playing cousins in the back of a limousine. I wonder where they are taking him. It looks like Brie may get her revenge after all.


Blair also gets revenge on Georgina at the end of the episode. Blair’s servant, Dorota, has a man claiming to be a prince, take Georgina away to Belarus. Go Dorota! I guess Blair thinks this will get Georgina out of her way for awhile. However, this seems totally unrealistic to me. Why would Georgina go away to Belarus with a man she has never seen before in her life? But, Georgina is crazy and maybe she would really do something like that.

Episode 5, Part 1: When to Let Go

At last, the truth comes out…

Lily and Rufus are finally getting married! Rufus and Lily have been in a bit of a disagreement about Serena’s decision not to go to Brown. Rufus and Lily talk and wonder why they don’t just take a leap of faith and get married soon. Rufus tells Lily to stop looking for an excuse to not get married and they set the date for the following day. As the wedding is about to begin, Lily tells Rufus that she isn’t ready to get married and they start arguing. Just at that moment, Scott and Georgina appear. Georgina tells Lily and Rufus that Scott is their son, but Scott had already run away when he saw his parents arguing. Rufus and Lily catch Scott and tell him they really love each other and Lily just was having a hard time letting go of her fear of loving someone fully. It was good to see Lily finally admitting her fear and telling Rufus that she was afraid of having her heart broken by him. I was also glad that someone (even if it was Georgina) finally told Lily and Rufus that Scott was their son. It seemed almost like fate that the couple found out who their son was on their wedding day. They seemed to have come full circle and it was like they were falling in love like they did 20 years previously. Later that night, the couple did get married with a few family members and friends by a preacher hired through a “sketchy service on the internet,” as she said. I think that this even made the wedding more special because it showed that all Lily and Rufus needed were each other. Lily was no longer worried about impressing others and throwing a massive wedding just because she is Lily Bass.

Episode 4, Part 2: Who Will Rule the School?

Dan and his sister, Jenny, both seem to be facing challenges with others…

After Blair proclaimed that Jenny was the new Queen at Constance since Blair graduated, Jenny realizes she doesn’t want the old hierarchy system. Jenny makes a speech on the Met steps saying that there will be no hierarchy and everyone is equal. Some of the girls tell Blair that Jenny “is ruining everything” and Blair goes into a fury. Personally, I don’t understand why Blair cares if there is a Queen Bee at Constance now that she is gone. Why does it even matter to her who the popular students are? Chuck and Jenny get Blair to back off, but in the end of the episode Jenny is shown order other girls around. Maybe “Little J” has accepted her role as Queen, which kind of disappoints me because Jenny has been one of the more independent characters on Gossip Girl.

Dan meets a girl at a hot dog stand (kind of random) when she lends him the change he needed. The girl is actually a movie star, Olivia Burke (played by Hilary Duff). She tells Dan her name is Kate because she wants to have a “normal college experience” and doesn’t want him to know that she is famous. Dan sees Olivia again and he tells her that she is “refreshingly normal,” and that he hated it when his last girlfriend was always in the spotlight. Olivia thinks that their relationship is over. This seems like a random thing for Dan to say because he never seemed to mind when Serena was the center of attention. It seemed that the writers of Gossip Girl just wanted to add some drama when making Dan and Olivia get together.

Episode 4, Part 1: College Doubts

"Better to die than to live on with a bad reputation" - Vietnamese Proverb

In my opinion, this episode was fairly boring. It seemed as though not as much happened as usual in a Gossip Girl episode. Both Serena and Blair are having doubts about college, but basically for opposite reasons. Serena says she wants to “find herself” before she goes to college. Blair, on the other hand, obviously knows who she is, but wants others to know who she is.

Blair, who still wants to be Queen Bee, actually talks about wanting to rule over other students at NYU. This is almost comical how ridiculous it is! One of the things about a big university is that no one knows who you are. Just like here at Chapel Hill, for better or for worse, you realize that it is so different from high school. In high school, you had a certain reputation or were categorized based on who you hung out with. But, in college since no one knows who you were in high school you can be whoever you want to be. The popular people in high school may be no one in college, while the geekiest kid may be a huge partier. I already have friends from high school who have done things here at UNC that I never would have expected.

Serena tells her mom and Rufus that she wants to wait a year to enroll in Brown because she needs to find out who she really is. She tries to get a job working in publicity for Tyra Banks, whose name is Ursula, in this episode. This was so weird to me and Tyra looked kind of scary in this episode. Anyways, Serena gets fired for doing the right thing and Lily is still pushing her to go to Brown. I think a lot of this has to do with Serena trying to find her dad. She doesn’t feel complete until she knows her dad loves her. It is understandable how Serena feels but she can’t let her family’s past affect the decisions she makes in the future. In the end of this episode Serena packs her bags and says she is leaving, but not for Brown. I wonder if she will try to find her father again.

Episode 3, Part 2: Love Games or Cutthroat Competition?

Let the games begin because neither one of us is going down without a fight…

Chuck and Blair have been unknowingly set up by Georgina. Georgina gives an invitation to Blair inviting her to join a secret society. However, in order to join she has to get a certain picture from the Sotheby’s auction. Chuck, on the other hand, is trying to get a business deal to go through. The secretary (a friend of Georgina’s) tells him that in order to seal the deal he should impress her boss with a picture from her boss’s past. The picture is the exact same one that Blair is trying to obtain. Chuck and Blair both think that they desperately need the picture in order to reach their own goals. Instead of backing down, both of them face of in cutthroat competition in order to get the picture. I can honestly say that if I was in the same place as either Blair or Chuck that I would be the same way. I would want to get the picture to satisfy my own desires (which is basically the definition of selfishness). However, if someone I loved needed the picture I definitely think I would give up the picture for them. I would think that would be a small sacrifice to make for a loved one. In the end this is what happens with Blair and Chuck. They realize that they are more important to each other than any business deal or any secret society.

Sneak peak: In the next episode there is supposed to be a guest appearance by Hilary Duff. She is supposedly Vanessa’s roommate so she will be in multiple Gossip Girl episodes.

Episode 3, Part 1: Keep The Faith

One thing we all have to do is have a little faith and trust one another…

One of the issues on Monday’s episode of Gossip Girl was the lack of trust between the characters on the show. The first example of this occurred between Serena and Carter. Carter and Serena are talking on the sidewalk when a girl comes up and says she knew Carter from some party. However, Carter says that he has never seen the girl before. Then, Serena catches Carter in an argument with a hotel concierge because Carter refused to pay a room service bill that he swore was not his. Serena doesn’t believe Carter when either of these incidents occurred.. Trusting someone when they have a history or certain reputation is hard to do because you are never sure if they have truly changed their ways. Serena finds it hard to trust Carter because of his past and I don’t blame her. It is hard to give someone the benefit of the doubt because you don’t want to end up getting hurt. I feel like Serena didn’t want to trust Carter because she likes him and wanted to brace herself in case Carter hadn’t changed. Sometimes, even if you really don’t want to, you have to take a leap of faith and trust a person wholeheartedly. A girl who I thought was my friend said some really mean things about me my sophomore year, but junior year she kept trying to talk to me and be nice to me. I gave her a chance and hoped she had changed. Now she and I are at college together and we are close friends.

Vanessa and her boyfriend, Scott, are having troubles of their own. Vanessa finds out that Scott has been lying to her and is not even enrolled at NYU. Scott tells Vanessa that he has been hanging around Rufus, Dan and Jenny’s father, because he is actually Rufus and Lily’s son that they gave up for adoption years ago. Scott has been trying to tell him the truth but is too afraid. Scott tells Vanessa not to tell anyone though. So what does Vanessa do? She meets Dan right away and tells him Scott isn’t who he says he is and that he’s not enrolled at NYU. This really surprised me! This is a very personal matter to Scott and Vanessa doesn’t seem to care enough to keep her mouth shut! Scott trusted her and instead she just made things more complicated for him. I personally know someone who was adopted and they have been trying to find their birth mother, but she doesn’t seem to want to be found. This can be hard on a person who is adopted because they always wonder why their birth parents gave them up .

Episode 2, Part 2: There's Nothing Like a Good Friend

Friendships and relationships are made in this episode, even if they do seem unlikely or surprising...

Dan and Vanessa haven’t been speaking to each other but now that they are going to the same college they seem to realize that that is immature. Dan makes up with Vanessa and then does something totally unexpected - he defends Georgina when Blair tries to ruin her party. I admire Dan for sticking up for Georgina because he risked his popularity for her. But since he did the right thing it just made him more popular with the other students because they realized what Blair was trying to do. Sometimes it’s hard to stand up for what is right. There was a girl in my U. S. history class in high school who everyone ignored and made fun of. I got to know her and realized that she was a nice person and just needed someone to talk to. It’s always better to include others and stand up for them than be worried about others think of you for doing it. I like that Gossip Girl showed this because there is so much rivalry and back- stabbing that has occurred in the show that it’s good to see someone not worried about their social status.

Nate and Bree are spending more time together but Bree is keeping it a secret from her family. Bree tells Nate that they will get sick of each other if they are together all the time, but instead the opposite happens. I think that spending a lot of time with a person is a true test to know if you like them or not. I’ve spent time with people I have thought were my friends, only to realize how annoying they were! On the other hand, I have hung out with people that I grew really close to and they became my best friends. When you are around someone enough you see their good and bad sides, but when you meet people for the first time it is hard to tell what they are really like since everyone tries to make a good impression.

Episode 2, Part 1: Queen Bees and Wannabees

It’s the start of freshman year and...

Blair still wants to be the Queen Bee (who would have thought?) She is excited about being on top in college, just like she was in high school, until she arrives at college and realizes her roommate is Georgina. Georgina is out to socially sabotage Blair. In my opinion, this is ridiculous. As a college freshman myself, I know that when you go into college you cannot have unrealistic expectations and that it takes some time to adjust. It should definitely not be your goal to try to rule over everyone (Blair), or to try to ruin someone else’s life (Georgina).

Meanwhile, Serena is having doubts about going to Brown. She decides not to go to Brown, but to stay with Chuck and keep her secret from her family. It is never good to keep secrets from your parents, especially one this huge. If you are having doubts about something, then the best thing to do is talk to someone who cares about you to figure it out. Serena just let things become a mess before she could tell her family she just wanted to take a year off.

A common trend I noticed in this episode of Gossip Girl is the issue of characters on the show using one another to try to reach their own goals. Blair uses Dan to try and fit in when going to Georgina’s party. Serena uses Chuck to hide from her parents, and then uses Carter to get back at Chuck when he told Rufus about her decision not to go to Brown. The interesting thing about these incidents is that the characters own selfishness led them to hurt themselves and those around them. None of the characters who used other people got what they wanted. They just made the situations a lot more complicated. Instead of being open about the college experience the characters on Gossip Girl saw it as an opportunity to get back at others. This just made them miss out on all the fun and opportunities of college so far.

Epsiode 1: Talk About Scandalous

Well it’s the start of a new season of Gossip Girl and the lives of those on the Upper East side during the summer were as interesting as ever…

Nate Archibald meets a girl on a plane trip during the summer who he learns is Bree Buckley, The Buckleys are Nate’s family’s, the van der Bilts, biggest political rival. Nate takes Bree to the van der Bilt family polo event, essentially using her to break ties with the van der Bilt family and show his grandfather that he is his own man. I can’t tell if Nate is into Bree or if he is using her to further outrage his family.

Chuck Bass and Blair say they are playing “love games,” but for Blair it is really no longer a game. Blair seems to be tired of Chuck chasing other girls (I don’t blame her) and tells Chuck the “game” is over. Is it just me, or is the way Chuck talks extremely annoying? He furrows his eyebrows and moves his mouth funny. It gives me the feeling that he looks down on whoever he is talking to.

Dan and his friend Vanessa are having a few issues of their own. Vanessa is annoyed when Dan takes out a designer wallet which is filled with one hundred dollar bills. Then she goes to the polo match and sees him in an expensive suit. She thinks Dan isn’t being himself, even though he can’t help who his Dad was engaged to. I think Vanessa jumped to conclusions. She should have realized that Dan’s family was going through a lot and she needed to give Dan a chance to explain all that has been going on.

Serena is the biggest mystery of all in this episode. The paparazzi won’t leave her alone when she comes back from Europe. Dan finds pictures of Serena partying with a guy in Europe. Rufus is worried that Serena has “gone off the deep end” again. Serena tells everyone she is fine. But then…. Carter Baizen shows up and Serena tells Dan she is being stalked by him. The actor Sebastian Stan, who plays Carter Baizen, is actually Leighton Meester’s (Blair) off- screen boyfriend. Dan and Blair serve Carter a restraining order at the polo match. Blair runs away on a polo pony, Carter follows her, and they make out under the trees. What is going on? Obviously stuff happened between Serena and Carter over the summer that no one knows about yet. It turns out that Blair is just trying to get public attention to get noticied by her father who basically didn’t want to see her over the summer. I think that Blair needs to be careful. She is acting risky to attract the attention of someone who doesn’t really care about her. Blair needs to get over her father!

Next week the friends are off to college. Many shows go down in ratings after the cast graduates because it can be harder to follow the lives of the cast in college. People tend to like high school shows better. But I think Gossip Girl will be just as entertaining when the cast is in college. It will probably be even more interesting.