Previously on Gossip Girl: Stuff happened. Seriously, it may just be the extra week off, but I can't remember one detail from the last episode. Its okay though, because none of it was really salient to this week.
Instead, the story featured the whole gang going to New Haven for Yale's perspective weekend - an interesting idea that could have led to some good developments. After becoming used to generally be in charge of everything, it would be interesting to see them getting a taste of being little fish in a massive pond. But this wasn't really that episode (and besides, given how obsessed this show is with these characters, I doubt they'll ever not be the center of the world) nor was it an especially interesting one.
The main action focused on Serena and Blair, who dueled for invitations to the Dean's party, a story that started well. The Blair/Serena conflict is an interesting one to me (as I write every week), but it seems like the show spends so much time telling us that they're at war without actually having them do anything. This week rectified that a little bit, but I think it was just doing too much. I was with it for the first half or so, which played like the college admissions version of The Prestige, with Serena the showwoman versus Blair the uncharismatic intellectual. I'll admit I was pulling for Blair (as always) and it was kinda heartbreaking when she didn't get into the Dean's party. But of course, she had a back up plan and was it a doozy. I think Blair bringing up Serena's having killed a guy last year to the whole party was quite possibly the nastiest thing I've seen the show done (and because I'm a sociopath, it was also one of my favorite moments of the season). What I liked about it was that Blair clearly crossed the line, but in a devious, evil way that was also completely believable and well within what we've seen her do before.
But then things got stupid again. The proceeding catfight out on the porch (the second such fight on Monday night, as fans of How I Met Your Mother remember) was predictable and tired (they've already done that a couple times before). I'm not going to complain about a catfight between Leighton Meester and Blake Lively, but what I will complain about is the rushed, now-we're-friends-again scenes that followed. Really? Blair brought up Serena's darkest secret to a room full of strangers and now everything's okay? Serena sabotaged Blair's lifelong dream and now everything's okay? This should have been a die-is-cast episode for a storyline that was just getting started. Instead, B and S have resolved their issues and are friends again? LAME
What else? Well, the Chuck-Nate bromance was threatened through a bonding experience between Nate and Dan that involved each assuming the others' identity. Nate did it first, to get with a girl without her knowing that he's the spawn of Yale's Most Wanted (the Captain). Despite being a TA for the English department, she seemed amused by Nate's vacant responses to her questions about Marquez and didn't really get wise until the real Dan Humphreys showed up at her door, thanks to his need to get a professor to read his work and write a recommendation. The whole Dan thing seemed pretty outlandish to me (why couldn't he just ask a professor? is that even really how it works at Yale? how much clout does English girl have in the department?) but whatever. And I'd like to say that I don't find it believable that she'd go with the boring nothing guy over the nice guy with common interests, but alas I find that all too believable.
In other news, Chuck acted like a douche for an hour, but his hilarious victory over Skull and Bones made it worth it (and I like that Dan is getting more story-time with Nate and Chuck). Meanwhile, Rufus continued his campaign for father of the year by letting Jenny drop out of school and pursue her fashion career. I think I may have misinterpreted this storyline as being about how hard a time Jenny was having at school, but instead it looks like it was just a vehicle to get her into fashion full-time. So now we have lots more made-for-TV-Devil-Wears-Prada action to look forward to. Yippy. And Lily earned herself a new nickname: Serena's Unidentified Friend (heretofore known as SUF).
I wouldn't call this episode an epic fail as much as a missed opportunity. It seems like there's so much more that could be done with a college visit (or for that matter, any of the storylines happening tonight), but we're consistently getting the least interesting outcomes out of each storyline (a problem this show is not unfamiliar with). If we're going to make this show about people who have Yale as a safety school, then let's go all the way with this. Unfortunately, each week makes me less and less convinced that this show can keep up the crazed, accidental levels of genius it was hitting in season one.
C
P.S. Does anyone think that picture is going to net us a few extra hits this week?
Edited to Add:
Apparently Dan and Serena are Obama supporters. Forget about Bill Ayers, this is the connection the McCain campaign should be running with:
No comments:
Post a Comment