Gossip Girl Season 4 Episode 18 Lead-in: The Kids Stay in the Picture – Socialite Breakdown
“Time to circle the wagons.” – William van der Woodsen (William Baldwin) Much like the lyrics of a Katy Perry song, Gossip Girl Season 4 has seen its share of “Hot N Cold” episodes. Paris was a downer, as well as the drawn out Serena, Dan and Nate love triangle. And, while the Juliet, Jenny and Vanessa team up added some much needed anti-socialite warfare, the eventual Chuck-Blair repeat breakup didn’t do much to fuel the lukewarm drama on the Upper East Side.
However, in Episode 4.17, “Empire of the Son,” we finally saw GG go back to a state of class, social and personal turmoil. Well, at least, that is the direction that was hinted at going forward into the final few episodes of Season 4.
Here’s the Socialite Breakdown, starting at the top:
Lily Humphrey or Lily van der Woodsen (Kelly Rutherford)?
Consider Lily the Jekyll and Hyde of New York City. She dips back and forth between the loving mother and the duplicitous “you know what” that could give Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) a run for her money. Lily has offered herself up to the district attorney in exchange for Ben’s (David Call) cleaned record. It would seem that seeing Serena (Blake Lively) smile at her with pride gave her the courage to do what is right. But Lily’s mother and William van der Woodsen may have a different idea. William is back on the scene after drugging Lily in Season 3. He probably knows there is no saving face in Lily’s world, but now William is just out to force whatever wedge he can between Rufus (Matthew Settle) and the van der Woodsen family.
Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick)
Russell Thorpe (Michael Boatman) may be out of the picture, but he’s succeeded in destroying Chuck’s impression of his deceased father. Was elder Bass a murderer? Chuck is back on a bender after learning the purported truth. How many devious truths can one guy hear before he learns his lesson? Chuck may have taken back Bass Inc., but he’s still a man without a purpose. The spiritual fulfillment Eva (Clémence Poésy) brought him was short lived thanks to Blair, while the temporary Chair reunion ended with Blair wanting to be an “Independent Woman.” Then, his trist with Raina (Tika Sumpter) also ended thanks to his innate “take down” demeanor. Now, Chuck once again has nothing and no one. So, what does he want to do? Go crying back to Blair because she is the only one who truly understands him. It’s a forced move given recent circumstances. And, that leads us to…
Blair and Dan
Our prediction was right! We saw it coming at the end of “The Townie.” Just as GG was going on break, Dan and Blair were becoming bitter compatriots, working together to first expose Eva and then put a stop to Juliet (Katie Cassidy). As the alliance grew, so did a friendship and inevitable feelings. It seems Dan and Blair actually have a lot in common when it comes to the arts. And now that they’ve kissed, we’ll be focused on Serena and Chuck’s reaction. That moment at the end of “Empire of the Son” said it all. We’ve never seen Blair stare into a guy’s eyes with such emotional openness – not since Chuck in Season 2 when the couple first came to “honest” terms with their feelings. The question is, how will Chuck react? Expect the truth to come out when Gossip Girl returns for Episode 4.18, “The Kids Stay in the Picture.”
Serena
It would seem that Ben is out of the picture for now. Does that mean that Serena will go crying back to Dan?
Sorry, S.
Dan’s spoken for.
Expect Serena to be stricken with that blank expression she always has when she doesn’t know which guy to choose from. However, with her mother heading for trial, Serena will be focused more on the oncoming van der Woodsen vs. Humphrey war. Needless to say, this latest wrench will also divide Rufus and Dan as Rufus returns to bitterness against the elite class and admonishes his son for dating Blair.
Nate and Raina
Can Nate (Chace Crawford) finally get a good storyline? It’s great he has a love interest again, but seriously, who cares? Nearly every character has a secondary story worth following except Nate. The drama with his father has been stale since Season 2. We need to see Nate make a move in his life that goes beyond picking up Chuck or Dan’s leftovers.
Vanessa
She’s back. Who cares? Right now, Vanessa’s only involvement in the story is to be the voice of reason in Dan’s life. She’ll be the one berating Dan for dating Blair. Expect it to get old really quickly. I, for one, actually want to see how Blair and Dan work out. Will it be Blan or Dair?
Gossip Girl returns for Season 4 Episode 18, The Kids Stay in the Picture,” on April 18 on the CW.
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