Drama was served with a side of mashed potatoes as Gossip Girl debuted an all-new Thanksgiving episode on the CW, last night. On a night filled with secrets and lies, accusations brought shocking new twists, rocking Manhattan's beautiful Upper East Side.
On a night all about family, the Humphrey clan finds itself missing several members, including Serena van der Woodsen, Scott Ronson, and Cece Rhodes. Learning of their absence from Lily Humphrey, Rufus Humphrey feels a particular sensitivity for his mother-in-law, Cece, who he believes to be ill, and uses a video messaging service to include her in the Thanksgiving festivities. Speaking to her, however, Rufus soon realizes that Cece has long-ago regained her health, and discovers that Lily's reasoning for not inviting her is, in fact, much more selfish. Shocked that Lily would resort to lying in order to block her mother from celebrating with the rest of the family, Rufus responds by allowing Cece to join them as a special guest, and agrees to keep her impending arrival a secret.
With Cece added to the mix, the Waldorfs provide the next round of unexpected company. The drama begins as Eleanor Waldorf returns home from some long-term world travel. Eager to see her mother, Blair Waldorf's suspicions are raised as Eleanor appears to cling to some paperwork necessary to changing her will. Confused, Blair is quietly stunned as she finds a pregnancy test on Doroda that she believes to be her Mom's. Believing that her mom is hiding the impending arrival of a new baby brother or sister, Blair ultimately settles by inviting herself and her mother to the Humphreys in the hopes of confronting her there.
Prodigal daughter, Serena van der Woodsen also decides to attend the family party, as a proposed Thanksgiving tryst with the still-married Tripp Van Der Bilt becomes impossible under the watchful eye of Tripp's wife, Maureen. Eager to still spend time with her well-connected suitor, Serena proposes having Thanksgiving dinner at the Humphrey's that allows Tripp to satisfy his obligation to his wife, while also spending time with her. Ironically, Tripp doesn't even have to ask his wife, as a chat between Lily and Maureen unknowingly tips off the latter about Tripp's extracurricular activities. Inviting the unhappy couple to dinner, Lily's invitation is met with enthusiasm by Maureen, as she looks forward to monitoring the interaction between Tripp and Serena.
In another surprising twist, Dan invites Vanessa's mother to town, in the hopes of forcing a truce between mother and daughter. Using the holiday dinner as the means of improving their broken relationship, Dan exerts his influence in the hopes that it might pay dividends in a romantic interlude with Vanessa.
With the dinner finally at hand, civilities are quickly frayed as Lily can hardly contain her anger over her mother's presence in Manhattan. Rufus, by contrast, is his usual heartwarming self, even as it becomes clear that Lily's absence at the beginning of the season was about far more than caring for her mother. A secret letter, it seems, holds the key to Lily's lies and unexplained absence, and unlike her last big secret, Cece is willing to help her keep it. Unfortunately for Rufus, that means more lies, and yet another week to wait in the hopes of learning Lily's big secret.
Serena and Tripp, meanwhile, struggle to keep their feelings in check, as they attempt to prove their innocence in the eyes of a doubtful Maureen. As tensions brew, Maureen turns to Nate Archibald for assistance, who, in return offers her incriminating footage of the pair from the elevator camera at the Empire Hotel. Captured by Empire-mogul Chuck Bass, the tape causes an angry Maureen to snap and confront Serena and Tripp publicly. Angered by her daughter's actions, Lily demands that Serena end the relationship, or else seek alternate living arrangements.
While Serena initially gives in to Lily's forceful threat, an impromptu search of the family safe causes her to find the hidden letter from her father. Angered that Lily would keep something of that nature away from her, Serena is soon taken aback by an impassioned visit from Tripp. Given the choice to continue their relationship or obey her mother, Serena chooses the former, and notifies Lily of her discovery. Outside, however, Serena is greeted by Nate, who makes a surprising plea for Serena's romantic affection. Turning him down, Serena gets into Tripp's limousine, and the pair drive off into the cool Manhattan night.
Blair, meanwhile, is relieved as a confrontation with her mother quickly establishes that she is not pregnant. Explaining that changing her will is meant to reflect a new property in Paris, Eleanor surprises Blair by confessing her plans to move there with husband, Cyrus Rose. The pair also discover that the pregnancy test was Doroda's, and in one of this season's biggest highlights, Blair and Eleanor learn that their beloved housekeeper is having a baby!
Dan, on the hand, is disappointed as he struggles to reign in the bad blood between Vanessa and her mom. At the dinner table, Vanessa's mom is at her worst, as she embarrasses herself with snide comments to Lily, Cece, and Rufus, among others, A misdirected idealist, she initially alienates her daughter before Dan ultimately succeeds in initiating the pair's first heart-to-heart conversation in recent memory. Ultimately, some much-needed family bonding is not enough for Dan to confess his feelings to Vanessa, though, and given the choice of risking their friendship for something more, Dan chooses to remain friends.
Next week's episode entitled "The Debarted," is an important one for Chuck as he deals with the anniversary of his father's untimely death. Another car accident, meanwhile, rocks the Upper East Side, while Dan and Vanessa face the new complexities in their friendship, and Jenny gets accused of assaulting a classmate.
Don't miss this exciting episode, as it is the last one before Gossip Girl goes on a six-week hiatus.
To find out what happens, stay tuned and stay fashionable,
--Alaythia
