Gossip Girl – Recap & Review – The Freshman

photo: the cw

Gossip Girl
The Freshman

Original Air Date: Sept 21, 2009

Valeria V. – Staff Reviewer
valeria@thetwocentscorp.com

Oh, the carefree days of freshman year of college. This episode made me oddly nostalgic for my undergraduate years. I probably would have enjoyed college more with parties with free sushi and martinis and attractive literary hipsters like Dan Humphrey.
But then again, if real life was like television, then no one would watch TV would they?

NYU really is the perfect place for Dan Humphrey. Let’s be honest, if it’s the absolute wrong place for Blair Waldorf, it’s perfect for Humphrey and the hipsters from all over the world that are just like him. This episode made it painfully obvious how much Blair will probably need to change in order to survive college. And she’s going to have to, since her new roommate, Georgina, is ready to take her down.

Last we saw Georgina, she got back Humphrey’s money and weaseled her way into being Blair’s roommate. When Blair finds out the news, she’s naturally shocked, and Georgina just mentions that it’s a cray cray coincidence! But we know the truth! Georgina is still Satan. Her Forever21 clothing, and tacky wall tapestries and innocent, medicated front are all covers for the sinister being that lives beneath all that porcelain skin.

Blair’s not the only one that can see through it. Dan realizes the web of lies as well! That is, until Vanessa forgets all about the name-lying, and inappropriate sexing, and general craziness that occurred during the first season, and decides to befriend Georgina. Eventually, Dan will also, unfortunately, follow suit, and have temporary amnesia as well.

But more on that later.

I must dedicate a part of this to going over Serena’s unfortunate story line. She decides that she isn’t going to go to Brown. Because, she’s not sure what direction she wants her life to take, and going to a different environment to figure out what direction her life can and will take is totally the wrong idea. So, she goes to the Bass Cave to hide out where Chuck lets her in on a little secret.

In the season opener, there was a short scene between Chuck and Nate, which I didn’t really mention. At the time it seemed to be pointless, but it was a setting off point for what’s going on with the Bass. He’s looking to expand Bass industries and set himself apart from his father. So, he wants to open a secret speakeasy in a deserted bank and be able to turn his first profit at a younger age than his father. But, in true Serena fashion, she puts her foot in her mouth and accidentally sabotages Chuck’s first business meeting by spilling the beans to investors.

Thus begins a Serena and Chuck battle. Where, when Chuck informs Rufus about Serena’s non-college plans, she takes her vengence and ruins another business meeting by bringing up Chuck’s seedy history.

In the end, Serena gets hers when she realizes that Chuck is indeed not evil and is actually concerned about her well-being. She then, in turn, feels like an imbecile. Just another typical Serena storyline.

Back to college.

In an attempt to one-up Georgina, Blair decides to throw a Sake and Sushi social. Which everyone in her dorm fails to show up to. Instead, they opt for greasy pizza and a documentary by Vanessa Abrams. I have to step in here and say that that would never happen. Never in my life, have I met a group of college students that would pass an opportunity for free (expensive) food and free (expensive) booze. Even NYU hipsters. That just does not happen. But this is television and not reality, and in television world, hipsters act backwards.

It seems that Georgina is the new Queen of the campus. She’s playing the perfect role of a Downtown NYC hipster, so it seems that everyone is falling under her spell.  Her rooftop under-age drinking party is a big hit, that is until Blair enacts her genius plan. Blair publicly announces Georgina’s Jesus Freak past, by inviting along to the party, people from bible camp.

Yay! Blair is back on top! She’s converted the freshman class back to the dark (but glamorous) side. That is, until Dan Humphrey forgets that Georgina is Satan, and gives a speech defending her.

Is Dan Humphrey the big man on campus now?
This should be an interesting freshman year.
At least Blair still has Chuck and Serena, or then she’d really not be able to deal.