Although the air on the Upper East Side may be cold as ice, the drama provided by "Bonfire of the Vanity" and "The Magnificent Archibalds" is searing the lives of the Manhattan Elite on CW's Gossip Girl.
After submitting his Chuck Bass-inspired story to famed author Noah Shapiro, Dan Humphrey is overjoyed when the author finally agrees to write him an academic recommendation. Dan's excitement is short-lived, however, as he learns that Shapiro has larger plans for the story. Inviting a prominent writer from New York Magazine, Shapiro advertises the opportunity for further investigative journalism into the history of Bart Bass. Dan reluctantly agrees, and meets the elder Bass under the guise of being interested in construction.
While the meeting is mostly cordial, Dan plants the seed for future meetings by flattering Bart, and comparing him to his own father. Bart agrees, but Dan's plan backfires as Chuck soon catches him going into a meeting with New York Magazine. In a final showdown, Dan tries to trap Bart by inquiring into an insurance fraud scandal that is leaked by an employee of Bass Industries. Bart confesses--but only seconds before Chuck runs in, and reveals the truth about Dan.
Remorseful, Dan sees the fear in Chuck's eyes, and the pain in his voice as he pleads with him. In a final act of contrition, Dan hands over the manuscript and apologizes, and Bart finally gets the opportunity to see Chuck for who he is. Bart, in turn apologizes, and lets Chuck know that he never blamed him for the death of his mother. Reunited in many ways, the two decide to attend a hockey game together.
With her eighteenth birthday finally on its way, Blair Waldorf begins to make preparations for the party with her friends. She also expresses excitement over meeting her mother, Eleanor Waldorf's new boyfriend, Cyrus Rose. Their first meeting, however, is not what she expected, as Blair discovers that Cyrus is "five feet tall, has a catch-phrase, and is a hugger." Furthermore, she is furious when Cyrus decides to invite Eleanor to a Cyndi Lauper concert on the night of her birthday party.
Venting about Cyrus to Serena, Blair decides to get even and dig up all the secrets she possibly can about him. The plan fails, however, as Cyrus outwits her--and while she does digs up some juicy tidbits about an affair he once had, he is one step ahead and invites Cyndi Lauper to Blair's birthday party. Knowing that Blair would tell Eleanor about the affair, and that Eleanor would naturally break up with him, Cyrus uses Lauper as the means of pulling on Blair's heart strings. It works, and Blair runs out to apologize--only to realize that she's been outwitted. Nevertheless, Cyrus is invited back in, and by the next morning, Cyrus and Eleanor announce plans to move in together.
Blair does not take well to the new living arrangement, however, and becomes especially irritated with Cyrus's apparent trampling of the Waldorf's Thanksgiving traditions. To add insult to injury, Dorota, the maid, alerts Blair to the impending engagement between Cyrus and Eleanor, and the announcement of it, which she says will happen at Thanksgiving dinner. Fed up with the whole situation, and saddened by the emptiness created by the loss of one major tradition--the presence of her father--Blair decides to skip the family's Thanksgiving party.
Walking around Manhattan with Dorota, Blair is able to keep her location a secret until she gives it to Serena, who in turn gives it to Eleanor. Driving over to pick up Blair, Eleanor confesses two secrets: the engagement, but also the arrival of Blair's father. The holiday made complete, Blair resolves to enjoy a new holiday tradition with a new kind of family.
Meanwhile, Serena van der Woodsen continues her rocky relationship with an artist named Aaron Rose, who happens to be the son of Cyrus Rose. Finding herself the recipient of a number of romantic surprises, she is equally heartbroken by the number of women that Aaron constantly surrounds himself with. Days after calling her his "muse," the situation comes to a head as Serena finds Aaron having dinner with another one of his female "friends". Angrily confronting him, Aaron responds by explaining that he enjoys having more than one girlfriend at a time. Storming out, Serena declares her unhappiness, but softens as he soon returns to her side. Determined to work against all odds, Serena declares her love for him, and the two take a walk in the park.
Despite the pair's reconciliation, the problems nevertheless seem to mount against them. Although Aaron suddenly decides to see Serena exclusively, she feels the need to mask much of her past. Because Aaron is a recovering alcoholic, Serena proclaims that she doesn't drink either. However, her ex-boyfriend Dan unknowingly brings up the fact that Serena enjoys wine when he bumps into Aaron at the supermarket. When Aaron confronts Serena about it, she proclaims that Dan is lying, which in turn causes Aaron to confront Dan. Finally remembering her conscience, Serena gives Aaron all of her personal information from Bart's file, with the request that after reading it, he would tell her if he still wanted to be with her. Refusing to read it, the pair finally begins talking honestly.
Meanwhile, little Jenny Humphrey and her model friend, Agnes, work on pitching a fashion line to various business managers. They fail miserably, however, because they cannot agree upon anything, nor can they remain professional during their business meetings. While Jenny is determined to succeed, Agnes has many other priorities, such as drinking, which cause her to break her word. After a night of partying, Jenny finally rips into Agnes, and steals the phone number of the last manager they interviewed with.
Calling him back, Jenny sets up a private meeting with the manager, but is frustrated when she learns that she must get permission of a parent to officially begin her contract with the business management agency. To make matters worse, one wrong call from the agency lets Agnes know of Jenny's plans, and by the time Jenny returns home to Agnes's apartment, Agnes had set all of Jenny's dresses aflame. Crying, Jenny returns home to her father, Rufus Humphrey, but leaves in a huff when he won't give in to her emotional blackmail and refuses to sign the management agreement. Storming out, Jenny is forced to sleep at Rufus's gallery.
With nowhere else to go, Jenny turns to Eric van der Woodsen for assistance. Crashing at the van der Woodsen-Bass apartment while Bart and Lily are away, Jenny finds a friend in Eric, who is willing to help her regardless of the situation. Learning that the only way to become an independent designer is to become legally emancipated, Eric comes with Jenny as she navigates the frightening legal and emotional ramifications of taking such decisive action.
Rufus and Lily also soon learn of Jenny's recent living arrangement, and Lily tries first to talk to Jenny. Failing for the most part, Rufus tries a sympathetic approach, and although he is also shot down, Jenny appears almost ready to come home. The turning point occurs on Thanksgiving Day, as Jenny runs into Blair. Letting her know how lucky she is, Blair confesses that she wishes that she had a parent like Rufus. When Eleanor comes to find Blair, Jenny finally returns home in their car.
Eric is also involved in another piece of drama, as a cheating boyfriend reveals a dark side to Bart's involvement with his family. The drama starts as Eric confesses a loss of feelings for his current boyfriend. Bart responds with a tantalizing tip about some illicit affair that Eric's boyfriend is having, but cannot figure out how Bart acquired this knowledge. Asking Chuck, Bart's source of knowledge is revealed, as it becomes evident that Bart has been playing "Big Brother" on the family since they met. Chuck reveals that his father, Bart, has files on each member of the family's past. When Lily realizes what Bart has done, she angrily confronts him, but he offers no remorse. Lily in turn punishes Bart by cancelling Thanksgiving, and taking Eric over to the Humphreys for Thanksgiving dinner.
Nate Archibald, meanwhile, is put in an awkward position with the sudden return of his father, Captain Archibald. Telling Nate that he was able to stash some money offshore, he asks that the three of them flee to the Caribbean. The invitation is much more than it seems, though, as the FBI suspects the Captain of plotting to kidnap his own family, and make it look like a hostage situation to extort money out his wife's wealthy parents, the Vanderbilts.
Contacted by the FBI first, Vanessa Abrams in turn calls Chuck Bass who begins to plan an intervention of sorts. Telling Nate the full scope of the situation, the attention quickly turns as to whether or not he should turn his father in. Deciding to do the right thing, Nate gives an advance warning to his father, but encourages him to simply give himself up to the authorities. He does, and he is finally arrested without incident. The Archibalds are also allowed to move back into their home.
Vanessa and Nate also continue to sort out their feelings for one another as Vanessa remains concerned as to Nate's true feelings for Jenny. At the Thanksgiving party held at the Humphrey's, Vanessa finds an un-opened note written by Nate to Jenny in which he describes his feelings for her. Vanessa steals the letter in an attempt to squelch any feelings between the two.
On Monday, December 1st, Gossip Girl returns with a fresh coat of drama in "It's a Wonderful Lie." With the annual Snowflake Ball approaching, Blair and Chuck will make a bet that they can find the ideal dates for one another. Meanwhile, Aaron's ex-girlfriend, Lexi, will express an interest in Dan, which will in-turn create conflicted feelings for Serena. And Nate, Jenny, and Vanessa will get into a tangled triangle that puts their friendships and hearts on the line.
Who will be the belle of the ball, and who will simply be left out in the cold...
To find out, stay tuned and stay fashionable,
-- Alaythia