not the ggwriters

TV Fanatic: Can you say there’s an overall arc for the season? I mean, maybe it’s just getting everybody do a happily ever after or what is an arc, I guess, for these final episodes?

Sara Goodman: It’s Gossip Girl! Happily ever after-what?

TVF: I know!

SG: I think we have a couple of themes this season. The first of which is, in the pilot, Nate and Chuck had this scene where they talked about are they just going to turn into their parents and so that is absolutely, kind of, dramatically one of things that we’re talking about. We’ve taken these kids from high school and they’re adults now, and so, who are they going to be? Where are they going to be? Who can survive on the Upper East Side and who doesn’t belong here at all? Those kinds of things are absolutely where we are going this season.

TVF: It seems like you guys were in between a rock and a hard place with either Chair or Dair because it seems like somebody’s going to be upset whichever way that goes. How do you even approach that?

SG: Maybe the three of them will live together?

TVF: Oh, my God. Well, I don’t know about that…

SG: That would be horrible.

TVF: That’d be horrible, but how do you even that approach that knowing there’s such a divided camp between the two?

SG: Knowing how much the fans care about it and that we care about it that much too, and there were huge debates, and alternately, we had to do what we felt like the characters would do and what was right for the characters. I think that we built it in an organic way that will make…that hopefully most people will go for. There’s certain obviously diehard one-wayers, the other people who will never get on board, but yeah, I hope that everybody finds somebody.

TVF: I’m personally Team Dair, just so you know. [laughs]

SG: What I will say is that I feel that when all the writers got together at the beginning of the season and we really, really talked about where we felt that everybody should be. I think we absolutely dealt with the relationships because that’s what defines these characters, but we also talked about who each of the characters were and what they really want and what their journey was and how the best way to end that was.

TVF: I’ve seen Serena with so many different suitors over the years but I kind of like her with Barry Watson. I really was surprised that was kind of a nice thing, at least in the first two episodes. Can you kind of talk a little bit about that relationship and if it’s going to be a good one for Serena.

SG: We tried to give [Serena] an adult love interest and Barry Watson, he’s an adult, he doesn’t play games. He’s not in that world, and he has no interest in it either, and he’s divorced, he’s a real grown up and so Serena is going to have a chance to be in a real grown up relationship, and I think that we’ll see if that works or not for her.

TVF: Do you kind of feel like everybody has to be romantically paired up by the end of the series? Is that like a mandate or can our characters be left on their own?

SG: No, I mean, was everyone paired up by the time they’re twenty-something? No. I don’t think it is. I think that if it makes sense in the mythology of our show and where the characters are, then that’s where we went, but I think we also had other things that we were trying to achieve.

For Dan, with the book, in terms of this book and using people’s real names… Dan’s really stepping into a different kind of power this year on the Upper East Side and if that has to do with the love relationship or not, I guess we’ll have to see, but that’s a different journey. The same thing with Blair stepping into Waldorf Designs and Chuck really needing his father once and for all. What we really tried to focus on is who they’re going to become as well the relationships that there should be.

TVF: How long is Georgina sticking around? Because I know when she’s there things always stir up.

SG: For the rest of the season.

TVF: Any other guest stars? We have Barry Watson coming in, but any other kind of big names coming in that we haven’t seen before on the show?

SG: No, like we’ve a lot of cameos this season with Blair’s fashion stuff, we have some really good cameos, but we really tried not to bring in a lot of guest stars. We really wanted to focus these last season on core characters and do the multi-generational stories again that we did in the first season, and so we really tried to keep it within our family.

TVF: I think the fashion world is going to miss Gossip Girl more than anything. Have you heard anything from those people just saying that they’re going to miss the show?

SG: It’s so funny because I think they’ll start to, but I think that they’re going to and I think that this year especially because not only do we have just fantastic fashions, but Blair has to figure out her line and it’s going to be like triple the fashion, triple the fun this year for that.

TVF: Now, Gossip Girl, I’m going to say herself, even though it’s still a mystery for all we know, is there going to be any big reveal there? Are we going to get a happy ending or a crazy ending for Gossip Girl?

SG: You know, I’m not allowed to tell what we’re doing, yet, about Gossip Girl, but I will say that I think that everyone will be very satisfied.

TVF: Talk to me just in general about spoilers because I know I’ve already seen stuff online, that if I was a viewer, I wouldn’t really want to see, but it’s out there. What do you think about spoilers?

SG: Actually, we do worry about it and I think for us, especially this season, it’s really upsetting mostly because we’ve spent so much time with these characters and with these stories, developing them, that we want everyone to be able to find them out and so when people are stealing stuff and talking, I think it’s upsetting. 

TVF: Talk to me about the next project. I know you’re doing Taboo with [CSI creator] Anthony Zuiker and it sounds like a mix of the Gossip Girl world with more of a procedural world of sorts.

SG: I’m writing a pilot, in fact I’m turning the outline in today, but I am writing that pilot and I’m also writing a pilot for NBC, which is a different kind of show that was dysfunctional family drama. Taboo is kind of sexual obsession with…I’m not sure it’s procedural as much as it is with legal intrigue.

TVF: Is calling it a soap a bad thing?

SG: It’s absolutely a soap. I don’t want to do anything that’s not a soap.

During my chat earlier this week with showrunner Sara Goodman, I asked if having the final season only consist of 10 episodes was a luxury in terms of storytelling… or quite the opposite because they have a lot to wrap up with our favorite Upper East Siders.

“I think it’s both, quite honestly,” she said. “It is a huge luxury because we know exactly how long we have and I think that we could build it the way that we wanted to build it, and it’s also sad for us because we love these people.”

As for familiar faces that may show up again? “There definitely will be surprises along the way of who’s going to come back and how and when and then we definitely try to pay homage and tried to make sure that we were getting the people we needed back. I can’t tell you who.”

How long will Georgina Sparks be around? Will it be Dair or Chair in the end? Will everyone be romantically paired up by the end? Goodman and I talked about all that and much more so keep an eye out for the rest of the interview coming Monday on TV Fanatic.

Gossip Girl’s recurring crazy girl will be making more than a one-off appearance this spring, according to reports. Look for Michelle Trachtenberg’s Georgina Sparks to stick around awhile!

With much of the attention focused on the 100th episode January 30, and specifically whether Chuck and/or Dan will thwart Blair and Louis’ impending nuptials, Evil G has been overlooked.

Not only does Georgina turn up and play a pivotal part in “G.G.”, but she’ll be sticking around beyond that, the show’s executive producer says.

“The Valentine’s Day episode is very fun,” says Joshua Safran, teasing a lighter stretch ahead.

“Georgina Sparks - you can’t get more fun than that. She’s here for a long stretch and whenever she’s around it’s super fun. And then episode 16 also has a very, very, very fun event at its core.”

“We’re trying to alleviate the tension and drama [in episode 100] with more fun [episodes].”

Monday’s episode, “Father and the Bride,” is the 12th installment of Season 5. The wedding takes place in Episode 13. How do you think Georgina will shake things up then, and potentially beyond?

For a fleeting moment tonight, it looked like after six months of raspy-voiced lies, ulterior motives, convoluted story lines and plot twists, Ivy’s deception would finally reach critical mass on Gossip Girl.

Not the case.

Instead of being exposed for the WT wannabe impostor she is, Charlie/Ivy (known to some TV Fanatic staffers as Chivy) somehow slithered out of her biggest jam yet, and came out smelling like roses. Ugh.

It’s never a good sign when you find yourself cracking a smile at a scene meant to be deathly serious, but that’s where I found myself as she defended herself against Max’s “lies” with Carol’s help.

I could spend hours ranting about the screen time Chivy takes up with relatively little advancement of the storyline, and surely some of you will in the comments. So I’ll try to focus on the positives:

“Rhodes to Perdition” is the night she became a Rhodes, because all the poor girl wants is a family. Sucks that she got paid to act like a member of this dysfunctional crew, but they’re better than nothing.

It’s hard not to feel a little bad for Chivy after what Max revealed, and so callously at that. Sure, she’s a manipulative liar leading a double life and probably guilty of fraud, but she just wants to be loved!

If nothing else, all this set up the vengeance of Max, who is now infuriated and off the rails. Surely he’ll be coming after Chivy again, no matter how “untouchable” she feels she is with her new surname.

No last name stops a bus from running you over, Chives. Just saying.

More significantly, there’s a mystery surrounding the real Charlie Rhodes, and apparently Carol wants to keep that under wraps. So look for that character to be cast sometime this spring most likely.

All in all, not a great use of the episode’s primary storyline, even if the Studio 54 theme did lead to the return of Serena’s cleavage after an absence of several weeks. There’s always a silver lining, right?

What also stood out about “Rhodes to Perdition”, besides the fact that the bulk of the past hour was spent building up to a major confrontation that fizzled out, were the distinct B, C and D storylines.

I actually didn’t mean the characters’ initials, but if you read it that way, there was an N story too, and an intriguing one, as ol’ Man Bangs slicked back his hair and rolled up his sleeves as Editor-in-Chief.

Whether you’d call him naive or virtuous, or something in between, Nate is a man who stays true to his convictions. He never tipped off Gossip Girl and he wouldn’t bite at the first hint of a big scandal.

He has no interest in running a celebrity gossip site (his loss). Salacious stories are all well and good, as long as they’re legit. Give the newly-appointed honcho credit for not being played by Trip’s wife.

Unless he still is, and doesn’t even know the extent of it yet.

Was the Grandfather behind it as part of his plan to rebuild Nate’s reputation? What will become of the cheating scandal that wasn’t? Will Maureen still try to plant the story elsewhere? This can’t be over.

Regardless of what lies ahead, it was fun to see Nate at the helm and handling his role with aplomb. If only he didn’t have to balance classes at Columbia with this job! Oh, wait, Gossip Girl dropped that.

While Nathaniel was digging for answers at the Spectator, Blair was doing some searching of her own. Convinced that Chuck held the key to turning Louis around, she accompanied her ex to therapy.

That led to easily the most noteworthy exchange of the entire night, as a depressed B openly wondered if she was in fact the reason Chuck - and now Louis - plunged into seemingly eternal darkness.

Chuck insists she wasn’t, and he’s correct. His self-destructive tendencies were caused by a fear of losing her, and only he is to blame. But their connection is one that clearly provokes intense passion.

[SIDE NOTE: What the heck happened after the closing scene last week? That was shaping up to be a pretty major Chair moment, no? Then it’s just completely forgotten about … major pet peeve.]

Together, Chair can be very combustible. We’ve seen them at their best and, individually, at moments they would rather forget. Now the question is whether by letting her go, Chuck lost her for good.

I’m betting not. With Louis out of the picture for two episodes and the (former?) Basshole’s stock rising by the hour, there’s no way she’s marrying the prince. The Chuck-Blair tension will soon boil over.

Just pray that the playoff is worth it … and don’t ask me where Dan fits in.

Don’t expect Humphrey to let his feelings for her go easily, based on what’s been teased so far. Think there’s any chance she’ll reciprocate his feelings, or will she spurn him in favor of her dark knight?

One person who’s been down on Dan in a different way turned out to be his agent, Alessandra, although she was only trying to help his book by generating social media buzz under a nom de plume.

This was pretty much filler, although I like that the show hasn’t simply abandoned Dan’s writing aspirations like they have other things … such as the fact that the characters were in college once.

Maybe Rufus’ words and Alessandra’s clandestine mission will give Dan the gumption to go after what he wants in life, and I don’t mean literary success. Well, I don’t mean only literary success.

I’m talking about Blair, people. Don’t count Humphrey out yet.

Also, give the show credit for creating a real ihatehumphrey Twitter account (and HumphreyLove … although I don’t expect Katy Perry will be re-Tweeting either to her 12,505,321 followers tonight).

Kind of a slow episode overall, but not altogether bad, and hopefully, next week will make up for it. From the looks of the promos for “Riding in Town Cars With Boys,” 2011 will go out with a bang.

One that may hint at the fate of Blair’s baby …

After a brief hiatus, Gossip Girl returned this evening with an episode that took its sweet time getting off the ground, but ended with a flourish, potentially reigniting a couple that was once the show’s signature.

Chuck Bass is so, so sorry. For everything.

Seriously, he is, and he’s got a lot to apologize for. It took some soul searching and prodding from the worst psychiatrist ever, but he’s finally made peace with Blair Waldorf, and just as significantly, himself.

Listening to him rattle off his failures was heartbreaking, even if there’s no defending them. Only after baring his soul tonight has Chuck become the man who many, including Blair, always wanted him to be.

Vowing to take care of himself and end the self-destructive behavior that nearly took his life at least once and left his relationships in tatters, Chuck appears to have been liberated from his personal hell.

The question is whether he’s too late.

He may not be. As Blair observed, by trying to shield her from the monster he believes Chuck to be, Louis became that which he abhors. It could cost him. A Chair reconciliation isn’t a given, but the door is ajar.

Louis going away for a few days, Chuck doing everything but say those three words and eight letters to Blair, the obligatory masked party episode next week (see promo) … the stars are definitely aligning.

Most of the episode was alright, but lacked the sizzle that certain characters bring when on screen together. In other words, no Blair and Chuck or Blair and Dan (or even Dan and Chuck for that matter).

The first substantive Chair scene of the season was definitely worth the wait. Not that their storylines have been poles apart. Dr. Eliza Barnes was right about that: For Chuck Bass, it’s always about Blair.

Watching B run the potential bridesmaids ragged was hilarious, but felt superfluous in a sense. It was great to see the future princess return to her Queen B roots, and yet you wonder what the point is.

Maybe she just had to feel like she was in control of something, anything, if only for a day. Is she even going through with this wedding? And did Louis see the test results, or just that there was a test?

Will she be content with the safe choice instead of obvious true love? Will he go for broke and try to win her back? If he does, will she embrace him? Will that ring still be on the stoop tomorrow morning?

All unanswered questions, but Louis has his work cut out for him when he returns. Bribing a doctor to spy on and sabotage Chuck? As harsh as it is dubious that any doctor would consider such a thing.

Even Blair seemed repulsed at what her fiance had pulled after Chuck, in typical fashion, effed with the effer and outed Louis in public. Of B’s two loves, the Basshole certainly had the superior night.

While tonight delved right into Louis’ ill-fated, poorly-acted antics (Hugo Becker is really overselling his pissed-off face), it only briefly touched on another mystery introduced in the previous episode.

Chuck recognized Diana from … somewhere. This woman is connected all over NYC, and not just because of the Spectator (the logo of which looks a lot like the Gossip Girl official site logo, amusingly).

We saw her manipulate Serena, wield unspoken power over her old friend, become territorial over Nate and smack down on the oft-maligned Charlie. And she’s connected to Chuck’s mom somehow.

The plot thickens for Diana Payne: International Woman of Mystery …

I’m starting to get the feeling we’ve barely begun to scratch the surface of what this British invasion entails for the Upper East Side, but the media mogul has her claws in nearly every character at this point.

At times I’ve been on the fence about Elizabeth Hurley’s character, but the intrigue has built considerably in recent weeks, with the stakes raised this week on multiple fronts. What’s her endgame, though?

Is she really motivated by taking down Gossip Girl, or something beyond that? We’ll obviously find out, but the way the writers keep peeling back layers of this woman, the end may be nowhere in sight.

Serena van der Woodsen may be her new minion in any case. Looks like the former gossip staple is now trying her hand as a celebrity gossip blogger. Wait … Serena can write?! I kid. For the most part.

Her new career pursuit arose after Diana helped sabotage Dan’s book, which Serena landed, then wanted killed when it was going to be a hatchet job on Dan, a la Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network.

Tonight’s episode, “I Am Number Nine,” took its name from Dan’s debut spot on the N.Y. Times Bestseller List. By the end of the evening, however, he was off the list and Inside the movie was DOA.

I have to imagine the book and film will be revisited, if only because there’s so much material there. For now Serena deemed it a necessary casualty, and her relationship with Dan more important.

With so much attention paid to Chuck, Blair and Louis, the possibility of Dan and Serena getting back together seems like an afterthought, but remains a very real possibility. The feelings are real.

Nate and Charlie, on the other hand? They’re both attractive people, and there was a bit of a spark there, but she’s been such an extraneous character so far that it’s hard to invest yourself in her.

Still, Diana broadcasting her relationship with Nate was an interesting twist. They’re setting up Charlie developing a connection with Nate, possibly just in time for the fraud that is Ivy to be outed.

Overall, not the best episode for the first two-thirds, which lacked urgency, but by the end, the wheels were turning with the scandalous, emotional developments being churned out left and right.

Do you agree? Do tonight’s events spell trouble for Blouis? Do they portend big things for Chair, Derena, Narlie or all of the above? What do you predict will happen next week and beyond? Tell us.

SOURCE

Duplicity was the word of the hour on tonight’s Gossip Girl, an uneven installment at times, but one which nevertheless contained some new twists and potentially major teases for the coming weeks.

On the heels of last week’s “Memoirs of an Invisible Dan,” one of the better episodes in recent memory, “The Fasting and the Furious” didn’t quite find its footing until the end due to various plot holes.

Why would one story on Gossip Girl derail the Spectator, run by so-called mogul Diana? How was everybody at the Waldorfs so conveniently? How did Diana and Beatrice’s convoluted plot work flawlessly?

It feels silly to nitpick, because it’s Gossip Girl and we love it regardless, knowing that some suspension of reality is necessary. But when the stretches become numerous, it detracts from the experience.

All that said, there were some emotional scenes and events that will keep us guessing for the next two weeks (the show takes a week off before returning with “I Am Number Nine” November 7), namely:

Louis has the envelope. Blair and Louis began the episode with a joint announcement to their families, who reacted as one might expect, with both joy and trepidation. Then it devolved into a giant mess.

The Grimaldis insisted that B reside in Monaco. The Waldorfs have other ideas. This kind of tension, albeit on a smaller scale, plagues many couples. But the way the conflict was resolved was ridiculous.

First of all, the Yom Kippur feast uniting the characters midway through the night felt very thrown together. Second, it needed more Wallace Shawn, even if we can be grateful to see Cyrus at all.

Beatrice sure concocts roundabout ways of undermining her brother, with Diana’s involvement even harder to believe. But that’s all very secondary right now considering LOUIS HAS THE ENVELOPE.

If he opened it and learned that Blair’s baby was indeed his, he wouldn’t have picked up the phone, right? I’d have to guess not, but perhaps he would still be irate that she even had such a test done.

Either way, we’ll have to wait and see how a certain psychologist fits into this.

Side note: How special was the scene between Blair and Eleanor? If that’s any indication of how wonderful these strong Waldorf women can be, Blair has a great role model in the parenting department.

Someday in about half a year. Blair Waldorf is going to be a mother. That knowledge hasn’t had a chance to sink in yet, but when she told her mom and Cyrus, it became very real - for better or worse.

I find myself increasingly concerned for Blair, because as much as she’s to blame for her own problems, I feel she legitimately tries to do the right thing. But her decisions may come back to haunt her.

How will Louis react if he learns the baby his not his? What if his family - or Diana - finds out and leaks the story? Or even just reports that there was even a test? Blair will be crushed, one way or another.

Expect her to land on her feet eventually, though. She’s a Waldorf, after all.

Despite the unplanned nature of the pregnancy, Blair is going to be an amazing mom. The question is who will raise it with her, which brings us back to Louis, Eliza Barnes, and our next subject …

Chuck needs help. After meeting Dr. Barnes, one and the same, at the dog park with Monkey (and briefly Dan, in another classic too-brief scene at the beginning), Chuck realizes he is a lost soul.

She shot him down and dressed him down hard, and you have to like that the show’s writers are introducing a believable instrument of change for Chuck. Getting him ready to be a father, perhaps?

Sure, no doctor would psychoanalyze someone like that on the street, and the idea that this woman is also connected to Louis seems far-fetched. But for Mr. Bass, this was a long time coming.

If we assume Chuck got Blair pregnant - and tonight’s events seemed to hint at that, indirectly - will they find their happily ever after? How will they get to that point? Chuck needs to fix himself.

His late night phone call was the first step, although clearly Louis isn’t going away quietly. What does he know, and will Chuck get the help he needs before his downward spiral ends catastrophically?

The return of Derena? That certainly came out of nowhere, didn’t it? Just a week ago, Dan was pining for Blair as hard as we’d ever seen it. Now, he may be back in Serena’s arms before long.

“You were the love of my life. I thought I was yours too.” Gossip Girl would certainly come full circle if this storybook romance were rekindled, and if Serena has her say, it might happen. Soon.

Can you ever recall Serena van der Woodsen being more sure of what she wants, even if admitting it scared her and made her so vulnerable? Her apology to Blair was heartfelt and harsh - to herself.

She was jealous of Blair, not for reasons, but because Dan’s feelings for her were so profound. Seeing that Blair and Dan aren’t on speaking terms, and he and Serena will be working together …

Just saying. That door was reopened tonight. Whether Derena ever becomes a full-fledged couple again remains to be seen, but she’s back on Team Humphrey, and not just for the movie rights.

Which she got by pulling a ballsy move, it’s worth noting. Falsely telling a movie news site that her boss had the option? Shady, but bold. Who said S never worked hard or put herself out there?

Do you think this officially marks the beginning of a new, romantic chapter between Dan and Serena - and the end of any hope Dan and Blair had of a romantic future? Or do more twists lie ahead?

What is Diana hiding?! Honestly, I was starting to get bored with Diana until her last-second shadiness with Bart Bass’ files, but now the stakes are higher again. Who is she and what does she know?

For a woman who relentlessly hunts down scandals, she sure looked like she wanted to hide one at the end. Ms. Payne clearly knows more than she’s letting on about Bart … possibly Chuck, who knows.

That I did not see coming. She blackmailed Ivy into getting her some UES gossip, which Ivy in turned manipulated Nate to get, but which Diana led to her believe was useless, only it apparently wasn’t.

What did she set fire to, and what is her endgame in all of this? If she’s motivated by something other than taking down Gossip Girl and making the Spectator a force … that would make more sense.

It’s been hard to buy Diana’s storyline, but perhaps that’s because there’s more to it than we know. Does anyone get the feeling that when this hits the fan, whatever it may be, it’s going to be epic?

That’s all for now. Hit the comments and tell us what you thought of tonight and what you think/hope will happen next! Then come back tomorrow for news, promos and our Round Table! And vote .

Read more: http://www.tvfanatic.com/2011/10/gossip-girl-review-the-fasting-and-the-furious/#ixzz1bpnnoVCk

Gossip Girl has strayed far from the books that spawned the series in four-plus seasons, but this week’s episode served as an homage of sorts to the Upper East Side novels that started it all.

“Memoirs of an Invisible Dan” may be the best episode title to date. The play on words is great, but it’s also appropriate. Thanks to his memoir, Lonely Boy is … well, a really Lonely Boy now.

Save for the reenacted Dan-Blair scene from Inside, which threw gasoline on the fire of Dair soulmate talk, the episode didn’t feature any OMG moments, scandals or surprising plot twists.

It was, however, one of the more emotionally heavy and introspective installments to date.

It remains to be seen how Inside shifts the Gossip Girl Season Five narrative, but it may have forever altered the Upper East Siders’ opinions of the author, and perspectives of themselves.

Dan’s novel certainly hit close to home for his friends (if we can call them that now) and directly affected his relationships with everyone else on the show. The episode felt slow at times, but it was told in a thoughtful, convincing manner. The characters reacted honestly and at times harshly to Humphrey’s work, artistic license be damned.

Let’s break down how Dan portrayed/slandered each and where they’re headed now:

Blair. The good news for Dair fans is that he wrote that they had sex, and that they definitely kissed on screen tonight. The bad news? That kiss, and almost certainly the sex, did not occur.

From his actions this season and last, I think we all knew Dan wishes he could have gone there with Blair and probably would this minute if given the chance. But it was not and is not to be.

Of all the characters, the book had the most direct impact on Blair, who was convinced it was more or less factual and that she did not have to read it as a result … until Louis beat her to it.

Her royal fiancee believed it was true, and why wouldn’t he, given how Blair told him it was, and Dan had him kill the Vanity Fair excerpt. But he came around, thanks to a little help from …

Chuck. For most of the night, he was the only one unfazed by the book. The return of Charlie Trout was far less of a big deal to him any anyone else, and unlike Blair, he’d actually read it.

But then he stopped to think about it.

You see, Charlie Trout offs himself in Inside. While Chuck tried not to care, he couldn’t help but ponder his place in the world and why Dan penned such a sad ending for his bad boy alter ego.

He didn’t blame Dan as much as he questioned his own self-worth - it was both fascinating and depressing to see Chuck so vulnerable. It was this soul-searching that led him to reunite Blair and Louis - the second time he’s brought their relationship back from the precipice. But is Blair really gone to him for good?

Somehow I doubt it. Especially after their scene on the street.

Nate. Poor Nate. So handsome. So maligned. So irrelevant that he and Eric were merged into one character, Derek. Not unlike the show itself in a way. It’s like art imitating life … that is also art.

Fortunately, he’s got his job to focus on now … and will likely be even more easily manipulated by Diana given his disillusionment with ex-friend Dan. This could turn out very badly for both.

Rufus. Almost as an afterthought, we learned in one of the more surprising exchanges of the night that Dan sold out his own dad, calling him a washed up singer turned trophy husband.

Wow, D. That’s just cold. How do you even bounce back from that?

Serena. If anything felt out of place tonight, it was the fact that the actions of Serena’s fictional character, Sabrina, caused Daniel Day-Lewis to back out of a role he’d agreed to with S’ boss.

Come on, writers. It had been like one day, first of all, and for us to believe that DDL’s manager would read, care about and punish real-life Serena for this work of fiction is just ridiculous.

That said, the confrontation between Serena and Dan told us a lot about each. She felt wronged by his portrayal of her; His defense about being the truly pathetic character didn’t satisfy her.

Did Dan offer a one-dimensional caricature of Serena that made her look particularly flaky? Yes. Is she entitled to be a little upset? Yes. Did he basically call it like it happened? Definitely.

Dan calling her out for thinking everything is about her when he had just ruined Blair’s engagement was a telling line. The book may not be entirely non-fiction, but it’s rooted in truth.

The truth hurts, and is likely to become even more painful for S now that she’s tasked with acquiring the movie rights to Inside. Maybe she should start by shipping him a crate of champagne.

Side note: Dan may have no friends left, but his wallet is certainly benefiting from early reviews and sales … so much so that he can probably afford his own UES residence before long!

The only side plot was that of Ivy’s phone. After Charlie learned it was in Nate’s hands and hatched a poorly-acted plot to swipe it back, Diana busted her and has now enlisted her services.

For what, we shall see, but thanks to Diana, Ivy now has fresh motivation to stick around, masquerade as someone else and probably make out with Nate more. Which is … good I guess?

Diana’s endgame is still a mystery. The big potential scandal still out there is B’s pregnancy and the envelope she hasn’t thrown out. With her claws in Ivy, will she get her hands on that dirt?

Overall, what the episode lacked in excitement, it made up for with emotion, “meta” references, long overdue interactions between characters, and setting up bigger things to come.

That’s all for now, but “Memoirs of an Invisible Dan” should give you plenty discuss with TV Fanatic as you hit the comments! Come back tomorrow for news, promos and our Round Table!

Gossip Girl has been all about Blair Waldorf this fall. Sure, there are some other developments, but B’s pregnancy and all her resulting quotes and facial expressions have been the defining story.

Tonight’s episode, “The Jewel of Denial,” was no exception. Although the episode had other intriguing and funny aspects, everything else seemed less relevant as the anticipation slowly built around that pesky envelope. Finally, thanks to the inaugural Chair scene of the season, we finally learned the identity of her baby’s father.

Or did we?

When Blair revealed to Chuck and Monkey that she was pregnant with Louis’ baby, the tension was so thick and the heartbreak so evident, I believed her too. But a couple of scenes soon gave her away.

That glance at the envelope didn’t look like something one with closure would give. Did she even open it? If she had, she’d have just tossed it after, right? Or does she actually, secretly know it’s Chuck’s?

“Part of me really hoped it was yours.” Blair wants to be with Chuck but feels she can’t. The surprise pregnancy combined with the fairy tale convinced her of this, and with this lie, she tried to let him go.

By doing so, she can embrace her new life, for better or worse. Lying may not be right (you could see it hurt her), but it is as good a solution - in her mind - as she can find for an impossible situation.

That’s my theory. It could be wrong, and there are still several directions the show could go with this as the season progresses. Only time will tell, but three things are undeniably clear right now:

1. Chuck, as evidenced by his awkward o-face/heart attack/emotional breakdown at the end, can feel again. His four-legged friend may have twisted the proverbial cap, but Blair’s bombshell opened the bottle. The question, obviously, is what he does now, and when and if Blair’s “situation” changes.
2. Dan’s bond with Blair grows stronger weekly, romantically or otherwise.
3. Leighton Meester is carrying the show this season.

I love Leighton and the way she conveys a wide range of emotions with such authenticity. I’m genuinely wondering what happens with Blair every scene, no small feat with storylines that stretch belief.

[Don’t get me started on the practical impossibilities of having a paternity test done on an eight-week-old fetus without the potential father’s involvement, or the publishing plot … or Charlie, in general.]

Dan’s involvement with both Blair and Chuck, independently of the other, was a highlight tonight. We can only hope for more scenes of Duck trading advice, constructive criticism and good-natured insults.

It’s pure gold. As for Dan and Blair, if next week’s promo is to be believed … did they actually have sex, or did he just invent that in the book because he wished they had? If it’s the former, he’s still alive in the poll below! What else did he embellish (besides making you-know-who gay) and what is real?

Will Lonely Body be more lonely after Inside’s release than he was in Season One?

Crazily enough, I actually liked Noah conning Dan into stepping forward and claim authorship. Come what may, that Muppet needed to man up and reap what he sowed … be it acclaim, abuse, or both.

The rest of the episode, sponsored by Jenny Packham, featured the full-on ridiculous Charlie story taking even more twists, Nate starting work at the Spectator, and Rufus and Lily actually playing a role!

I realize watching Gossip Girl implies a certain suspension of reality, but something about the Ivy/Charlie story just does not click with me. At some point, I keep think she’ll become interesting. Not yet.

Ivy getting paid by Carol to masquerade as Charlie, then wanting to stay in this affluent world … fine. I just don’t care. Thank goodness Nate found Ivy’s phone, which could finally raise the stakes a bit.

Speaking of our favorite intern/boy toy, his hair and sleuthing were both surprisingly slick this evening. The good news is that our boy finally impressed the boss with something other than stamina.

The bad news? It’s legally questionable, to say the least.

At least he made sure Blair and Dan’s phones weren’t among the ones he and Diana combed for gossip, a la Newscorp (great reference by the way), but wow. How far will Diana push him next?

We learned that she will stop at nothing to remake the paper and compete with Gossip Girl, and that Nate may prove invaluable in that endeavor. Invaluable and so easily manipulated.

Will he be forced to go up against his friends? I’m guessing that in future weeks, we’ll see him in a situation where protecting the NJBC isn’t as easy as stashing phones in a separate drawer.

Seeing Nate in a situation of real significance and struggling with a moral quandary, bolstering his career by blurring professional and ethical lines? He may not use words that big, but we’re intrigued!

It was good to see Lily and Rufus too. I missed them. They don’t need to dominate the show, but it’s nice when they’re around … and the first shot of Lily being her ankle monitor was pretty classic.

At some point, Serena is going to step into the forefront again. Chances are her storyline will also involve Ivy/Charlie and Lily in some capacity. Cross your fingers that it’s entertaining.

As for Rufus, he’ll fire up that waffle iron for more than two people if nothing else.

Read more: http://www.tvfanatic.com/2011/10/gossip-girl-review-the-jewel-of-denial/#ixzz1aXnTDgGf