OPINION: GOSSIP GIRL Is As Good As It Has Ever Been

Serena returned to the Big Apple on this week's GOSSIP GIRL. I found myself loving just about everything in this episode. It didn't hurt that one of GOSSIP GIRL's many New York nightlife events brought all of our favorite characters together, with the notable exception of Serena who was absent for most of the hour, to have their respective crises blow up in their faces.

A week where I'm loving just about everything that is happening in this upper east side world is a good week indeed. Let's jump right in and see what trouble Blair and company are finding themselves in this week. Take note that I said Blair and company because to me Blair is the focal point of this show. I know that everyone loves Serena but in my heart Blair is where it's at. Plus, regardless where you stand on the Blair vs. Serena battle, Blair is the clear romantic lead of this show right now with three different men harboring feelings for her. Serena currently has no one harboring feelings for her. Hmmm...paging a love interest for Serena. 

Blair is continuing to live in her land of delusion actively avoiding the results of her paternity test while Dan and Dorota are doing everything that they can think of to make her face it. If these two think that they are any match for the will of steel that is Blair Waldorf they are gravely mistaken. I do enjoy that Dan is becoming Blair's go to friend for every crisis that gets thrown in her path. I'm holding out for them to realize the true love that is between them, but in the meantime I'll settle for this sort of platonic combatitive friendship they have developed. Lucky for Blair, Serena and "Charlie" return giving her somewhere else to focus her energy. Serena notices that Carol is insistently calling "Charlie" and assures her that CeCe won't tell Carol where she is. Serena is being played for a fool and it's not a good color on her. Doesn't CeCe at least want to talk to Carol about what is going on? Carol, on the other hand, is as shady as they get. She is straight up stealing from her daughter's trust. Where is the real Charlie? That is one mystery that I'm curious to see explored. The real Charlie is going to be PISSED when she finds out what has been going on. "Charlie", the smartest one in the bunch right now, is worried that Lily will tell everything to Carol when she finds out that she is here. Serena insists that she won't do that. I'm not sure why Serena is so certain. It doesn't matter because Carol and Lily talk before Serena has a chance to go over there. Carol, obviously on the hunt for "Charlie", deduces that she must be back in NYC after hearing that Serena has just returned from LA, the same place that "Charlie" wrote the check that had been rejected. Carol decides to immediately jump on a plane to New York. Thank God Lily is back to facilitate the train wreck that is about to happen. She is always the best conductor for catastrophe. True to form, she refuses to participate in any deception in regards to "Charlie's" whereabouts. "Charlie" overhears and slips out without being seen by Lily. Again using her brain, "Charlie" realizes that it's time to get out of dodge and go back to being Ivy. Serena can't convince "Charlie" to stay but asks her to return her Jenny Packham tickets to the venue since she won't be able to attend. Really, Serena you need your cousin to return the tickets for you? You're a celebutante these rules don't apply to you. "Charlie" arrives to find Serena had called Jenny Packham to say her cousin would be modeling for her instead. "Charlie", always easily transfixed by a pretty dress, agrees to model in the show as her last hurrah in NYC. Back at the penthouse, Rufus has surprised Lily with an early release from her house arrest. What are they going to do to celebrate? Go to the Jenny Packham show. What else would they do? What about Carol? Oh she can just meet them at the show. "Charlie" is about to get BURNED.

Dan is trying to help Chuck feel again in exchange for finding out the publisher of his book. Dan's methods involve having Chuck watch Field of Dreams and getting him a puppy. How about getting him a therapist? That makes too much sense I guess. Chuck is more successful accomplishing his end of the bargain and finds out Simon & Schuster is publishing Dan's book. Nate thinks that its odd that they are spending so much time together. It is, but he doesn't press the issue. He is on his way to his first day at work with Diana at the NY Spectator. Chuck thinks that he was hired for sex. Dan doesn't even seem to know what is going on. He's just sort of staring into the distance with that weird haircut of his. Obviously, Nate was hired for sex. I don't know why Nate can't seem to grasp that. We know that she has other purposes for Nate, but it's obvious she is keeping him around for a midday bootie call until she can put her plan in motion. Sure enough, Diana wants to do it in her office on his first day. When he refuses because of all the people in the office, she fires them on the spot. They both seem kind of into that. Nate is...dare I say it...compelling in this tale. I hope that Nate gets drunk on sex and power and becomes this megalomaniac that Diana can't control. He's pretty enough for it. Nate isn't quite drunk enough with sex and power because he tries to quit. He doesn't want to be a boy toy. If I liked look like him, I'd be happy to be someone's boy toy. Diana insists that isn't true, purring in his ear. She even gives him the chance to interview a high profile Senator and his wife at the Jenny Packham event.She just wants a light lifestyle piece. Yeah, right. Meanwhile, all phones are banned from the event so no images of the clothes get out. That can't be an important piece of information at all. 

Dan goes to his novelist friend, Noah, to get some advice on his situation. Noah thinks that he should just let it come out since no one will probably read it. What did Dan write in this book that he is working so hard to crush his hopes and dreams? Why did you write it in the first place? I'm sure some of your friends will be mad but they'll get over it. Plus, does he really care if they don't? Blair and Dan converge to do some bickering about the paternity test results. Blair leaves Dan without reading the results to go to her interview with Hello magazine. There she learns that Louis said he didn't wan to be a father yet. That combined with seeing Chuck on Gossip Girl returning his dog makes her rip up the paternity test and throw them out. Originally, I thought that she was an idiot for doing that but now I realize that I'm the idiot because both things made her realize or at least think that neither Louis nor Chuck would want a kid. Gossip Girl goes ahead and shatters Dan's world when he finds out that the name of the author of his book is about to be released and learns from Noah's agent that Noah is taking the credit. Dan  goes to Chuck of all people for advice and Chuck tells him to either let the book go or come forward and say that he is the author. What seasonable advice Chuck Bass. Maybe your inability to feel is making you some sort of guru on life. 

The action picks up at the Jenny Packham show. Blair waltzes in with an air of entitlement to be prepared to model even though she said that she wasn't going to be there. The coordinator that was checking "Charlie's" phone apparently can't do two things at once because when she is interrupted by Blair she just leaves "Charlie's" phone sitting on the table. Someone needs to learn to multi-task. Blair sees "Charlie" and finds out that she is leaving, but advises her not to run from her problems. "Charlie" realizes she has things to hold over Carol's head.  This is the first time that you thought of that? I had more faith in your intelligence then that "Charlie". Back in the party, Diana sends Nate to interview the senator but she is secretly recording it. It's not a lifestyle piece, Diana gave Nate information to expose an affair the senator is having without him even realizing it. And since there are no phones in the event, Diana is the only one with the scoop! I'm assuming that Diana is only supposed to come off as ambitious but there is an evil gleam in her eye that I love. Nate jumps on his high moral horse spouting the rules of Gossip Girl. Gossip Girl reports the scandals, she doesn't create them. I can't believe these people are still unable to find out who Gossip Girl is. I'd make it my mission to find out. Nate offhandedly suggests that they should look through all these phones that they have to find scandals. Diana loves the idea but Nate is hesistant. She pushes him to do it so that he can achieve "greatness". Creating a tabloid is not going to help him achieve greatness, but if he really wants to do this he should just go for it. He sends her back to the office while he collects the phones. It was sweet that Nate left Dan and Blair's phones, but I'd love to see him really get cutthroat and take out everyone around him. 

Lily, "Charlie", and Carol all come face to face at the show. Oh what a tangeld web. Carol insists that "Charlie" go back to her own life and "Charlie" turns around and threatens to expose Carol. Lily invites "Charlie" to live at the penthouse and later "Charlie" tells Carol that she is going to have her access to the trust fund reinstated. I almost sympathize with "Charlie". Call me stupid if you want, but she seems almost lost. I believe her when she says she wants the family that Carol is throwing away. The money probably doesn't hurt either. Meanwhile, Blair and Dan continue to have it out over the paternity test results. Dan had Dorota tape the letter back together. Dorota can kind of do anything. She may need to find a career outside of being a maid. Blair thinks that she is in it alone regardless of the father so she doesn't care who it is. That's such a stupid way to think. They fight and knock a waiter over. Later, Blair tells Dan that the reason he was the one she turned to was because he wouldn't let her pull her usual BS. Damn right, that's why they're meant to be. She opens the letter...and we never actually see who the father is but she goes to Chuck to tell him that Louis is the father and that she didn't want him to wonder. A part of Blair wanted it to be Chuck's and you know what....a part of me did too. For the first time in a long time, I cared about Chuck and Blair as a couple. How did that happen? Blair left Chuck and later he cried. Blair opened up feelings for both of us! Blair is amazing. Blair tells Louis about the baby and he is ecstatic. He only told the press he didn't want kids so they wouldn't jump all over Blair. She sadly puts the paternity test in the drawer. Yeah right Louis is the father. There is not one part of me as a savvy TV viewer that thinks that is the end of the story.  Dan goes to confront Noah about taking credit for the book and he's been PUNKED. They were doing that to get Dan to come forward. The dinner they are at is for him. Dan is relieved and shares a moment with Noah's agent, Alessandra. I'm not trying to begrudge Dan some romance before Blair comes to her senses but I don't think this is the girl for him. 

Serena re-appears at the end of the episode(where has she been) and "Charlie" is telling her that she can't find her phone...which Nate and Diana happen to have because the stupid coordinator didn't check it so they didn't have anyway to return it. Since the phone has all of her real information, they have no idea who Ivy is. They have no idea the gold mine they just stepped into.  This isn't exactly what I suggested a few weeks ago, but I like the prospect of "Charlie" being roped into the NY Spectator story with Nate. A forbidden romance perhaps? Everyone's stories are starting to eb and flow with each other. I'm loving Gossip Girl as much as I have in a LONG time. 

Brian Hewson contributes primetime reviews for We Love Soaps. Along with Greg Turner, Brian is the creator, writer, and producer of the web soap, EMPIRE, which can be found at www.empiretheseries.com. Brian loves soaps.