Remember old Serena?

November 29th, 2007

Remember old Serena? The one who would get drunk during the daytime at random bars throughout Manhattan? Oh, it’s crazy how so much can change in just one year. Like last Thanksgiving when Serena ended up getting wasted at a bar downtown and Blair had to come pick her drunk butt up. Serena was so smashed she almost got hit by the taxis whizzing by. That is, until a certain knight in shining hipster armor came to her rescue. Dan Humphrey had been picking up pies for his family’s Thanksgiving dinner when he noticed the girl of his dreams smack in the middle of traffic waiting to become roadkill. Dan had met Serena one time at a party the previous year. She was the only one to acknowledge him and from that day on Dan was in love. Sure, Serena didn’t know his name or that he even went to Constance’s brother school, St. Jude’s, but those details were minor. Who said miracles don’t happen? Because luckily for Dan, one year later, Serena was all his. And that’s something he could give thanks for.

Blair was so excited for Thanksgiving. Not only was it her favorite holiday ever, but her father, Harold, was coming in from France for it. Thanksgiving was their special father-daughter holiday. Every year the Waldorfs had a big Thanksgiving dinner with the best families of the UES. While Blair and Serena were helping Dorota and the caterers get ready for the party, a particular person was brought up: Chuck Bass. Serena admitted she saw Blair and Chuck making out at Blair’s Birthday party. Blair told Serena she didn’t know what she was thinking. Sleeping with Chuck once was one thing but twice… Serena was shocked. She just thought Blair and Chuck kissed; maybe some under the shirt groping, but sex? Chuck was Nate’s best friend. Did Blair just sleep with Chuck to get back at Nate? Blair was insulted. Serena was in no place to judge her. I mean, if anyone knows about sex and best friends it’s Serena. Blair suggested Serena was just jealous she didn’t get to sleep with Chuck first. He’s possibly the only guy on the Upper East Side Serena hadn’t gotten with. Serena decided it was time for her to leave. And she and her family wouldn’t be back that night for Thanksgiving dinner. Ouch. Looked like these two hotties were reverting back to their old ways. Whoever said holiday time was supposed to be peaceful, obviously didn’t know the people of the UES.

And once again Dan Humphrey came along to save the day for the van der Woodsens. He’s like our very own Brooklyn Prince Charming. Dan told Serena she and her family were more than welcome to come to Williamsburg to eat some turkey and cranberry sauce. The Humphreys had more than enough, and really no one should have to eat room service or Chinese food on Thanksgiving. Lily was hesitant. She didn’t want to impose, but Dan insisted. He adultnapped her and brought her all the way to the BK. Lily seemed a bit worried. Maybe that had to do with a certain Rufus Humphrey? Wasn’t it only a few weeks ago the two were sucking face at Eleanor’s party? Their kids didn’t know a thing about their past, but it looked like their dirty laundry was about to be aired. For both their families to see.

When the van der Woodsens arrived at the loft, Rufus was surprised to see Lily. But no one was more surprised than Alison Humphrey. As everyone took their seats, Lily and Alison made such sharp stares at each other their eyes could cut diamonds. Lily talked about growing up on a small ranch in Montecito, California and how she had horses. One of her horses was named Rosewood. Jenny remarked that was a name of one of her dad’s songs, but it was named after her mom’s perfume. And then that’s when all hell broke loose. Alison called herself a fool as she fled the table. Hold the train, what?!? Turns out, Lily and Rufus weren’t just friends from the olden days. They dated. Meaning they totally had sex. Not only were Serena’s mom and Dan’s dad once an item but Serena’s mom used to be a grunge rock groupie?! Totally not the Lily van der Woodsen we’re used to. I didn’t know Chanel made flannel.

Meanwhile, Blair didn’t have much to give thanks for. Her father wasn’t coming to New York for the holiday. Blair was devastated. Just a year ago, she had a happy family, a loving boyfriend and a best friend who hadn’t yet had sex with said loving boyfriend. Everything was so great. But now, one year later, Blair had no father to be with on Thanksgiving, no boyfriend and a best friend she was fighting with. Things were not looking good. At the Thanksgiving feast, Blair did not touch a thing on her plate. Eleanor told her to eat up but Blair just wasn’t up for it. Eleanor suggested dessert. Blair looked around for the pumpkin pie she made using her father’s famous recipe. Eleanor told her she gave it to the doorman. There were so many other spectacular desserts on the table. That pie did not fit in. This put Blair over the edge. Blair grabbed an entire pie off the table and ran into the kitchen. When she got there she went ravenous and started attacking the pie. She shoved piece upon piece of pie into her small mouth. Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in a stainless steel appliance. Blair dropped the pie and took off. Turns out, Blair was a recovering bulimic. She thought she had conquered the disease but now it looked like she was relapsing. Blair felt alone and didn’t know what to do. So she called the one person she knew would understand: Serena. And being the good friend she was, Serena left the Brooklyn dinner and was there with Blair in no time. Blair thought she had everything under control but maybe it’s not something that goes away so easily. Serena decided the two would get out of the Waldorf penthouse and go anywhere but there.

Over in Brooklyn, the Humphreys were proving to be just as dysfunctional as any Upper East Side family we knew. As the parents fought, Serena returned with Blair to the loft. They sensed the weird vibe and went straight into Jenny’s room where all the other kids were. The teens discussed the recent disclosure of their parents’ past. Could the two sets of siblings be, gulp, related? Eric’s roots were questionable. Dan and Serena looked at each other, nervously. No! Of course, they’re not related! Well, hopefully not. They all needed to leave the loft ASAP. And that’s why God created fire escapes. While the kids broke out, the parents continued their battle. Alison found out about the kiss at Eleanor’s party. Lily argued it wasn’t a real kiss. Alison was still upset. She had been trying so hard to make her marriage with Rufus work. Alison said if her and Rufus’ marriage was ever going to survive Lily can’t be there. For Thanksgiving or ever. For Nate, his life had definitely changed a ton from the year before. Last year, Nate had a loving girlfriend who doted on him, a best friend who didn’t have sex with his ex and a dad who wasn’t being prosecuted for embezzlement. The Archibalds were disinvited from the Waldorf Thanksgiving feast. So they had to have a little makeshift dinner in their townhouse. Anne Archibald was furious. Not only were they univited from the Waldorfs but she was also asked to step down from several of the committees she was on. The Captain was ashamed too. Nate went out for a bit to get away from his tense family and that’s when he realized he really had no one to talk to. Sad, sad, sad. When Nate returned to the townhouse, he was in for the shock of his life. Nate found the Captain lying face down in his study. At the hospital, Nate’s mother said the Captain must have “accidentally” mixed a high dose of Vicodin with whiskey. Nate told her to stop lying to herself. The Captain has a problem. He tried to take his own life. He needs help. When his father woke up, Nate was sitting by his side. Nate told him they were going to get through this. His family needed him.

Still shocked by all that had been revealed, the van der Woodsen and Humphrey kids along with Blair made their way to a Brooklyn diner. This was a pretty monumental Thanksgiving. Dan couldn’t believe his dad has been giving him all this dating advice based on a girl he once dated who was “like” Serena. And by “like” we now know she was actually her mother! Weird! Lily arrived at the diner and Dan, Jenny and Blair took it as their cue to leave. Lily sat down with the kids and opened up about her elusive past. Serena and Eric were happy to finally have an honest conversation with their mother about that time in her life they were always kept in the dark about. Little did they know their mother had rocked out with such bands like Jane’s Addiction, Nine Inch Nails and of course, Lincoln Hawk. When Blair got back to the Upper East Side, she also had a sincere talk with her mother. Eleanor’s guard finally came down and she admitted she was the reason Harold didn’t come to New York for Thanksgiving. She told him not to come. Even though Eleanor and Harold had been separated for some time now and Harold even lived with a man in France, Eleanor was still distressed about it all. She just couldn’t bear to see him. Especially not at Thanksgiving, which was once one of their happiest times together. Blair hugged her mother. And it seemed like all had been forgiven. For now, at least. Things were also looking up in Brooklyn too. The Humphreys decided to have their yearly tradition of touch football at the Fulton Ferry Park. Girls vs. Boys. As the sun went down, the family laughed as they played a fun game. And the Humphreys looked just like the happy family they had once been. Let’s hope it’s not just for the holidays. It appears everyone on the Upper East Side (and Brooklyn) had very epic Thanksgivings. Secrets were exposed and tears were definitely shed. We really do have a lot to give thanks for. Our family: who sometimes make us want to stab our eyes out when we’re with them but will always be there for us when we need them. And our friends: who occasionally do dumb stuff behind our backs but don’t ever judge us for our mistakes. Thanksgiving is about appreciating and accepting the people in our lives, for their good qualities as well as their bad. Because people come and go but your family and good friends stick around forever. And Thanksgiving makes us realize how lucky we are to have them in our lives.

And let’s not forget to give a special thanks to a group of people who make our days a little more fun: our favorites on the UES. Because without them all our lives would be a bit dull, don’t you think? Thank you!

Spotted

November 27th, 2007

Spotted: B and her housekeeper, Dorota, at Citarella getting last minute Thanksgiving items. Looked like they were stocking up on pie ingredients. Surprise, surprise S and D making out in the lobby at the Palace. You just can’t keep these two off each other. J at the Fairway Market in Brooklyn with an older rocker guy and a pretty older blonde buying their Thanksgiving turkey. Contrary to most beliefs, not everyone in the BK is a vegetarian. N watching the floats for the Thanksgiving Day Parade get blown up near the Museum of Natural History. Oh N, how sweet. C in his limo en route to JFK. No idea where he’s going but he looked like he had a lot on his mind. Wonder what, or rather who, he’s thinking about.

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It’s Thanksgiving in New York.

November 26th, 2007

This means turkeys from Citarella, pumpkin pies from Bouchon Bakery and watching the floats for the Macy’s Day Parade get blown up on 77th and Central Park. It’s also a time for families to come together and give thanks. But on the Upper East Side, we all know bringing a group of people together is just asking for trouble. Each year, The Waldorfs throw a huge Thanksgiving feast with the best families in New York City attending. Yet this year there was one family left off the invite list: the Archibalds. Seems like they’re having some troubles after the Captain’s arrest for embezzlement and fraud. Oops. And over in Brooklyn, the Humphreys are having a nice family dinner with their recently returned from trying to find herself mother. We’re pretty certain more than just sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce are on that menu. In NYC this Thanksgiving, there’s going to be more helpings of food and drama than Gossip Girl can ever ask for. And you can be sure I’ll be dishing up seconds.

It’s Thanksgiving in New York

November 26th, 2007

It’s Thanksgiving in New York. This means turkeys from Citarella, pumpkin pies from Bouchon Bakery and watching the floats for the Macy’s Day Parade get blown up on 77th and Central Park. It’s also a time for families to come together and give thanks. But on the Upper East Side, we all know bringing a group of people together is just asking for trouble. Each year, The Waldorfs throw a huge Thanksgiving feast with the best families in New York City attending. Yet this year there was one family left off the invite list: the Archibalds. Seems like they’re having some troubles after the Captain’s arrest for embezzlement and fraud. Oops. And over in Brooklyn, the Humphreys are having a nice family dinner with their recently returned from trying to find herself mother. We’re pretty certain more than just sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce are on that menu. In NYC this Thanksgiving, there’s going to be more helpings of food and drama than Gossip Girl can ever ask for. And you can be sure I’ll be dishing up seconds.