Television Review Gossip Girl – Episode 15

Television Review

Gossip Girl – Episode 15

By Gita Gupte

This week, "Gossip Girl" was all about love versus lust. As the characters spent the episode planting roadblocks to Jenny’s de-flowering, we saw each couple figure out their own feelings for each other in the process.

First there was Serena and Nate, who had another awkward sex scene and then proceeded to be play busybodies in Jenny’s love life all episode long because they clearly have nothing better to do with their time. College anyone? Oh, that’s right, Serena dropped out and Nate only pretends to go to Columbia.

In the name of good intention, these two saunter about the Upper East Side trying to convince Jenny not to sleep with Damien. While Serena tries to seduce him herself in an attempt to cause a scandal, Nate decides to rat Jenny out to her dad, Rufus. In the process, Nate manages to call Serena a slut, but the two predictably makeup.

The inner good girl trumped the bad girl when Jenny finally decides not to go all the way with Damien. He promptly dumps her and she goes back to the BK pretending to have cashed in her V-card.

The only thing I can appreciate from this whole fiasco was Serena’s ability to make a "Dirty Dancing" reference, which caused Jenny to actually watch the movie and, for the show, to feature random "Dirty Dancing" songs throughout.

Moving on, an episode revolving around sex would not be complete without the return of Jack Bass. Chuck’s slimy uncle is back and we just know that he is somehow behind the mysterious arrival of Chuck’s mother, Elizabeth. However, taking a leap of faith, Chuck decides to trust Elizabeth instead of shutting her out. When Chuck gets sued for sexual harassment by some hotel employees, he decides to temporarily bequeath his hotel to his mother, and unknowingly turns it over to Jack Bass in the process. I am a little disappointed in Chuck for not knowing better, but then I have to remind myself that he’s only 18. In the midst of all of this is Blair, who has taken a supporting role and really had no major plot this week except to discourage Chuck from getting a DNA test.

Meanwhile, Dan and Vanessa are busy making out and hiding their relationship from anyone and everyone, but little do they know that no one cares. I mean, if you have been best friends with someone for your entire life and then up and start dating them, you might want to share this news with your friends. I am still grossed out by these two as a couple and I hope the writers will soon break them up or at least stop writing love scenes for them.

In the adult realm, Lily continues to pursue her husband and makes a stop at the Brooklyn loft to talk to him. The odd part of this action was that Rufus did not rebuff her the way he has been all season and it made us wonder ‘why is he living apart from his family again?’ The two quite obviously makeup by the end of the episode and just when they talk of a clean slate, Lily’s mom calls saying she is still sick and needs to enlist the help of Dr. van der Woodsen. Now this is perplexing in many ways: 1) because up until now Mr. van der Woodsen has been described as a businessman in the series and 2) because we can’t understand why Lily just can’t tell Rufus that Dr. van der Woodsen is the only one that can cure her mom’s cancer.

Sigh. This show just gains speed every week on its rapid descent to oblivion.