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Gossip Girl Rundown: Episode 1, "Summer, Kind of Wonderful"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 07:00:00 -0700

Welcome back, Gossip Girl fans! If you weren't still basking in your Labor Day vacation last night, then you too watched the awesome and mostly hilarious premiere episode of season two like I did. True to form, the writers of Gossip Girl packed in a whole lot of plot, and the back-and-forths were at times mind-boggling. After covering the slow, deliberate Mad Men line delivery, it was a jolt to the system to hear these kids talk a mile a minute.

I would do a bit of season one recapping here, but the first three minutes of last night's episode were pretty darn comprehensive, so let's skip it and get to the good stuff. Blair's new man! Nate's Summer fling with a married lady! Dan's writer's block (try not to laugh) and new nickname courtesy of Gossip Girl herself! Jenny's internship and inexplicably awful Devil Wears Prada boss! Chuck's Chuckness! Ready, set,

Gossip Girl Rundown: Episode 18, "Much 'I Do' About Nothing"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 20 May 2008 11:28:01 -0700

I'm a little sad to report that I'm feeling underwhelmed by last night's season finale of Gossip Girl. I've been trying to get my head around what exactly seemed "off" last night because we were definitely treated to some great one-liners, a lot of good Chuck moments, and we even witnessed Dan scheming alongside Blair. On the surface, last night was everything we could have asked for from Gossip Girl, so why did it fall flat?

I think they actually gave us too much, too fast and didn't leave us with much of a finale cliffhanger. Regardless of how anti-climactic many of the scenes felt, there was still a lot that went down and so we must discuss. You can take Geek's quiz here, and for the rest of my thoughts,

Gossip Girl Rundown: Episode 17, "Woman on the Verge"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 May 2008 12:30:47 -0700

After last week's stunning revelation that Serena killed someone, I had a feeling last night's Gossip Girl was going to be heavy on the drama and light on the one-liners. The best part about last night? The four friends — Nate, Chuck, Blair, and Serena — together facing all the challenges that come with an Upper East Side address and a lot of money. Also, I needed a Jenny break after her social rise and dramatic falls. Hopefully she'll return refreshed and with a little perspective.

A lot went down last night, in real time and in flashbacks to that night when Nate and Serena slept together and Serena ran off to boarding school without saying goodbye to Blair. You can take Geek's quiz here, and then read on:

I guessed Georgina was mostly driven by craziness, and the opening scene proved me right. That montage of evil G obsessively calling Serena gave me the willies.
Apparently right after Serena told Blair she killed someone, Blair excused herself to grab some Valium to help calm her friend (naturally), and when she returned Serena had left to party again. It's a pattern that's starting to annoy me: Serena spills major secret, goes on crazy bender that involves no less than three dudes at a bar.

To see more musings, including on how Lonelyboy's handling all this,

Gossip Girl Rundown: Episode 16, "All About My Brother"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 06 May 2008 11:28:45 -0700

Whoa. Gossip Girl is officially getting good — partly due to Georgina, who I'm starting to believe has little motive for torturing Serena and is more driven by mental instability and pure evil. We know, based on last week's episode, that whatever secret Serena is carrying will bring Georgie down too. So why would Georgina mess with her own future? And why push Serena that far? She must expect that Serena's too wimpy to call her bluff. But it wasn't just that mystery that fueled the episode — there were secret bombs going off all over the place. Here are the rest of my thoughts:

The struggle for Queen Bee between Blair and Little J taking over the Gossip Girl blog was kind of blowing my mind. The rumors were flying every which way; then it involved Asher; then there was a nod to the real-life rumors that Eric was the anonymous GG. Even Dan was sending in tips!
Blair was on fire last night! I loved seeing the many faces of B jammed into one episode: wicked, ruthless, and protective of her friends. I'm so glad she finally went in for the kill. Jenny took a long, hard fall, but it was about time she got back to her Humphrey roots.

To see what I had to say about Eric's big moment and that horrid boyfriend of Jenny's,

Gossip Girl Rundown: Episode 15, "Desperately Seeking Serena"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:36:59 -0700

Last night's episode of Gossip Girl hit pause on the Blair vs. Little J storyline and made way for Georgina Sparks. Woohoo! She started out harmless enough (even a little needy), and it seemed like Serena was just making bad choices that had little to do with the arrival of her old friend. However, considering the packages full of porn and handcuffs Georgina sent last week — and the fact that she looks like Michelle Trachtenberg, whose appearance in anything is practically a synonym for "seriously b*tchy" — I was fairly certain things were going to get diabolical fast.

Don't forget to take Geek's tech quiz and then take a look at some of my thoughts on all that went down last night:

First off: Jenny's tantrums are getting on my last nerve. Plus, all that talk of needing a king and not a jester is just tacky. And not to be too negative about Little J, but the dog walker, Asher Hornsby, was kind of dopey, no? Or did anyone think he was cute?
I love scheming Blair! She's so resourceful (and evil) when she needs to be, and her target last night was over-achieving Nelly Yuki, who, like Blair, wants to go to Yale. According to Blair-logic, only one kid from Constance Billard can get into Yale, so naturally she had to sabotage Nelly's SAT performance.

For more on how the gang survived their SATs and my thoughts on the something-something that's a-brewin' between Nate and Vanessa,

Gossip Girl Rundown: Episode 14, "The Blair B*tch Project"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:49:20 -0700

Gossip Girl is back! And while the episode title has Blair's name in it, the night belonged to Jenny. Oh, young, desperate-to-fit-in Jenny. While — like Rufus — I kind of wanted to shut her in her room and ground her for life, she is a fighter and may shape up to be a worthy Blair nemesis after all. This episode also revealed just how Pollyanna-esque Serena can be — she was all rainbows and unicorns (except around Chuck). Perhaps that's what a little Dan in your life will do.

Don't forget to check out Geek's tech quiz, and Bella's beauty quiz and here are my thoughts on what went down with the kids back from Spring break:

Uh . . . that Breakfast at Tiffany's dream sequence thing was a cute idea in theory, but mostly it was just kind of nonsensical — and it didn't really tell us anything new about Blair.
And Chuck kicks off being Serena's brother by smoking pot in her bathroom, then ups his trademark ick-factor by responding to Serena's plea not to call her "sister" because they don't share DNA and never will with, "Then I suggest you get new hand towels." Ew!
We learned right away it ain't cheap being "Queen Bee" — Jenny owed one of her new friends $120 for brunch! If my memory serves me right, that is a lot of babysitting. But there are perks to Jenny's new crew as well, including her trip to Aspen on a private jet.

For more awesomely disgusting zingers from Chuck and the rest of my thoughts on the return of GG,

Gossip Girl Rundown: Episode 13, "The Thin Line Between Chuck and Nate"

Molly — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 12:30:14 -0800

Last night, while we said goodbye to Gossip Girl for awhile, we welcomed back Jenny (with a scream) and evil Chuck. We also got a good solid storyline for the friendship between Blair and Serena, something that has been fairly lacking thus far. All in all, it served well as a makeshift finale and had its share of drama. Now, lets just keep our fingers crossed that it comes back sooner rather than later. Here are my thoughts:

Before we begin, check out Fab's fashion quiz, Bella's beauty quiz and Geek's tech quiz on last night's episode.
While we may never know who Gossip Girl is, she's got eyes and spies everywhere, and the episode kicked off when Serena's private moment buying a pregnancy test ends up on the wily internet. Cue rumor mill.
Little Jenny broke our eardrums as she reemerged on the show. Maybe Taylor Momsen's been off at Paranoid Park, but apparently Jenny's been holding her place on the social ladder with her lunch on the steps with Blair and crew. You know, a few steps down, of course. But I'm happy to say that her sassiness was mostly good this episode rather than horrible. So maybe there is hope yet that Jenny will be catty but awesome.

To see the rest of my thoughts, and reflect on our saying goodbye to the gossip kids for a while, just

Gossip Girl Rundown: Episode 12, "School Lies"

Molly — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 15:30:33 -0800

While last night's Gossip Girl advertised itself as the first of a two-part episode, there's really only one plot line that remains in limbo: Blair-Chuck-Nate (aka, your favorite love triangle of the year). Well, that and the mystery of whatever happened to little Jenny Humphrey. That said, there are no complaints here about "School Lies" other than I'm not sure I like the characters that I'm supposed to. Check out Fab's fashion quiz and Geek's tech quiz on last night's episode. Now, here are my thoughts:

OK, so Nate's been getting hotter and hotter, right? I like to think that he was filming this episode around the time that Chace Crawford himself started to become a stud in Hollywood (dating Carrie Underwood, etc.) and that confidence is showing up on screen. He looks so much more like a dashing man than a wimpy boy. Not to mention that his character is about a billion times less spineless these days. I'm just wondering what he'll do when he inevitably finds out about Blair and Chuck . . .
I went from not caring at all about the parent drama to almost liking it more than the stuff with the kids. Out of nowhere, the Bart-Lily-Rufus plot is the best thing about the show (don't worry, no spoilers until after the jump).
Want their clothes, and their hair. Anyone else surprised that Serena went with a classic one-piece bathing suit for the illicit pool party?

To read about the rest of the show, just

Gossip Girl Rundown: Episode 11, "Roman Holiday"

Molly — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 12:37:04 -0800

Deep in the heart of a barren wasteland of repeats (mostly), Gossip Girl was new last night and fully ridiculous in the best possible way. Much of the plot was utterly unrealistic, but hey, that's why we love it, right? Here are my thoughts:

Before we get started, check out Fab's fashion quiz, Bella's beauty quiz, and Geek's tech quiz on the episode. Fun, fun.
What's with the episodes with no Chuck at all? I guess his "presence" was there and we got the answer to where he went from the airport: Monaco. But seriously, I want my Chuck Bass! I didn't miss Nate nearly as much.
Thankfully, Jenny wasn't in it much either. She just bugs me.
I know you all are slightly more Team Serena, but the Blair/Dad/Dad's lover plot was sweet last night, right? Plus, since when is Waldorf mom such a sympathetic character? I didn't think I would ever like the parents on this show but, sigh, I guess I do.

To read the rest of my thoughts just

Gossip Girl Rundown: Episode 9, "Blair Waldorf Must Pie"

Molly — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 12:40:46 -0800

First of all, this week's Gossip Girl should have aired last Wednesday. A super sentimental Thanksgiving episode after the fact loses a lot of its awww factor, if you know what I mean. Also, no Chuck at all? What gives? All that being said, it was cool to get some flashbacks to what the kids were all like one year earlier. Also, next week's episode looks awesome. Here are my thoughts:

Before I get to my two cents, check out Bella's Beauty Quiz, Fab's Fashion Quiz and Geek's Tech Quiz on last night's episode. Fun fun.
I so did not miss the presence of Gossip Girl herself.
The episode jumped straight into the Blair/Serena drama, eh? Blair was pretty snippy towards Serena, but to be fair B did forgive S pretty quick for sleeping with her boyfriend. Serena really doesn't have any place to be so judgey. Maybe it's just because I have a soft spot for Chuck.

To read the rest of my thoughts about Thanksgiving Gossip Girl-style, just

Gossip Girl Rundown: Episode 8, "Seventeen Candles"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 11:32:35 -0800

Hey, it's me, Buzz, pinch-hitting for Molly this week. While this week's episode of Gossip Girl was full of the usual tears, drama, and awkward situations, I have to say that I was surprised by how tame it was. Nobody throws a party quite like Blair Waldorf, but I was expecting a lot more drunken debauchery and a little less Guitar Hero. That said, this episode still brought a healthy dose of Wednesday night guilty pleasure, so let's get down to it. And don't forget to take Fab's fashion quiz and Geek's tech quiz while you're at it!

Vanessa is starting to annoy me to no end. She and Dan are supposed to be BFF but she doesn't tell him that she got a job? Plus, is she going to catch Serena and Dan making out in every episode? Granted, they really need to get a room.
As much as I usually can't stand Chuck, I'm starting to feel for the guy. He didn't pressure Blair into doing anything she didn't want to, so he doesn't deserve all the crap she gave him. Also, the scene with the necklace was almost sweet enough to make me forget that he kinda tried to date rape two of the main characters in the season premiere.
Okay, can someone tell me what happened to Serena's little brother Eric? He and Jenny were totally the cute freshman couple and suddenly he's off the show and nobody talks about him at all?

To read more of my thoughts (warning: spoilers!) just

Gossip Girl Rundown: Episode 6, "The Handmaiden's Tale"

Molly — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 12:31:23 -0700

This episode of the ever-complicated and pretty awesome Gossip Girl made me very happy that I don't do a traditional recap. Could things have gotten more convoluted at those parties? I would never be able to explain all that, but gotta love it. I'm back to being team everyone, but perhaps most of all Vanessa, who is fabulous (though, isn't she supposed to have a shaved head?). How well were you paying attention last night? Take Geek's tech quiz and Fab's fashion quiz to find out (I got 3/5 and 4/5 respectively, you?). Here's what went down:

So, which party looked more fun? The "kids" masquerade ball or the parents' hookah-having Moroccan themed event? Both were all sorts of decadent...and full of scandal. Delicious scandal.
Dan is a bad liar. Hopefully he learned his lesson considering he got caught in every fib he told. Maybe he's just naive. Pretty much he and Serena just like to make out, right? No judgment. Heck, they're high school students; it makes sense. Way more than can be said about Blair and Nate.
Speaking of the Archibalds, um, way to step up the substance abuse by bringing in the cocaine! And they weren't even shy about Chuck wanting some, and Serena talking about parents doing it in the roaring '90s. Usually the TV isn't so nonchalant about the more serious drugs. No spoilers yet though...

To read the rest of my thoughts, plus who is probably headed to rehab within a couple of episodes, just

Gossip Girl Rundown: Episode 5, "Dare Devil"

Molly — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 14:34:02 -0700

Finally, a Gossip Girl that felt more like high school. You know, as long as your high school experience involved nightclubs, dive bars, breaking and entering, and properly made gin martinis. I must have been in a good mood when I watched this last night, because at the end I was solidly liking every single one of the main characters. Yes, even Blair. As usual, the clothes were amazing — check out how well you were paying attention with Fab's fashion quiz. And the kids were on their new-fangled phones — take Geek's tech quiz, too. Here are my thoughts on the episode:

I was impressed/confused at how nonchalant Blair was about Serena missing the big sleep over to-do, but so happy that S and Dan finnnnnaly got that first date over with. Plus, Dan mostly stopped moping, so that's certainly good news.
Little Jenny isn't so innocent anymore. Then again, she never really was. At least she's smart enough to weasel her way out of a sticky situation, even if she's possibly choosing the wrong "it" girl to emulate. I do love her bitchy side — Taylor Momsen plays it well.
Is it just me or did the previews for last night's episode include a shot of Jenny getting into the back of a squad car? Sneaky CW.

To read the rest of my thoughts and who I certainly wasn't missing just

"Gossip Girl" Rundown: Episode 4, "Bad News Blair"

Molly — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 11:31:16 -0700

It was another week of debauchery for our favorite Upper East Siders on "Gossip Girl" — well, at least for the boys. Serena and Blair's reconciliation appears to still be in working order after a few road bumps and an understandably wary B. It would appear that these kids never have a quiet weekend just hanging out watching movies with their friends. Oh, and before we move on — big yay for "GG" being the first new show picked up for a whole season. Here are my thoughts:

It feels so wrong...but is it just me or was Chuck not completely despicable this episode? I mean, sure he was organizing a "Lost Weekend" for high school boys (must keep reminding myself they're only Juniors in HS) to engage in undetermined amounts of illegal activities. But, he saved Nate from a sticky situation, losing some of his prized possessions without even so much as a second thought.
I feel like I am supposed to be on Team Serena, but I can't help kinda seeing Blair's side of things. Though B is no-doubt bitchy, Serena is pretty seriously selfish. And, as Blair pointed out, she doesn't even realize it. Though for a pretty girl, the show did a hilariously good job making it look like Blair can't model to save her life.
This episode definitely had the best one liners all season. Among the highlights, "Be Britney with the car," and "He looks like Matthew McConaughey between movies." Love it.

To see the rest of my thoughts — and where was Jenny?? — just

"Gossip Girl" Rundown: Episode 3, "Poison Ivy"

Molly — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 12:16:38 -0700

Last night's "Gossip Girl" had a lot less underage drinking, but the kids were still able to get themselves in enough trouble without it. It was "Ivy Week" at school (school? Where did that come from?) which means our favorite Junior class had to preen their feathers and show off for the visiting reps from their potential booze-supplying universities. Ah, to be young again. Here are some thoughts on "Poison Ivy":

Gotta love the a capella version of "Glamorous" to kick off the show, with sassed up Jenny front and center with different socks than everyone else in the group.
As deserves to be called out every single time. I want Serena's hair and I want it now. I'll probably never stop coveting those locks and the person in charge of doing them. Just saying.
For most of the episode I was thinking about how last week I said I was "Team Both" and watching this week's I was soooo "Team Neither" (until the end, but more on that later). They both acted pretty heinous.

To read the rest of my thoughts and why I'm already worried about the series just

"Gossip Girl" Rundown: Episode 2, "The Wild Brunch"

Molly — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 11:40:24 -0700

Last night was the second episode of (officially) the best guilty pleasure of the season — "Gossip Girl." If loving this show is wrong, I'm not sure I want to be right. It's like The OC on crack — more sex, more booze, more money. Love. It. Here are my thoughts:

I really can't decide between whose side I am on between Serena and Blair. It's like my head is saying Blair while my heart is saying Serena. After last week I was outwardly Team Blair, but, well, she's kind of a bitch and Serena is trying to change? Kind of? Sigh, she's totally selfish. Well, to be fair, I'm kind of team neither. Fine, both.
My Personal Fogey-Meter was off the charts when Chuck woke up next to two members of the hotel staff and casually offered them off to Nate. I know his dad owns the hotel, but come on now. Best parent being blasé about seeing underage child drinking award goes to Chuck's dad, saying to Chuck, "Lay off the scotch, it's barely noon."

To see more, including why I'm coming around to Gossip Girl herself, just

"Gossip Girl" Recap: It's the Pilot, Baby

Molly — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 12:05:57 -0700

Last night was the triumphant and highly anticipated premiere of "Gossip Girl." Having never read the books, I came into the series with zero knowledge of what to expect — and I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. What can I say, Josh Schwartz just has a way of making me want to watch privileged youth. So salacious! So scandalous! So full of beautiful people! I'm very interested to hear what fans of the books thought about the pilot, but here are a few of my snap judgments:

I think the casting was perfect. I know that the character of Jenny isn't anything like she was described in the books, but how could you not love Taylor Momsen? She was Cindy Lou Who in The Grinch! I feel a little bad for Ed Westwick, who plays Chuck, because as of last night he will never, ever not be sleazy in my mind. No matter what other roles he gets in life.
Absolutely loved the music — especially in the opening scene. It had me smiling and whistling along to Peter Bjorn and John's "Young Folks" before our Gossip Girl narrator even chimed in.
Um, teen drinking much? Call me a fogey, but I was surprised by how freely the CW showed all the underage boozing. Then again, at the beginning of "The OC" the kids drank a lot, but it was definitely phased out as the show went on. I wonder if these rich Manhattan kids will reform their ways, too.

To hear a few more thoughts, and my biggest gripe just