Devastated by the recent plot twist in her life, Blair (Leighton Meester) turns her back on her predictable Waldorf existence in favor of a wild, unpredictable lifestyle, causing Serena (Blake Lively) and Chuck (Ed Westwick) to have serious concerns about their friend.
Vanessa (Jessica Szohr) convinces Nate (Chace Crawford) that it may be time to forgive and forget when it comes to his mother's Kennedyesque family, The Vanderbilts, who abandoned Nate and his mother when they needed them most.
In a misguided effort to be completely honest with each other, Lily (Kelly Rutherford) and Rufus (Matthew Settle) agree to share lists of their past lovers.
Sneak Previews:
Meta-Clip One: Vanessa Shows Some Self-Awareness
Yes, Vanessa, you are annoying. Too bad you think you’re joking.
How I imagine Blake Lively’s notes on this part of her script: “So I’m a TV actress playing a theater actress acting like she knows about movies? Ouch! My brain hurts.”
Meta-Clip Three: Leighton’s Two Loves
“Welcome home,” indeed, Carter Baizen (Sebastian Stan). Who’s more delicious in this scene—Leighton Meester’s on- or off-screen lover?
Spoilers:
EW's Michael Ausiello:
Q: Got any Gossip Girl / Jenny Humphrey scoop?
A: According to exec producer Stephanie Savage, Dan's sis "has a big Blair, Mean Girls story for the end of the season that also ties in with the Rufus-Lily story. And you will see that a new course
has been charted for Jenny Humphrey in the fall."
Q: Do we know anything about Gossip Girl's prom episode?
A: Only that No Doubt will be performing, just not in this decade and not as No Doubt. "No Doubt is going to be playing in our '80s flashback / [spin-off] episode," reveals Stephanie Savage. "They're playing an up-and-coming '80s band."
Zap2It's Korbi:
Q: You said that Nate and Blair would be a blip in the Gossip Girl time line, but now I hear that Nate is gonna ask Blair to move in with him. No hope for Chuck and Blair this season? Please, answer me, I really would like to know. I feel like giving up Gossip Girl.
A: Don't give up, woman. There is always hope for Chuck and Blair. Always. The writers fully understand that C.B. and Blair belong together, but they can't just couple them up and be done with it. You'd get bored, don't you think? Instead, they have to throw roadblocks like Nate Archibald, Carter Baizen (played by Leighton Meester's real life boyfriend) and that Gentleman's Club chick in the way. Yes, not only will Blair and Nate be a thing, but Blair will give it up to Carter even before that, and Chuck will fall for the shady lady he was stalking last we saw him. The good news is, there are a few quality Chuck-Blair scenes on tap for the March 23rd episode. Chuck's affection for Ms. Waldorf will rise to the surface once again. It's just too little too late for the time being.
Q: If Blair and Nate are going to be together, what happens to him and Vanessa? I like them together.
A: Me too. And they will be together when we jump back into the Gossip world next Monday. Actually, they'll be together the following week too. But issues between them will begin to flare up, and ultimately, it seems their lack of common interests and disparate backgrounds will be the death of them.
Q: What's up with Dan and the teacher on Gossip Girl? Will they get caught?
A: Affirmative. Rufus finds out what's going on and he's not happy. However, Rachel has a dark side that we haven't yet seen. Seems she has more in common with Blair than we were led to believe.
TV Guide's Mickey O’Connor:
Q: Please tell me the student-teacher sex storyline on Gossip Girl will be short-lived. Talk about cliché!
A: While "hot for teacher" isn't exactly breaking new narrative ground to begin with, here's my thing: Rachel isn't even that hot, and neither is the chemistry she shares with Dan Ho-Humphrey. So I'm with you, they should put this story to bed, so to speak, as soon as possible. And it looks like they're going to - in a very surprising way. The bad news: Chuck Bass' hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold from the Eyes Wide Shut party turns up again like a bad penny. Emphasis on bad. And pennies.
E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos:
Q: Please, I need some Gossip Girl scoop on Blair and Chuck! And good news, too. I'm tired of the bad news.
A: I can offer you a little good news about Chuck and Blair on Gossip Girl, but unfortunately it's just a setup for the bad news. Nate notices that Chuck and Blair have a major bond (yay!), but that leads him to respond/retaliate by asking Blair to move in with him (boo!). However, there will be some upcoming Chair scenes for you kiddos, because Mr. and Mrs. Marvelous join forces to investigate Serena's new man, whom they both don't much like. At least it's something.
Q: What's up with Season Three of Gossip Girl? Do we know anything yet?
A: I know that Blair gets into NYU and Nate gets into Columbia.
Q: Anything coming up with the Elle-Chuck storyline on Gossip Girl?
A: According to Kate French (Elle), "Elle kind of steals Chuck Bass' heart, and it gets really complicated, and he gets entangled in all of these webs of lies and different storylines that are going on. It's very mysterious." Hopefully Chuck won't be smitten for too long, but then again how can we blame him when Blair's about to go off and hook up with his BFF, Nate?
And, finally, for those truly wanting to be spoiled rotten:
- Sneak a peek at this "arresting" on-set photo.
WHAT CAN ALL OF THIS MEAN?! Sound off below!
Meta-Clip Two: The Role Within A Role Within A…
From the CW's official press release:
The seniors put on a production of the "The Age of Innocence." Sebastian Stan (Kings) returns as Carter Baizen. Monday, March 16. Gossip Girl (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET)
The Constance Billard and St. Jude seniors put on a production of "The Age of Innocence" and find their personal lives mirroring conflicts in the play. Serena (Blake Lively) develops a crush on the play's director, Julian (guest star Harmon Walsh), and enlists Vanessa's (Jessica Szohr) knowledge of theater to help her get the otherwise uninterested guy's attention. Blair (Leighton Meester) receives devastating news about her future that leads her on a witch-hunt for the person responsible. Dan (Penn Badgley) and Rachel (guest star Laura Breckenridge) agree to stay away from each other in the aftermath of being discovered as more than teacher and student, but find it impossible to keep that promise. Chuck (Ed Westwick) enlists help from an unlikely source, his nemesis Carter Baizen (guest star Sebastian Stan). Chace Crawford, Taylor Momsen and Matthew Settle also star. Norman Buckley directed the episode written by Jessica Queller.
Source: The CW
(Image courtesy of The CW)
It's been a long and lonely winter without new Gossip Girl to keep warm the cockles of our wicked hearts--but tonight’s the night! It’s finally back—everyone's favorite fictional snobs, snakes, and celebutantes are back tonight. Let’s refresh what last we saw on the Upper East Side: Dan Hump-rhey and Serena’s ment-whore were hooking up, Chuck was on a hunt to find his mysterious escort dream-girl, and Blair got herself in and out of trouble with Miss Carr, but in the end her acceptance to Yale appeared safe.
Tonight, Gossip Girl welcomes us with some Shakespeare: ‘All the world’s a stage’ on the Upper East Side, she says, and this week it’s quite literal, since the seniors are putting on their (mandatory) class play, “The Age of Innocence”. The sly Chuck Bass (of course) managed to bribe a doctor into diagnosing him with “acute stagefright,” so he’ll be off on his own dramatic adventures tonight.
Blair is playing Lady Oleska, the “stronger, more emotionally complex” female lead (her description), while Serena will grace the stage as “pretty” (but clearly simple-headed) May. Before rehearsal, Blair and Serena chat about Dan and Serena’s new crush on their director Julien. In the background, Dorota sees how she’d look with some curly extensions (Fierce, Dorota!). Blair reminds Serena for us that she should be sick of brooding artists by now, but S is clearly addicted. Then bad news strikes: it seems Nelly Yuki got direct word from the Dean she’s been accepted early to Yale. But only one Constance girl per year gets that spot, and it was Blair. Which means…
Oh yeah, and Penelope is the maid in the play, and she gets caught standing next to Dorota backstage in her matching apron. Hilarious!
Out front, Jenny complains about volunteering to do costumes, and Dan sees Miss Carr walk into the theater. The other teachers gossip like “grown up Mean Girls” (Jenny’s words) as she walks by. We then find out that Vanessa is filming a “documentary” about the production of the play with her camcorder. She explains to Nate how awesome her film is going to be because of the irony and bad acting, and they make out. Blah blah.
Meanwhile, Chuck, who apparently doesn’t go to class anymore ever, walks into a restaurant and sees his father’s friend Mr. Campbell, who apologizes for missing the funeral. He then sees, at a different table, Carter Baizen (Ooh, Sebastian Stan, how I love your wicked ways! Any Stan-fans out there, be sure to catch him on Kings!) is back in town, and who else would be sitting with him, but Elle, the mystery masked woman Chuck thinks he is in love with. Oops, Miss Horrible Actress says, she’s not Elle, she’s Hailey. Chuck’s not buying it (duh), and she excuses herself to the ladies’ room, but actually ducks out the kitchen. Carter explains to Chuck that he’s been in Singapore and picked her up when he landed back in America. As soon as Carter leaves, Campbell gets up and follows.