After last week's stunning revelation [1] that Serena killed someone, I had a feeling last night's Gossip Girl [2] was going to be heavy on the drama and light on the one-liners. The best part about last night? The four friends — Nate, Chuck, Blair, and Serena — together facing all the challenges that come with an Upper East Side address and a lot of money. Also, I needed a Jenny break after her social rise and dramatic falls. Hopefully she'll return refreshed and with a little perspective.

A lot went down last night, in real time and in flashbacks to that night when Nate and Serena slept together and Serena ran off to boarding school without saying goodbye to Blair. You can take Geek's quiz here [3], and then read on:

• I guessed Georgina was mostly driven by craziness, and the opening scene proved me right. That montage of evil G obsessively calling Serena gave me the willies.
• Apparently right after Serena told Blair she killed someone, Blair excused herself to grab some Valium to help calm her friend (naturally), and when she returned Serena had left to party again. It's a pattern that's starting to annoy me: Serena spills major secret, goes on crazy bender that involves no less than three dudes at a bar.

To see more musings, including on how Lonelyboy's handling all this, .

• I think Dan still has every right to be upset and hurt by Serena. She keeps talking about goodness and pedestals as justifications for lying, and that can't be healthy.
• I just cannot believe she told him she slept with someone . . . to protect him? I found myself cursing S for adding another secret to that tangled web she's weaving.
• Blair summoned Chuck and Nate over to her place to help clean up Serena's hangover with a shower and a lot of bagels. The whole scene struck me as funny, especially when pervy Chuck sneaked a peak of Blair undressing Serena.



• Meanwhile! Rufus performed at a VH1 "forgotten bands of the '90s" event hosted by Lisa Loeb! Think the show's writers understand they have folks a teensy bit older than the millennials watching?
• Thumbs up or down on Rufus' singing voice? I think his plaid shirts and scruffy hair say "former rock star" more than his performance.
• Serena finally told her friends her big secret at the same time Lily watched the video herself. Turns out Serena just witnessed a guy OD on cocaine. It wasn't her drugs; she called 9-1-1, then left the scene. I felt like her friends' facial expressions practically said, "That's not murder, silly!"
• Loved Blair urging Serena to spill the beans because "We're the non-judging Breakfast Club." I also loved how they confessed their own messed up secrets to make S feel better. All Chuck had to say was "I'm Chuck Bass."
• Side note: I'm a bit baffled by the Lily/Rufus timeline. Because it's 2008, the latest Dan and Serena could have been born was 1992, which means Rufus and Lily had their love affair . . . when, exactly? If Rufus was at the top of his musical game in the '90s, and that's when Lily was a groupie, that gives them 1990 for canoodling, maybe '91 tops.

In the end, Lily and Serena had a touching mother-daughter moment (thanks to Blair) and S's conscience was cleared. Great! Except that Dan still thinks that Serena had sex with someone else. He bought Georgie's crazy story about lying about her name, and it looks likely he will sleep with her. Oh, and Lily and Rufus kissed! I half expected Chuck to pop out of a dark corner and catch them.

What did you think? Are you still riveted? I'm sad next week is the finale! By the looks of the preview, Serena may finally come out swinging against Georgina. Can't wait!

Photos courtesy of The CW [4]