Gossip Girl: Chuck In Real Life
By fred | October 21, 2008
(S02E07) As hinted by this episode’s title, it was all about Chuck. While the show, at first, seemed that it would about about Blair and Serena, that they were the real driving force behind everything and around which everything was revolving, one thing became clear with time, and especially during this new season, is that the real center of it all isn’t the Queens, but the King.
Chuck Bass has always been a mystery, and that’s probably why he’s such an interesting character. And as more and more has been revealed about him, his past and who is really is, this episode continued to play with the possibility that maybe, and despite what Blair said, maybe Chuck is a human being after all, maybe he does have a heart.
In an obvious tribute to Cruel Intentions (based on Les Liasons Dangereuses), tonight’s episode saw a desperate Blair pushed by Vanessa, and willing to do anything to get her out of the way. Anything, even sleeping with Chuck. But as she soon realized, giving Chuck a motivation wasn’t really a sacrifice for her, she actually wanted Chuck. Hence wearing the dress he bought, and cutting things short when she started to fear it might not go her way.
But he’s right, he’s been chasing her for long enough, reversing the role only made sense, although to be fair I’m not sure I want to see them going in circle over this for too long. Eventually, they will have to end up together, as Chuck said, it’s inevitable, they belong with one another. Problem is, if they both want it, and if they both want to other one to say those three little words, neither of them is willing to actually go as far as to say them…
At first Chuck really wanted to destroy Vanessa, and he didn’t care about the place. But of course, Chuck really has a heart, and just like not long ago he let his guard down and started to think Dan could really be interested in being his friend, a real friend, this week Chuck got interested in the place, he really wanted to save it — and still does.
Just like he wanted to come clean to Vanessa, because Chuck is conflicted, he wants to be a better man but he can’t really get there, because he doesn’t trust anyone, because he doesn’t even trust (or love) himself. Of course, to have a father like his who clearly doesn’t think much of his son, it’s no wonder that during that pretty little picture of the perfect family in the end, everyone eating ice cream and forgetting everything, someone was missing, and yet not missed.
Chuck is a part of the family, technically, but chances are no one really considers him as such, not even himself. Not that Chuck doesn’t secretly want to be a part of it, with brothers & sisters to care and look for, and a father who cares, but alas that’s not how things are. Bart can take the limo to go get Serena, but he won’t do any such thing for Chuck. He has no consideration about him, and refuses to even listen to what he possibly could have to say. “Letting people down is your forte.”
Despite it all, Chuck didn’t seem to be done with that place though, and I really hope we get to see him fight for and save that place. Not because Chuck wants to prove his father wrong, not because he wants to impress him, not because a fight between the two could be worth it, although all of this apply, but because Chuck could really use it, to let his inner side speak out, to allow himself to do what he really wants to, what he believes in, and to have it succeed instead of getting crushed and disappointed once again.
I’m not sure I could see him and Vanessa together for long, but a little romance that no one could understand might be interesting, plus it would fuel Blair’s jealousy and that can’t be a bad thing, right?
Speaking of which, it really seems that B and S are BFF again, just like that. Just like that all is forgotten, forgiven, and everyone acts as if nothing happened. Was it just me, or did it all sound incredibly unrealistic, when you take into consideration all they went through into the past few weeks ?
Other than that, we had the bromance with Nate and Dan, where the unthinkable happened to Nate : he became poor. But really poor, worse than Dan, poor to the point where they don’t even have a place to stay, and because good parenting it rare on the Upper East Side, Nate is now living, read squatting a building that isn’t his anymore, while his mother is out of town and naively believes he’s staying at Chucks.
Which does beg the question : how does Nate survive exactly ?? If the place has no electricity, no water, no nothing, how does he shower ? How does he just eat ? Haven’t all accounts be frozen ? And even if he still has access to some money, for how long would he have managed to live like that before going completely broke ? Because he doesn’t work, does he ? Also, how come the building of such a rich important family gets seized, and yet there’s apparently no mention of it in the building, after the scandal it was ? Because if it had been mention, surely Chuck and others would have known, right ?
Lastly, I need to quote one line from Chuck, because I just loved it. When his father asked what it actually meant for them all to be a family, Chuck had this to say : “Less money for me when you die.” I just love it.
All in all a good episode, though not as good as the previous ones. What did you think of it ? Is Lily really trying to have a real family with Bart, or is she just acting on the threat of whatever he found in her past ? Could you see Chuck and Vanessa together ?
Posted in Reviews
Shows: Gossip Girl
I actually loved this episode.
Blair was more successfully bitchy this time around, her her weakness for Chuck really showed.
As for how unrealistic her making up with Serena seems, that doesn’t seem to be the case. After all, the very same thing happened in the first two episodes of the series, so it must be like second nature to B and S, making up but really letting their negative feelings boil inside, until the time is right to be brought up again.
And with Chuck in the spotlight for this episode, the B and S frenemy thing had to stay in the backburner for a bit… I’m sure they’ll be at each other’s throats first thing next week! :P