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Episode Recap: "Desperately Seeking Serena"
"If I go down, you go down with me." These shocking words were spoken by reformed bad girl Serena van der Woodsen. But I’ll get back to Serena vs. Georgina in a few moments.
Let’s start with the next round of in the great Blair-Jenny War of '08, which looks like a silly high-school game compared to Serena’s troubles. Silly, but still fun. As the stress of SATs loomed in the air for the juniors, lasagna and flash cards in the Humphrey loft went up against the upperclassmen-only Blair Waldorf SAT Prep and Spa. Really, there was no contest there. Just like in politics, it’s hard to compete without necessary funds. Though Blair easily won that battle, she had an additional foe to deal with tonight: class brain Nelly Yuki, who could jeopardize Blair’s chances of getting into Yale. Blair’s lost none of her edge, easily using Nelly’s ex-boyfriend to get the girl emotionally distraught on the eve of ths SATs (and removing her calculator batteries for extra insurance). Blair’s mean for setting up such a trap, but brainiac Nelly should have been smart enough to catch on.
Boyfriend troubles were also plaguing little J. Specifically, the fact that she doesn’t have one. And what’s her main reason for wanting one (a rich one, per her list of qualifications)? To increase her social standing of course. As she explained to Elise, "If I want to make it to queen, I’m going to need a king." (So for those wondering if Jenny had acquired Blair’s throne, clearly she has not – she simply officially entered the in crowd upon Blair’s dethroning.) To even hope to make it to queen as a freshman is quite a lofty ambition. But as we know, this girl is nothing if not bold. Though she does have a problem with timing: It’s not a good idea to ask Daddy for permission to do something new, like date, while you’re grounded. And props to Rufus for playing hardball and not taking any of Jenny’s crap. Making her call and cancel her date with Asher showed her he wasn’t relenting. Although adorable Asher (Broadway’s Jesse Swenson) is quite the smooth talker, and his your-dad’s-right approach, coupled with bringing the date to the loft resulted in Rufus easing up a little (well, the huge supply of free hot dogs helped a little too).
Jenny and Asher were not the night’s only new couple. Vanessa and Nate made quite an unlikely pair – and quite a steamy connection in the doorway of the diner where she works! So what do you all think of this new twosome? I can’t say I’ve ever pictured them together, but that didn’t stop me from liking them as a couple. It’s like a twist on Dan and Serena’s relationship. Here we have a rich guy and a poor girl, but Vanessa is even less impressed by wealth than Dan is, if that’s possible. And she’s not into being a charity case: She was appalled that Dan graciously accepted Nate’s used SAT prep books. (As for Dan’s standards, accepting an expensive watch from Serena at Christmas is too much, but free books are just fine for him.) However, Vanessa was definitely taken in by Nate’s charms, and it was good to see her finally melt a little and let him help her by giving her a push to take the SATs last-minute (don’t you have to register for those quite awhile in advance? But I’ll let this go, as it worked well for the story). And these opposites do have some similarities: They both want different things for themselves than what their parents want, and...they both have pretty eyes. Of course, actually seeing them together proved quite a shock for both Dan and Blair, neither of whom looked too pleased (especially Blair).
Serena saw none of this, as she wasn’t at Hunter taking the SATs. Instead, a replacement was taking the test for her, sent courtesy of Chuck (Side note: Tonight Chuck was sporting an array brightly-colored raincoats. As was Blair. I’m just saying, they matched. I’m a Blair-Chuck fan, I look for connections wherever I can find them, even when they’re not speaking to one another.) Anyway, Chuck’s heart was in the right place helping Serena, but his cheating scams make him such an idiot sometimes. Meanwhile, Serena was busy trying to piece together where she was and what she was doing after her second night of reluctantly partying with her old pal Georgina Sparks (a well-cast Michelle Trachtenberg, after much news was made surrounding the casting of this role). From the sound of things, Serena and Georgina made quite a wild pair back in the day. And then something bad happened and they agreed to go their separate ways and never speak of it again. Georgie was supposedly in Switzerland, dating a prince, but suddenly she was back in New York, insisting that Serena hang out with her again.
And that’s when the lying started. Apparently everyone who knows G can’t stand her, including Lily, Blair and Chuck, so Serena doesn’t want Dan to know that Georgina even exists. After B and G’s first reunion ended abruptly with a call from G’s drug dealer, a drunk Serena got Chuck to lie to Dan for her, and this is how "the killer food poisoning migraine" story came about. (The way Serena is depending on Chuck for help in their developing sibling bond is kind of sweet.) But the reformed Serena is a very forgiving person who wants to see the possible good in everyone, and this could lead to her downfall. It certainly makes her a little naive, to the point where she totally bought into Georgina’s "maybe if you can change I can change too" ploy. This then led to the second night of partying, the missed SAT fiasco and the cryptic talk about "that night" over a year ago in which Serena and Georgina were involved in something that sounds very shady. Something that Serena doesn't want to talk about.
So actually, I guess the lying started way back then, over a year again. Georgina said, "You were there too, Serena, it was just as much you if not more...," and that it wasn’t like Serena was "just an innocent bystander who walked in on..." Holy crap, what the hell happened?! Huge mistakes, fault, bystander...are we talking about something as big as an actual crime? Like an accidental murder or something? (I know, I’m jumping to worst-case scenario here, but I’ve seen lots of soaps so I tend to do that.) We know that both Serena and Georgina used to like to party hard and take on fake personas to pick up guys. Serena blacking out and having no recollection of things that happened the night before is not a new occurrence according to Georgina, and Georgina admitted that she herself is known for getting "out of control." Whatever happened, apparently it’s something that Serena fears will change the way Dan looks at her, hence the great lengths she’s gone to in order to hide Georgina from him. But that by no means stopped Georgina, who in the last scene "accidentally bumped into" Dan and introduced herself as Sarah. All part of some elaborate trick to get to Serena, I’m sure. But what I'm still wondering is the same thing that was on Chuck's mind when he asked Serena, "What’s Georgina got on you?....What’s so bad you can’t even tell me?" Whatever it is, is has to be big. Really big.
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Apr 28, 2008 10:59 PM
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OMFG I CANT BELIEVE HOW ADDICTED I AM TO THIS SHOW
IT JUST AMAZING
I LOVE BLAIR SHE IS THE BEST AT BEING A BITCH
JENNY IM SORRY GIRL UR SUCH A WANNABE AND U DONT DESERVE A GOOD GUY,IM GLAD THAT RUFUS IS NOT LETTING EVERYTHING GO
I KNOW I SHOULDNT SAY THIS BUT I DO LIKE GEORGINA I MEAN I LOVE BITCHES,SHE IS SO GOOD AT BEING BAD
POOR SERENA I HOPE DAN AND SHE ARE OK
IM SO HAPPY TO KNOW THAT CHUCK AND SERENA ARE BONDING
POOR DAN HE DOESNT KNOW WHAT HE IS DOING WITH SARAH I MEAN GEORGINA
ITS JUST GETTING BETTER AND BETTER
AND ERIC COMING OUT OF THE CLOSET,GREAT
I CANT WAIT FOR NEXT WEEK
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Apr 28, 2008 11:31 PM
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This all I gotta say...when did Gossip Girl turn into the SERENA, DAN AND GEORGINA SHOW?
Are the writers seriously stupid??? Where the frak is the HOTTEST couple on the show...BLAIR AND CHUCK!!!
Every episode without blair/chuck scenes making me less and less and less excited about the next episode! I don't konw how much more lack of CB I can take...
Blair and Chuck brought SO MANY new fans to Gossip Girl...and you konw what teh writers don't give a FRAK..What made me super mad was the B/C hug spoiler photo that CW obviously leaked on purpose...where the FRAK was that scene??
I'm sorry, but there seriously wrong when the HOTTEST scene of the episode was a BLAIR AND CHUCK STARE!!!!
I'll probably calm down later...but in the entire episode. all I was waiting for was for some Chuck/Blair interaction. Is that too much to ask? They don't have to get together...but I miss the frinedship. Serena/Chuck as friends cool but they are NOTHING compared to Blair/Chuck friendship!
When CW PURPOSELY leaked a CB pic to make all the fans excited and you wait the ENTIRE episode for some CB interaction...you tend to be dissapointed by the episode.
Another great episode of GG, but the lack of CB really put a damper in my excitement for the episode.
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Apr 29, 2008 12:21 AM
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Blair had the most pointless plot in this episode. It was too mean, even for her to sabotage that girl like that. It didn't even make since. Schools like Yale take tons of kids from fancy private schools. I was much more interested in the Serena/Dan/Chuck/Georgina show. And the Nate/Vanessa show. I know a lot of fans love Blair, but her incessant bitchiness wears thin when it's not against someone who deserves it like Jenny.
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Apr 29, 2008 12:54 AM
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I agree with the above poster, Blair's plan for Nelly Yuki was too mean. In the past, her bitchiness has always had a reason or cause. Serena had randomly ditched her, she found out her best friend and boyfriend cheated on her, her father was moving, and even when she was mean to Jenny, it stemmed from her pregnancy scare. But last night she was just mean to an innocent bystander.
I liked Nate and Vanessa.
I felt really bad for Rufus tonight. The poor guy has had a rough year. His wife left him, cheated on him, and then they officially seperated. He lost his second chance with Lily, his great love. And now his daughter is becoming not a nice person, forcing him to go from laid back dad to heavy disciplinarian.
I'm not so sure I'm into this Georgiana storyline. It made perfect sense that Serena left town because she was ashamed of her drunken hook up with her super-close best friend's boyfriend. And that she returned for Eric. More layers seem like they'll just muddy up the story.
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Apr 29, 2008 9:10 AM
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The preview for next week really makes it seem like the event from last year is a crazy threesome that was caught on tape. And that will totally make Dan think differently of Serena. I like the Vanessa/Nate pairing. But I agree with everyone else, the Nelly Yuki thing was a bit much. I think it was just to give Blair something to do outside of make Jenny's life miserable. It also made us see that she's completely going against Serena's advice to be nicer to people. Chuck is awesome. I love how he just keeps calling Serena SIS. Can't wait for next week. I wish this show could be on every night.
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Apr 29, 2008 9:38 AM
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I didn't think Blair's behavior was too mean or out of character. Just like Jenny wanted a boyfriend to boost her standing with the in-crowd, Blair wanted to eliminate Nelly Yuki as SAT competition. I saw it as Blair's way of offering the girls something they couldn't get on their own, her way of working back into the group. Plus, Ivy League schools are extremely competitive now, and diversity is a big concern for them. Yale really wouldn't be likely to admit more then 1 student from a school as small as theirs. I think they brought this point up earlier in the series (weren't Dan and Nate both trying to get into Brown at one point?).
Anyway, I liked the episode. I can't wait to find out what Serena and Georgina did. Sounds juicy!
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Apr 29, 2008 9:41 AM
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I'm going to trust the writers... even when this show is bad its good, so I'm just going to enjoy the ride. And I kinda like Chuck and Blair being apart for now, it builds the anticipation. And as far as the Georgina story, I think it could work -- it could've been a combo of things that made Serena finally leave: i.e., whatever she and Georgie did, coupled with her betraying her best friend.
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Apr 29, 2008 9:54 AM
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Nate and Vanessa are SERIOUSLY HOT!!! What an unlikely pair but they were so fun to watch. I thought Nate and Jenny would get together but Vanessa is SO much better for him. I just hope Dan doesn't tell V not to date N... he's not one to talk!
The actress cast as Georgina (can't think of her name right now) did a really great job. I can't believe they were even considering casting Misha Barton in that role!
This show just keeps getting juicier and juicier...
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Apr 29, 2008 10:09 AM
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So, um...maybe I'm in the minority here, but I really didn't like Michelle Trachtenberg as Georgie. I think she's too doe-eyed and innocent looking, no matter how much awful eyeliner they put on her - kind of like how I would feel if someone like Anne Hathaway took the role...simply not able to look very evil or bitchy. Plus, I still see her as "Harriet the Spy"...ha.
I too am thinking it may have been a threesome. That's what it sounds like in the preview when Serena closes her computer...said something like, "Are you sure she's up for something like this?" and Georgie's voice confirming that Serena is pretty much up for anything. Sounds like S got really way super wasted and Georgie kind of coerced her into doing whatever it is. Poor S. First the girl drugs her drink and now this? Jeez...
Looking forward to next week! And little J has no sympathy from me...what a brat.
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Apr 29, 2008 11:06 AM
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Wow...just wow! Gossip Girl doesn't seem to have lost any of its spark or charm because of the writer's strike.
Last night's epi was amazing. Here are a few of my thoughts:
Michelle Trachtenberg was absolutely fantasticly casted! And she portrayed the sweet on the surface bitch with grace...wow!
Nate and Vanessa...awesome!
I miss seeing Lily-n-Rufus and Chuck-n-Blair!
All in all...one great hour of television.
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Apr 29, 2008 11:08 AM
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This show really does keep getting better and better! I loved the Nate/Vanessa storyline- totally unexpected and it really worked.
I agree though that we need to see some more Blair/Chuck interaction.
Jenny continues to irk me- I just do not like her. Rufus is right to be so hard on her. She made me sick when she got hit on by a cute, seemingly nice guy and was like, ugh he's a dog-walker. What a little snob she is becoming!
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Apr 29, 2008 11:15 AM
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Well, we know someone is coming out. I think Serena and Georgina had some sort of sexual hook up, either just the two of them or a threesome or something...
I think that Georgina is gay, and Serena got really drunk/stoned/high whatev, and things got....kinky....
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Apr 29, 2008 12:04 PM
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Great episode. I like Nate & Vanessa together. Poor Jenny is so desperate its humorous. Damn G certainly got something huge on S. When she drugged her drink I was like no....poor S is trying to move on from her past but G is dragging her back towards it slowly. And then the end when she just happened to meet Dan..my jaw just dropped. As far as the whole Vanessa just showing up to take the SAT thing, people do it all the time. They miss the deadline * show up with the cash in hand hoping that someone is a no show & that they can weasel their way in. Its not always a guarantee tho...Vanessa just got lucky.
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Apr 29, 2008 12:11 PM
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I lost track of how many times I found myself calling Serena an idiot in this episode. Not to say she should come clean on THE BIG BAD she did, she shouldn't totally have to, but so much of it could've been avoided if she was more honest with people.
Plus she's a terrible liar.
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Apr 29, 2008 1:57 PM
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