I actually loved this episode a lot (apart from the Chuck plot).
Nate - Chace Crawford can act! He was great in this episode - so funny and I loved his rant on stage. He was also really sweet with Vanessa in their final scene - it was the first time they seemed like a real couple and not just two kids randomly giggling together.

Vanessa - Looked really pretty this episode and gets major points for acknowledging she is annoying.

Serena - I loved all her outfits this episode - especially her last outfit with the blue top and leather jacket - and she looked perfect in that pink dress for the play. I hope she is over pretentious artists now.

Dan- His story with Rachel was one of the best parts of the episode for me (and i hated it in 216). I loved how he took the Countess Olenska/Archer scenes and tried to re-enact them with Rachel and surprisingly I really bought the connection between Dan and Rachel. I liked Penn Badgley's acting a lot and I don't always.
Dan and Blair were precious and hilarious - I love how violent she was with him.

Blair - I loved Blair this episode. I always do but in this episode I loved how they took all the OTT aspects of Blair's bitchiness this season and had people comment on them and in the end had her look at herself and hate what she's become. The scene with Blair and Rachel when they both look at each other with these expressions of fear like both of them are slightly out of control and want to stop but don't know how anymore was great. It reminded me of Blair/Jenny in 116.
Also Leighton Meester is pretty much amazing and pitch perfect throughout all the ups and downs and sudden 180s her character does.

Carter - I love Carter but it was really ridiculous when he flashed that tattoo at Chuck then cackled and disappeared in a cloud of black smoke with Elle (or might as well have). I thought everything about the final Blair/Carter scene was perfect - the music, the setting, the positioning, the chemistry between the actors.

Chuck seemed to genuinely have feelings for Elle - and the way he rushed round looking for her and bounded up to her in their last scene reminded me of how he chased after Blair in 108.
I'm going to interpret it as an infatuation (both times) and that when Elle revealed she was using him and told him he should give his heart to someone who cares it was a jolt that made him realise he wanted to be with Blair or something.
The whole plotline was really wtf though - and though i loved the ending sequence (with the opera music and Chuck waiting at Blair's and then Blair and Carter at the bar - oh and also Cedric! and Dorota and bunny slippers) the writing really didn't make clear how Chuck got to the point of deciding to go to Blair.

Cedric? What? Where?

When the opera music starts up and Dan's on his bed feeling sad about Miss Carr you can see Cedric behind him!

Do you guys know where I can find screencaps from this episode?
never mind.

If they are just going to end the Rachel thing suddenly before it even starts why did they begin it in the first place? If you're going to bother to set something up develop it.

^Isn't that the case with pretty much every SL lately? The EWS was in particular lame because it was irrelevant but it wasn't built up very well either, instead it felt completely random and messy.

I agree, GG constantly just drops storylines along with the guest stars always being "evil" and pointless.

I am one of those people who thinks that season 2 has been boring for the most part - but I did like this episode. Even though I was multitasking while watching it, I did enjoy it. But I have to say in all honestly, I am tired of Chuck and Blair. Really...

Chuck: Bored me and this entire Elle storyline was not even interesting to me. Sure, maybe they needed Elle to make Chuck realise that he loves Blair and should be with Blair. Yeah, I just don't like that, it does not really screams real love for me. He was apparently willing to pine over someone he barely even knew rather than Blair?! When he came over at her house in the end and he said "I'll wait." I was thinking: Meh, you are free to leave again. For soooo many episodes and CB are still dragging on and off, the one moment one of them is scheming around the other minute one is running away from the other. I am a CB fan, but I was not that much of a fan. I do really like Ed Westwick and I am a big Leighton Meester fan.
Just watching Chuck is depressing lately. And as mentioned before, Blair being some sort of second choice is insulting.

Blair: I love Blair, not so much when she is immature, but I loved her in this episode. And dude, chemistry with Dan AND Carter? Yeah! For some reason I think Blair and Dan or Blair and Carter would be a lot more interesting. I think there are reasons why it is the best for both couples to stay UC, so no GG writer can ruin them. I am kind of happy they are and that Blair isn't in love with Dan or Carter. For me it is: Dan/Blair/Cater love triangle > Nate/Blair/Chuck love triangle. Either way, I really did feel sorry for Blair. It is interesting how B had this idea that everyone adored her and that she was perfect and then Nelly set some facts straight and said that everyone hated B. And off course Serena... How hurt was Blair when her own best friend did not even believe her? Blair does revenge well, but it seems like perhaps she is going to grow up now. Maybe not in the next episode, but after that. And I am looking forward to watching that. And I really liked that Blair and Carter scene, I do want him to manipulate Blair around, haha. But he can bring up a more fun side to her. And it was very Sebastian and Leighton indeed, but looked good! <3

Dan: Dan was 2nd favourite character this episode. He and Blair owned it and Penn and Leighton owned it. The entire thing with Rachel actually made sense and it it was not shoved in our faces - no, it was pretty real. And I love how Dan was so mature about it in the end and learns from his mistake. But Rachel is a bitch, she had no right to sent out that information just to humiliate Blair and even about Serena. I did love the Dan and Blair scenes, I was cracking up when D and B were on stage, saying their lines and arguing at the same time. Then when you did not see their faces and Blair towered over Dan and everyone was looking at them, as if they were making out for real! Serena felt a little awkward I think, but that was just funny! Penn's acting was very good, but I did not like the storyline that much.

Nate: Okay, he got a little funny and he is finally showing some more emotion. He is insecure, but it is just weird with Nate. The one moment he is a manwhore and the next he is insecure? I do like that direction though, and Nate and Blair suddenly make sense to me. It makes sense that they both would probably turn to each other, because they both know what it is like to be humiliated. I was wondering if Nate really forgot his lines - but when Julian told him that he had no emotion or passion, I was like; I kind of agree, Chace is not that much of a good actor. But he was not bad this episode! For the first time I actually liked Nate Archibald. Wow. He was not even overreacting - but Chace never overreacts anything I think.

Serena: Serena and Blair have such a dysfunctional friendship. It is not healthy. If Serena keeps making false accusations of Blair - yeah, I would just end that friendship. A best friend should believe you, not accuse them of everything bad they ever did and they have not always done it. Good that Blair was still ignoring Serena for the most part at the bar.

Carter: I liked him, but the Carter, Chuck and Elle scene was ridiculous. The ending was love <3.

So, the only characters I liked this episode were Blair, Dan and Nate. Oh yeah, I forgot Vanessa...

Vanessa: She was not that annoying this episode, but I think Jessica can act and it is nice to see that Nate and Vanessa were showing some more than just their giggling and all. Like a couple should behave when they are in a serious relationship. But I don't think it should matter that they do not have much in common, but if they don't, they should try harder and put some effort in their relationship. If not, it is doomed to fail.


I am pretty curious about the end of this season.

Why are the writers giving Chuck such boring ass storylines??? :blank: NOBODY cares about Elle. I actually fast-forwarded through those scenes.

Why would Serena believe Blair about that blast when it has been shown time and time again that Blair will go for the jugular with Yale? Blair even tell Serena that she could be collateral damage in her fight with Vanessa. Dan and Blair are the only two people that Serena told why she turned down Yale and Dan has never sent a Gossip Girl blast about Serena while Blair can't say the same thing. It sucks for Blair but Blair's own past behavior was the reason Serena didn't believe her.

*SQUEAL* I SAW CEDRIC! 8u4ewhfris d hehe

Yes, that makes me EXTREMELY HAPPY. And it was worth watching that scene over again. Although, I realize, MUTE and then find spot-the-cabbage-patch..the doll, not the human. It's better..

OMG you guys love CEDRIC too. DS fans go crazy for that obnoxious toy. I lurve that he still as cedric.