Betrayal marred a special election day episode of Gossip Girl, last night. With the Van Der Bilt name on the line, drama stole the vote as controversy ignited a firestorm of old tensions between the suddenly not-so-close members of Manhattan's privileged elite.
Spending election day in the penthouse of Chuck Bass's Empire Hotel, the Van Der Bilts are rocked by Tripp Van Der Bilt's disappointing showing in the polls. In a race against an opponent backed by the arch-rival Buckleys, the campaign's failure to attract a majority of voters draws the concern of Tripp's powerful grandfather. Conceding that it may be too late to save the family from the throes of a humiliating defeat, he notes that only a well-timed "miracle" can guarantee Tripp's election.
Amazingly, the Van Der Bilt's wishes are soon answered. In a walk along the piers, Tripp responds to the desperate cries of a drowning man. Jumping in to recover him from the water, the entire event is captured by a documentary-filming Vanessa Abrams. Upon further review of the tape, however, Vanessa soon realizes that the "miraculous" event was staged, and confronts Nate with the incriminating information. Proving his family loyalty, Nate asks Vanessa to keep the information quiet. Stubbornly, however, she sells the footage to Channel One, leaving Nate with little choice but to take more forceful measures.
Nate, in turn, manages the situation by sending someone to pose as a representative of Channel One to collect the tape. Realizing this, Vanessa responds by providing a copy to the real representative, causing word of the hoax to spread like wildfire. Accusing his grandfather of staging the drowning, Tripp is devastated by the news, and announces his plans to pull out of the race. Nate, however, beats him to the podium, and publicly takes responsibility for the entire hoax. Ultimately Tripp wins the election, and the real conspirator--his wife, Maureen Van Der Bilt--steps forward to Tripp's grandfather to privately accept responsibility.
Serena van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf continued to fight this week, as both earned invitations to Tripp's exclusive election night party. While Blair's attendance is no surprise, Serena's invite is anything but expected, as her conflict with Nate continues unabashed. Bullying her way into the party, she makes her appearance solely on the whim of K.C. Cunningham, who seems driven on winning Patrick Roberts a starring role in a new political film by allowing him face-time with the Van Der Bilt's political friends. As Patrick continues drinking, however, his behavior becomes uncontrollable, and Blair is forced to check him into one of the Empire's suites. Angered by Blair's involvement, the situation causes even more distrust and suspicion between the former friends, as Serena accuses Blair of trying to undermine her job.
In an effort to make Serena jealous, Blair, meanwhile, decides to invite an attractive, well-dressed new "best friend" to the party. Failing to realize that she is nothing more than a high-priced call girl, Blair is forced into an embarrassing situation as Serena learns of her true identity. As both sides trade jabs against the other, Serena pushes Blair's face into a cake, leaving her fuming. Cleaning up, Blair lights into Serena's actions and questionable lifestyle, and for the first time since the debut season, the pair break off their friendship. Angry, Serena eventually turns to Chuck, but finds little solace as he reminds her that she is no longer in high school, and warns her that staging juvenile fights with Blair could very well permanently end their relationship.
Dan Humphrey, meanwhile, is forced into an awkward position as he suddenly becomes known by the moniker of "bathroom boy." Taken from a embarrassing story shared by girlfriend, Olivia Burke on a recent appearance with Jimmy Fallon, Dan is prevented from seeing the interview by a nervous Olivia. Eventually finding out, he scares her by leaving without a word, but in a pleasant surprise, the two make up when he reveals that he simply learned from the interview that it was their one month anniversary. Planning an at-home candlelight dinner, Dan's gesture relieves an anxious Olivia, and the two lovers end the night with some romance.
Next week's episode entitled "They Shoot Humphreys, Don't They?" features Jenny Humphrey as she tries to land the hottest escort for Cotillion, Chuck and Nate as they try to help Serena and Blair repair their friendship, and Olivia as she considers leaving school for a movie project.
Where will this Manhattan story take us next?
To find out, stay tuned and stay fashionable,
--Alaythia
