But let's get all the clutter out of the way first. Because there certainly was a lot of during the hour.
'I Am Number Nine' saw Dan Humphrey in the top seller list boosting his ego so high he could only hear himself. In a professional meeting about turning his book into a script, he threw a fit without even so much as consider the possibilities. I mean, a Glee version of the Upper East Side isn't the worst idea, right Rachel Berry? Luckily, his producers expected nothing less of him and it was all just a scheme to get him to drop out. Which says everything about the way things go down on this show. Our beloved characters may act like 9-year olds, but so do those who should know better.
So I really can't blame Nate for wanting to be a public couple with Elizabeth Hurley. After a lot of complaining, Nate complained some more and then decided to make his boss turned lover jealous. Because that's the only way to resolve things. Target of the day was Charlie Rhodes who had her very own agenda for kissing Nate. Meanwhile Serena put her career on the line to help an undeserving Dan. If everybody could mix business and pleasure as well as these kids, the world would be a Greek tragedy.
Thank the writers for adding some much needed delicacy to the fold. Blair was looking for bridesmaids and that saw her minions and, strangely, Charlie competing in hilarious contests. You can't make this stuff up.
But Blair had more to offer. This would be her last scheme. Her final manipulation method before she would become a princess. Though the matter was hardly a heavy one, it felt natural that Blair could give up her lifestyle so easily. She had already grown out of it, literally, baby bump and everything.
The strongest performance was that of one Ed Westwick who added solidarity and truth to his complex character of Chuck. Change doesn't happen over night but Chuck has been growing in magnificent ways. He is one of the most dynamic and complicated characters on TV and his path to redemption is a tough nut to crack. A setback was that his shrink was a weak, underserving cow who only shattered the remaining trust left in Chuck, but it didn't harm him the way it would have before. In fact, standing up in a crowd was actually a good way to deal with it. Putting his shrink out of business and his rival in the corner. Yet, this was no Gossip Girl takedown. This was Chuck opening up and explaining what was wrong. No retaliation, no schemes.
And that wasn't even the biggest treat. After the dust had settled and everyone found their place for the upcoming episodes, Chuck apologized to Blair. For everything. In a not-to-miss moment, Chuck showed his deep regret for his wrong-doings. It wasn't to get her back, it wasn't so that Chair fans and myself would form picket lines in front of the writers' office to get them together. It was so Chuck could have peace of mind. And so it ended. Seemingly the only one, Chuck grew up. He owned up for his mistakes, accepted his faults and tried to change for the better. I can't describe the feeling of recognition when Chuck admitted that he gave up when Blair never did, but it was a statement that cut through the very foundations of the show.
The episode had a lot of what we already seen before. And if the adults and bosses on the show can't do better I hardly think these characters will ever escape the drama. But some of them are growing, some of them are moving on. I can't say I have hope for Nate and Dan but Serena seems to make progress too. I love how this show is growing and growing. Even when their corner couple has separated and moved on, they remain the pillars on which the story stands. Brava.
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