Gossip Girl: Jenny From the Block

The real excitement this week is over Jenny and the rest of the episode is mostly filler surrounding Blair and Chuck as they continue their cat and mouse game of chicken over which one of them will be the first to say, “I love you,” to the other.  Taking some advice from Dan (at Serena’s suggestion), Blair makes herself unavoidable in Chuck’s life, in hopes that he’ll eventually forget their game and “scratch her itch,” and by “itch” she means . . . .  After three failed attempts at tricking Chuck, Blair goes back to Dan, who says she should forget about not letting Chuck win and just admit her love for him.  You know what I always say, “Go on, honey.  Take a chance!”

But then Dan read my review on Poptimal.com and learned what Chuck and Blair did to Vanessa.  Taking a cue from Blair’s playbook, Dan decides to mess with Blair as she’s about to go talk with Chuck.  It works and neither Blair nor Chuck can admit their feelings.  Chuck, realizing he doesn’t need this nonsense anymore, says they’re over for good.  Of course it’s not really the end because Chuck later goes to Blair’s bedroom to say that they both know that if they ever said how they really felt about each other then their relationship and their exciting game is over.  So they agree to keep playing the game, which has no end in sight . . . kind of like Jumanji, no?

For whatever reason Dan shares with Serena that he tampered with Blair’s plan.  Serena is upset but gets over it in two seconds so she can ask Dan if he’s all right with her asking out Aaron, a dorkier version of Dan and an artist showing at Rufus’s gallery.  As Dan is giving his blessing, Serena realizes she already knows Aaron because they went to summer camp with him in Europe (Camp Jubilee Jumbles?) and they had a childhood crush on each other and something called “Cecil the Caterpillar.”  But in explaining all of this to Dan, it gives Aaron enough time to get someone else to go home with him after his art show.  You snooze you lose, S.

All right, that gets all of the other storylines out of the way and we can focus on little Jenny’s burgeoning career as a high school dropout fashion designer.  With a new hairdo and an extended stare at barely-clad Nate as he’s exiting the Humphreys’ bathroom, Jenny is off to Eleanor’s to help get the models ready for the Bloomingdale’s buyer meeting.  One model, Agnes, strikes up a conversation with Jenny, and Jenny, forgetting that furniture models should be seen and not heard, gets flustered when Nate brings Jenny her notebook wrapped around another Anvil of Foreshadowing^TM.  What do I mean?  Jenny and Nate are going to be an item; Agnes agrees.

Eleanor is freaking out because the buyer only liked the outfit Jenny was wearing (and designed).  Eleanor, continuing a trend from her show at New York Fashion Week, asks Jenny to remake her dress in Eleanor’s fabrics . . . by tomorrow morning’s buyers meeting.  (Note: Eleanor’s assignment is already more creative than anything on this past season of Project Runway.)  Instead of being responsible, Jenny acts her fifteen years and goes to a bar to drink with Agnes-she can’t drive or pass the GED but, hey, little Jenny can buy beer in public.  (Where’s Nanny Bloomberg now?)  Anyway, a creepy guy named Max takes photographs of Jenny and Agnes while we’re treated to a photo montage that’s a cross between an old Jordache commercial and an album cover for The Clash.

The next morning Jenny frantically finishes the dress, but Eleanor reneges the offer to let Jenny sit in on the buyers meeting, citing her immaturity.  Jenny goes medieval on Eleanor, who according to Jenny has no talent and can only steal Jenny’s designs, takes her designs, and walks out-I assume she quit because she’s definitely not getting a letter of recommendation now.  Now that she’s a free agent, Jenny gets it in her head (thanks to Agnes) that she can start her own fashion line, with Agnes modeling and Max taking photographs.  Jenny tells Nate about this and he and his rational thinking stomp on her enthusiasm.  She ditches him for being unsupportive and hangs out with Agnes and Max instead.

At Max’s, we have more underaged drinking and Max taking photographs of Jenny and Agnes dancing in their training bras.  Buzzkill Nate shows up and takes Jenny home because he was concerned she was going to make a porno or something.  Whatever, this is silly because we’re all waiting for Nate to tell her he likes her, which he does, and then they kiss.  It’s sweet and predictable (see above), but it’s also kind of creepy because Chace Crawford is like 25 years old or something and Taylor Momsen is really only 15.  But hey, this could get interesting.

P.S. Can you believe I didn’t work in Serena’s Flashdance reference?  I’m disappointed too but hopefully this will make it up to you.

Season 2, Episode 8: Pret-A-Poor J (originally aired October 27, 2008)

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Photographs courtesy of The CW