Gossip Girl Season 1 Epi 1-4 Updates

September 25, 2007

On the Upper East Side, brunch is more than just a meal. It's an event. Full of all your friends and more importantly all your enemies too. This week, Chuck's dad, Bart Bass, is hosting a brunch at The Palace Hotel. Hope you got enough shut eye after the Kiss on the Lips party because you're going to need to be fully alert for this. You never know what (or who) will get served at a Sunday brunch in the 10021. Who's hungry?

September 26, 2007

Spotted: The Palace is the place to be! D and J dropping S off in a cab outside the hotel. No word on if there was a goodnight kiss or what (will let you know as soon as I find out, promise!). C entering his suite with two female employees (meow!). Guess a black eye doesn't ruin your game. Go Chuck! N sulking and drinking from a flask in the lobby. Wah, wah, wah. Also, B, K and I getting out of the limo at B's place. K & I were texting away on their Chocolate cell phones while B looked absolutely livid. Why the long face, B? Was your perfectly planned night ruined by the appearance of a certain ex best friend? Don't fret, B. Brunch is just around the corner. S wouldn't be so unwise to show her face there, would she? We sure hope so! Because there's nothing Gossip Girl loves more than scrambled eggs with a side of catfight.

September 27, 2007

Eggs, bacon and pancakes are the standard items on any usual brunch menu. But on an Upper East Side brunch menu the main item is drama. And boy was Bart Bass' brunch today at The Palace Hotel no exception.

Ah, where to begin? Well, let's start with the night before. Can you believe Dan Humphrey's lame excuse of a goodbye to Serena? A wave? Really? Who does he think he is? Miss Brooklyn riding down Roebling on a float? Geez. The only thing worse than a wave is a high five and had Dan done that he'd have a one way ticket to Antarctica by now. If Dan really wants to keep a girl like Serena van der Woodsen around he's going to have to do much better than, ugh, a wave. At least walk her to the door of the hotel. Do they not teach chivalry in Brooklyn? This kid has sooo much to learn.

On the day of the brunch, Nate and Dan were surprised to find themselves both in search of a certain blonde vixen. But, alas, she was not home. The boys were forced to wait for her; side by side! A-W-K-W-A-R-D! And where exactly was our favorite girl? Serena was at Blair's for their usual Sunday tradition: breakfast and Audrey. Too bad Blair wasn't up for it. She told Serena she has new traditions now. Ouch! Oh, and Blair let Serena in on the fact that she knows Serena had sex with her boyfriend, Nate. Eek! Blair told Serena to stay away from her, her boyfriend and her friends. Serena was done here. Finished. Erased. You could cut that tension with a chainsaw.

Meanwhile, little Jenny Humphrey made her way uptown to Blair's to 'give back her calligraphy pens'. Ugh, what a lame excuse. These Humphreys need to work on their social skills because they are lacking. But unlike her dorky older brother, Jenny at least has some game. Blair invited Jenny to stay and help her get ready for brunch. She told Jenny about being part of this crazy Upper East Side world where people will talk. Does Jenny really want to be in it? Is it all worth it? That's up for Jenny to decide. But while she deliberates, Blair let Jenny keep a dress made by her mother, Eleanor Waldorf. You better tuck that away in your LeSportsac, Jenny. Don't want anyone to swipe it on the A train back to Brooklyn. You'd have to sell a whole lot of Girl Scout Cookies to ever be able to really afford an Eleanor Waldorf dress, J.

Serena returned defeated to The Palace, only to find Dan still waiting for her (Nate must have left because unlike Dan he actually has a life). Serena was about to escape with Dan to somewhere far, far away from all the people who hated her when her mother, Lily, found her. Serena was expected to go to the Bart Bass hosted brunch. There was no way around that. Serena appealed but Lily was not having any of it. Their compromise? Dan could get his eggs benedict on at what was surely the most elegant breakfast he'd ever been to. This was a far cry from his local Williamsburg Diner where he was used to $.25 bottomless cups of coffee.

At the brunch, Nate finally got Serena alone and convinced her to meet him in Chuck's suite to talk about everything that was going on. She reluctantly agreed, took Nate's key to the suite and told him she'd be up in 10 minutes. In the mean time, being the horny devil that he is, Chuck gave Blair his suite key so she could finally (in Chuck's words) "seal the deal" with Nate. Yes, you read that right. Two of Chuck's suite keys were out in the hands of the two girls who could do the most damage with them. Oh, don't you just love Sunday brunch? You never know what might happen...

Blair found Nate and told him she wanted to do 'it'. Now. Nate, being a guy, jumped at the chance and fled with Blair. It must have slipped his pretty little mind that Serena was waiting for him... in the exact place he was about to go... When they arrived at the suite, Serena van der Woodsen was there in all her tall, blonde glory. Seems like this girl always gets in the way right when Blair and Nate are about to get down and dirty. The ultimate C-Block. Blair's face froze when she saw Serena in the suite. What was Serena doing there? Who let her in? Serena and Nate tried to plead with Blair that they were meeting only to talk. But trying to defend yourself to a girl like Blair is pointless. Blair was fuming and there was only one way to get Serena back: to tell Dan all about how his dream girl had sex with her best friend's boyfriend.

Serena and Nate raced off to find Blair before she could wreak havoc and divulge the big secret to Dan. What they found was Blair already talking to Dan along with the one person who was definitely not needed in this situation: Chuck Bass. Serena tried to stop Blair but instead it was Chuck who ended up spilling the beans to a crushed Dan. Chuck even took it to the next level by mentioning Dan's sister, Jenny and their "unfinished business". Lonely Boy didn't like that too much so he showed off his aggressive Brooklyn tendencies and pushed Chuck into a waiter. The waiter and the mimosas he was carrying went crashing down to the ground causing a loud commotion for all to see. Everyone at the brunch gasped and stared at the scene; jaws dropped, cell phones abuzz. Just another Sunday afternoon on the Upper East Side.

Outside the hotel, Serena tried to stop Dan from leaving. But it was too late. Dan had already made up his mind. He was wrong about Serena. He knew she was from this world and that maybe she was different. But she's not. Serena told him she's trying to change but Dan didn't want to hear any of it. He was over all of it.

As the sun started setting, one of my spies saw Serena walking down Madison Avenue holding onto her phone. And then she did the absolute craziest thing I have ever heard a girl do...she threw her LG Chocolate phone in the garbage! Can you believe that? What could she possibly be thinking? Has Serena gone mad? A girl can never live without her friends, her phone or her lipgloss. Oops, looks like Serena may be spending a lot of time applying her NARS wand to her lips since that seems to be the only thing she has left. What a cruel, cruel world.

So now we're left to wonder what will happen to all of our favorite NYCers. What's going to come of Blair? Has she finally gotten her revenge on Serena or was this only the beginning? And Nate? Is he going to remain loyal to Blair and keep his word he won't talk to Serena? Or how about Chuck? He's always up for a good game of ruin someone's life. I'm sure he hasn't had enough of torturing Serena yet. And what about Don? I mean, Dan. I mean, who cares? If he's not with Serena then he doesn't really matter, right? But we are still intrigued by one Humphrey: his little sister Jenny. It looks like she's only steps away from being fully accepted by Blair and her crew. But will her alliance stay true to Blair? Or will she jump ship and support Serena? And last but certainly not least: Serena, herself. What's a girl like her to do now? No friends. No phone. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. This world is pretty hard to truly grasp. One day you can be on top of the city and the next you're hated by all and thrown to the curb. But we're certain this won't be the last we see or hear of from Serena van der Woodsen. A girl like her is bound to have a comeback sooner or later. It's your move, S. And you know who will be watching? Gossip Girl.

October 4, 2007

Life on the Upper East Side may be glamorous but there is still a ton of pressure to be the best. Parents want their kids to go on to greatness and the only way to do that is to go to a good college. This week was Ivy Week and all of our favorite Upper East Siders brought their A game.

A hallway confrontation between our two favorite feuding hotties got the festivities started. Blair came face to face with Serena and told her she didn't think Brown offered a degree in slut! OhMyGod! She so went there! This pushed Serena over the edge and she finally let her guard down. It was on! And thank God, because Serena was starting to look like a real pushover, letting Blair continually belittle her. The girls took their battle to the greens: the field hockey greens to be exact. In an exciting gym class game the two rivals had it out for each other. Blair was on the offense; repeatedly hitting Serena with her field hockey stick. She collected enough technical cards it looked like she was holding onto a rainbow. Fed up, Serena did the unimaginable: she threw Blair Waldorf to the ground! The claws were finally out as the girls tackled each other on the middle of the field while all their classmates gawked. It was a total catfight! As well as practically every boy on the UES' wet dream; two of the hottest girls in school wearing short skirts and wrestling one another on a grassy field. You might as well have thrown in some jello or mud to really complete the full out brawl. But we're from the Upper East Side and therefore classy, so they just kept it to a good old fashioned bitchfight with some hair pulling and pinching.

While the girls were being violent, the boys at St. Jude's were preoccupied. They were getting paired as ushers to representatives from the colleges for the Ivy Week Mixer. All Dan Humphrey wanted was to usher JL Hall, the Dartmouth Rep, and author of Dan's favorite book of all time, The Petting Zoo. JL Hall and his book were the sole reasons Dan wanted to attend Dartmouth. But guess who happens to be from a Dartmouth family and ended up winning the coveted spot? Why our very favorite legacy, Nate Archibald. Too bad, Nate had no idea who JL Hall is or that The Petting Zoo was even a book. I think the last book Nate ever read was Superfudge in the 3rd grade. Dan was devastated. How is a guy like him who's from a family that doesn't endow university buildings supposed to make a name for himself? Rufus, Dan's dad, wasn't going to let this ruin Dan's chances of being accepted to a premiere university. After some begging and pleading, Rufus scored Dan a prime job at the Ivy Week Mixer: no, not as the Dartmouth usher but rather as refreshment boy. And Rufus booked himself a gig as the official entertainment for the mixer. Throw Jenny in there and you have a complete Humphrey family affair. Oh, brother.

Meanwhile, Blair was out for Serena's blood. She was determined to find out the real reason Serena returned from boarding school. Serena had to have a dark and dirty secret for coming back so abruptly. And in Blair's desperate need, guess who she sought for help? Why, our favorite devil, Chuck Bass, obviously. Chuck did his best Sherlock Holmes and followed Serena after school. Of course, Chuck was in a limo and looked more like a creepy stalker than a detective but he did come through for Blair in the end. He trailed Serena all the way to The Ostroff Treatment Center. My, my, my. Say it isn't so. Serena in rehab?? This was almost too good to be true. Chuck snapped some pics and brought them back to Blair. The bomb was in Blair's hands. And there was only one possible place she was going to let it explode--at the Ivy Week Mixer. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, right B?

At the mixer, everyone was doing their respected jobs; Dan was serving the finest cocktails to the parched guests, Rufus was playing acoustic guitar on stage, Blair was wooing the Yale Rep and Nate was trying to break the dead silence he was experiencing while talking to JL Hall. When Serena showed up with her mother and little brother, Eric, she made a beeline to the Yale Representative and Blair. Looked like she was going to give Blair a dose of her own medicine! Serena interrupted and "politely" suggested the Rep needed a refill. She happily escorted the Rep away leaving a livid Blair in the dust. Yale was Blair's dream school. It was the only school she ever wanted to go to. How dare Serena get in the way of that!

But you know Blair Waldorf wouldn't retreat so easily. She had something up her sleeve. As part of Ivy Week, Blair was in charge of picking the charity her Community Outreach Committee would honor. And the lucky foundation? The Ostroff Treatment Center. Wait, isn't that the same place Serena was seen going into the day before... Well, isn't that ironic? On stage, in front of all the students, parents and college representatives, Blair announced one of their very own was benefiting from the center: our favorite former "it" girl, Serena van der Woodsen. Serena froze. She was outed! Taking the high road, Serena got on the stage and admitted the Ostroff Center was in fact helping her. Everyone stood in shock. Cell phones out, camera phone photos being taken, this was crazy! So this is why Serena van der Woodsen came back? To go to rehab??

BUT WAIT! Not so fast. There's more! In a crazy turn of events, Eric, Serena's little brother, approached Blair and asked to speak with her. He told Blair that it wasn't Serena who was a patient at the Ostroff Center. It was actually him! Turns out, Eric tried to kill himself and was getting help there. Bummer. Guess we finally got the real reason for Serena's sudden reappearance. Wasn't as scandalous as we were hoping for. It was actually kind of depressing. But nonetheless, we wish Eric van der Woodsen a speedy recovery. Get well, E!

In what will probably go down as one of the most epic match ups of all time (one that would make Ali vs. Frazier jealous), Serena and Blair met in the flesh, just the two of them, eye to eye at the Bethesda Terrace Arcade in Central Park. Unlike their field hockey battle, there was no tackling and no physical contact this time. Blair brought a letter she had written to Serena who was at boarding school. It explained all the bad things that were going on in Blair's life, like her dad leaving her mom for a male model and her parents' subsequent divorce. Blair was just so hurt Serena never called her when this was all going on. Serena knew what was happening yet she didn't do anything about it. Serena said she just didn't know how to be a friend to Blair after the horrible thing she did. Blair realized that both of their families have gone through a lot in the past few months. The girls both had tears in their eyes and it seemed like they were possibly, just maybe, reconciling?!

We really never thought this would happen. Blair and Serena friends again? Could it possibly be? I'm not too sure. This city isn't big enough for two queenbees. No way they can rule the world of the Upper East Side together, peacefully and harmoniously. There's bound to be turmoil lurking on the horizon. And you know who will be waiting to see which one falls first? Why, Gossip Girl, of course.

October 11, 2007

Before any of us could run out and buy our Team Blair and Team Serena shirts, the feud was over. And it was over faster than Jessica Simpson's acting career. Too bad, because we were really excited for more slut calling in the hallways of Constance Billard, field hockey battles in Central Park and false accusations of drug and alcohol abuse at Ivy Week Mixers. But don't frown. Just because Serena and Blair are back together doesn't mean there isn't enough drama fit to print. Dangerous as one but deadly as a pair.

Serena and Blair relaunched their friendship by having a girls day out downtown; shopping at Tory Burch, coffee at the downtown Sant Ambroeus and getting checked out by investment bankers (Serena, of course, because that's just how it's always been). The two girls were acting like nothing had ever come between them. That is until Blair's mother, Eleanor, surprised her with a return from Paris much to Blair's dismay. Eleanor announced that Henri Bendel's was going to be carrying her fashion line now, which meant women from all over would be able to wear her clothes. Because that's just what the world needs: more women like Eleanor.

For Eleanor's big launch she was looking for a model who could be the face of her collection. The models she had to choose from were just not right. They looked like junkies from Alphabet City. Eleanor wanted someone who was fresh and natural and beautiful and worthy of her clothes. Someone actually like Eleanor... and who is more like Eleanor than her very own daughter? Blair was ecstatic to hear the news. Her mother wanted her to model her designs?? This was one of the best things Eleanor had ever done for her. Her ends might be dry but Eleanor chose Blair. Serena was excited for her best friend too and even agreed to come to the shoot for moral support (she, understandably, blew off a date with Lonely Boy for that). At the photo shoot, Blair was a bit rusty. And by rusty we mean she was looking more like the Tin Man than Giselle. What Blair needed was Jay Manuel coaching her. What she got was Serena van der Woodsen. And Serena knew how to do it (watch out, Mr. Jay!) Serena showed Blair how to do some different poses. Roar like a tiger! Venus in the half shell! Posh Spice in America! The girls vogued like Madonna in 1992 and looked like they were having the time of their lives.

But in this world, life is not a fairy tale. At least not for Blair Waldorf. It seems Blair's pictures were far from perfect. The photographer argued that Blair looked unapproachable and rigid. She just didn't have 'it'. But you know who did? Serena. The photographer was impressed by her and thought maybe she should be the face of Eleanor Waldorf for Bendel's. One would think a mother might put up a fight for her daughter; demand that Blair is just a little shy and would do better the next day. Well, you don't know Eleanor Waldorf. Not only did she give the job to Serena but she didn't even tell Blair the truth!

The day of the shoot, Blair woke up as happy as can be. Today was the day for her close up and she was ready! Unfortunately, Eleanor had to break the heartbreaking news to her. She, politely, told Blair they were going to go in a different direction. Blair played off the disappointment and as her mother left she called up Serena and left her a voicemail. Maybe they could still go to the shoot. Even though Blair wasn't modeling the two of them could hang out, eat craft service and make fun of the skinny bitch who was taking Blair's place.

When Blair showed up at the shoot she was in for the surprise of her life. There was Serena in her tall, thin, blond glory posing on the roof of Silvercup Studios. Hair done up, makeup on perfectly, looking like the skinny bitch they were supposed to be making fun of. After catching Serena's eye, Blair quickly stormed off. Serena ran after a fuming Blair. Blair went off on Serena for betraying her like this. Serena told her they said Blair was on her way and was going to be in the shoot with her. She was just doing some practice takes. Blair rolled her eyes and reasoned that Serena should have thought it was weird that Blair wasn't on the call sheet and wasn't at hair and makeup. She screamed at Serena that she takes everything away from her; the fashion shoot, Nate, her mother. It's just who Serena is. And who happened to hear this whole exchange? Dan Humphrey. Serena invited him to the shoot so he could experience a real life fashion shoot (sure, Dan, you're just there to learn more about lighting and photography. Not to see models pose half naked). Seems like Dan finally learned another thing about his dream girl. She isn't as heavenly as he had thought.

In a strange twist, Lonely Boy, okay fine, Dan Humphrey, ended up actually saving the day (I know, I'm just as surprised as you). Dan had a heart to heart with an upset Blair. It just so happens to be Dan's home life isn't that great (see, I guess Brooklynites are similar to Manhattanites). His mom recently left his dad and moved upstate. Dan and his sister Jenny have been shuttling between their two parents. And Dan really wishes he had the courage to stand up to his mother and tell her she needs to either come back home or leave for good. Even though Blair's face was still ice cold, it looked like she might actually be warming up to the hipster. Dan's talk actually gave Blair the balls to walk up to Eleanor and tell her what a crappy thing she did. It may not have made a huge difference in how Eleanor will continue to act but at least Blair was able to get some things off her chest. Maybe she won't be so tense for her watsu massage this week.

Blair finally forgave Serena. And even gave her blessing to a romance between Serena and Dan. Dan may be from Brooklyn and looks like he shops at Goodwill, but he might actually be an okay guy. Serena and Blair decided they needed to ditch the shoot and have real fun. The girls stole a bunch of Eleanor's clothes and made a run for it. Who doesn't love a five finger discount especially if one of those fingers is the middle one? They wore matching dresses and went to 5th Avenue where they made strangers take their photos. The girls posed like Adriana Lima and looked like nothing had ever come between them. It was actually extremely sweet and no, Gossip Girl did not have tears in her eyes. It was just allergies. I swear.

All the while, Chuck was planning on what was surely to go down as a weekend to remember (or not remember, depending on how much you wanted to drink/smoke). It was the annual 'Lost Weekend' for the St. Jude's School for Boys' junior class. Chuck wanted everyone to have as much fun as possible, including Nate who needed to let loose. Chuck locked away his Piaget (that's a fancy word for a watch. I know, we UESers have our own language) and Babe Ruth's called shot (a baseball in a glass case. Who knew Chuck even cared about sports?) and opened up his suite's doors to the junior class. To their surprise, there was an unexpected guest: Carter Baizen. Carter was a senior when Chuck and Nate were in 8th grade and pretty much 'mentored' them. And when we mean mentor, we mean gave them their first drink and their first joint. But Carter has changed since then. Now he's traveled the world and found out what's really important in life (and discovered a love of hemp and Birkenstocks with socks, gag me). Chuck thought Carter was lame. I mean, how can someone go from having a privileged life with all the luxuries in the world to just throwing it all away? But Nate was thinking otherwise. He actually thought what Carter did with his life, traveling the world, making documentaries, was amazing. Maybe something he too would one day want to do.

Carter and Nate skipped out on some of the festivities to hit up a card game in Queens (ew, I know. 10x worse than Brooklyn). Nate, I don't think you're on the Upper East Side anymore. This was the real thing. The guys here were playing high stakes. In an intense poker game, Nate had a pair of 6's and Carter urged him to keep betting. Nate didn't have anymore money on him but Carter suggested a marker. Nate put in $10,000! (I know, 10 g's, could buy a lot of jewelry for Blair and a lot of strippers for Chuck). They showed their hands and another players had two aces. Nate lost. Carter shrugged it off. That's just what happens when you play high stakes. Besides what's $10,000 to an Archibald? Nate realized this didn't seem right. Did Carter just set him up? Nate acted out in a fit of rage and grabbed Carter demanding to know if he was just played. As the other sharks held Nate back, an unlikely bright and shining armor came to his rescue: Chuck Bass. Chuck demanded they let Nate go or else he'll call the cops. Turns out, Chuck's fancy watch and baseball were missing and the guilt could only lie with one person, Carter. Chuck told Carter to care of these guys. He can keep the watch and baseball but Chuck and Nate were walking out of there unharmed. And the two did just that. So long, Sasquatch, I mean Carter Baizen. Even Matthew McConaughey makes you look bad. Nate wanted to repay Chuck the money he owed him. To his surprise, Nate's bank account was at, wait for it, $0! Nate quickly called his business manager. How could this be? There was over $200,000 in it a few weeks ago. The business manager told him the account had been drained. And by who? Nate's very own father, The Captain.

Ah Nate. Seems like the Archibalds have some issues they need to deal with ASAP. Is the prince of the city going to turn into a pauper overnight? Blair better hope not. You know how much she loves dinners paid by Nate at Per Se. And the award for "Person who surprised us the most this week"? Chuck Bass. Does he actually have, omg, a heart? I hope not because life isn't as interesting without a menacing Chuck. And now with Dan back in the picture looks like Serena might actually be falling for someone from, I know we keep talking about it but it's still just too crazy to believe, Brooklyn. We can't wait to see what happens with these two mismatched could be lovebirds. And finally Serena and Blair. They're friends again and yet they get into a fight on their very first week back together. Oh geez. This friendship is as rocky as Britney Spears' comeback. But that's what makes it so much fun. You just never know when something could go horribly wrong. However, for now let's hope these girls remain friends because we think they both need each other. As much as a BFF can make you go WTF, there's no denying we'd all be a little less rich without them. And Serena and Blair? They do besties better than anyone. You've got a friend in me.