Gossip Girl Recap: “You’ve Got Yale!”

 Last night, our favorite Upper East Siders were anxiously awaiting to hear if they had earned an early acceptance to the colleges of their choice, and I wasn’t all that interested.

 Don’t get me wrong, I was curious to see who got in where (and who didn’t), but that “main” storyline of the episode paled in comparison to the juicier, “B” storyline of Chuck trying to wrestle control of Bass Industries away from his duplicitous Uncle Jack. Tell me I’m not alone here!

I found it no surprise that Chuck wasn’t going to give up control of what his father had built without a fight. It also wasn’t surprising that he was resorting to dirty tricks (planting coke in his bag, setting him up with transsexual, um, ‘entertainers”) to try to unseat his uncle. Unfortunately, it wasn’t happening. Thankfully he came to his senses and realized he needed some assistance. Enter, Lily.

I was happy to see Chuck turn to Lily in his time of need. I felt it was awful that he blamed her for what happened to his dad. But it turned out, they made a very good team. I loved how they were able to send Jack packing for Sydney. Not only was Lily adopting Chuck able to put the company back in Chuck’s hands, it gave him the family he so desperately needed. I wasn’t 100% sure how Lily adopting Chuck overrode Jack’s guardianship over him though. Technically, Jack took guardianship of Chuck first and he’s blood. I’m sure if Jack hadn’t lost his mind in the power room (more on that in a second), he might have been able to fight for guardianship in court.

 As for the Jack’s powder room attack on Lily, all I could think of was when Chuck tried pulling the same thing on Serena and then Jenny in the pilot episode. By the way Chuck decked Jack, he must now see the errors of his ways. Kudos to Chuck for realizing there was something afoot going on in there, as he and Rufus were able to get to her in time.

 So, Jack is gone now, right? I would think him losing guardianship of Chuck and sexual assault will forfeit any future claims he’d want to make for control of Bass Industries. However, while he may be history on the corporate side, I’m not sure we’ve seen the last of Uncle Jackie on the personal side. There’s still that little mystery of what happened between him and Blair over New Year’s. That can’t just go away, right? My guess is that’ll come back up on Chuck’s 18^th birthday as he’s celebrating not  only is birthday, but legally taking majority stake in the company. What better way to destroy such a monumental day than finding out the woman you loved did something scandalous with the uncle you can’t stand?

 As for the “A” storyline, I learned things have changed since I was applying to college. How cool would it have been to find out you  received an early acceptance via email on your cell phone, rather than waiting for that “thick” envelope in the mail?

 Anyway, back to the show, last night, Blair was at her witchy best as she proved she’d do anything to get in to her dream school Yale early, even if it meant bullying a teacher. I’m not sure I buy that a prestigious, Ivy League school like Yale would pass on a model student like Blair so that they can boast about having an “It” girl like Serena on their early acceptance roster. But that’s just me. I also didn’t buy Blair grabbing the new (and very young) teacher, Ms. Carr and telling her how, “things work around here.” Since when are students allowed to put their hands on students? I did like how Ms. Carr stood up to Blair and told her she wouldn’t change her grade. I guess the young teacher does have a thing or two to learn about how things work in Gossip Girl land.

To me, this storyline was so-so in this episode, but got much more interesting because of its future potential. How great was it that after Ms. Carr realized that she’d been played by Blair, that she reported her to the headmistress? That is an amazing turn of events. Now Blair is in detention indefinitely, and her dream of going to Yale hangs in the balance. And of course as Dorota asked, “Is this war?” You got that right, Dorota. No one messes with Blair and gets away with it. Good luck, Ms. Carr. You’re going to need it.

 Here are a few random thoughts about the rest of the episode:

 *It was great to see Nate and Vanessa in the same scene this week, since they are you know, going out. It’s strange that Nate was a very prominent character last season, and this year he’s more on the fringe. Hopefully now that he has his money back and his family situation is more under control, we’ll get to see more of him.

 *Speaking of Nate and Vanessa, it’s amazing how hard of a time these people have of being honest with one another. I thought it was a great gesture by Vanessa to pay for opera tickets for her and Nate, but would it have killed Nate to say, “Thanks Vanessa, that was sweet. But, in case you’re interested I have a box at the theater we can sit at too.”? Or why couldn’t Serena just tell Dan that she wasn’t sure she wanted to go to Yale from the get-go? Wouldn’t that have been better than making him think that they were going to the same college together all this time? And she also probably should have told Blair that she was the Constance student who got early acceptance to Yale right away. The longer she waited, the worse that situation was going to be.

 *I hope the Dan-Serena-Rufus-Lily thing gets figured out soon. It’s so silly to watch Dan and Serena pull away from each other anytime Lily and Rufus are romantic with one another. They need to decide once and for all if they’re OK with dating each other while their parents are. Because it looks like Lily and Rufus are going to be an item for awile.

 *I thoroughly enjoyed watching Erik give Rufus opera lessons. Too bad he was tutoring him about the wrong show. I loved the “Opera for Dummies” book too.

 *Despite all the good stuff that went on last night, my favorite scene was when Chuck and Rufus walked by one another and shook hands. It was a touching, “all is forgiven” type of moment that doesn’t happen too often on this show.

 Well, unfortunately there’s a rerun next week (“O Brother, Where Bart Thou?), but we’ll get a new episode the following Monday. Until then, what did you think about this episode? What will Blair do to get back and Ms. Carr? Will Dan and Serena figure things out? Have we seen the last of Uncle Jack? Comment below!

 Joe Dyton can be reached at thedytonian@yahoo.com.

Gossip Girl recap: “Gone with the Will”

Last night on “Gossip Girl,” our favorite bad boy, Chuck Bass inherited $1 billion, majority stock in his father’s multi-billion dollar empire, only to lose control of the company to his conniving uncle Jack. Meanwhile in “B” storyline land, Lily and Rufus were still up in Bean Town looking for their adopted son, only to find out he passed away in a boating accident. Or did he?

 

I liked last night’s episode of “Gossip Girl” a lot, more so than last week’s show. Last week’s wasn’t bad, but I felt there was too much crammed into the hour. Yesterday, there were two, clear-cut solid storylines. I enjoyed Chuck’s storyline the most because there are very few things I enjoy more than watching rich people doing rich people things on TV. I think that’s why I like shows like “Beverly Hills 90210,” “The OC,” and “Entourage” so much.

 

Anyway, after Bart’s will was read and it was revealed that Chuck inherited 51% control of Bass Industries, it was clear that within minutes the wheels were turning in Jack’s head about how he could wrestle away the keys to the castle from his nephew. You can call Jack’s tactics underhanded and cruel, but they were smart. He found Chuck’s weakness and exploited it to the fullest; his hormones. It was disappointing to see Chuck pass up his “non-romantic” dinner with Blair to hang out with Jack and some ahem, “hired entertainment,” but it wasn’t shocking. Remember this is the same guy who left Blair standing at the airport while he tried to woo some random intern at the end of last season. It wouldn’t have been believable to see a newly appointed 17-year-old billionaire CEO pass up a night of booze and ladies to spend a quiet evening at home with the “wife.” Kudos to the writers for having Chuck make the realistic choice, rather than the one we at home were rooting for.

 

Jack’s plan worked to perfection of course. Two members of the board (and Blair) walked in on Chuck still partying with the hired help, which put him in violation of the “Morality Clause” Bart put in regarding Chuck’s control of Bass Industries. As much as Chuck was ticked off about his uncle setting him up; he was much more broken up about losing Blair. I really felt bad for her. She’s become more of a sympathetic character these days and time and time again, Chuck has let her down. I couldn’t blame her for sending him away, even if he had flowers and puppy dog, “I’m so sorry” look on his face. Too little, too late, Mr. Bass.

 

I have a feeling that the power struggle for Bass Industries isn’t over just yet. Jack taking power that quickly seemed a bit, rushed didn’t it? My guess is there’s going to be a “Chuck pleads his case to the board” storyline coming up soon. My other thought was that Jack might run into some trouble when whatever happened between him and Blair is made public and lose control of the company. Jack kept insinuating last night that whatever happened between the two of them was of the romantic nature, but one never knows with this show. I originally thought if they did hook up, Jack might get in trouble because Blair’s underage, but she might be 18 now. Last season she celebrated her 17^th birthday in the “Seventeen Candles” episode, which aired in November. So if the timeline stays accurate, she’d be 18 now.

 

As for the “B” storyline, I have to admit I was a little bored by it until it was revealed that Lily and Rufus love child’s adoptive parents lied about his death. Up until then, everything seemed pretty silly; from Blair’s minions overhearing Dan’s conversation and devoting their time to find out what he was lying to Serena about, to Gossip Girl putting out a “hit” on him (someone seriously went though his locker looking for dirt?), to Nelly stealing his cell phone, it was all so ridiculous. Don’t these girls have anything better to do? And don’t get me started on the “mini” Gossip Girls who berated Dan and Vanessa in the candy shop.

 

Once it was revealed, I was a little surprised, but pleased, that Serena didn’t give Dan a harder time about not telling her about Lily and Rufus’ kid sooner. Last week, I smelled doom for Dan when he promised Rufus that he wouldn’t tell Serena. I was glad I was wrong about that. The last thing we needed was another Dan and Serena fight. I’m curious where the Humphrey-Van der Woodsen clan goes from here. Are Rufus and Lily going to give their newfound love another try? After their reunion between the sheets and that hand hold at the end of the episode, it’s obvious the feelings are there. But if they do, will “S” and “Lonely Boy” keep their relationship going? Like Serena said, if Alicia Silverstone and Paul Rudd’s ex-stepsibling characters in “Clueless” could date, why can’t they?

 

I almost screamed when the adopted father told Lily and Rufus that their son had died. After all the time that was spent on this storyline, that’s how it was going to end? With them, not getting to meet their kid? What a wasted! But this is “Gossip Girl” however, so it should not have been a surprise that Andrew’s adopted mother comes up and we find out that the son is still alive. ‘They have money and lawyers, and they wouldn’t have stopped,” said the adopted father. Um, it was closed adoption all the money and lawyers in the world can’t change the fact that Lily and Rufus can’t see the kid without his OK. At least the lie keeps the hope alive that the kid will be someone we know. There has to e more to this storyline, there just has to be.

 

As for the fringes storylines, I’m on Erik’s side. He has every right to want to spend time alone with his boyfriend. I don’t understand why Jenny got so bent out of shape about it. And it was nice to see Nate and Vanessa among the living. Two months together, who knew? By the little bit I wrote there, you could see how invested/interested I was in those stories.

 

My DVR cut off the scenes for next week’s show, but according to TVGuide.com, here’s what’s in store for next week’s episode, “You’ve got Yale!”:

 

As news arrives regarding who has been granted early admission to Yale, Serena connects with her new Shakespeare teacher (Laura Breckenridge), while Blair, upon receiving her first B, does not Meanwhile, Chuck finds an ally in his feud with Jack, and Nate and Vanessa attend the opera.

 

So, what did you think of the episode? How will Lily and Rufus find out their son is really alive? Will Serena and Dan make it work? Will Blair ever forgive Chuck? Will Chuck regain control of his father’s empire? Comment below!

 

Joe Dyton can be reached at thedytonian@yahoo.com.

 

Gossip Girl recap: “In the Realm of the Basses”

After nearly a month off, we were finally treated to a new episode of “Gossip Girl.” And while it wasn’t bad, a lot of it felt like an extension of the last new episode: Chuck was drowning (and/or smoking) his sorrows over the loss of his dad, Blair was worried about him, Dan and Serena were re-examining their relationship and Lily and Rufus were at odds. From that standpoint, I didn’t learn much that I didn’t know four weeks ago.

 

Unfortunately, a lot of the new stuff was kind of stupid. Blair’s quest to get into the elusive Colony Club was a waste of time, and don’t get me started on Jenny’s battle with the “Mean Girls.” Well, I’ll get started a little on that because I do have thoughts on that as well.

 

The only new thing that I found interesting was the introduction of Chuck’s Uncle Jack, played by Desmond Harrington, who bares a striking resemblance to Robert John Burke who played Bart. Nice casting job there. I’m not sure what to think of him yet, but I’m sure he has an angle. Just about anyone outside of the main cast who appears on the show does. I can’t help but wonder what happened on New Year’s Eve that Blair told him Chuck can’t know about. It can’t be the obvious, can it?

 

So, while last night wasn’t a solid return, it was better than no “Gossip Girl” at all. Plus this episode did do a very good job of setting up the rest of the season; especially the Chuck-Blair relationship and the Rufus and Lily mystery storyline.

 

I had a tough time finding this episode’s heartbeat. The previous episode, it was obvious: Bart’s passing and Chuck’s reaction to it. This week, I wasn’t so sure; was it supposed to be Chuck’s storyline again, or the Rufus and Lily drama? Or was the main idea supposed to be Dan and Serena getting back together? When I stop and think about it for a second, all of those plots sort of tied into each other. So, in honor of this mish-mashed episode, I’m just going to rattle off some random thoughts about the show…

 

*Dan and Serena together again (and again). Who knew? Maybe they’ll make it work this time, but as Chuck said sharing a sibling might be too much to handle. The best part about this inevitably doomed reunion: No more Aaron. Yea!!

 

*I’m a big Rufus fan, but not so much so last night. He was pretty crabby, although he did have a good excuse. I thought it was great he wanted to take Dan to school and catch up, but after that, he was pretty sour. The scene where he scolded Dan for having Serena over when he wasn’t home was beyond strange. I couldn’t tell if he was angry about the Lily thing and was taking it out on Dan, or if he knew that them getting back together was a big mistake and he was trying to cool things down. Either way, he wasn’t the best communicator last night.

 

*Ah, poor Blair. All she wants to do is help Chuck get back among the living (and join that ladies club of course). I never knew she could be so selfless. I saw some real growth when she sacrificed her spot in the Colony Club by sticking up for Chuck, Serena and Lily. Is the same girl who tried to sabotage Serena’s chances of getting into Yale a few months ago? I was concerned that Blair was going to go all the way good, which wouldn’t be fun for anyone. But in the last few minutes, I was relieved when it was revealed she has some sort of secret with Uncle Jack. There’s still some deceit in Blair, whew!

 

*So Rufus and Lily are going to look for their long lost love child. I’m sure that will go off without a hitch. The only thing I have to say about this storyline is I can’t help if the “Gossip Girl” writers and the “90210” writers are sharing ideas. I’ll also say, for all the screen time they’re using up with this story, the identity of the child better be good. There was some speculation that it might be Georgina, but since we know it’s a boy, that idea is out. Darn.

 

*As promised, I’ll touch on Little J and her battle with the Mean Girls. It’s great to have her back in school and acting normal again, but her storyline was purely filler. It had nothing to do with anything. And for the record, I don’t remember any clique of girls, or guys for that matter, acting or treating anyone the way Penelope and her drones treated Nelly. I think Penelope said it best when she found out Jenny was being nice to Nelly out of kindness and not as a power play, “I’m so bored.” Yeah, Penny I was thinking the same thing.

 

*And then there’s Chuck, the heart and soul of this drama. The last time we saw him, he was elbow deep in alcohol, last night he was high as a kite for a better part of the hour. I enjoyed drunk and high Chuck these last two episodes, but his character is just fine sober. Hopefully, he will have his act together next week. According to the previews, it looks like he’s going to inherit the majority stake in Bass Industries, so he will probably have no choice. Thank goodness he didn’t fall off of the roof. The show and the Upper East Side wouldn’t be the same without him.

 

So what did you all think of the show? Will Chuck get his head screwed on straight and return Blair’s love? Will Lily and Rufus locate their child? Will the MIA Nate decide to come back to school? Comment below!

 

Joe Dyton can be reached at thedytonian@yahoo.com

“Gossip Girl” recap: O Brother, Where Bart Thou?

Last night, we treated to the final episode of “Gossip Girl” before the holiday break, and fortunately for us fans, we were left with a solid episode.

 

We didn’t have to wait very long to see if Bart survived the accident, did we? I actually preferred it that way. By establishing that he had passed away so early in the episode, we got to hit the ground running as far as getting into the plot. And there was plenty of stuff going on, so we needed the entire hour to get through it all. If any time had been wasted on wondering if Bart was going to make it, the other stories would have suffered.

 

The undisputed MVP of this episode was Chuck Bass himself, Ed Westwick. I thought he did a phenomenal job of showing a wide array of emotions. He played drunk, angry, depressed, manipulative and sympathetic all in one episode. I got a little extra kick in my step every time Chuck was on the screen last night. I thought it was a little unfair that he went after Dan at the funeral and blamed Rufus for his dad’s death. But like Blair said, he was upset and wasted and not really in his right mind.

 

Speaking of Blair, I thought she was great last night too. She was a wonderful caretaker for Chuck, who desperately needed one. Rufus told Dan that death brings some people together and pushes others apart, and Bart’s death definitely did the latter for Blair and Chuck. Blair even found the courage to tell Chuck that she did love him. It was heartbreaking that he didn’t say it back, but again everything Chuck did or said last night had to taken with a grain of salt. He was mourning the loss of his dad for crying out loud. I do wish that he had stuck around though. My heart broke for Blair when she woke up to him gone and a note lying in his place.

 

I might as well keep going with the positives from last night’s episode. I loved Cyrus’ carpe diem mentality when he asked Eleanor is she’d marry him the next day. I think Cyrus is good for Eleanor; he brings out more of her human and emotional side that we never saw before she started dating him. I like it even more that Blair has accepted him as part of the family. It was definitely, although predictably, touch and go when Eleanor brought him home. I loved the scene when Blair told Cyrus that she confessed her love for Chuck and he didn’t reciprocate, and Cyrus just gave her a hug and told her everything would be alright. It looked like Eleanor liked that moment too. I hope we’ll see more of Cyrus as the series goes along. If only I liked every branch of the Rose family tree….

 

I have to admit, I’m not a big fan of Cyrus’ son and Serena’s boyfriend, Aaron. He’s not a bad guy or anything, it’s just that he doesn’t bring anything to the table. He is kind of just there. I don’t sense any real chemistry between him and Serena. Maybe that will change after they get back from their Argentina getaway. I like her and Dan much better, but Serena’s right, they’ve tried to date twice, and failed, twice. Maybe some real time apart and dating other people is just what the doctor ordered.

 

Speaking of Dan, one of the most awkward scenes of the episode was when he and Aaron were waiting for Serena outside of the church. Was I the only one who thought the whole, “She texted me first” discussion was childish and absurd? It got even more awkward when she got there and greeted them both. Maybe I was reading too much into it, but it looked like she embraced Dan a little bit more than Aaron. Either way, I know Dan was trying to be a good friend, but he was better off letting Serena’s boyfriend be there for her at that moment.

 

And finally…

 

So the Lily’s big secret was she had Rufus’ child in a hospital in France and/or had an abortion? That’s it? There has to be more than that to it right? I mean, she wanted her mother to pay Bart’s P.I. whatever he wanted to keep this secret buried. I was so excited to find out what the big secret was, and felt a little underwhelmed when it turned out to be a love child. I’m holding out hope thought. This is “Gossip Girl” after all, there’s always more to every story.

 

So, that does it for “Gossip Girl” for 2008. What do think will happen when the show returns in January? Will Chuck return damaged as ever, or will he turn over a new leaf? Will Serena and Aaron still be together when they return from South America? Will Rufus and Lily ever get back together? Feel free to comment below!

 

Joe Dyton can be reached at thedytonian@yahoo.com