Pret-a-Poor-J
Even a Jenny-centric episode can’t overshadow the Blair and Chuck “relationship.” As Jenny’s internship at Eleanor’s crumbled, Blair and Chuck came to an understanding about what those “three words, eight letters” would mean for their relationship.
The show began with another Blair fantasy dream (beginning a trend?). This time she was in the back of the limo making out with a mystery man (most likely Chuck Bass). She’s woken up by her live-in housekeeper, Dorata, who warns Blair about her fantasies. “Don’t forget God always watching Ms. Blair.”
In Brooklyn, Jenny’s running around the house while on the phone trying to make sure Eleanor will be prepared for her meeting with Bloomingdale’s later that morning. Jenny’s doesn’t have time to chat but manages to catch to house-guest Nate coming out the bathroom in his towel. Jenny looked extremely embarrassed but Nate played it very cool.
At work, Jenny’s fitting a young model for Eleanor’s line. The model, Agnes (such an old woman’s name), recognizes Jenny by the top of her head and Jenny replies to recognizes Agnes by her feet. Awkward but the girls form a little bond. Jenny’s excited to see the execs from Bloomingdale’s walk in because Eleanor promised her she could sit in on the meeting. Eleanor puts the brakes on that plan for the moment but Jenny takes the news professionally and goes back to work. Leaving her sketch book at home that morning Nate just happens to find and brings it to her at work. A friendly gesture or does someone really want to see our little J?
Blair strolls to school in the rain under her umbrella. A limo pulls up alongside her and the window rolls down to reveal Chuck. He offers her a ride and after first refusing she decides to accept (with a little nudging by Chuck’s puppy face that I didn’t know existed). It’s still Chuck’s little game though as he won’t let Blair in the car unless she says those three magic words. Blair says no and Chuck drives off.
Fed up with his antics, Blair goes to best friend and step-sister to her nemesis for help to ruin Chuck’s life. Blair interrupts Serena and Dan’s friendly conversation but wanting to make hers and Dan’s new friendship work Serena asks Dan for a man’s point of view on the situation. They first ask Blair if she loves Chuck which she adamantly denies. Dan than gives Blair what she deems good advice: She needs to wear Chuck down by being at his side at all times. Chuck can only take so much admiration.
After her meeting with Bloomingdale’s, Eleanor apologizes to Jenny about keeping her out of the meeting. She informs her that the executives loved Jenny’s dress and Eleanor asks her to create another one just like it to show to Bendel’s and Barney’s tomorrow. Jenny hesitates at creating a new dress in one night but with the promise of being included in the next day’s meetings she’s gung-ho.
New girl, Agnes, has other nightly plans for Jenny and takes her out to a club. Agnes loves the dress Jenny’s wearing (the one Eleanor wants duplicated) and asks if they can trade clothes. They slip into the bathroom and switch dresses. Outside they meet Agnes’ photographer friend Max who, every time was in a scene, couldn’t keep his finger off the shutter button.
Max takes millions of fun photos of the girls dancing in the club but soon Jenny needs to get back to work. Agnes tries to get her to stay out longer but Jenny knows she has to pull an all-nighter to finish the dress for Eleanor by morning. Agnes leaves with Max but the girls forget to switch-back dresses and Jenny’s left on the curb watching Agnes’ cab speed off down the dark city street. As Gossip Girl said, in the real world you can’t bring a note to the principal saying the drunk girl ran off with your homework.
Taking Dan’s advice (for the first time ever!), Blair waits for Chuck by his limo and asks him to go out for a drink, a normal Upper East Side teenager tradition. Chuck calls her bluff but Blair counters by saying he’s scared to have a simple drink. The two drive off to the nearest club and Blair tries to seduce then humiliate the young Bass. After Blair “accidentally” spills her drink in his lap and gets up to leave saying, “I’m bored and you ruined my pants.”
Blair calls Dan at the gallery, a surprise to Vanessa, to tell her his plan failed but Dan says she needs to keep forcing his hand. Later, while Dan and Serena try to have a conversation about Nate, Blair obsessively texts Serena about her plans for Chuck later that night.
In the next scene we see Blair’s plan in action. She’s taken over Serena’s room for the night to lure Chuck in from the hallway. She places candles all over the room and dresses in a small teddy to seduce her man. Her temptations work and Chuck tells her that he doesn’t need to hear those three little words. He takes her into his arms but before they can go any further the phone interrupts them and their plans are put on hold.
The next morning back at Eleanor’s, Agnes finds Jenny frantically working away at her station trying to complete the dress for the meeting in a few hours. Agnes tries to convince Jenny to create her own line and stop Eleanor from using anymore of her designs. Agnes leaves but Jenny looks convinced.
It definitely appears so once Eleanor shows up. Jenny finishes the dress but Eleanor finds the work insufficient for her meeting with the Bendel’s and Barney’s. Eleanor also calls out Jenny on her photo shoot from the night before and lectures her on the responsibilities of a real world job. Jenny’s heard enough. She takes her dresses and walks out. She better be confident in creating her own line because Eleanor did not look pleased as Jenny turned her back and departed the premises.
At the gallery, Serena brings Blair to talk to Dan again as she prances off to flirt with the new artist boy (more on him later). Dan asks Blair if she really loves Chuck. Blair implies a yes answer and Dan urges her to take the risk of actually telling him. He recounts how he told Serena he loved her and it was obvious he still does. Blair again takes Dan’s advice and texts Chuck to meet her that night.
Everyone who’s anyone attends the big art showing at Rufus’ gallery, a surprise to both him and Dan. Serena brings Blair and Blair invites Chuck to meet her later. Vanessa’s not thrilled to see her nemesis, Blair, at the party after the events that took place. It seems Vanessa forgot to tell best friend Dan about that little story and Dan’s not too surprised even after seeing a new side of Blair the past few days.
Blair receives a text from Chuck to meet her on the roof but before making her way upstairs Dan stops her. He tells her to not be so trustful of Chuck. Once on the roof, she keeps Dan’s words in the back of her mind and can’t go through with telling Chuck that she really does love him.
With no job and no school, Jenny finds the time to stop by the gallery. She’s not their long as new friends Agnes and Max intercept her. Agnes tells her about a magazine editor that wants to do a piece on the up-and-coming designer and asks Jenny come with them to meet him. Before walking out the door Nate grabs Jenny to ask her to hang out. Jenny says she has other plans and gets irritated when she thinks Nate becomes too overprotected for not being her father or brother. That’s right Jenny he wants to be your protector.
Nate finds the artist of the night, Aaron, who is friends with Jenny’s friend Max. Aaron warns him about Max and Nate sets out to rescue Jenny. He’s almost too late as he find Jenny and Agnes in only their bras as Max continues to flash photos of the girls. Either there was no editor or they ditched the meeting but Nate drags Jenny out of the apartment building. Jenny wants to know why he cares so much and he answers with a kiss, a long kiss with no fight from Jenny. The living situation just became either extremely interesting or extremely awkward.
Blair and Chuck’s night isn’t over as Chuck shows up at Blair’s house later. He tells her that they may love each other but admitting so would ruin their relationship. He says he may be able to tell her one day but he doesn’t want to mess up what they have (or don’t have at the moment).
As for Serena, she may have found herself a new man and although Dan’s putting on a happy face he doesn’t seem too thrilled. Serena chatted up the young new artist, Aaron, from Rufus’ gallery throughout the episode but when she figured out his riddle for her (it seems Aaron and Serena were “married” at an European summer camp), she was too late. She caught Aaron just in time to see him riding off with another girl on the back of his motorcycle.
Will Aaron and/or Agnes be back? Check the tabloids for those scandalous pictures of Jenny and Agnes and be back next week to find out how long Blair and Chuck’s new journey apart will last.
