| When Serena (Blake Lively) notices that Dan (Penn Badgley) has been cozying up to the new girl in school, Amanda (guest star Laura-Leigh), the ever-loyal Blair (Leighton Meester) and her minions decide to befriend Amanda and sabotage her budding new romance with "lonely boy." Vanessa (Jessica Szohr) discovers a scandalous secret about Catherine (guest star Madchen Amick) and enlists Blair’s scheming expertise to use the information to help Nate (Chace Crawford). Meanwhile, Lily (Kelly Rutherford) finds herself drawn back to her ex, Rufus (Matthew Settle), once again. Taylor Momsen and Ed Westwick also star. | The first day of senior year, and the onset of a new social dynasty.
Serena tries to get out of going to school, but Chuck spills her break-up secret. Mom empathizes. At his house, Dan looks to dad for comfort. Then he calls him on dad's sleep-over. So busted. Jenny worries about first day categorization, when Blair and her minions classify girls as either "projects" or "victims." She was a project last year, and we all know how that turned out. Dad and Dan look on as if understanding.
At school, Blair screens girls, not liking many.
Serena sees Dan in the courtyard, and turns and walks away. Totally mature.
Chuck presents Blair with a candidate's dossier, but she ignores him.
Nate stops Vanessa on the street, wanting to know what's going on. "We were never really friends, Nate," she tells him.
In the hallway, Jenny gets shunned by the popular girls as Dan pretends to not be looking for Serena while he is. Walking away, he walks directly into new girl Amanda. He's impressed by the book she's reading.
Blair briefs Serena on the break-up rules: "Whoever dates first, wins."
Blair tries to do recon on the new girl, protecting Serena, who is "fine."
Catherine Mason stops by the gallery and gives Vanessa a check for $5,000 for respecting their little Nate agreement. She leaves before Vanessa can protest.
At school, Dan and Serena finally run into each other. Dan admits to being nervous to see her. They agree to be friends. Serena proposes lunch, but then Amanda walks up and says hi to Dan. Chuck looks on, judgingly. He snaps a picture for posterity and sends it to Blair and the committee. The new girl investigation continues.
Lilly visits Rufus. New hubby is still in Beijing. Rufus is on his way to see "Repo Man" and Lilly invites herself, professing Harry Dean Stanton love.
At the school, Blair and the pack intercept Amanda, warning her off Dan.
Vanessa tries to return the check to Lady Catherine. She puts it down then has a change of heart, opening a door to see Catherine getting mauled by Marcus. Paging Oedipus!
Dan waits for Amanda, but Chuck informs him of the Blair intercept. Dan doesn't think Serena would play that game. Chuck dares him to prove him wrong. Vanessa calls Dan with an emergency.
At lunch on the stairs Blair informs Amanda of the don't-date-a-friend's-ex rule. Serena tells B she feels bad and is going to apologize to Dan. But he's busy looking at the cell phone pic Vanessa just took of Catherine about to get busy. He recommends going to Blair, the expert on revenge.
Serena tries to apologize to Dan, who doesn't make it easy for her. She tells him if this were a competition, she wouldn't need Blair and her minions. Uh oh, it's on. As S walks away, Amanda walks over to Dan, breaking all kinds of Blair rules. She asks him what they're doing that night.
Vanessa shows Blair her picture of Catherine and Marcus. Blair threatens her if she tells anyone else. All Vanessa wants is Nate to be free from Catherine. Blair says she's on it.
Dan and Amanda go out to be seen. Amanda says it's time to "send a message." Gossip Girl calls it a declaration of war.
Dan is woken up in the morning by a mad Jenny calling it "social suicide." She wants him to apologize to Serena.
Chuck wakes Serena with breakfast in bed and the Gossip Girl headlines, including the one of Dan with Amanda.
Vanessa waits for Blair, who is ducking her calls.
Dan finds Serena in the hall, trying to apologize. Serena suggest she, Dan and Amanda get together that night, which Dan expects won't be weird at all.
Vanessa tracks down Blair and sees her at breakfast with Marcus. She can't hear that Blair is sticking it to him, calling him out despite his protestations that he's put a stop to the whole sleeping-with-his-stepmom thing. Catherine shows up, summoned by Blair. They discuss her exit strategy.
Meanwhile Vanessa, thinking Blair is doing nothing, visits Catherine's husband, bearing bad news.
At their three-way date, Dan and Amanda leave Serena feeling like a third wheel. At the bar, the minions bring her fresh boys.
Serena brings one over, who babbles about sports. Everyone excuses themselves and at the bar Serena tells Dan that him asking a girl out on their first day back at school hurt. He suggests they not see each other for a while. She suggests he leave. He pays up and Chuck comes over to gloat, Chuck-style.
Blair meets with Nate, informing him that Catherine is sleeping with Marcus. She knows it's hard to picture, she has photos if he'd like to take a look. She tells him Catherine is going to pay off the Captain's restitution, but then Catherine calls with news of Vanessa's errand to the Duke.
At the club Chuck tries to turn the girls against Amanda.
Lilly drops by Rufus', upset that Serena canceled movie night. She has "Pretty in Pink," continuing their Harry Dean Stanton-athon. Rufus asks what she's really doing there. She needs a friend. He says he can't be her safety net anymore. She made her choice to be Mrs. Bass. New girlfriend Claire stops by, chalk one up for Rufus.
Blair informs Vanessa of how she inadvertently ruined her deal with Catherine to help fix Nate's money problems.
Meanwhile, the minions make a Nair cocktail and -- oopsie -- spill it in Amanda's hair in full view of everyone at the club. Dan tries to run after her but Amanda is about done. Serena tries to apologize to Dan, saying, again, that she didn't plan it. He thinks that's starting to sound like an excuse.
She tells the minions never again. "From now on, everything goes through me." Welcome back, Queen Serena.
Vanessa stops Nate on the street. She's trying to apologize. But he's upset she confided in everyone but him. She asks if that's it and he reminds her they were never really friends.
The minions harass Jenny in the hall.
Dan leaves Amanda a message, saying that it wasn't Serena's fault.
Meanwhile, at a booth somewhere, Chuck pays off Amanda for her services. She'll be leaving for boarding school in Vermont.
Jenny tries to sell that she's got the day off work to help around the shop.
The minions greet Blair coolly. Serena shows up and they turn to her for guidance. Blair wonders what she's missed.
Chuck watches, his motives for dethroning the queen of the school becoming clear.
Dan gets the stink eye from everyone in school. He looks for Serena and no one will tell him where she is. She walks in and looks him over, shrinking him five sizes with her eyes. "Sorry Lonely Boy, but if queen S will do this to Queen B, are any of us safe? XOXO, Gossip Girl." |
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