Front & Center with GOSSIP GIRL

Just who is the real Serena van der Woodsen?  Is she the reformed bad girl trying to right her past wrongs, or is she secretly the bitch who has just been fooling everyone?  Perhaps a little bit of both?

When we last saw Serena she was starting the scarf trend and blacklisting Dan Humphrey. It seemed the blonde we never really knew was back in full force, much to the dismay of Blair Waldorf.  It seems that Serena has had some tea and calmed her nerves a bit, but she’s building up some pretty high walls and I don’t think she’s going to let a guy like Dan Humphrey get to her like that again any time soon.  She’s ready to take charge once again. But with Serena in a position of power, where does that leave Blair?

Let’s face it, upon Serena’s reemergence in the social order Blair has reverted back to 7th grade and hasn’t really come back since.  I don’t know about you but I’m not a fan of defeated and desperate Blair.  I like Blair to be bitch of the ball, not a big baby.  But that’s who we saw last night when Serena and her new socialite friend, Poppy Lifton,  started making the rounds.  Blair threw a tempertantrum worthy of my six year old niece.  And when S and Poppy get moved to the front row at Eleanor’s fashion week show, Blair comes completely off the hinges.

I think what bothered me most about Blair’s scheming was that it wasn’t in the least inventive.  A moved seat, some rescheduled models?  Come on Blair, you can do better than that.

Serena declared that she’s tired of holding back for the sake of Blair – in other words – game on, bitch!  But does Serena really want everything that comes with her social status?  She is a girl who clearly has an issue with self control and I think walking down this path, even in the trendiest of stilettos, is only going to lead to trouble.

In a somewhat strange and surprisingly boring subplot, Dan enlists Chuck to help take a walk on his own version of the wild side.  Dan’s writing is declared too safe by his mentor and he reaches out to Chuck in an attempt to live a life beyond his own.  There’s booze in shady bars, a few illegal drugs (oh come on Dan – you know better than that) and Dan think he’s getting a glimpse into Chuck Bass.  But when it was revealed to be a rouse, it’s Dan left walking the streets of NYC shoeless in the rain.  But Dan isn’t ready to give up.  He reaches out to Chuck once again, and is rebuffed…once again.  But when Chuck goes too far and mistakenly calls a woman a hooker, it’s Dan’s fist that comes in to take care of business.  Chuck likes what he sees and when the two boys are arrested, Chuck has a rare moment of vulnerability and confides that he thinks his father hates him because Chuck’s mother died while having him.  Oh the inner workings of Chuck Bass.  The two guys have seeimgly bonded but when Chuck learns that Dan was just using him as fodder for a story, he isn’t pleased.  Uh oh, Humphrey. You thought Serena’s cold shoulder routine was bad, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

I love Chuck Bass.  You know I do.  But I worry that the writers and Ed Westwick are taking him too far.  Let’s remember that as much as he tries to act much older than his years, he’s still a teen.  Let’s pull back a little on the smarminess, ok?

All this going on and yet Little Jenny Humphrey is still slaving away in the fashion biz.  Saving the day and being the hero to Eleanor Waldorf comes at a price.  Jenny once again loses the respect of her father and perhaps her education as well.  Will Jenny really quit high school? Will she get bangs and become a complete rebel?  Oh Little J.

I love me some GOSSIP GIRL.  The antics of Chuck and Blair were a bit of a turn off last night, but I can easily forgive.  A pretty good episode…not great, but you can’t win ’em all.