Finally, a Gossip Girl that felt more like high school. You know, as long as your high school experience involved nightclubs, dive bars, breaking and entering, and properly made gin martinis. I must have been in a good mood when I watched this last night, because at the end I was solidly liking every single one of the main characters. Yes, even Blair. As usual, the clothes were amazing — check out how well you were paying attention with Fab's fashion quiz. And the kids were on their new-fangled phones — take Geek's tech quiz, too. Here are my thoughts on the episode:

- I was impressed/confused at how nonchalant Blair was about Serena missing the big sleep over to-do, but so happy that S and Dan finnnnnaly got that first date over with. Plus, Dan mostly stopped moping, so that's certainly good news.
- Little Jenny isn't so innocent anymore. Then again, she never really was. At least she's smart enough to weasel her way out of a sticky situation, even if she's possibly choosing the wrong "it" girl to emulate. I do love her bitchy side — Taylor Momsen plays it well.
- Is it just me or did the previews for last night's episode include a shot of Jenny getting into the back of a squad car? Sneaky CW.
To read the rest of my thoughts and who I certainly wasn't missing just read more
- So happy to have a whole episode without Nate's clueless puppydog eyes and kinda annoying naivete. But where was Chuck? Seemed like just the kind of girly mischief he would have stuck his grubby paws into.
- Even when there was a bouncer involved and Dan outed Jenny for being 14, at no point did the kids get in trouble for underage drinking.
- Serena seemed less self-centered this episode, though she does have a pretty holier than thou attitude towards Blair's sleepover considering it was something she probably happily participated in for many years.
- I finally warmed up to Dan when he was rambling to Serena's mom. The mole people joke was hilarious. I just can't really get over that he always sounds like his mouth is full when he talks.
- Best lines: "Too Beyonce. Too Mary Kate. Too Hannah Montana." And "I don't like vodka." "That's nice, because it's gin. As it should be." And "Turns out my people don't know your people. So either Dan Humphrey is an alias or your son is not very popular."

- Little nitpicky thing. There is no way that the security woman at the Ostroff center would call Eric's mom to say he was taken out by a girl who was "young, blonde, and beautiful." Slightly creepy.
- Always worth mentioning: Want the hair. All of it.
- At what point are Dan and Serena going to realize that their parents know each other? Neither of them thought it was strange that Lily van der Woodsen ran to Dan's dad's place in Brooklyn when Eric was missing? Come on now.
- Speaking of which, FINE. You win Gossip Girl. The Lily/Rufus story is cute.
- I feel like they are grooming Jenny for her spinoff show, like, tomorrow. Could this show move any faster? Seriously, slow down, Josh Schwartz.
What do you guys think? Did you like "Dare Devil"? Too over the top? Are you loving Serena/Dan? Newly groomed Jenny? Should Blair watch her back as Queen B? Let me know what you think.
Photos courtesy of The CW

















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I thought Dan's dad told him about his relationship with Lily in the last episode (right at the end)? I'm probably remembering wrong!
I liked this episode. Dan is my favorite! Serena is growing on me and Jenny is a better Blaire than Blaire is! lol
1I think he alluded to a girl like Serena, but never actually said it was her mom
2i like dan and serena a lot!!!rumors has it they've been hooking up off-screen!!!
3this episode rocks...
i like blair being a b*tch who also have a heart at friendship and love!!!
very thankful it has been season full pick-up...
BLAIR IS AWESOME!!!
Finally a good episode!!!!!!! I really like Dan. I started to dislike Jenny until the end when I thought she was really going to stick it to Blair
4I was happy that Nate wasn't on too. He's like the Gossip Girl version of Zac Efron. Not that I don't like him..ahem..of course not.
5bellanatella... you're def not the first person on here to make reference to zac efron [or more specifically zac efrons eyebrows] when it comes to the guy who plays nate. ahha. seriously tho celeb twins. [and i can't believe that the guy who plays nate and carrie underwood are dating. i mean i thought she was with that football player guy.]
dan and serena are cute. but i was wayyyy into blairs sleepover escapades in this episode then the two. i mean CMON we all knew they were going to kiss for the first time in this episode. no shocker there.
i ABSOLUTELY loovvvvvveeed how they handled the whole club thing with calling the gf. scandalous for sure. every minute of it was awesome. haha.
oh and i don't know if i like jennys bad girl 'tude at the end of the episode. i agree with the whole moving thru the storyline of the books too fast [even tho i've never read a single one]. hm.
i'm SO excited about next weeks episode. and i def missed chuck in this episode so i'm glad he's back next week. oh and did i see this correctly... or in the previews, is chuck drawn to jenny at the masquerade? the thing that bugs me is that just b/c you have a mask covering up your eyes doesn't mean you don't totally know who the person is. seriously people.
6...even tho i didn't care for jennys attitude in the end i did like how she turned the tables about the whole "monday, lunch... the steps" haha. what a demanding little girl. aw she's growing up so FAST... maybe a bit too fast.
7My one major flaw with this show is the underage drinking and getting into clubs. I know it happens but come on it happens a little too easily in the show
8Loved the episode. I wanted the mystery of Nate's disappearing trust fund solved, but I was more than happy to see Jenny become 'Little J'. Proper martinis for all!
9And I find Dan boring. His only answer to any situation is to get wry-er. Lily's getting more interesting in proportion.
oh i agree lily's story is getting more interesting. maybe it's because i'm past the whole high school drama but i found myself wanting to know more about lily than serena, blair, or any of these high school kids on last night's episode. AND when are they going to show rufus's wife and get to the bottom of it all? it's madness i tell, madness.
10jessness... it is my understanding that in the books there is an extreme amount of drug use and underage drinking. the show is going along with the details in the books i believe.
11and it's new york... friends of mine that lived there always said it's pretty much little to no effort to get into clubs/bars.
uh I thought that NY might be like that but I wasnt sure. I live in a big time party college town and cant buy beer if I tried (one more year!!)
12haha. ya. i mean there's always places that don't give a sh*t hoot... and other loc-als that will make you wait there til it turns midnight on your 21st to sell you anything. haha.
new york and la are two of the easiest places to get into anywhere when you're underage. but i no longer have to worry about sneaking in ha.
happy WAY early bday tho!
13Blair was very on-point last night, and Jenny makes a good sidekick. The Dan/Serena date was so cute. I can't help but really like Serena despite her flaws.
14I think Serena and Dan are getting tres corny.
15i wish i had a boyfriend like Dan back in high school. But that doesn't seem possible since i was not Serena. She is lucky. Another thing is, the african american girl and Zhang nan havn't said a complete sentence after five episodes. Poor minority girls!!!
16I like the show, not in love with it because it's definitely no OC. I love Blair, no matter what. And I totally missed Chuck and his hotness all over this episode. What a waste!! I don't like Dan anymore, and I don't like Dan with Serena. Boring couple. Just...no. Rufus and Lily are adorable though.
17I really like the show, but the acting sometimes is just completely cringe-worthy, especially with Serena.
18I really like Dan, but his realtionship with Serena is sort of annoying.
the whole underage thing isn't such a big deal to me. but probably because i was able to sneak into my first club when i was 12. although i do have to point out that i only went for dancing and didn't drink. lol.
19I hate how it doesnt keep true to the book series... the writers are just making up stuff.... but as a separate entity from the book is an okay show... but I enjoy the books better... and I wish the characters fit with their personality types in the book...... Dan is way tooo... UNscared to be the Dan I know and Love and I soo miss Vanessa... She would be kickass to bring alive on tv
20i like the dan and serena coupling- i think its kinda cute how they really do seem to like each other but can't get it together. however sometimes the dan character annoys me because its so... i'm not sure the word i want. cliche maybe? you know the kinda loner, outcast boy who likes the hottest girl in school and she turns out to actually be nice and ends up like him back (aka seth and summer). its predictible- but they still have some good moments together. not sure how i feel about jenny yet. 14 in a club seems so unbelievable to me- but i'm sure it does happen! i like how she stuck it to blair in the end, but i have the feeling that whole sitch will change fast.
o well- either way- i'm hooked on the show now!
21ThePerfectScore — Vanessa's coming! Not sure when, but they cast an actress a little while ago.
22molly, i'm with you on the hair envy. if all of serena's hair is real, then life really is just not fair lol.
and i don't care what anyone else says, i think dan is adorable
23who's vanessa? anyway...
24i actually liked this episode! i think it was because chuck wasn't in it. i find him sooo distgustingly creepy and his character is such a caricature of a rich, snotty, east-coast boy. he actually reminds me of jimmy fallon's character (also named chuck) in factory girl (with sienna miller).
btw, i really hate that they use the asian and african american girls as token minorities. either give them real characters with actual lines or don't include them in the show at all. but don't include them just to seem PC because it actually appears the opposite.
25i LOVED this episode. im so glad that dan and serena finally got their first date.
hahaha..i don't really like jenny but she rocked in this episode specially in the ending part where she says that she wants to keep the jacket! lol! go jenny!
HOW COME CHUCK IS NOT IN THIS EPISODE????HUHU!
26i really loved this episode, and i agree that i came out liking everyone. my favorite line was, "i never say never, but for you i'll make an exception!"
as for the underaged drinking, if hollywood celebrities (lindsay, etc) can get away with it, why wouldn't the upper east side elite get away with it? i would imagine that in real life, the NY socialites are just as well-known in NY as celebrities are to the rest of us. that's why i let them (the writers) get away with it.
27i like the show, but feel very strongly about the whole club/drinking scene. perhaps it happens every now and then, but should we have some sort of accountability? the show is modeling behavior that is absolutely illegal in the united states. just because lohan and company can get away with it doesn't mean that it's right. studies show that the younger a person starts drinking, the higher the risks for alcohol abuse or dependence, especially if it already runs in families. teens who are watching the show might feel like it's cool and ok to do the same things that the characters are doing on the show. again, like the show, but doesn't anybody feel at all that if they are going to show drinking and that kind of behavior, they should also show the negative effects, the potentials for abuse/dependence, and what can happen to a person if that happens? i've worked and know with people with alcohol problems and let me tell you, it is not pretty. how about showing some concern for our future generation?
28I LOVE this show! My whole office does, especially the men. They claim their wives make them watch it, but we know that's just not true... lol
29I'm obsessed with this show! It's my new guilty pleasure, haha!!
I do love the fact that Serena and Dan actually got to go out on a first date, it was sweet and cute! I also loved how he was trying to impress Serena by takin her out to that fancy restaurant but all she really wanted was something simple and fun!
Loved Jenny in this episode! She totally showed Blaire she could roll with the big girls! That line at the end "see ya at the steps...lunch on Monday"..... was great!
I think Im starting to like the idea of Lily and Rufus together! Its very Sandy and Kirsten Cohen but different at the same time if it makes any sense? LOL
Chuck creeps me out and Im glad I didnt have to see him this episode! Seriously what's up with all his scarves, I feel like choking him sometimes
30poohmami... the kind of do pay reference to the negative aspects of alcoholism and drug abuse... in the first episode chuck makes a comment to serena about how he thought she left to boarding school b/c of her alcohol problem and the constantly talk about ostroff as if people ONLY go there for drug abuse and alcoholism.
they don't ignore the negative they just go along with what everyone says is in the books... high levels of alcohol and weed.
31Hey does anyone knoe the name of the song that's playing at the club? During Blair's makeout session with the random guy?
32I can't find the soundtrack listing for the episodes anywhere!
33WHERE WAS CHUCK??? You can't have an episode without Chuck!
Ok, aside from that, this was a really great episode. Dan and Serena are great together! I didn't like Jenny so much though, I think she wants what Blair has a little too badly. Loved when Dan came into the club and freaked out on her. Loved Eric, and Blair as usual.
Rufus and Lily are growing on me, if only Rufus could shower.
34omg i just imdb'd jenny....she was cindy lou hoo in 'how the grinch stole christmas'. who knew she'd turn into a little hottie!
35longhorn... that was mentioned on the pilot episode recap. and a bunch of the other familiar faced actors on the show were listed too.
36I loved this show at first but I feel too old to be watching now it is really getting corny
37aww, I'm loving Dan and Serena together. Rufus and Lily are getting more interesting. & once again, the clothes and shoes look amazing ♥
38loved Serena/Dan story. hmm not so fond about Jenny.
39liked this episode.
I stopped watching The CW after Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars went off. I decided to watch Gossip Girl online, and I love it! I'm all caught up now, it reminds me of Cruel Intentions and another movie that I can't remember the name of.
40YAY, I'm so excited about the Lily/Rufus storyline. I can't help being so interested, Lily is very mysterious and deep & I think Rufus is the cutest guy on the show
41i wanna know the song at the end of the episode myself. and off-episode, i'm guessing nate's account might have been cleared because he's not following his dad's dartmouth dream, though it was emptied weeks before. as for chuck, he seems to be a character we love to hate, it was odd without him...
42i want serena's hair!!!!!
43I would just like to point two things out about the shows/books.
The major theme in the books is the underage drinking and drugs. So, naturally, the shows follow a similiar theme.
The black and the asian girls, Kati and Isabel, are also black and asian in the books - it's not so the shows could be pc, it's because they are like that in the books. And it's not like they have major rolse in the books either, they mostly just gossip and make-up stuff, nothing that's really important.
44i was WONDERING where the heck vanessa was...
45This show is such the guilty pleasure. I love it!
It's pretty different from the books, for the better I think.
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