Gossip Girl 2.05: The Serena Also Rises

After last week's episode I expected a little more forceful return of Queen Serena. However, that in no way diminishes the episode overall. The dynamic between Lilly and Bart, the roller coaster of Jenny's choices, and the sheer desperation of Blair all make for an intense forty-one minutes (yes, I had to watch it online and that's how long it took). Add to it the variety of reactions you may have experienced when Dan and Chuck actually spend time together, and we finally return to the feel of a season one episode.

People will probably take issue with me over this, but with all the drama of the Serena / Dan relationship, this season hasn't hit quite as hard so far. Until this episode. Yes the Chuck / Blair / Marcus tension (especially in "The Dark Night") and the dethroning of Queen B last week have been truly amazing, but the entire episode this week was up to par.

I can't rave enough about this, and I'm sure once Ky watches this she and I will be in full force when we record. In the meantime, let us ponder this thought: what is with the placing of items around other people's necks as a symbol of their subservience? We saw it last week when Serena put her scarf around Blair's neck, and now when Bart put the necklace on Lilly. And speaking of Lilly, how long do you think Bart will be able to keep her under control? We saw her true side come out last season, and I just don't think she'll be able to hide it long enough.

Also, we've now seen Blair stoop to her lowest, sabotaging her mother's show in order to get back at both Jenny and Serena. But now she's coming to Jenny's aid and they seem to be becoming friends. Though who knows how long that will last with Jenny claiming to have dropped out of school. And I haven't even started on which version of Serena are we going to see as her "being herself". Guess we wait and see.

XOXO

-Faith