Gossip Girl: For the Love of Chuck Bass

If I thought anyone would read it, I would take this entire space and dedicate it to extolling the greatness of Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick). I just love him and Blair (Leighton Meester), and thought this week’s show was both sweet and revealing of their true characters.  Too often these two are relegated to quippy remarks and domestic bliss, and we forget all the reasons we (at least I) fell in love with them as a couple.

The night begins with Nate (Chace Crawford) (gasp!) giving Dan (Penn Badgley) advice about his love life. Where did this new role come from? Why would anyone listen to Nate regarding relationship advice? When are they going to give the poor guy an actual storyline of his own? Answer – I think they do start to elevate him back into the Land of Living Characters this week. He’s still mooning around after Serena (Blake Lively), and though she dusted him and ignored his (kind of) impassioned plea not to go with Tripp (Aaron Tveit), he’s still willing to be her advice giver too. A friend of mine on Twitter (@camoulton) suggested that Nate be promoted from ‘advice-giver’ to ‘clothes-taker-offer.’ I posit that more than one female fan would not object to this upgrade. And it made me laugh really hard.

Serena needs his advice because she realizes the decision to run off with Tripp was a bad one. He leaves her alone in the house, and like any good nineteen-year-old left alone with no cable, food, man, or liquor, she pouts. Turns out she’s right to feel slighted, though, when he meets Maureen (Holley Fain) for a talk about his career and where things are going next. Maureen suggests a time-honored Washington tradition: that she and Tripp remain married in the public eye and Serena agree to be his mistress.  She wants to talk to Serena herself, presumably because she has that little piece of blackmail. Tripp falls prey to the dastardly equation of politician+man=idiot, and lets her go and speak to Serena about the arrangement. Maureen talks to Serena and tells her that if she doesn’t agree then Maureen will show Rufus (Matthew Settle) the letter from Serena’s father. Apparently that’s what Lily (Kelly Rutherford) has been hiding: that she went to see Serena’s father instead of coming home last summer. Insinuations fly about what might have happened while they were together, but there is no proof to be had.

Lily, for her part, is impatient with Rufus. Honestly, I understand how she feels a little bit. Since moving in and getting married, Rufus has no life outside of her and their children. He cooks, he helps with the kids, he is basically at her beck and call. I know that sounds nice, but in real life having someone around who refuses to challenge you in any way is grating. She sends him to a co-op meeting, which could be a mistake, because it forces him to mix with other ‘underappreciated’ spouses. When Serena calls to tell her about Maureen’s attempt at blackmail, Lily plans to confess everything to Rufus. Whatever everything is, she never gets the chance and Maureen gives Rufus the letter instead. At the end of the night, Rufus has read the letter but he and Lily haven’t spoken.

Smaller and less interesting subplots of the night: Dan takes Nate’s advice and decides to tell Vanessa (Jessica Szohr) how he really feels. On his way to do so, he is seduced by a theatre major and is saved only by the ringing of his phone. What is up with so many women throwing themselves at Dan? The whole thing is bizarre. Also, Jenny (Taylor Momsen) and Eric (Connor Paolo) make up after more attempted and thwarted attempts at sabotage – lameness at its pinnacle. At the end of the night, Jenny is back with the European drug runner and Dan tells Vanessa he loves her. She tells him she loves him too, only she means it like she always has – as a friend. She believes he’s just under a lot of stress and this is his reaction. His stress? A result of Serena’s harrowing, near-death car accident.

On their way home from their weekend not-so-love fest, Tripp and Serena get into a car accident. Tripp calls Maureen for advice, and when the ambulance, police, and Nate arrives, Serena is in the driver’s seat and Tripp is nowhere to be found. Nate puts two and two together (who said he’s just a pretty face!) and realizes Tripp just left her there in order to excuse himself from further political drama. Tripp and Maureen meet him at the hospital and when Nate threatens to go to the cops, Maureen’s horrible nature is further revealed. She makes sure Nate’s aware of the letter, how it could hurt Serena, and smears Serena’s character, making Nate realize there is no point in fighting. He does take his friendship from Tripp, which counts for something, and punches him in the face. Yea, Nate moment!

So, Chuck and Blair. The show takes place on the one year anniversary of Bart Bass’ (Chuck’s father) death. In life, the man never thought Chuck was good enough, always made him feel week, and basically terrorized his son into thinking the only way to get through life was the way Bart did it – alone and without regard for others. Tonight as he remembers his father, he starts to think that maybe he is weak. Opening himself up to Blair, trying to not only make money on his business deals but practice morality…in Bart’s eyes those things equate weakness. He pushes Blair away, drinks, and reverts back to the scared Chuck Bass that existed before last year’s season finale. I, for one, was freaking out. I do not want to go back to Gossip Girl without Chuck and Blair (one entity). Blair shows real maturity, understanding that what he’s going through is not about her, and waits until he is ready to hear her before she talks. Chuck arrives at the hospital, choosing his family over a business deal, something Bart would never have done. Upset and confused, Blair finds him and tells him that by caring and supporting others, he is becoming a man in a way his father never was. Wow, Blair, just wow. I love you. The writers really bring out the sympathetic sides of these two tonight, and prove that despite appearances they are two of the fiercest friends on the show.

At any rate, another good show tonight. It ends with Chuck headed to the cemetery to place yellow roses, his deceased mother’s favorite, on his fathers grave. He finds a woman there, also holding yellow roses. She sees him, says his name, then flees. There is a locket on the grave, the other half of the one his father had – with his mother’s photo inside. Chuck has always believed that she died during childbirth, even felt like that was the reason for his father’s hatred of him. Could he have been wrong? Could his mother be alive? I don’t know, but this development is reason enough to keep watching.

For another take on this episode, check out Fall Finale of Epic Proportions by Matt DeGroot.

Season 3, Episode 12: The Debarted (originally aired December 7, 2009)

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Photographs courtesy of The CW, Giovanni Rufino