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Meanwhile, Blair and Marcus are having brunch, and she tells him she wants to meet his family. Marcus doesn't seem that into the idea, which crushes Blair. She rushes outside to call Serena and share this terrible news...

...which gives Chuck the perfect opportunity to saunter into the restaurant and befriend Marcus. He's relentless, and within a few minutes the pair has plans to play squash, much to Blair's dismay. "Squash? I'll squash you," she tells Chuck while ushering him out.

Nate's about to head to the city to see Catherine, but he tells his mom it's to get settled before school starts. One problem. They may not even have that house in the city anymore -- the prosecutor took Nate's dad's departure as an admission of guilt. The Archibalds are in serious financial trouble.

Rufus and Vanessa seem to be hanging out an awful lot for a man and his teenage son's ex-girlfriend/current best friend. They also seem to have more chemistry than Rufus had with either of the women he dated briefly last season (Lily excluded). Nothing really happens, but there's plenty of banter between them -- cute-ish if you like the idea of a Vanufus pairing, icky if you don't.

Marcus makes a call to the duchess... and it's Catherine. Really!? Yeah, we're still not sold on this storyline. Are you? Even though she's supposedly Marcus's stepmom, the two don't look more than ten years apart.

On the way back to the city, Serena and Dan are trying to deny their animal attraction, and it's not working (well, Serena's chocolate-covered strawberry snack and seductive gazes probably don't help matters). They can't even keep their hands off each other on the jitney, and they succumb to their passions. So much for thinking things through! When they come to their senses, though, Dan is the one who's not so into it, leaving Serena more confused than before.

Blair talks Marcus into planning a party so she can meet (and impress, hopefully) his family. Marcus agrees. Now Blair just has to summon up the right kind of guests! And the right kind of guests apparently means Dan Humphrey types. Blair calls Serena and tells her to bring Dan. Awkward, since S and D are sort of on weird terms, but Dan says he'll go. Seems weird that Blair should have to prove herself as worthy to anyone -- she's a Waldorf! And honestly, why is it Marcus who makes her unsure of her social status for the first time? He's just not worth the energy.

Chuck and Marcus hit the squash courts and bond. Marcus confides that no one's ever good enough for the duchess. Iiinteresting. Chuck likes what he hears. But why is Marcus so trusting to a guy that's established himself on Day One as being his chief rival for Blair's heart?

Nate runs into Chuck, still needing to talk, but Chuck is busy selling Victrola, ostensibly to impress Blair. He shoos Nate away. Only later do we find out via Nate's mom that Chuck was actually doing it to save the Archibalds from financial ruin. Nate is furious that his mom would accept Chuck's help without telling him, but she says Chuck wouldn't take no for an answer.

Still desperate to talk to someone about his family's woes, Nate calls Catherine but gets her voicemail. So he confides in Vanessa, who's always there with a listening ear. But mid-convo, Nate gets a call and abruptly ditches Vanessa, who seems a little hurt by his quick departure.

Chuck goes to Catherine, aka the duchess, and arranges to take her to the party. That'll show Blair! He tells Blair he'd like her to meet his friend, and Blair doesn't mince words: "So she can warn me about the effects of too much Botox?" Catherine tells Blair she's the duchess -- you know, the person Blair needs to impress. Ouch. Blair tries to recover from her major faux pas, but it's futile. Catherine tells Blair that "Marcus is never going to end up with a lowly Waldorf."

"She made Waldorf rhyme with Spears!" Blair explodes to Serena a few minutes later. How can she save her good name and win over the duchess now?

Nate confronts Chuck at the party. How dare he try to save the Archibalds behind Nate's back! We think Nate could have been a tad more grateful, but he's too mad to be rational. Nate tells Chuck he'll handle the precarious Archibald financial situation, and he storms off.

Catherine lures Nate into the library with a text message. He finally tells her what's going on with his family, and Catherine thinks she can help him with his money troubles. But first, it's time for a little library lovin'...

...which Blair conveniently walks in on. She's shocked and appalled: "Oh my effing god!" Nate quickly excuses himself, but Blair wants a minute with Catherine. She effectively blackmails Catherine into accepting her as Marcus's girlfriend -- or else the world will know Catherine's hooking up with a teenager. Catherine has no choice, so she reluctantly endorses Blair to Marcus. He's thrilled (and also kind of dense, if he has no concerns about why she accepted Blair so quickly).

Dan and Serena make out... again. Nate sees them and wonders if they're a couple now. Who knows? All they do know is that they can't keep their hands off each other.

Blair and Chuck confront each other after the party. She tells him his plan to ruin her failed -- she's won. He has to admit that she can scheme with the best of them, and the pair wishes each other good night with far more chemistry than any Blair/Marcus scene could hope for.

Later, Rufus is thrilled to have Jenny and Dan back at home. The Humphreys bond and banter over dinner.

Back in Manhattan, Nate is in a car with Catherine, and she hands him an envelope that's likely to be the cure for his money troubles. But what a cost! Nate looks dejected as he realizes what he's gotten himself into, but it's too late -- Catherine has tightened her grip on him. The car drives off.

So what did you think of the episode? Did you like the Marcus/Catherine connection? How about Nate's decision to take money from Catherine instead of Chuck? Will Dan and Serena ever actually talk about their issues? Let us know what you think in the comments!