Gossip Girl demands "The Kids Stay in the Picture"

      The CW's Gossip Girl just returned tonight from a six week hiatus, but unfortunately, unlike many earlier episodes this season, tonight's has quite a few problems and disappointments. Gossip Girl thrives on drama, but it is not known for letting exciting stories peter out without a satisfying conclusion. Yet, that is exactly what it seems like is happening between Blair (Leighton Meester) and Dan (Penn Badgley).

     When last the show aired, Blair and Dan were sharing a kiss, their first. The feelings that have been bubbling up between them all season come to a head, and they decide a smooch will determine if there are real feelings between them, something more than friendship, or not. But tonight's episode is set a week later, and Blair is not returning Dan's calls. In fact, she has already moved on, and is back to wanting to be with Chuck (Ed Westwick). Did all her quality time with someone who shares her interests mean nothing to her? Blair has become a character with real feelings, not just motivated to get ahead at all costs, as she used to be, and that seems to vanish suddenly.

     At the time Blair and Chuck originally split, it was beyond disappointing. Every episode brought another frustrating bout of 'why won't they get back together already?'. And then Dan comes along, completely unexpected, and the years of hate between he and Blair begin to cool. Spending time one on one together, with no ulterior motives, allow them to really reveal who they are, and learn just how much they have in common. Now, Blair and Chuck barely seem compatible. While Chuck changes first, Blair changes more, and now she belongs with a man of substance, like Dan.

     It is acceptable, of course, for Blair to have reservations about committing to Dan. He is below her station, and it may affect her career. However, the effect will be minimal and temporary. Looking around, there are other powerful women who married men from lower income upbringings and have managed to still succeed with flying colors. Blair's hesitation should be only temporary. Worse, the series teases, with Blair calling the kiss life-changing. But the change she refers to is a reversal. Good characters do not backslide so completely.

     Lily's (Kelly Rutherford) family is in town, supposedly to support her in her time of need while she faces criminal charges. William (William Baldwin), CeCe (Caroline Lagerfelt), and even the never-before-seen-as-an-adult Carol (Sheila Kelley) arrive. They are not there just to offer moral support, however. In fact, their main purpose seems to be to have a picture taken. This is important to Lily, which is understandable, given the upheaval her life is going through. But did none of her relations care enough to stay beyond that?

     It is nice to finally see Carol, Lily's sister, who was previously introduced as a teenager in flashback for a spin-off that never happened. However, once Carol and Lily reconnect, and a small secret slips out, she really isn't that important to the plot. Carol's daughter, Charlie (Kaylee DeFer), who will be sticking around, is even more uninteresting. An attempt to give her a mysterious back story falls flat, and unlike many other supporting characters who drift in and out of the show, she is completely forgettable. Only Rufus (Matthew Settle) is the slightest bit interesting in this plot, as he and William begin to make a sort of peace.

     Will Charlie end up adding anything to the show? It's unlikely, given what she has contributed so far. The problem is, a generic actress who easily fades into the background is portraying her, and what little she has been given has not been punched up to gain attention. This could be writing or acting or a combination, but it's just not working. Instead, she is a mousy girl who will be eaten alive by the upper east-siders in no time. If she is going to be a fixture for any length of time, changes need to be made fast.

     Why is Vanessa (Jessica Szohr) still on the series? She skulks in the shadows, barely popping up, except in some half-hearted attempts to reconnect to the other characters. She can't decide whether she should apologize or cause trouble, as she keeps doing both, so neither work very well. Either Vanessa needs to make her presence felt and fight for her place in the group, or she should just go away. Szohr could be doing better things with her life.

      Despite an unsatisfying episode, the series, and the season, overall have been plenty good enough to retain viewers through the rough patches. Gossip Girl airs Monday nights at 9 p.m. on the CW.

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Article first published as TV Review: Gossip Girl - "The Kids Stay in the Picture" on Blogcritics.

Gossip Girl Begins Beautiful Friendship

     Everyone is frequently switching romantic partners on a show like the CW's Gossip Girl. Serena (Blake Lively) has dated at least half a dozen guys alone. So it should come as no surprise that Dan (Penn Badgley) and Blair (Leighton Meester) are suddenly getting chummy. In fact, their intense animosity for each other since day one would have made them the predictable couple in a romantic comedy. Yet, their hatred was so intense, no flirting undertones were ever in sight, that I was super surprised at this season's development. They aren't anywhere close to being love interests... yet. But in the last few episodes, they have began a very sweet friendship.

     It was born out of necessity and mutual caring for Serena. Pitted together on a road trip just before the show took a winter break, fans were surprised at the chemistry these two had, as they'd never had more than a few moments to show it before. What came out of that story was surprising and fun, something very fresh in a four year old show, which admittedly, had already been having a stellar season. I think it might have been a one-shot episode if it hadn't been so magical. But it continued last night, as Blair and Dan reluctantly headed to the movies together. How reluctantly? It did feel like their protestations were only show, but it wasn't a date. I am extremely interested in how this will develop, more so than any other recent plot on Gossip Girl.

     I am sad to see the apparent end of Dan and Serena's will they or won't they, at least for now. As much as I love this new path with Dan and Blair, I was always a Dan and Serena fan, and I really enjoyed their renewed attraction lately. Last night, they said they'd only get one more chance, but they weren't ready to take it. It's really making the two of them echo their parents, who had a long, broken courtship, including whole years out of each others' lives, before ending up married. But if Dan and Blair get serious, and I hope that they do, that will likely make a Dan - Serena reunion near-impossible. As I am rooting for a new couple, it is with bittersweetness that I watch Dan and Serena end, perhaps for the last time. Unfortunately, I'm fairly certain it's not the last time, but this is really the perfect place to end it. Serena turning more and more into her mother won't do the two any favors.

     I am heartened by the return of Penelope (Amanda Setton) as one of Blair's minions. I admit, I did miss her snide looks. But I'm not sure she's a good fit for Blair anymore, and I feel her time back may be limited. Blair has grown so much, showing real maturity at times, even if she sometimes resorts to her scheming ways. In last night's episode, Blair's sneakiness got her into trouble with her mother (Margaret Colin, who should be a main character already!), but her new attitude allowed her to apologize and share a very, very cool scene later with mom. It was the best demonstration of the new Blair we could ask for, and I hope we see more of it.

     Lily (Kelly Rutherford) has been treated far less kindly. Once my favorite character, she was pretty much demonized when it came out that she sent an innocent man to prison, and intended to see her stepson Chuck's (Ed Westwick) company. In last night's episode, she backpedaled madly, as the writers tried to give her good excuses to do the things she had done, and attempted to right any wrongs. She only partially succeeded, and that's from a viewer satisfaction standpoint as much as a character arc one.

     It's hard to root for someone who has done some pretty horrible things, and Lily has. Even if she was just trying to protect Serena, getting Ben (David Call) locked up for all these years, and the very negative affect we saw it had this fall on his family, was really, really terrible. Lily has come back from having done bad things several times. I feel like, for once, several of the other characters are more willing to forgive her than I am, and that's weak writing. If they wanted to villanize Lily, then do it something more than halfway. They could pull her back from that brink eventually, but as quickly as they've tried to just isn't working.

     Related to that, what has put Rufus (Matthew Settle) in such a forgiving mood? Lily's husband has been much angrier with her for far less. It seems completely weird that he would stick by her so faithfully when she ruined a man's life. I just don't buy it. It seems like he's a whole other man; a whipped puppy. That's not Rufus. Compassionate and (eventually) forgiving, sure, but never castrated.

     Luckily, Lily's is the only questionable story right now. Last season was a little rocky as the show adjusted to many of its characters being high school graduates, but this year has been as strong as ever. I hate to say it, but a character not being present may be as responsible as the elements that are there. Jenny's (Taylor Momsen) extended, and now indefinite, absence actually helped the series, which is a shame, because once upon a time I really liked her. Momsen's behind the scenes drama got her benched, but her on screen tantrums made Jenny hard to like, too. I'm not anxious to get her back.

   Perhaps the most matured character is Nate (Chace Crawford), who has taken in his just-paroled father (Sam Robards). Nate has often had his own things going on apart from the other central characters, and sometimes it feels a stretch to tie him back in. However, this arc has been fantastic, showing a son's struggle to forgive his father for wrongs, see a role model as humanly flawed, and be a caregiver to a parent. What's more, last night's brilliant little move of linking the Captain to the man determined to ruin the Bass family name will entrench the two of them into other plots, keeping the show tightly written instead of sprawling as the rest of the season plays out. Nice move.

     Who are these new villains the Captain is getting involved with? Well, there's a new love interest for Chuck, appropriately, since his pairing with Blair, while amazing for a long time, seems done. And a familiar face in the form of Michael Boatman (Spin City, The Good Wife). We haven't learned hardly anything about him, except that he was screwed over by Chuck's father, but Boatman introduced the guy with such smoothness, charm, and a hint of vindictiveness, that he seems a well cast baddie for the second half of the season. The fact that his daughter, Raina (Tika Sumpter, One Life to Live) has taken a shine to Chuck, is delicious.

     If I could change one thing about this season of Gossip Girl, other than the small critiques above, because, as I said, it's been a truly awesome season, best since the first, it would be upgrading Eric (Connor Paolo) to a main cast member. He has been at the fringes of the show since the beginning, frequently there, but never getting much story of his own. With Jenny gone, there's room for him. Please give him the promotion.

     In a like vein, Dorota (Zuzanna Szadkowski) is irreplaceable, and always, always shines when she gets any story at all. She can take a small bit and really make it memorable. A larger Dorota presence would not be unwelcome.

     More than a guilty pleasure show, the series has great acting, writing, directing, and other elements. I can't recommend it enough. Gossip Girl's fourth season continues on the CW Monday nights at 9 p.m.


Article first published as TV Review: Gossip Girl Begins Beautiful Friendship on Blogcritics.

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Gossip Girl returns with more scandal

It’s been since a long wait since we last saw life on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, but last night Gossip Girl returned with the first of ten new episodes.  When we last left them, Dan (Penn Badgley) was falling for his best friend, Vanessa (Jessica Szohr) after having a threesome with her and his girlfriend.  Of course, the relationship quickly fell apart, and he realized he had feelings for Vanessa, while she may have gotten over the torch she had been carrying for him.  Vanessa was nowhere in sight in the first episode, and not returning Dan’s phone calls.  Hmm.  Poor Humphrey.
The other new, but long anticipated, relationship is between Serena (Blake Lively) and Nate (Chace Crawford).  Though they had been friends forever, they decided to take things up a level.  Last night’s episode featured a few missteps, but nothing so bad as to threaten the new fling.  Could this be GG’s big romance?  The other two established ones are certainly falling apart.  Though Blair (Leighton Meester) stood by her man, Chuck (Ed Westwick), the fact that he lied about the woman at the grave in the first place could spell doom.  Or perhaps not.  Blair certainly rose to his defense.  And Rufus (Matthew Settle), who had finally gotten with the woman he’d loved for decades, Lily (Kelly Rutherford), appears to be throwing it away because of a lie she told, and last night found Rufus seeking comfort in the arms of another woman.  It was so hard to get them together, and it felt so right, their dissolution would be highly disappointing.
Much is in store in the next nine weeks.  ***SPOILER ALERT!!!***  Serena’s father will finally show up, played by none other than Billy Baldwin.  Eh, he’s not Alec, but at least he’s not Stephen.  The season finale will also feature the return of my favorite character, Georgina (Michelle Trachtenberg)!  Though the actress is currently starring in Mercy on NBC, she was given time to pop in on some more juvenile drama, and really, we would miss her deeply if she stayed away too long.
In other news, Leighton Meester will be starring in a romantic comedy with Hugh Laurie (House), which is awesome, because she played his little teenage stalked on his show for a few episodes years ago.  Should be great fun.

Catch up on the Gossip (Girl)

    CW's Gossip Girl has already gone off the air, unfortunately until March, but its not too late to catch up on what has happened with everyone's favorite East Siders in their third season.  So far, it has been quite the roller coaster, and the fall finale left plenty of unanswered questions and flitting rumors to keep us guessing until its return.  Despite the fact that most of the main cast graduated from high school last spring, all have remained in Manhattan, and the show has lost none of it's zeal that made it a guilt pleasure triumph.  In case you missed it, let's review who's doing what and what's coming up next.

     Let's all breathe a sigh of relief that Serena (Blake Lively, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) and Blair (Leighton Meester, who seems to be trying to launch a singing career now) have finally set aside their differences and cemented a fast friendship.  Watching S and B go back and forth could be fun, but they have both matured into more adult characters.  Sure, Serena was involved with a married man, and Blair still gets involved in school politics, but they both seem to have finally passed the point where they will be at war with each other.  Speaking of Blair, her settling down with Chuck (Ed Westwick) has done both of them a lot of good.  Chuck has finally become a respectable adult with real emotions and left behind most of his childhood tantrums.  It's nice to see some genuine character development among the leads.

     Nate (Chace Crawford) has returned to family roots, and seems to be seriously in love.  While Nate was almost always above the backstabbing and manipulating, the other characters starting to rise to his level makes him feel more a part of the ensemble than he did before.  He has ceased to become an extraneous character and matters to the overarching plots now.  Same goes for Vanessa (Jessica Szohr, What About Brian?).  After her threesome with Dan (Penn Badgley) and Olivia (Hilary Duff, Lizzie McGuire), resulting in their breakup, it appears that a happy ending for her won't be too far down the line.  The only holdout in the growing-up group is Jenny (Taylor Momsen, How the Grinch Stole Christmas), who, not coincidentally, is the only one still left in high school.  Jenny's balancing act between decent human being and queen of mean is finally finding a balance, but hopefully the correct side of her will win out in the end.

     The only major concern for the show is the always too fragile bond between Rufus (Matthew Settle) and Lily (Kelly Rutherford, the original Melrose Place).  The took so long to make it to the altar, the threat that it may fall apart so soon is too much to bare.  Either they need to be left alone to grow old together, or break them up and get them out of the cast.  The back and forth has become too frustrating.

     All in all, though, the show has only gotten stronger with time, and it is shaping up to be something much more than what it started as.  If it continues on this track, there is nothing but blue skies ahead for the whole gang.  Unless Georgina (Michelle Trachtenberg, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Mercy) comes back again.