'Gossip Girl' - 'The Lady Vanished' Recap

(S03E14) "Whatever she has to say, it's better than not knowing." - Serena about Elizabeth

Chuck's quest to learn more about Elizabeth continued with the help of Blair, Nate and Serena. The latter took Chuck's quest to heart, as it was similar to her trying to find her father and get to know him. Without Serena, we wouldn't have discovered the truth about Elizabeth (more on that after the jump).

The episode also featured Jenny's downfall, Lily making a discovery about Rufus, and Vanessa and Dan making a decision about their relationship. Good thing the Elizabeth storyline was intriguing, because the Vanessa and Dan scenes were just awful and I have only one word to sum up my feelings about them: belch!

Let's take it one day at a time...

I don't want Vanessa and Dan to take it one day at a time. I want them to quickly move up the relationship ladder and have them decide to move in together in as far away as possible from the Upper East Side. Maybe they could get scholarships for a university in Europe?

Their scenes this week were so boring and predictable. It was clear Vanessa would discover that Dan had just met Melissa. Plus, the way Paul acted in the first party scene, it really looked like he wasn't that in love with Vanessa. And it was way too predictable that Dan and Vanessa would end up deciding to give their relationship a try since it wrecked their friendship. Boring.

If the writers don't give those two more compelling storylines, I'll have to stop writing comments about them because they'll all be the same: write Vanessa and Dan off the show.

"Even if she is my mother, she isn't. It doesn't change anything. The past belongs to the past." - Chuck

The really compelling storyline of the week was that surrounding Elizabeth's identity. Thanks to Serena wanting Chuck to have what she can't have -- get to know the parent who abandoned you as a child -- Chuck was able to learn the truth about Elizabeth.

Per Elizabeth's word, she is Chuck's mother. She had him when she was 19 and she agreed, at first, to give him up for adoption. However, when Chuck was born, Bart wanted to keep him and proposed to Elizabeth. The latter didn't love Bart and wasn't ready to marry. She asked Bart to tell Chuck that she died in childbirth so that Chuck would not come looking for her. Bart sent money to Elizabeth all those years so she would stay away. Elizabeth claims she didn't need the money, as she never doubted her decision.

Elizabeth's storyline makes sense but somehow, I still think there is more to it. It was resolved too soon for my taste (could have taken an episode or two more) and the ending is too fairytale-ish for my taste. It's 'Gossip Girl' we are watching here, so I wouldn't be surprised if Elizabeth has a few skeletons in her closet and that it may rock Chuck's world.

Now that Serena told her father, via a message on his answering machine, that she doesn't want to know him anymore, I sense that he'll decide to come to the Upper East Side. You? It could mean that Eric will get some screen time to reconnect with his long-lost father... then again, we last saw Eric ages ago, so it's like he is long-lost as well!

"I'm being exiled to Brooklyn because of our relationship, but I'm not even sure we have one." - Jenny to Damien

Damien is quite the actor, eh? Rufus and Lily bought every single word he said about his father doing drugs, etc. His great storytelling didn't save Jenny from being grounded and having to move back to the loft, though. Even if he told Jenny that the story was true except that his father is still doing drugs, I'm not buying his story. I believe he told Jenny it was true so she wouldn't ask questions about where he got the drugs and that she would stand by his side in this and forget about the "friend" thing. He's definitely playing her as he needs her to sell drugs and make money.

Even if Rufus and Lily agreed about Jenny this week, they are drifting more and more apart. Of course, Lily now knowing that Rufus saw Holland may complicate things. I doubt they'll reconcile saying that they are even -- him seeing Holland and her kissing her ex-husband. Sadly, I think they'll need a dramatic event happening to one of the kids during which they need to support and work with one another for them to give their couple another chance. Could Jenny getting arrested for selling drugs do the trick? Or maybe the reappearance of Lily's ex, as it will rock Serena's and Eric's lives?

What did you think of this week's episode? Do you think Elizabeth told the truth? What do you think it'll take for Rufus and Lily to rekindle their love? Share your theories in comments below.