pennbadgley

(S03E02) The scene we've been waiting for all summer long has finally aired: Blair discovering that Georgina is her college roommate! Even if the scene fell flat a tiny bit because it quickly cut to commercials after Georgina announced she was coming to NYU and was Blair's roommate, the rest of the episode Gossip Girl delivered the evil and backstabbing we've grown to love from both ladies. I do not wish any new TV show to get canceled -- Michelle Trachtenberg is on NBC's Mercy -- but admit that it would be great to have Georgina stick around for most of the season, eh?

(S03E01) "Welcome back, Upper Eastsiders." - Gossip Girl

Our favorite backstabbing, lying, messed-up and cheating characters are back for a third season of more drama, mysteries, backstabbing, lying and cheating!

A few weeks have passed since the season's finale events, and the season premiere gives us a rundown on where each character stands while introducing new character Bree, played by Privileged's JoAnna Garcia, and featuring returns from Scott and Carter, both recurring throughout the first half of the season and maybe more.

Did the Gossip Girl premiere deliver the goods? My take on it coming up!

I'm almost to the end of Gossip Girl season two, and frankly, I couldn't be happier! It's been quite taxing watching rich snobs backstab their best friends night after night. I'll need a short break before season three premieres on The CW on Sept. 14.

But, as with everything, I try to glean some small bits of wisdom here and there, things to help me in my quest for peace, serenity, and large amounts of cash. Here are a few things I've learned from Gossip Girl:

1. Never tell the truth. Apparently, this is the first thing they learn in finishing schools. Never tell the truth, whether you're lying to your best friend about getting into Yale, lying to your girlfriend about where you've been for the past three days, or lying to your kids about their sibling you gave away at birth. Keep a spreadsheet handy to keep track of all the various lies you've told and plan to tell.

As is often the case lately, I watch the first season of a show, fall in love with it (see my Mad Men post from last week), miss the second season on TV, and have to wait for the DVD to be released. By then, I've all but forgotten what happened in season one and have to do a little refresher course.

Such is the case with Gossip Girl, season two of which I've been watching this week on DVD. But, really, it's only taken me a few episodes to get caught back up ...

(S02E25) "Gossip Girl's going down!" - Serena

It's no surprise that the Gossip Girl season finale was filled with shocking moments, lies and backstabbing, since that's what the series is all about. What was particularly interesting was Serena's quest to expose Gossip Girl since, let's admit it, we are curious to know who s/he really is. We got hints and tidbits of whom it could be, but no real lead.

One thing is for sure, GG will continue to blog about the gang even if they are going to college and even if some of them will not be going to the same college.

(S02E24) "If you think we're bad, you should have seen our parents." - Gossip Girl about those who complain about today's youth

After weeks, if not months, of hearing about it, we finally saw what the Gossip Girl spin off could be like. Set in the 80s, the spin off would star Brittany Snow as a young Lily, Krysten Ritter as her sister Carol, and Andrew McCarthy as their father. The action would, as expected, follow Lily's life as a young woman trying to make sense of the world and find her place in it.

This past week, the Internet has been filled with reports that the potential spin off was dead even before this week's episode aired. Other reports claimed that there was still a chance for the spin off to be picked up and find its way on The CW's 2009-2010 schedule. How about we don't listen to those reports and make our own decision on if the network should give the spin off a chance?

(S02E23) "This goes far beyond bad taste in boyfriends." - Lily to Serena

Serena's bad taste in boyfriends, tricks, and plans had her take part in a photo shoot she would have preferred not being a part of (see picture above for example). Even if we don't agree with why and how she took part in said photo shoot, we all have to admit that it was about time Serena paid for some of her bad deeds, no?

(S02E22) "Gabriel is a good guy." - Serena

We may still not know who Gabriel really is and what his end game is, but it's clear now (as most of us thought last week), that Gabriel is no an angel. Blair and Chuck's spy work to find out what Gabriel was up to led them to Georgina Sparks (played by Michelle Trachtenberg). For those of you who were looking forward to seeing sparks fly with the return of Georgina on the show were in for quite a surprise when a new and improved version of Georgina Sparks first appeared on screen. But will her old self come back, as was the case for Serena? Next week will probably tell.

(S02E21) "I think I need a lawyer." - Serena to Cyrus

If it weren't for the final scene of the episode, I would have probably classified this week's Gossip Girl installment as one of the most boring of the season. I think what rubbed me the wrong way is that Blair and Serena were their old selves most of the episode and that Dorotea was on vacation (let's hope it was with that nice doorman from last episode). What definitely bored me to death was anything Serena-related in the episode since I'm getting extremely tired of her self-centered attitude, of the lying and using Dan to do so, and of her asking for freedom while not being willing to abide by some common sense rules (like asking for permission before running away across the world during a school week).

But that last scene made me feel oh so much better, especially since it will more than likely mean that Serena will get in some serious troubles and will definitely need a lawyer in the weeks to come. Looks like Armie Hammer, who portrays Gabriel, is playing the Devil's son both on Reaper and on Gossip Girl, no?

(S02E19) "This has disaster written all over it." - Rufus

What Rufus said was not only applicable to Lily's request but also Blair's plan when crashing the Vanderbilts' party. Then again, Rufus' sentence could be applicable to pretty much every Gossip Girl storyline since the show is known for its shocking stories and drama, no?

Last week, I predicted that Blair would be spiraling down. This week's episode proved me right but what I didn't expect is the final scene happening so soon; thus maybe ending said spiral or at least stopping it for a while.

(S02E18) "Why would you believe me?" - Blair

Rachel's stay on the Upper East Side may have been brief but she surely created some waves. One of which made Blair flat out admit to Serena that she (Blair) isn't to be believed as 9 times out of 10, she would have sent tips such as those sent to Gossip Girl in this week's episode. Not only that, but Blair admitted that she deserved what happened to her in the episode (I won't spoil before the post jump, not to worry) as it was the karma that needed to happen to her because of all the bad deeds she has done. So what will happen to B now that she knows she isn't that nice and got what she deserved? Will she try to become good? Or will she spiral downwards in Chuck Bass fashion?

(S02E17) "When the truth fails you, you have no choice but to abandon it." - Blair

Since this Gossip Girl episode is the only new installment we will see this month, the show went on hiatus (yes, already), with a bang. Not only did Chuck discover that his father was part of a secret society, but Blair did one of the most awful things she has done thus far. Oh, and there was that Serena and Dan development that almost made me applaud at the end of the episode!

Serena, Blair Chuck and the gang look really good on paper! Maggie searches the Web so you don't have to ...

Sure the characters on 'Gossip Girl' seem a bit one-dimensional at times, but I never thought that actually seeing them flattened would make my day.

SOAPnet.com has managed to do just that with their weekly 'Gossip Girl' Finger Puppet Parody. While they might not be the same as watching the full episodes, it sure does make me realize the depth of the characters' issues.

What do you say: Am I the last one to know about these brilliant shorts? Are you loving them as much as I am? And what other show would you like to see dramatically recapped through puppetry?

(S02E16) "Everything will be fine." - Serena about the future

And we are back to our regular reviewing program. Before I give my two cents about this week's installment of Gossip Girl, let me share a few things about last week's episode since, as you know if you've read my "Gone with the Will" post, I didn't review.

As commenter Sarah said, the episode "reeked of Hamlet/The Lion King, but it was still entertaining to watch." I must admit that it was rather easy to predict who would inherit Bass Industries and who would ultimately run them as we've seen this pattern countless of times in other series or in movies. However, when Chuck is at the center of it all, you must admit it's worth to watch. Commenter GL is right, how come most people where fine with Chuck running the company? Hello!?! It's Chuck we are talking about here. A young man who loves to party with loads of women, often drinks and is not that mentally stable.

(S02E15) If in real life the reading of a will often brings loads of family drama, you can bet that when said reading occurs on The CW's Gossip Girl, drama will most definitely be at the party along with its long-time friends Backstabbing, Screams, Threats, Jealousy, and so on. Did the reading of Bart's will offered us the drama and shock we all expected? My two cents coming up!