Gossip Girl: Holiday Letdown?
Did last night's Christmas episode of Gossip Girl feel like a bit of a letdown to anyone else? Okay, it was probably hard to live up to the intense highs and lows of "Hi, Society." And part of it could be attributed to the complete absence of Chuck and Nate -- those boys provide a lot of the drama these days. Hey, we wouldn't have a minded a few scenes of them hanging out in Monaco! The episode felt a little slow for us without them.
Instead, the episode was all about parental relationships -- with a dash of Dan and Serena for good measure. Blair's dad swept back into town with Roman, his French gay lover, which went right to the heart of Blair's abandonment issues. So the little schemer got right to work -- first by tripping Roman at the ice-skating rink (and putting the poor guy on crutches for Christmas) and then by inviting his ex Freddy to show up at her mom's Christmas party. We know we're supposed to love Blair's poor-little-rich-girl routine, but it's a little easier to stomach when it involves her relationships with men. Last night, she just seemed like a brat, and we had trouble sympathizing.
Across the bridge in Brooklyn, Rufus and Allison realized it just wasn't working -- they're both still interested in other people. But will the timing ever work for Rufus and Lily? He came so close to reaching her... too bad Bart Bass was already down on one knee.
Meanwhile, Dan and Serena encountered yet another round of Divisive Class Conflicts when it was time to exchange Christmas gifts. Did you cringe when Dan refused Serena's watch? Yes, it was probably insanely expensive, and it's true that he couldn't reciprocate with a gift that cost even half that much... but that wasn't the point. Dan pulls the whole, "We come from different worlds" routine a little too often for our tastes, and if he keeps it up, we think even the unflappable Serena might get frustrated, too. But the gift exchange had a decent outcome -- Serena (with a LOT of help from Vanessa) gave him snow... (and sex, it seems). Okay, that was a really cute scene!
Speaking of Vanessa, how'd you feel about her last night? A lot of the time, she seems like a really contrived addition to the show, like the writers were thinking, "We can't let Serena and Dan get too happy!" And Dan doesn't help matters -- ever notice how he always hangs out at Vanessa's restaurant? Then when Serena shows up, they're already on Vanessa's turf. Just when we were totally annoyed with Vanessa for getting involved in the prep work for Dan's gift, Blair showed up, put her in her place, and the unthinkable happened -- we felt SORRY for Vanessa. Did you? Or do you think Blair was right to warn Vanessa that she'd always be watching?
The episode-ending holiday montage was sweet in unexpected places. At the Waldorfs', Blair got the sweet, photo-ready holiday she wanted. The Van der Woodsen holiday went a little sour with the Bass surprise proposal. And beneath the tree in Brooklyn, the Humphrey kids tried to pretend everything was okay, even though they knew their parents were splitting up for good. Heartbreaking!
But perhaps the most heartbreaking scene was that of Rufus, outside in the snowstorm without a jacket, spilling his guts to Lily on the phone as she was being proposed to. We adore Rufus -- we just want him to get his way for once!
So what'd you think of the episode? Did you love it, hate it, or somewhere in between? Do you like the way things are going with the parents, or are you itching for more Blair/Chuck/Nate drama? What'd you think of Blair's behavior? Is Vanessa getting to you, or do you like her? Tell us in the comments!
Comments
I think the fact Chuck hasn't told Nate about his little affair with Blair shows he isn't such a pig after all and there is a lot more to him than meets the eye.
As for Vanessa, I'm happy at least Blair sees her true colors but I wonder if Blair will be a good friend to Serena or let her relationship with Dan fall apart. I think Blair is still very upset that Nate and Serena had slept together before and that may have been the real reason behind the affair with Chuck. It may turn out Blair could help Vanessa behind the scenes and on the out front showing Serena shes protecting her ralationship with Dan.
Honestly, I think Blair's character is pretty twisted, come on look at what she did to her father. I don't see anything passing her by.
Posted by: Diane | January 2, 2008 7:23 AM
vanessa should just go back to where she came from. theres no piont on her being here, she "came back", from where ever she was before, and expects dan to still be hooked on her. i hope chuck tells nate what happened between him and blair. but i dont think he will because i think he loves her and he wouldnt want to hurt his freindship with him and nate or between him and blair, even though nothings really there.
Posted by: blair davidson | December 20, 2007 6:57 PM
While I don't think Vanessa is trying to steal Dan, she is just a pointless character right now. It's annoying to see her pop up. Meanwhile, Serena is too happy and Dan is too much of a puppy dog. Chuck is where it's at.
Posted by: chubby | December 20, 2007 4:51 PM