Episode 3
Gossip Girl S1E03 - Poison Ivy
Leif and Steve do a spoiler free after watch of the OG Gossip Girl.
This week the guys break down Season 1, episode 3 titled Poison Ivy
Blair uncovers scandalous information about Serena; Dan sets his sights on impressing the Dartmouth representative. – IMDB
Produced by Leif Capicola and Steve Marchion. Edited and mixed by Leif Capicola.
The Gossip Girl Theme Performed By Steve Marchion
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Transcript
Hey, Upper East Siders and all you Scandal Loving listeners out there. You've just tuned into the
Speaker:non-judging breakfast pod where the coffee is strong, the waffles are fresh, and the gossip is
Speaker:hotter than ever. I'm Leif, your seasoned gossip girl veteran. And I'm Steve, your newbie, your
Speaker:green hornier. I don't know what do you call the uh, the fresh meat on gossip girl, Leif? I think they
Speaker:would label you as a project, you know. The girls who have the potential to be a Blair. Alright, well
Speaker:then dress me up in an Eleanor Waldorf original and let's get started. Sounds good. Uh, so folks,
Speaker:here's the deal. Leif has been living and breathing gossip girl since the beginning. I'm
Speaker:just watching for the first time right now. And together we're your dynamic duo dissecting the
Speaker:drama, romance, and the sometimes questionable fashion choices of this iconic TV show. That's
Speaker:right, each week we'll break down the latest schemes, secret hookups, and caturric
Speaker:catastrophes. And trust me, there are a few of them. So since we're all about inclusivity here,
Speaker:there is always a seat for you at the non-judging breakfast table, so go ahead and grab your coffee
Speaker:or a mimosa if it's that kind of morning and let's dive into it. Alright, today we are going to be
Speaker:talking about season one, episode three, Hoisin Ivy. Steve, do you know what that title is
Speaker:referencing? I do Leif because, uh, partially because we've had a little conversation about it,
Speaker:but it is the Drew Barrymore movie from I think the 90s that is, it was one of the few things my dad
Speaker:wouldn't let me watch. It also has Sarah Gilbert from Roseanne. Oh, no kidding. Yeah, that's,
Speaker:she's the actual daughter, she's the daughter. Yeah, that's right. Barrymore is the best friend,
Speaker:he's the juicest of dad. Yeah, and like, and I was in love with Drew Barrymore since I was four years old
Speaker:watching ET. And like I said, my dad, it was like, no, no, no, do not watch this movie. No, it's
Speaker:totally inappropriate. Watch Revenge of the Nerds. Go watch Police Academy, that's much more.
Speaker:I mean, it is pretty inappropriate, but I mean, Right. Yeah, but yeah, those are as well. Yeah,
Speaker:yeah, those were all, those were giving messages that I were super inappropriate for the, however,
Speaker:like 10 year old I was when those came out. Yes. So this episode was written by Felicia Henderson.
Speaker:She is a solid 20 plus year TV writer and did stuff like Moisha, Sister to Sister. Everybody hates
Speaker:Chris, Empire, the Netflix Punisher show and probably the biggest thing she did was Fridge.
Speaker:What was the TVD again? Which one? Oh, that's the director. Sorry, I thought I got jumped ahead.
Speaker:Yes, yes, it was directed by J. Miller Tobin. Also as a 20 year TV veteran director. He's done stuff
Speaker:like Oz, Hack, The Mountain, which I only mentioned because Penn Badgley was on it. It was a
Speaker:short lived show on the WB before Gossip Girl. Also did some Terminator, Seracronic Chronicles,
Speaker:Supernatural, Pretty Little Wires, The Vampire Diaries. Vampire Diaries. And that's the one that
Speaker:I didn't recognize. Yes. And we're going to go Oz too. That's a bit of a leap. Yeah, I mean, a couple of
Speaker:HBO shows. The Hack is also, I believe, an HBO show. Oh, yeah, yeah. Was that, was that? I vaguely
Speaker:remember Hack. And so anyways, we're going to go ahead and jump right in. No cold open again this
Speaker:week. So we go right into Act One. Jenny and the choir sing acapella as the upper classmen,
Speaker:whether prepared for Ivy Week at the Constance, Constance Billard and St. Jude. As the students
Speaker:arrive at school, Chuck gives Dan an angry stare as they cross paths in the courtyard. Nate and Chuck
Speaker:are chatting. Nate and Chuck are chatting. And Blair, a lot of guys and Smile across the crowd at
Speaker:each other. Um, yeah, I mean, they're they're building that, that tension back up, you know,
Speaker:kind of boiled over from the previous week. Also, the song that they're singing is, and now I forgot
Speaker:it again. Glamorous by Furgy. Yeah, glamorous by Furgy. So like that, I really, it was really cool
Speaker:to, you know, have the choir do what was at the time, you know, a big hit song. And to hear that
Speaker:arrangement was really fun. So the choir finishes its song as the students are all gathered in an
Speaker:assembly hall to announce the assignments for Ivy Week. And also Jenny and the choir, how
Speaker:interesting. I never, who would have thought that she would want to be a singer? Yeah, I think that
Speaker:they did that to Plakator probably. Yeah, yeah, I was I was I had that thought on on rewatch of, yeah.
Speaker:So the choir finishes its song as the students are all gathered in an assembly hall to announce the
Speaker:assignments for Ivy Week. Chuck and Nate all are sneak off for a puff. Blair and the minions are
Speaker:wondering where Serene is. And then we flash back to their individual mornings. Um, yeah. And, uh,
Speaker:yeah, we're not we're not seeing a whole lot yet still. We're just, you know, setting up these
Speaker:scenes. Once again, establishing that that Chuck and Nate like to imbibe with the devil's lettuce.
Speaker:Yes, they like a quick puff and we're a long puff sometimes. Anyway, so we flash back and we see in
Speaker:the Brooklyn loft, Rufus and Jenny are giving Dan a pep talk about getting into his chosen favorite
Speaker:school, Dartmouth. And like, this is one of the rare moments where you actually see a little bit of
Speaker:tension between Jenny and Dan that, you know, sibling stuff, they're not fighting, they're not
Speaker:arguing. They're just teasing. Yeah, they're teasing, but he's like, actually he's irritated
Speaker:by his little sister. That's just because he's irritated in general that morning. Yeah. He's
Speaker:already, he's already having a bad morning. Yeah. See him cutting his face, shaving, you got, yeah.
Speaker:Everything, everything is going wrong. Yeah. Everything's coming up millhouse for Dan today.
Speaker:Yeah. And, and, but, but it was also, it's, I guess the bigger point I was, I was making was how, how
Speaker:great that sibling relationship is played, how, how it's portrayed by the two of them. They really
Speaker:are seamless. They, they know each other's buttons and how to push them. And it's just, it just
Speaker:really makes you feel, it makes me miss my little sister, you know? And yeah, and I definitely think
Speaker:that it comes down to the actors. They had great chemistry. I recently listened to Taylor Monson
Speaker:came on Pat Badgley's podcast, actually. Oh, no. They still have great chemistry together.
Speaker:That's, that's really, he sees very like protective over real life even. It's like, you
Speaker:know, she's out like in her twenties and. Yeah. And a punk fan doing her thing. Should my mic be
Speaker:pointing directly at me instead of straight up in the air? Am I doing that? It sounded. Yeah. It's a
Speaker:dynamic, but it's not as the directional as the condenser mics. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. And so then we
Speaker:see Nate and his father running in the park and the captain once again lays down the law. Nate's
Speaker:priority should be focused on Dartmouth, law school and Blair. And is this where, is this where
Speaker:he beats him? That's later. Is that later? Okay. Well, so yeah, yeah, that's at the end of the
Speaker:episode. Yeah. Yeah, it's later. But yes, so we get the good, we get the contrast between Dan and Nate.
Speaker:While Rufus has expectations for Dan, his expectations is just that Dan works hard to get
Speaker:what he wants to get. Yeah. As opposed to the captain who wants Nate to work hard to get what the
Speaker:captain wants. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. And Nate who doesn't have to work hard to get what the captain
Speaker:wants. Yeah. Nate can actively work against his best interest. We see. As we, well, and I'm all,
Speaker:yeah, as we see. But his dad is still riding and to put in the effort anyway. Right. Well, and the
Speaker:biggest thing with that is to me is the, not just putting in the effort to succeed, but the Blair
Speaker:stuff. Like you have to maintain this relationship because I'm working on a business
Speaker:deal with her mom. So does he work for Burgdorf's? Yes. I don't know if they really explain this yet,
Speaker:but basically the deal is the captain is an investment banker and Eleanor Waldorf has a
Speaker:design line that is about to go public. And he wants to be the company, he wants to be the one that takes
Speaker:her, you know, does the IPO. Yeah. He does. He does in this episode, say to Nate about that, that he
Speaker:will, that he has business going on with Blair's mom. Right. That is, that is definitely
Speaker:established. And then, and so we have the parent who is putting money over their kid, like
Speaker:prostituting their kid. Yeah. Like, like they're, they're, they're their income and their
Speaker:business deals are more important and their kid following their exact path to do this to their own
Speaker:kid. Like here's Nate who's being shoved down this, this avenue to like marry this girl who, hey,
Speaker:16 year old son, marry this girl so I can get this business transaction, traditional concepts of
Speaker:marriage. You know, like, and, and, and this whole thing is going to, yeah, it's a, it's, it's a
Speaker:business transaction and I need you as part of my business transaction. Yes. Well, you know, the
Speaker:Vanderbilt's are old money that goes back to royalty and they, the old traditions die hard.
Speaker:They are, you know, still trying to use marriage as the original concept, which is, yeah, for a
Speaker:variety of alliances and yeah, yeah, political and monetary gain. Yeah. Those old families that
Speaker:old traditions die hard. Yeah. And, and, you know, I think that Nate is just self aware enough to see
Speaker:that this is, that he's not only expected to do all of these things, but then he's supposed to have
Speaker:kids to do the same things, you know, like, which he doesn't want that either. You know, he wants, he
Speaker:wants a different life than what's being laid out for him. But that, but that bit between the, the,
Speaker:you know, prostituting your child out, it was, was something that I really like, really snagged with
Speaker:me. Yeah. The upper East side parents are pretty horrible. Yeah. Yeah. And I feel like we're going
Speaker:to talk about that more at some point. Yeah, probably. I don't know what, anyways, we see Blair
Speaker:is at the penthouse talking to, to Dorota about following her father to her dream school of Yale.
Speaker:And as, so we, we initially just see the body moving around. We don't see the face. So we kind of assume
Speaker:she's talking to her mother, but it, oh, but it actually turns out to be Dorota the maid. Yeah. And
Speaker:it's the first time that we meet Dorota too. Yeah. Which I, which, you know, I remember having that
Speaker:thought of like, oh, this is, you know, her, oh, her mom's back because I believe the previous episode
Speaker:she said that she was out in France. Yeah. All right. Oh, and yeah. And, and yeah, then Dorota
Speaker:turns around and it's, oh, she's talking to, you know, the maid, the, the maid or nanny or, and my, my
Speaker:first thought was actually nanny, which it was like, you know, you seem a little old for a nanny,
Speaker:but okay. But then she has the maid, you know, maid, maid makes a lot more sense though. She has the maid
Speaker:uniform on? Yep. Okay. She sure does. That's why, that's why it makes more sense. And then Lily and
Speaker:Serena are in the hotel room and Serena is clearly running behind her dream school is brown. Yeah.
Speaker:Yeah. Um, which also was her mom's school, she said. I believe so. Yes. Yeah. There, there,
Speaker:there, because she said something about, she joked about something else, but like, yeah, she
Speaker:wanted to go. She, she, she is not afraid to follow in her mom's footsteps. Correct. At this point.
Speaker:And Brown is still at Ivy League school, but it's kind of known as the more relaxed of the Ivy's.
Speaker:Yeah. Um, and so we got the contrast between the answer. We also get the contrast between Serena
Speaker:and Blair. Uh, one obviously is that, you know, Blair is super organized and prim and proper.
Speaker:Well, Serena is just like a whirlwind. Yeah. I went through the house to look at for stuff. Yep. And
Speaker:then on the other side, you get the, the eating. Um, Blair eats like one little grape and Serena is like
Speaker:stuffing her face with her size. Yeah. Yeah. Lots of carbs. Yeah. You, you, you were, you're, you're
Speaker:seeing now the very first episode, her mom made the comment about, you'll never be as young, pretty or
Speaker:thin as you are now. And now you're seeing that that, that there are food issues. Like she is, she
Speaker:does have a bad relationship with food. And then, uh, so after that, we see Serena bumps into Dan as
Speaker:everyone is leaving the assembly. They have an awkward miscommunication where Dan believes
Speaker:Serena is asking about the relationship being over, but she was really asking about the assembly
Speaker:as Dan leaves, Blair walks up and sluts him Serena. Yeah. Like rude. Um, but like you're, you're
Speaker:already winning Blair. You're like just walk on by and leave a be, but that's, that doesn't seem like
Speaker:Blair's nap style, but also not a good look for Dan. He's a little, little cocky there. A little too
Speaker:cocky. Yeah. Well, yeah. They will Dan and it's funny because you see Dan's awkward side always
Speaker:pop out and his awkward and like shy. But then he also has that cocky side to do them where it's like,
Speaker:and it's so funny because like they're so reversed in how they should be and how he should be using
Speaker:them. You know, like, you know, he's, he's awkward and shy when he shouldn't, when he doesn't need to
Speaker:be, and then he's cocky and arrogant when he should be a little more humble. Like, it's like, find a
Speaker:balance, dude. Yes. Um, I think that could possibly be Penn Badgley coming out some in the
Speaker:character. Yeah. And yeah. So I pretty early in the gospel girl's reign, it came out like they found
Speaker:posts that he, like he had made like when he was like 13 on like metal message boards. Oh, and he's like
Speaker:super cocky. That's all good shit. So like, for the first time in a while, I've been like, I've been
Speaker:like, I've been like, 40 year old guys and stuff. Oh, that's fantastic. Um, so there we, so we see on
Speaker:the, out on the field hockey field, tensions between Serena and Blair continue to rise and even
Speaker:get physical. The peers get Blair gets the upper hand by over emphasizing an injury. The scene is
Speaker:scored by the song. I got it from my mama by will I am. Yeah. Then when she, when she takes that hit and
Speaker:she's like looking her dead in the eyes and it is, it's, you know, oh man, it's like, again, like it
Speaker:makes me miss my little sister. Like it is just that like, oh, oh man, I'm gonna, like, because there's
Speaker:nothing like a 10 seconds away. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's, yeah, she sits there. She's making eye
Speaker:contact with you. You know she's fine, but there's nothing you can't be like, you know, oh, she's
Speaker:making it. Like you monster, you just hit her. God, I've been there. Yeah. And that is going to be our
Speaker:first break. And we are back for act two. Dan is interviewing to be the Dartmouth usher. Yeah. And
Speaker:he is interviewing his heart out this good. And but he also, but he also then screws it up because then
Speaker:he makes an awkward, like, cocky joke that doesn't land. But does he screw it up or was that whole thing
Speaker:planned? I thought that whole, like the whole, like intentional, like mess up was, was planned.
Speaker:You think so? I mean, planted as a bad joke as like, to like, the whole, because the whole thing seems
Speaker:to reverse. Well, yeah, it seemed like it, but I think that he felt like it would land. I don't think
Speaker:that, and I felt like it was rehearsed, but nobody audited it. Nobody, nobody checked up. Oh, it
Speaker:definitely didn't land. Yeah. But I think it was definitely, it wasn't like he screwed up. I think
Speaker:he planned. Well, I'm. Yeah. Why? Yeah. I think he did. I think he followed his plan. But yeah, that's
Speaker:exactly what I mean. And so then we see, we cut to Nate interviewing for the same position and
Speaker:trying to give it up. Yeah, tries to screw it up. Tries, tries his best to. I'm not, this isn't my
Speaker:first choice. Someone else should have this. Yeah. Yeah, I really don't want this. Please don't
Speaker:give it to me. There and like, please give it to someone who wants it more is really what he says, I
Speaker:believe. And we see Chuck interviewing for the Yale position, doing Chuck Bass things. Yeah,
Speaker:that he should be because, because he's Chuck Bass. Yeah, that, that was a soundboard moment I
Speaker:was setting you up for. So we cut to Dan and Nate reading the announcements. And Nate gets the
Speaker:position that Dan wanted as Darba Lesher. Dan is very frustrated in the normal chip on his
Speaker:shoulder, blue on his collar manner, but still managed to give Nate a tip about the IV rep he will be
Speaker:ushering. I, I love, I love the way that Dan and Nate's relationship is developing that, that
Speaker:from the onset, like they're both into Serena and Nate knows that he cannot talk to Serena and he
Speaker:knows that they're both into the same person, but Nate is just like, like, you get the impression
Speaker:that Nate's a good dude because like he, he doesn't, he has reason not to like Dan and Dan has
Speaker:reason not to like Nate. And, and, you know, here you have them clash and because Nate just got the
Speaker:thing that he didn't want. There was a thing that was all Dan wanted. And, and Nate got it because of
Speaker:everything that Dan says to him. You get anything you want. Like you, you, of course, you're going to
Speaker:get this. You, you can have anything you want. You know, no matter how hard I work, I'll never get
Speaker:that. So like he's, he doesn't say anything that isn't true. He's just Dan's an asshole about it.
Speaker:And Nate just doesn't fire back, doesn't take the offensive. And, you know, just keeps playing
Speaker:defense a little bit. And Dan, and it's enough for Dan to realize this guy isn't, isn't my enemy. His
Speaker:money is my enemy. His, you know, the, the, the reps are my enemy. And maybe my bad joke is my enemy. And
Speaker:so he pauses and then gives him advice. Yeah. You know, and like you, and I love that the two of these
Speaker:guys that, especially in a high school world have reason to not like each other. Don't find a way to
Speaker:work through it. Yeah. They're, they're both on the ground. Yeah. They're both very grown about
Speaker:their, about their own relationship. And they're very, they're, they're, they're very self-aware
Speaker:in, in where the other person is coming from. Yes. We see Dan initially react with emotion, but he
Speaker:quickly rains it in at least somewhat, you know, because he, yeah, he notices it. And, you know,
Speaker:Nate is trying to do anything to him. Yeah. Yeah. So we do see Dan storming through the courtyard and is
Speaker:stopped by a very bubbly Serena. Serena tries to have a cute moment with Dan, but Dan is having none
Speaker:of it because he is just too frustrated by their different worlds right now. However, as Dan walks
Speaker:away, we see him frustrated at himself that he can't get out of his own way with his dream girl. In
Speaker:my mind, these are, they're clearly still feelings for both sides here. Yeah. Yeah. These
Speaker:two are still interested in each other. They, and as a, Despite the end of last week. Yeah. Despite,
Speaker:yeah. Despite the, it's still, it's still his dream girl. Yeah. You know, and he's still, you
Speaker:know, he still can't get her out of her, out of, out of his head. And so they, they're, they're still
Speaker:kind of, you know, missing each other in the dark, but they also, like you, like you had said, they
Speaker:can't get out of their own way, neither of. And I love this from a character because we see, once
Speaker:again, we see Dan react with emotion, but then he realizes what he did was wrong. Yeah. Yeah. Dan
Speaker:catches himself and, and, and Dan, Dan doesn't want to be, a bad guy. And, and, and yeah, it really
Speaker:is great character development for Dan, especially in these back to back scenes of him kind
Speaker:of popping off, realizing he, realizing he's mad at the wrong person and kind of reflecting on that.
Speaker:Next up, we get both sides of a phone conversation between Blair and Chuck. Blair is in the penthouse
Speaker:having her leg iced by minions as Chuck rise in his limo. They make plans to find out Serena's secret.
Speaker:Like, all right, is and, and Katie right now, like you saw that she's faking it. Why are you still
Speaker:playing along with it? So this is something I noticed on rewatch. In the initial scene, she
Speaker:grabs her left leg, but then they're icing the right side. Yeah. I might think the other way
Speaker:around, but it's definitely different legs in each scene. Oh, that is even, that is so good. That
Speaker:is so good. And like, why are you like, you know that you're in on it? Like, you know that she's faking
Speaker:it. But then she's, but you know, Blair's the type that wants to be able to be like, Oh, they had to ice
Speaker:my leg for hours. You're in on it. There we see Dan arise back at the loft and walks past Jenny and
Speaker:Rufus and Rufus slams his door. Dan and Rufus are fresh Dan and Rufus are frustrated that Nate won
Speaker:the usher spot over Dan. And as soon as the scene ends, Jenny reveals she is already used to losing
Speaker:out on the Upper East Siders. Yeah, that one for one, like it's crazy to hear that from Jenny
Speaker:because so far from in the first two episodes, her stocks going up, right? Like from the beginning,
Speaker:the first episode where she's playing both sides and and making nice. And in the second episode
Speaker:where she has the whole like, you know, I don't have a problem with Serena, but if someone did, I don't
Speaker:have a problem with that either. So like, you see her stock going up. You see her. Oh, we only see her
Speaker:winning among the Upper East Siders. So for her to feel defeated, it's like, you just kind of see that
Speaker:difference in their lives, you know? Yeah. And especially for a young girl like Jenny who is into
Speaker:fashion and the only dresses she has are the ones she makes at the scene. Yeah. Yeah. And the one and
Speaker:one Eleanor Waldorf original. Um, I also did write down Dan's little joke that he made. Uh, he says,
Speaker:last year, I believe, speaking about Nate, last year, I believe he had an original thought. It died
Speaker:of loneliness. Yeah. I love that line. And, and like, and, and he's, again, you see that he's
Speaker:bitter toward Nate, but it's also for, you know, for, for kind of a justified reason. You know, he is
Speaker:insulting Nate. And but, but Nate is, you know, he, he isn't the scholarly type, you know? He is a guy
Speaker:that gets by and that's been established that, you know, he's following the path that he's just been
Speaker:put on. So Chuck stalks Serena in his limo and sees her enter the Astros Center. Chuck calls out and
Speaker:forms, calls and informs Blair. Nate is seeing, trying to follow Dan's advice in reading the
Speaker:petting zoo. I'm kind of surprised they didn't have him holding the book upside down. He looks so
Speaker:confused. Yeah. So just this anguished look on his face, trying to get through the book. He is
Speaker:definitely the show's official himbo at this point. Yeah. Yeah. Couple of things. We do notice
Speaker:that even though Nate's, so Nate's there sitting with Blair, but Blair says on like, they, you know,
Speaker:try to pretend like she's talking to her mother, not to Chuck. So she's, she's hiding that fact that
Speaker:from Nate. Yeah. And then also a little bit of gossip girl trivia. Now's a decent time to mention
Speaker:it. The Astros Center. It's a recurring location in the show's run all six seasons. It appears
Speaker:pretty much. And it is named after Dawn Ostrov, who was the president of the UPN and later the CW and was
Speaker:definitely a big involved in, you know, setting up gossip girl, which is one of the flagship shows of
Speaker:the first year in the CW. Yeah. Oh yeah. That's right. Um, and then so later on in the show, I could
Speaker:believe in the sixth season. We're CW. Just, just, just wanted to say just poor CW that it's like, we
Speaker:did it. We've got our network together in 2007, right before all networks. Yes. Uh, but, uh, yes.
Speaker:And then in season six, uh, it's mentioned that the Astros Center is renamed the Petowitz Institute
Speaker:because the, at that point, Mark Petowitz had taken over as network president. Yeah. Yeah. It
Speaker:was neat tributes. So that is the end of the second act. Uh, we go and go right into the act three, uh,
Speaker:back at the Waldorf penthouse, uh, Blair and Chuck speculate why Serena is at the Astros Center. Um,
Speaker:so yeah, they, I mean, they assume it's probably she's there for drugs or anything like that. It's,
Speaker:yeah. And, and considering that she disappeared and when she disappeared, it, it's really funny.
Speaker:They've basically showed that she disappeared without a trace when, when she went away prior to
Speaker:season one, you know? Um, well, I think it was no issues at boarding school, but yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Speaker:She just didn't communicate with anyone. Right. Right. I felt like the impression I got was without
Speaker:telling anybody she up one night left went to boarding school. But, um, yeah, it was right after
Speaker:the shepherd wedding, but there are many times where people reference her not drinking anymore.
Speaker:And even though we see her drinking, but like there are a few like, Oh, I thought you weren't doing that
Speaker:anymore. And like, yeah, yes. Uh, it's definitely implied that pre the show, she was definitely a
Speaker:party girl. Yeah. The G, the, yeah, that she used to drink a lot. Um, and that, and, and so it's one of
Speaker:those things where it, it's never been said aloud by her, but by other people, they have said, they
Speaker:have talked about her drinking before the show, you know, and so that they, it does lead to the
Speaker:logical conclusion of going there for, for treatment. So at the Ostrov center, the
Speaker:Vanderwitzers are having a family therapy session. The same issue keeps coming up with Lily
Speaker:wants you to hide Eric's problems. And Serena and Eric want to be honest. The therapist agrees that
Speaker:an event out is a good compromise for Eric. Yeah. Yeah. Hey, you know, since you were feeling like
Speaker:all of this depression and anxiety, maybe the first time you leave this super safe and secure
Speaker:setting, it should be at a giant party full of super intense people who are really on the brink of
Speaker:losing. Well, not just that. You can't handle going to your own home, but you can, you can go to a
Speaker:party. Yeah. Yeah. You can, it's, it's certainly, you shouldn't go home, but yeah, go to a party.
Speaker:That's fine. Yeah. Yeah. And, and, and I just, I keep thinking about the party that, that he's
Speaker:going to is like all of these people who are, you know, trying to impress these, these
Speaker:representatives from the different colleges and how, you know, how, intense of an atmosphere that
Speaker:is, you know, it isn't a casual brunch at Chuck's hotel. It's, it's, it's like people trying to like
Speaker:make the path that's going to be the rest of their life. Like that's stressful. That's like, not the
Speaker:party you take someone to the first time out either. At the school, we see Rufus just being a
Speaker:really good dad trying to find an out of the box solution to get his son to the IB rep party. And the,
Speaker:and conveniently the person who can make this happen is our very own Lily Vanderwitzen. That
Speaker:scene is fantastic. When, when it's, um, where, oh, I've, she's in a good mood. She's in a good mood.
Speaker:Well, she hasn't seen me yet. He was right. Cause as soon as she walks up to the C seven, she's like, Oh
Speaker:yeah. And, and he's doing here. It also, I love that this establishes that everyone's afraid of Lily,
Speaker:but Rufus, like Rufus doesn't give a shit, but like everyone else in, in Lily's orbit, she is, Lily is
Speaker:powerful and, and Lily knows how to get what she wants. And that's been established all along. And
Speaker:now you see that like the other people in her orbit are just as, yeah, they're, they're, they're just
Speaker:as afraid of her. She runs, she runs the show. Yeah. Scenes. Yeah. She is the Blair of the adults. Yeah.
Speaker:Very much. Back at the loft, Rufus reveals that he got Dan into the party on the program as part and,
Speaker:and on the program as part of the newly formed refreshments committee. Yeah. And, and how did
Speaker:you get that committee? How did you get the newly formed refreshments committee formed dad? Well,
Speaker:I'm part of the newly formed entertainment committee. Oh boy. What was it? Who did you hire to
Speaker:do the entertainment then head of the entertainment committee? All the only person I
Speaker:get such shortness was myself. Oh, Jesus Christ. This day can't get any worse. Like, and it's so
Speaker:funny how, you know, any kid hearing this conversation. Oh, so you got me into the party.
Speaker:Awesome. Oh, so I can work. Oh, and you can get a gig. Great. Great. Although when I hear this, I'm
Speaker:getting excited because now we're three episodes in and I still have yet to see Lincoln Hawk. So here
Speaker:when I find that he's going to be performing, I'm excited for Lincoln Hawk. Well, so since you
Speaker:mentioned that the answer reaction isn't even the normal kid reaction of embarrassment of a kid. He
Speaker:just feels that, you know, was he called post punk math rock or something? Is it a paraphrase for this
Speaker:event? Oh my God, I love it. But yeah, post punk math rock. And yeah, and it's like, but still, like I'm
Speaker:so excited to see. And he does. He does respond that he's going to tone it down somehow, doesn't he? Or.
Speaker:Yes. Rufus unplugged. Yeah, Rufus unplugged. I love it. I am dying for some Lincoln Hawk and I know I
Speaker:could spoil this for myself and I have not. I am so excited to finally eventually get to hear it.
Speaker:We'll get there. So the Vanderwoodsons arrive at the party and Lily is clearly nervous. Eric seems,
Speaker:but Eric seems to get spirits. Yeah, yeah, they're Eric's glad to be out. He's excited to be at this
Speaker:party. So, you know, good for him. But yeah, Blair's a little Blair is a or I'm sorry, Serena's a
Speaker:little intense. At the party we are greeted by the aforementioned Rufus Unplugged, and Dan is
Speaker:serving drinks and can't help but stare at Serena as she enters with Lillian Eric. Serena
Speaker:interrupts Blair's conversation with the Yellow Rift that rode crew with Blair's father. It is
Speaker:revealed that Chuck and Blair have invited Dr. Astroff to the party. Um, so for one I want to point
Speaker:out that once again we see Blair, who is eager to go to Yale, has, wants to go to Yale, has made that very
Speaker:clear, her dad went to Yale, and she's a legacy at Yale. Again we have the kid making their own
Speaker:decisions that are following in their parents' footsteps. So like, you know, it's not that it's
Speaker:wrong for the kids to follow in their footsteps, but it's when the parents, like, you missed a
Speaker:footsteps. And you know, I find that really interesting that both Blair and Serena want to go
Speaker:to the schools that their parents went to. You know, they want those paths. And they, and they
Speaker:still very much you can tell look up to their moms, even though they have, especially you see Lillian
Speaker:and Serena's struggles with Lillian wanting Serena to be back into the public eye. Well, I
Speaker:really like their conversation as their attorney, like, because Serena says, I'm going to
Speaker:be, do you have you seen the Yale ref? And Lillian's like, see, you want to go to Brown and Blair wanted
Speaker:to go to Yale. And Serena's like, yeah. And Lillian just makes this like, she's like this, now like,
Speaker:she like goes, yeah. And she's just like, no, it's like, oh, okay. Yep. I know what's going on here.
Speaker:Yeah. Yeah. And it's funny because like you see Lillian have the, have that recognition which
Speaker:shows that it's nothing new. That like the Serena wants what Blair has and Serena's going to get what
Speaker:Blair, you know, what Blair has. It's not new. It's a pattern now. Yeah. You know, and, and we've,
Speaker:we've only heard it talked about. We've never actually, other than episode one where she sleeps
Speaker:with Nate. Any other time we haven't seen this side of Blair, Serena yet, we've only seen Blair on the
Speaker:offensive. This is the first time we've ever seen Serena take the offensive. And she's, and she
Speaker:steps into the role really well. And really, and, and it is like a little bit of a, a twist for how you
Speaker:see Serena that like, wow, she does. She can play this game. She does know Blair's game, you know. We
Speaker:also get the first mention on the show of Blair's La Perlas from Chuck, which at the time I had really no
Speaker:idea what it was. I was, I was, I was just figuring out by context. Right. But it is, it is in fact a
Speaker:brand at the time. You know, I kind of thought like Victoria's secrets, the B and all of lingerie.
Speaker:Right. But really, that's like the Tommy Hill figure to the Chanel's. Yeah. And, and, and what's
Speaker:funny is I actually went home and brought this up with Robin, the conversation about it. And I
Speaker:couldn't remember the name La Perlas. And I was like, oh yeah. But, and I described it exactly that
Speaker:way. That like, you know, you have Victoria's Secret that's like the supposed to be the fancy
Speaker:stuff, but then that's really like, but this is like the Chanel to Tommy. She goes, oh, do you mean
Speaker:La Perlas? I'm like, yeah, she's like, she knows her shit. But so yes, then we have Nate has an
Speaker:awkward conversation with the Dartmouth rep rep about his book, The Petting Zoo. Yeah. Or Nate. Oh,
Speaker:you, you only hear he's trying. Bless your heart. Yeah. Bless your heart. Oh, he's, he's, he's, he,
Speaker:and then it's like on so many levels with Nate, like I tried to read your book and I didn't get it. I don't
Speaker:really want to read your, I didn't want to read your book. I read your book and I didn't get it. I don't
Speaker:want to go to your school. I really don't want to be having this conversation. I told the guy that I
Speaker:interviewed that I don't want to be here doing this. Please let me go home. Please let me go home.
Speaker:Please let me go home. It's like everything you see in his face and like the poor kid just like has zero
Speaker:desire to have anything that is going on right now. So then we get a Bart Bass greets Eric and Lily. Bart
Speaker:thinks Eric is just back from Miami. It appears that Lily's cover story is working. As Eric is
Speaker:leaving, we see Cady explains some advanced physics projects she has been working on. Yeah, I
Speaker:love this. I said after watching episode one that when you see a recurring background that you
Speaker:should be paying attention to what's in the background as much as what's in the foreground.
Speaker:And they try very hard from the start to establish. Cady and is or Cady and is as as background as set
Speaker:dressing almost. And I remember thinking like I want to pay attention there. I feel like there's
Speaker:something there. And this was my payoff. You know that that it's like, yeah, I knew it. I knew that
Speaker:there's more to these two that there and and it also kind of. Okay. Why are these two hanging around
Speaker:Blair? When when they clearly have, you know, their own goals and their own interests. Well, of
Speaker:course, that everyone is kind of able to get something from someone in this universe. Yeah,
Speaker:the kingdom. Yeah, it's a hierarchy. Yeah. The girls are the net steps. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I left it
Speaker:right hand of Blair. We see Eric and Jenny having a touching moment. Yeah. Um, there they this is when
Speaker:when Eric tells her, right? That why not quite. Oh, they're they. Oh, she's the they start talking.
Speaker:She's talking and then you know, and she she matches like manatees. Really? Yeah. Yeah. She
Speaker:picks up. But everyone else is like buys the law with this story because they really just don't
Speaker:care. Well, yeah, they and and and they in that universe, the lie is simpler than the truth. You
Speaker:know, yep, he was in Florida. Oh, manatees. Sure. Check's out. Check's out. I don't have to ask any
Speaker:more questions about this. Kids clearly fine. But yeah, Jenny immediately clots it and you know,
Speaker:they have a little touching moment. Yeah. Um, and then so back at the refreshment table, Dan is
Speaker:disgusted that Serena is using this party to get back at Blair instead of, you know, actually
Speaker:trying to go to college. Nate politely ignoring Serena. Dan tries to give Nate more advice that
Speaker:goes over his head. But Nate generally generously asked Dan to bring the rep his drink. Yeah. And and
Speaker:starting starting with this Serena and Dan thing, it like Serena being in this world, she's going to
Speaker:get into Brown. She's going to Brown. That's where she wants to go. There's there's no question about
Speaker:that. And here's Dan, who has to work for everything, who has to literally work at this
Speaker:party just for the chance to maybe get to talk to people at the school he wants to go to. That like the
Speaker:where this opportunity that he knows was now that he, you know, was given to the guy who gets
Speaker:everything and knows she's going to get whatever she wants anyway. And so she doesn't, you know, it
Speaker:again, he's justified in being frustrated with his position. And again, this is the first time
Speaker:we're seeing this behavior. And it's like, wow, this is really validating most of what they said
Speaker:about you in the first place. So you have just firmly planning yourself in this world to me. You
Speaker:know, definitely not a good luck. Yeah. But but then when we turn to the Nate and Dan stuff and
Speaker:again, Nate doesn't have to do this. Nate, Nate can go and pretend to talk to this guy for the rest of the
Speaker:night and do what his dad wants. And Nate doesn't want to do that. And Nate could also just walk away.
Speaker:Hey, dad, I'm not feeling well. I got to go and walk away. But instead he goes, hey, take these drinks
Speaker:over to him. So yeah, he does. But I liked it this time. Actually, Dan was the first one to initiate,
Speaker:initiate like the guy of the peaceful because like he's first he's asking about him and like what's he
Speaker:like. But he's trying to give more advice. Yeah. Yeah. But then it's like, it's like, it's just
Speaker:like, uh, you do it. Yeah. Well, yeah, exactly. And once again, you see like the two of them just
Speaker:knowing that like their their problems and their differences are easily easy things to set aside.
Speaker:There's without animosity. And we can both get what we want. And it was just, it was just really, it
Speaker:was a really great moment for the two of them. Definitely like the bromance brewing there.
Speaker:Yeah. Yeah. Then we see Nate is confronted by his father as he leaves the party. Nate outright tells
Speaker:his father that he doesn't want to go to Dartmouth and storms off. Yeah. Yeah. Good for Nate. Good for
Speaker:you. It's about time, you know, you, you said the words out loud. You told him this isn't what you
Speaker:want. Good for you, Nate. Definitely no going back now. Yeah. That go to Dartmouth. No. Man, you, you
Speaker:really, you really, you sabotage that interview. You're walking out of this early. You're telling
Speaker:your dad straight up. You don't want to go man Nate. Great story arc. Can't wait to see where you go
Speaker:next. Clearly that door is shut. All right. Back in a quiet room, Eric is revealing to Jenny that he
Speaker:tried to commit suicide. Jenny promises not to tell anyone as they return to the park. Yep. Lips
Speaker:are sealed aren't they, Jenny? That door shut. Good story arc. I can't wait to see what you do next.
Speaker:Um, so are we going to see a, uh, Eric and Jenny romance? I would like to think so. They're,
Speaker:they're fucking adorable. You know, they're just too cute teenagers and like, yeah, they, they,
Speaker:they would be adorable and they're so sweet with each other and they just, yeah, I would, I would
Speaker:hope so. So we're going to get some sibling double dates. I would love that. Although I also could see
Speaker:that not happening because I could also see them not wanting to double date. What do we throw with
Speaker:Lillian Rufus into this? Yeah. Yeah. Right. Yeah. Let's just have, you know, once that happens, then
Speaker:all of them, the other four, just all looking at each other like, well, this was good. Okay. This is
Speaker:gone too far. All right. Um, Blair is at the podium and brings Dr. Ostrov up on stage and tells
Speaker:everyone that Serena has been seeking treatment at the Ostrov center for drugs and alcohol. Yeah.
Speaker:Oh my God, Blair, where you, you lined her up in your sites, you took your shot and man, like you, you
Speaker:didn't get, you didn't get the kill you thought you got, but man, you made her look, you made her look
Speaker:bad here. That's fired. Yeah. Shots fired. But like, but man, if you're going to make a shot like
Speaker:that, you got to go for the kill and I don't think, I don't think this is thin and the panty out the way
Speaker:she hoped. Yeah. Well, first of all, Serena's reaction to it. Right. Where? Well, so that's what
Speaker:we get to right here. So, Eric, I tries to reveal the truth, but much to Lily Shagrin, Serena takes the
Speaker:fall to protect her brother by going up on stage. Jenny immediately breaks her promise and reveals
Speaker:to Dan. Yeah. The Eric was actually the one in the center. Like the next seat. I promise this seat,
Speaker:your secret, say with me, I absolutely will not tell anybody. Nope. No, no secrets. Nothing,
Speaker:nothing you're talking about. It was Eric. Immediately. No, no, no, it wasn't her. It was her
Speaker:brother, Eric, you know, the one that attempted suicide. Over there. That guy. And then we see in an
Speaker:empty room, Lily confronts Serena about the reveal. Yeah. Um, and it's like, what did you want
Speaker:me to do? Like, like I was going to visit my brother that you hit away. Well, the first thing Lily says
Speaker:is, why is Blair talking about a drug problem that you don't have? You don't have a drug problem,
Speaker:right? Right. Yeah. Yeah. To question her there. Because they don't have a relationship. Yeah.
Speaker:They don't talk. They don't, they don't know each other. She doesn't know, even though her daughter
Speaker:has a drug problem, that's how little they thought. Yeah, she doesn't, she doesn't know her
Speaker:kids. And that's, and they. So we are back from little technical difficulties there. Serena
Speaker:re-enters the party and on the verge of tears, begs Blair for a truce, which is simple, snipply,
Speaker:denied. Yeah. And, and like, you see that Serena started dipping her toe back into this rivalry
Speaker:back into this, you know, thing that they had and immediately wants to get back out of it. Does not
Speaker:want to be in it at all and is ready to just run, you know, and Blair's not having it and Blair be
Speaker:blaring. Yeah. Um, yes, definitely. Uh, and then we have Serena. Dan catches up with Serena and
Speaker:finally apologizes for what you said before. They seem seem to leave things in a good place with plans
Speaker:to meet up and not talk, not talk. And I, I know I didn't really think of that as not talk. I, I feel my
Speaker:impression of it was more the two of them can't get out of each other, get out of their own way. And they
Speaker:always say the wrong thing to each other. However, there is the implication of not talking. Naughty
Speaker:business. Naughty business. Yes. Um, yeah. Okay. And then back at the party, Eric privately reveals
Speaker:to Blair that he is the one who's the patient at the Astro Center. Yeah. And man, is that look on
Speaker:Blair's face. Yeah. Riceless. Hurst. Her, she just goes, her skin goes white. Yeah. And, and like
Speaker:who does Delia, Leighton Meester, Leighton Meester? Cause like, man, does she nail that? Man,
Speaker:does she nail the just being in this position of power and having the pedestal just ripped out from
Speaker:under her. And, and because Blair is out for Serena's blood and had no intention and no idea
Speaker:that she was actually, that there were other casualties in this war and that she took that shot
Speaker:and actually hit Eric. And she, Eric's a little brother to her, you know, they've established
Speaker:this relationship and like she, you can tell that man, she did not want to hurt Eric. And she's
Speaker:genuinely shook. Yeah. Um, and we get more of this as the series goes along. But yeah, it's pretty
Speaker:clear that they all grew up together. Eric is like a little brother to everyone pretty much in the
Speaker:group. Yeah. Yeah. And, and, and I, I guess this is me. This is the first time we've seen them
Speaker:interact, but they, you get that familiarity between them. Yes. You know, you get that sense of,
Speaker:you know, that there's that history with Serena and anyone who has friends with little siblings,
Speaker:you know, that, you know, I, my, my best friend, I just saw his sisters for the first time in probably
Speaker:over a decade, but like they're still little sisters to me, you know, and one of them's my age,
Speaker:but like they're, they're still little sisters to me, you know. And I think the, not only in late in the
Speaker:semester, but also Connor Palo who plays Eric, uh, both, both it. Yeah. Cause they, they gave you that
Speaker:relationship without affing it, give you any expedition. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. And you totally
Speaker:knew what was going on between them. Yeah. Yeah. You, you needed no background. You needed nothing
Speaker:else. You just instantly, they just communicated decade. They communicated their lifetime of
Speaker:knowing each other in a few glances and in a few comments and a brief conversation. It was really,
Speaker:really impressive work on both actors. Yes. I agree. And that would be the end of act three. And so
Speaker:we get into the epilogue, uh, back at the loft. Dan, thanks for Rufus for getting him into the party. So
Speaker:Dan finally, uh, yeah, he's learning. He realized. Yeah. Yeah. He knows his dad helped him
Speaker:out. Yeah. Yeah. He's, he's, and he, and he recognizes it and he's grateful. Um, yeah, it was a
Speaker:great, which again, like I was, I've been saying character development, character does bad
Speaker:thing, character learns, character does good thing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Um, the, this
Speaker:show is phenomenal in how they address character development. He's also, you know, taking that
Speaker:English teacher piece aside, uh, from the, the different foundations of character
Speaker:development. And one of the biggest things is, you know, you have like what the character says and
Speaker:what the character does, but one of those really important things is what the people say about the
Speaker:character, both to them and when they're not around, you know, and, and here you have Dan, who,
Speaker:you know, is, who, who is saying about his appreciation for his dad and recognizing that
Speaker:and, and showing that, that despite his frustrations initially, his dad really knew what
Speaker:he was doing. So really not only develops the character of Dan as the kid who is willing to take
Speaker:his shots and learn lessons and, and learn along the way, but also that Rufus is a slick guy that he's
Speaker:smooth, that he knows how to get things done and he knows how to, how to work with people to trade for
Speaker:the things that he wants for his kids. So it's really great character development on both
Speaker:sides. And so Nate is once again, waking up at Chuck's suite. They're both kind of hungover
Speaker:again. Yeah. And, and Chuck is, I believe, probably in bed with a or some women. Yes. That
Speaker:typically is 10. Oh, not any woman. No, he does. I think this time he is she in the bed with him or is it
Speaker:just implied that he gets, there's a note for he, he does because he switched with the Princeton rep.
Speaker:Yeah. Because he, yeah, he got into New Jersey. Yeah. Yeah. He got into New Jersey. He got into
Speaker:Princeton. Yeah. He got into Princeton. Again, disgusting with Chuck Bass. Yeah. He, and, and
Speaker:then, you know, we've seen Chuck Bass, the sexual predator in creep. And now you see Chuck Bass, who
Speaker:also is able to woo women too. You know, he does have game, which it's also one of those things like you
Speaker:don't have to be the fucking disgusting creep you are, you know, but he, yeah, he, yeah. Well, no, no,
Speaker:buts. I mean, he doesn't have to be the fucking disgusting creep he is. He, that just goes into the
Speaker:whole psychology and then we won't go too deep into that. Cause it's just a gross subject, but, yeah.
Speaker:And it, but yeah, it's, it's, it's a power dynamic. Yeah. He, he, yeah. He likes power and he wants to
Speaker:have power over these women. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Um, but yeah, it is implied that he sleeps with the
Speaker:Princeton rat. Yeah. But then we see him at the parties, which presumably is older than high
Speaker:school age. Yeah. Yeah. Well, he makes, there's, we see everything. He makes a, he makes a cougar
Speaker:reference. He says they call him the tigers, you know, he makes a reference to the tigers, which I
Speaker:took as a cougar reference. I think it's more about wild sex. Yeah. Well, I, yeah, that, yeah. But
Speaker:yeah, definitely older than, than he is. Yeah. Well, I mean, yeah, she has to do works for the
Speaker:universities and the other, the other reps were established author and, and guy that, you know,
Speaker:old enough to be Blair's dad, you know, was on the crew team with her dad. So yeah. And it was, so you
Speaker:get the idea that that Princeton rep was not only older, but probably. We did, we did get a quick
Speaker:glance at her. I would say probably like mid thirties, early thirties. Yeah. That was my, that
Speaker:was what I was thinking in mid thirties. Uh, anyways. Um, as Nate, so we, the reason why they
Speaker:wake up is cause Nate gets a call from his dad cause he has to go off for the morning run with the
Speaker:captain. And when he shows up, it is revealed the captain invited the Dartmouth rep to the run and he
Speaker:made up a lie about why Nate let the party say he had food poisoning. Yeah. And then we see the, yeah.
Speaker:And, and we see the captain had was, was told flat out like this isn't what I want. This isn't what I'm
Speaker:going to do. This isn't what I'm doing. And he was like, well, hey son, sorry about that food
Speaker:poisoning that you really got over in like what, it's 12 hours. Let's go for a run. Hey. Um, was, was
Speaker:the race earlier in the episode, the one where Nate beats the captain and the captain's like, well,
Speaker:you know, if you wouldn't have cut me off. Yeah, I think so. Yeah. Yeah. That was what I was, what I was
Speaker:trying to bring up earlier, but I couldn't remember if that was the race. So like just fucking
Speaker:captain, like he's, he's the worst. Yes. Nate has some pretty terrible parents. Um, I've, I've
Speaker:never seen Nate's mom. I, so far, I haven't, we haven't met her yet. Yeah. I have only seen one
Speaker:parent of each of the main cast members. I've heard reference to Blair's dad. I've heard reference
Speaker:to, I feel like I've heard Serena's dad referenced, but maybe not, maybe they haven't
Speaker:even brought that up. Um, Dan's mom has been referenced. Chuck's mom is referenced in the
Speaker:first episode about Chuck saying, get some of my mom's pills. Um, but yeah, we, we've not see, we've
Speaker:only seen one parent from each, from each character. That makes sense. Jenny visits Eric,
Speaker:who is back at the Ostrich Center. It is revealed that Lily does not visit very often. Surprise,
Speaker:surprise. Yeah. I mean, like going back to the fact that Lily doesn't know her kids, Lily's kids are
Speaker:there for her to show. And then, and they're not there for, to interrupt her life at all. And, and,
Speaker:and I don't feel like we see her, haunting her kids out for money the way we do the captain. But I feel
Speaker:like we do see her, um, doing it for, for image and for, her kids are just an accessory. Exactly.
Speaker:They're reflection on her, but she doesn't really care. As long as they don't embarrass her. Yeah.
Speaker:She doesn't really care what they do. Right. Yeah. And now she's embarrassed by both of them. And so
Speaker:now she, you know, but, and, and, and since she, Eric embarrassed her by doing something that
Speaker:she's kept a complete and total secret, you know, he's hidden away. And then we come to the final
Speaker:scene of the episode on a bench under a bridge. Serena's reading while avoiding a steady
Speaker:rainfall. Blair walks up and reads a letter she wrote to Serena, but never sent. White flags are
Speaker:raised and the episode ends. Yeah. I mean, the end of this episode is just fucking moving. It is
Speaker:powerful. The acting between the, between Serena and Blair, they just lay it all out. Yeah. I
Speaker:definitely get a little misty every time I watch it. Yeah. Yeah. It just, you, you see, and there is
Speaker:that thing in the back of my head of, is this another game from Blair? You know, is it Blair playing
Speaker:another game? But even if it is, you can see that she really is laying her heart out and really laying
Speaker:into where she was at that time. But Blair also, you know, she has, she is playing a game. Those are all
Speaker:true things that happened. Exactly. Exactly. And, and, you know, Blair, I think the biggest
Speaker:thing with her is that she's recovering from realizing that her shot misfired and hit there.
Speaker:And, and it's like, okay, no one else was supposed to be hurt by this. I'm willing to, I'm willing to
Speaker:listen, willing to try. And, and they do, you know, like they, they, they have this great moment. And
Speaker:like you said, it's powerful and it's emotional. And they, they really, uh, both of them, the, the,
Speaker:the, just that connection that you feel between them, it's really, it is a great end. And it's great
Speaker:that now they're friends and I can only imagine that, that door is closed, fantastic and great
Speaker:story arcs, ladies, and can't wait to see what you do together. Yep. Best friends for the rest of the
Speaker:years. Best friends for another, for another, you know, yeah, six and a half, four or five and a half
Speaker:seasons. Wonder what conflicts you'll get into with other people. Definitely not each other. Um,
Speaker:and then, uh, that is the end of the episode. So let's go ahead and get into some segments. Um,
Speaker:Steve, what do you grade this episode? This episode is an A for me. Start to finish. It is
Speaker:starting off, you know, with the choir in the beginning and just seen by scene, it is just really
Speaker:well, really well shot, really well played, really well acted and really well written. The,
Speaker:the character development is just so much, so many stories. They, they really do almost feel, you
Speaker:know, they're not coming to a close because you know that this show is only getting started. But so
Speaker:many things that feel resolved that have that carpet ripped out from under you kind of feel, it
Speaker:just really, you fantastic storytelling in this episode. I agree. Um, I'm going to give it an A plus.
Speaker:Uh, to me, this is about as perfect as episode of gospel gets. Uh, like you said, you know, all the
Speaker:way through, you got all the storylines intersecting, which I like. Um, got pretty much
Speaker:everyone interacts. You get the big reveal with Eric and Blair. You get the, the great scene at the
Speaker:end. Um, like you said, all the shots, the shot at the end was, is great. And like the very final
Speaker:scene, you get like three separate pullbacks. And it just, yeah, the acting, the directing, it all
Speaker:hit in this episode. Yeah. Cinematography things like they just, they check every box in this
Speaker:episode. And it is, yeah. And yeah, it's, it's damn near perfect. And we are going to go to our stock
Speaker:watch. Um, who do you got going up this week? So going up this week, Nate for, even though like he
Speaker:kind of got screwed in the end. He, he had told his dad what he wanted. He made a new relationship with
Speaker:Dan and in this world, you know, connecting and networking, those things boost your stock. And
Speaker:then I, and both Dan stock went up with this, you know, Dan, who looked like he was going to take a dip
Speaker:at one point, ends up really, really, uh, shooting up in the stock market. And he got that character
Speaker:development. Yeah. Yeah. Um, I also have Eric and Rufus both going up. Probably Jenny and Eric, but I
Speaker:feel like Jenny was more of vehicle for Eric to have that development, you know, why I can't give it to
Speaker:Jenny is because she revealed that, that's, oh yeah. I mean, she clearly can't keep a secret. So
Speaker:like she was a sympathetic year, but yeah, she, yes. My, my, my ups were Nate, Dan, Rufus and Eric.
Speaker:Yeah. That's, that's who I have as well. Yeah. Um, what about going down? Well, Chuck is, you know,
Speaker:still plummeting, um, looking for a rock bottom. Uh, and Blair and Serena, their, their stock both
Speaker:took a hit. Both, both of theirs went down. Yeah. Um, I had Chuck and Blair and Serena also, um, Chuck
Speaker:obviously being creepy stalking Serena and just being gross as usual. Um, Blair, uh, cause she, she
Speaker:tried to take a shot at Serena, but you know, friendly fire to Eric's the one taking, taking it.
Speaker:And then Serena just for being heady and, you know, going after something she didn't even want just
Speaker:to, you know, get back at her best friend. Yeah. Yeah. You, you, you went back into the fight and
Speaker:then realized you're not, you're out of shape, you know, you, you went to get into the ring and you
Speaker:haven't trained in far too long. And then, um, I also had the captain for being a total fucking
Speaker:douchebag as usual. And, um, also Lily for, uh, yeah, just being a bad mom. Yeah. Yeah. I, I, I
Speaker:actually completely agree with those as well. That we should actually track our stock and like,
Speaker:we'll have that in our season recap. Okay. We're going to break down all the analytics. Yeah.
Speaker:Awesome. All right, Steve. Uh, who do you have for a best outfit this week? So my favorite outfit this
Speaker:week was actually Blair at the end. And like, I had a whole conversation with Robin. Robin can't stand
Speaker:that I'm talking about fashion right now, by the way. She's like, I can't listen to you talk about
Speaker:this. But, um, I was, I was like Blair dresses for power at almost any given point. I mean, she's
Speaker:wearing something that really, you know, stands out and, and just firmly plants her in a position of
Speaker:power, I find. And that last outfit where it's, where she's raising the white flag, but she's
Speaker:still like, like you get that sense of like, it's so in, like, I feel like everything she wears is so
Speaker:intentional, you know, at all times. And I really found that, that outfit at the end was great. So I
Speaker:picked the same scene, but the different girl. I had to go with Serena this time. The hat, the way she
Speaker:matched the makeup with the outfit. Like a whole monochrome look going on. Imagine it. It was so
Speaker:Paris Serena. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Sitting in the rain, reading a book. Yeah. I mean, again, when we
Speaker:were talking about that last scene and just the perfection of that moment, it was, it was right
Speaker:down to the costume design. Right down to the makeup, right down to like every detail of that
Speaker:scene was so perfectly in place. All right. Um, yeah, I think you want to plug. Absolutely. So by
Speaker:now I should have released my album, a weed wizards Christmas. It's available pretty much anywhere
Speaker:you would stream music. And there's also a single that is available called green Christmas. Check
Speaker:that one out as well. Add it to your holiday playlists. And then you can come out to McGillans
Speaker:on February 8th. I'll be there as the featured artist at the open mic. And then you can also follow
Speaker:me at Steve, the weed wizard on Tiktok and you can follow me on Instagram at Steve dot Marseine. M a r c
Speaker:h i o n. It is not spelled how it sounds. It does not look like it does not sound how it is spelled. The
Speaker:Marcher Lord. Yeah. The March I on. Yes. So you can follow me on Twitch where I review PA marijuana and
Speaker:medical marijuana and play video games. So come out and chat on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays
Speaker:from eight to 11 p.m. Eastern. You can find me at twitch.tv slash hot capicola. I can also follow me
Speaker:on Instagram at capicola. You can follow the podcast on Tiktok and on Instagram at nonjudging
Speaker:breakfast pod and on the social media formerly known as Twitter at at NJB pod. And we are also the
Speaker:nonjudging breakfast club podcast on Facebook. Oh, yeah. And if you have any questions for us, you
Speaker:can email us at nonjudging breakfast pod dot at gmail.com. And we'll answer your questions right
Speaker:here on the podcast. And if you really enjoy the show, please give us a like and a follow on Spotify
Speaker:or Apple or wherever you scream your podcasts. It'll really help with our discoverability. And
Speaker:in two weeks, we'll be back for to review the next episode. Season one, episode four of Bad News
Speaker:Blair, which is a title that I instantly recognized until next time. You love us.
