| Serena (Blake Lively) decides to throw Jenny (Taylor Momsen) an intimate party for her sixteenth birthday, but things get way out of control when Poppy Lifton (guest star Tamara Feldman) turns the small gathering into a huge social event. In a moment of weakness, Vanessa (Jessica Szohr) agrees to help Chuck (Ed Westwick) with a scheme having to do with Blair (Leighton Meester) and Nate (Chace Crawford). Rufus (Matthew Settle) learns that Dan (Penn Badgley) will not receive financial aid at Yale and tries to figure out another way to cover the cost of his education. Kelly Rutherford also stars. | Ah mornings in Manhattan... After a strange convo with Blair, Serena, out and about in NYC runs into her old socialite friend Poppy Lifton on the street. Serena invites Poppy and her boyfriend to a party she is throwing a Sweet Sixteen party, but during their talk she realizes she is kind of in a rut. Back at S's house we learn that they are throwing a HUGE party for Jenny complete with a DJ, a caterer, etc. Somehow little J is not a huge fan of the idea. Serena can't understand why, but Jonathon thinks Jenny is worried that no one will show up, since she does not have that many friends since she got back to Constance. S finds out Penelope was planning a party for the same night when the mean girls tease her about canceling her own party out of fear that Penelope's would be better. So instead of canceling the party, she calls Poppy.
Vanessa hasn't heard from Nate in a week, when she finally gets an email from him asking her to meet him at his place. When she gets there, she sees none other than Blair Waldorf leave his house with a hug. Chuck pulls up and says that he sent the email, and that B has been leaving Nate's house every day that week and when she is ready to do something about it, she should get in touch with him. Now we know why B was being so sneaky with S on the phone earlier that morning.
Dan was denied financial aide at Yale and Rufus confides in Lily about how worried he is about it. Lily offers to help financially and when Rufus refuses, she suggests that he sell the loft and move in with her. Dan, who doesn't yet know about any of this, gets intecepts a call from teh realtor.
Chuck confronts Blair about leaving Nate's house in each AM, and she tells him she just brings him breakfast, like good friends sometimes do. Chuck says that those two never had a spark anyway, at least not compared to B and himself. Blair is kinda offended by this and tells Chuck that it might be easy to be with Nate, but that doesn't make it wrong.
Later Blair and Nate go for a walk in the park and Nate says that his relationship with Vanessa is probably over and he will confirm that later at dinner. Then, comparing themselves to Brangelina, talk about getting together themselves.
Serena and Poppy take Jenny shopping and Poppy convinces Serena that she needs to have this party for Jenny.
At dinner, Nate denies there was anyone else involved in their break-up, but they break up just the same. Nate goes over to B's to tell her the good news and kisses her on the forehead and leaves. Blair is perturbed and starts to think Chuck may have been right about there not being a spark between them, but if we know Blair, she is not going to take this lying down.
Vanessa goes to meet Chuck and they scheme.
Dan and Jenny show up at Serena's, a wide variety of board games in tow, and of course they walk in on quite the scene: a poppy-lifton-style party (Even Penelope is there, seems she canceled her own party to attend this one). Jenny goes up to Serena and tells her that she didn't want this, but Serena . Eric says that Serena maybe just threw the party to show that she could still throw a party and when Jenny hears this she texts Gossip Girl for everyone to come. A TON of rowdy high school kids show up and totally mess up Serena's classy party.
When Chuck and Vanessa show up at the party, they see Nate and Blair talking and (presumably to make them jealous) Chuck and Vanessa kiss. Yes, you heard me right! CHUCK AND VANESSA KISS!
Nate confronts Vanessa and when he tells her there is no one else in his life, Blair begs to differ. She drags him into a room and tries to make out with him, but he doesn't want to, saying that they are friends. Later, after Blair storms out, Nate congratulates V on being more like Blair (and imitating her scheming ways).
Meanwhile, the cops are called on the rager, because there are about a million people trying to break down the door. Lily and Rufus show up and question the kids about what happened. Jenny gets in trouble but says that she doesn't want to be a Park Avenue Princess. Then everyone learns about the realtor phone call. Later Lily and Rufus decide it's too soon to move in together. Rufus and Dan decide they will figure out another way for him to get to Yale.
Meanwhile, Serena realizes that between fighting on and off with her frenemy, dating on and off her high school boyfriend, throwing a lame party and getting yelled at by her mom, she is still in a rut. Poppy invites her on a private jet to Costa Brava, España and she accepts.
On a walk in the park with Dorota, Blair realizes that Nate is nice and hanging out with him was fun, and although there were not real lightning or sparks. Just then she seems him waiting where she likes to feed the ducks. He had called Dorota ask where he favorite place was, cause that's where he wants their first kiss to be!!! Nate tells B that he does want to be with her, just not "like that" (her throwing herself at him in Chuck's bed) and they kiss.
Serena meets Poppy's boyfriend Gabriel, and he recognizes her from back when she was hanging out with Georgina.
Dan goes to return the phone call of a random fan that has written to him about a piece he wrote. Or is the fan so random? Apparently, his fan is Scott, the presumed-dead son of Lily and Rufus. His parent's answer his phone and when Dan says his name and that Scott wrote him a letter, they freak out. Dan apparently has no idea about the identity of his "fan".
But the big shocker of the evening is Chuck and Vanessa. They spent the night together after the party and are shockingly not all that grossed out in the morning. They agree that they will keep this "relationship" on the DL, and that it's purely physical. Interesting... |
