Gossip Girl Review: It-Girl Happened One Night

'It-Girl Happened One Night'

Chuck’s an idiot, Serena pouts, and
Dair gets cuter by the second.

So last night’s episode of Gossip Girl, “It-Girl Happened One Night” (is it just me or are the titles getting worse?) is still in the fairly average part of the scale, but is slowly improving on the last few weeks offerings.

The whole selling Bass industries/Chuck accidentally falling in love with baby Thorpe, really falls a little flat. I mean we’ve had some weird and wacky plotlines, most of them involving Serena and her gravity defying cleavage. But this? It just seems to completely go against all the character building they’ve done with Chuck over the last three seasons. I mean, how can they expect us to believe that the only plan Chuck has to save Bass Industries is to seduce Baby Thorpe? C’mon this guy can come up with better schemes in his sleep! And when will he learn that when grown-ups give you their word, it means they’re going to stab you in the back and then LAUGH AT YOU.

On a side note, I swear Chuck has thrown better parties before, but this one was still up there. But why were there greyhounds? This confused me…

Oh Serena, I don’t know how long it’ll be before this new relationship blows up in your face, but every episode that it doesn’t, is an episode too many. This whole farce is ridiculous. In fact, I can’t work out which storyline is more ridiculous at the moment, Chuck or Serena. Hm. Perhaps we should combine the two and have Chuck work on his Mommy issues. That could liven it up a bit.

Also, no matter how Serena tries to disguise it, we all know she wasn’t doing it to protect Blair, she was blatantly sabotaging the article so she could have her bestie to herself. Ha. In your face Serena, Blair caught you out. And since when would Baby Thorpe thank Serena with a dress? The whole thing is too weird. My head may implode from the stress.

Eric has no friends so he’s started feeding the poor. Meh, makes sense.
Damien needs to take a leaf out of Blair’s style book. Just because you’re stalking and plotting doesn’t mean your dress sense has to suffer.

Man Bangs is so useless, there are
no longer any photographs of him.
Instead we get Blair.
But she's pretty, so we don't mind.

I’m starting to wonder what Man Bangs purpose is, other than to pout a little and toss his very pretty hair. Nate hasn’t had a decent storyline since… Well since Juliet was around. I miss her. Her scheming rivalled Blair’s, and the plots were mostly strong. Ah the good old days. Please can we get a decent storyline for Nate? Just because he isn’t banging Blair/Vanessa/Serena anymore doesn’t mean he isn’t completely useless. STOP USING HIM FOR SEX, HE’S A PERSON CW!

On a related note, the Captain got a little cooler this week. Whilst his stealing key card and passwords plot is mostly completely implausible, I’m kind of getting on board with his whole ‘I’m one of the guys, and I’ve still got it attitude.’ Apparently being in prison takes twenty five years off your life.

Dan: Waldorf. Where's the new Epperly?
Blair: You're looking at her.
Dan: Oh God, what'd you do to her?
Blair: She's in a better place.

Speaking of useless character’s, why is Rufus still here? Can’t he take an extended vacation off to the Hampton’s to regain his self respect and spine? Between him and Lily it’s no wonder the kids feel they have to act out like this. I mean the parenting skills have never been great on this show, but Rufus at least had a stab at it. Oh Lily, don’t even let me get started on you. You fail on every level. And the worst thing is YOU NEVER LEARN. Can someone hit her over the head with something heavy so she has a complete transformation into a parent who gives a crap about someone other than herself?

Also, was it just me, or was brunch incredibly awkward, to the point of wanting to put a pillow over my face and scream.

Seriously, the only highlight of last night was Blair, Dan and their slow morph into Dair. Whilst the ‘student yet editor at W’ plot is getting a little much, and still makes me laugh at the implausibility, I love this new Blair. She’s finally starting to grow up a little, and not everything is about a scheme. Don’t get me wrong, I love the schemes, and there are still plenty of them, she’s just a little more picky over the battles she chooses to fight.

So new responsible Blair, combined with Dan who has finally realized that the only girls he hasn’t made out with in the show are Blair and his sister, is making for some interesting stalky banter. I totally believe this whole stalker side of Dan that’s beginning to emerge. Face it, it was only a step away from his mooning over Serena at a distance. And I love that they’re focusing on their similarities rather than their differences for a change.

Anyway, it was filled with cute Dair moments. The witty stapler banter at W, the stalking at the party, the unbearable moment on the sofa where Dan takes her hand, and for a minute she lets him before snatching it back, his stalker texts, her admitting she read the story and sent it to another editor, and that moment of UNBELIEVABLE CUTENESS that was them watching a film together over the phone. Quel Sigh. I love it. I love the slow build. I love the naturalness. I love how Chuck is smushing her heart cos he is an undeserving ass, and Dan is picking it up and kissing it better.

So that is the only reason I will be tuning in next week, because Dan looks like he’s going to be stepping the cute factor up a notch, and Blair looks like she might be about to fall apart from stress. Let the hijinks ensue!