Finally, an episode of “Gossip Girl” that actually made sense. Well, as much sense as you can find in college students going to an auction just for kicks. But boy, was this episode oodles of fun and then some.
The episode starts out with poor Blair walking in on Dan and that she-demon, Georgina, getting their freak on. Ugh, really, Dan? That girl is about ten different shades of crazy, which really comes out later in the episode. This union is so disgusting that Blair attempts to flee into the arms of Chuck, only to be given a rain check because he has to work on a business deal. Blair quickly finds a distraction, however, when she discovers an invitation for a secret society. Am I the only one who noticed that the hand-writing on an invitation for a supposedly all-exclusive, fabulous secret society looks like that of a middle-schooler?
Meanwhile, Serena was actually somewhat relevant this episode. She proved to be amazingly chill about Dan pulling a “friends with benefits” deal with her arch-nemesis, even giving him advice to clarify his view on the relationship with Georgina. I guess when you’re dating the newly reformed, irresistibly suave Carter Baizen, life is a beach. Oh, but wait! Who is Aubrey? And why did she slap Carter? Although Carter professes to be different now (meaning no longer scheming and slimy), Serena still has doubts, which are confirmed when she finds out he cannot afford to pay for an over-the-top stay at a swanky hotel. Sigh, just when he was growing on me, too.
Vanessa temporarily removed herself as the thorn in my side for this episode. I actually — gasp! — sympathized with her when she was dealing with the mystery of Scott. I feared for Vanessa as Scott got increasingly creepy, and felt for her when he finally revealed that he is Rufus and Lily’s son, then told her to keep the secret. For once, Vanessa is human this episode instead of the pest she usually is.
Although it seems like there are still a million different storylines going on, everything somehow ties together at a major auction event. Personally, my idea of hanging out involves getting a cup of coffee or going to The Cheese Shop, but if I could afford to drop Benjamins on couture dresses and bid on expensive art, I’d go for it. Miraculously, everyone shows up at the auction event, looking damn good to boot. Nate and Bree (who are MIA for most of the episode) finally debut their relationship for the paparazzi. Dan and Georgina make an appearance, but only to track down Scott, who they think is a stalker. Serena goes… well, I’m not really sure why she came, but I love her dress! Blair steals Chuck’s shoes (brilliant!) and tries to beat him to the auction to buy a photograph that will help her get into the secret society. The twist is that Chuck needs the photograph to close a business deal, and a hilarious struggle ensues during the auction.
The more I write about this, the more I realize just how freaking awesome this episode was — so freaking awesome, in fact, that there are simply too many things to mention. Thus, I’m just going to name a few of the “OMG” moments:
* Serena gives She-Demon (and to think, I was going to start calling her by her name again) a very stern scolding which basically translated to “back off, bitch,” after recognizing her handwriting on Blair’s secret society invitation. Ha! I knew something was off about it. +5 cool points to Serena for defending her BFFL.
* She-Demon removes the desktop wallpaper that looks like she Photoshopped herself into Dan’s arms after he ends things off with her.
* After Carter and Serena sort things out, he gives a rare smile. I think my heart smiled, too.
* Scott is unable to tell Papa Humphrey about his true identity, and returns to Boston. Little does he know that She-Demon is about to take a train after him, seemingly hell-bent on her latest plan of revenge.
* Blair surrenders the photo from the auction to Chuck, who later buys a hotel after gaining confidence _because Blair believes in him_. This moment made me shamelessly giddy.
Next week: It’s a bird… It’s a plane… It’s Tyra Banks! _And_ Hilary Duff, both in the same episode.