Gossip Girl 2.14 "In the Realm of the Basses" recap: Jack Bass arrives

Photos: © 2008 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved

Gossip Girl recap

In the Realm of the Basses, Episode 2.14

Original airdate: January 5

It’s the first day of school after the holidays, so where have our favorite Upper East Siders been the last few weeks?

Little J (Taylor Momsen) and Eric (Connor Paolo) are headed back to school, though Eric is surprised Jenny had a change of heart about going to school. Seems that the Snowflake Ball reminded Jenny that she’s 15.

Chuck (Ed Westwick) is still MIA since the day after his father’s funeral, according to Eric, who tells Jenny that Uncle Jack Bass (Desmond Harrington) is trying to find him. Seems that Uncle Jack worked for Bass Industries in Australia and is now here on the Upper East Side.

Blair (Leighton Meester) is ready to climb the social ladder with her invitation to join the prestigious Colony Club. Is she over Chuck? It’s hard to tell what she’s thinking at this point.

Dan (Penn Badgley) catches a glimpse of Serena (Blake Lively) through the pictures on Gossip Girl, dancing it up on New Year’s Eve in Buenos Aires, with no sign of Aaron Rose (Yea!), just as Rufus (Matthew Settle) walks into the loft. He hurriedly closes his laptop so Rufus won’t seem him pining for Serena.

Dan was expecting him later in the afternoon — he’s been gone the last couple of weeks looking for a sculptor or painter. He keeps changing his story up, so Dan is confused. Rufus offers to walk Dan to school (minus the hugs, Dan says) so they can catch up.

Blair tells Dorota (Zuzanna Szadkowski) how thrilled she is to be considered for the Colony Club and wants Dorota to have everything perfect for the committee when they stop by. It’s the perfect plan for her new future, a future without (“Chuck”… Dorota fills in). Blair says it’s a new year and time for new future. That is until she gets a text from Jack Bass saying he has Chuck and is taking him back to his place. Then she tells Dorota, it would be wrong to deny the past, as it’s denying one’s self.

Okay, Blair make up your mind! And you have to KNOW what happens at the end with the Blair-Chuck-Jack storyline. It’s SUPER juicy!

As Eric and Jenny approach school, Eric asks Jenny if she’s worried about dealing with Penelope (Amanda Sutton) and the mean girls. Jenny says after she’s went through as of late — her showdown with Eleanor Waldorf (Margaret Colin), hijacking a society event, her designs being torched by a psycho model (Agnes, played by Willa Holland) and being almost homeless — that she should be able to handle high school.

Nelly (Yin Chang) seems happy Jenny’s back too, but Penelope and the mean girls are treating her like their servant and Nelly doesn’t think she can defect without being treated even worse. Nelly is the new old Jenny Humphrey it seems.

Dorota chased Blair out the door (probably out of curiosity) to give her a coat, where the two meet up with Jack Bass, who has Chuck in the backseat of the limo, practically unconscious. Jack found him at Bangkok. Blair is shocked to see Chuck even in worse condition than before. How do Jack and Blair know each other? Hmmm.

As Rufus drops off Dan at school, he gets a call from Child Services where we learn he has spent his Christmas holidays in Boston checking out various adoption agencies trying to learn the whereabouts of his love child with Lily. The Child Services lady says his only option at this point is to contact the mother, which Rufus says he’s about to do since he has no choice.

Walking into school, Dan and Serena give each other the lovesick puppy dog eyes as they see each other for the first time since before Christmas and their argument over her going to Buenos Aires with Aaron. Serena says she’s broke up with Aaron three hours into their long flight. And she learned after landing through an email from her mom that Lily and Rufus would never be together. Dan obviously got the same memo, but he’s confused why Serena didn’t call or e-mail him. Serena just wanted to be sure they wanted the same thing: each other. If Dan’s kiss is any indication, it looks like D and S are back together … for now.

S and B share a warm-fuzzy friendly hug seeing each other the hall. Serena wants to know if Jack found Blair, which she tells her he did and then confesses that before Chuck left she told him she loved him to little response. Now she wishes she never said it to him. Serena thinks when Chuck gets out of his funk he will tell her he loves her, but Blair has her doubts. Serena tries to share her new year’s news as Dan gives her a warm embrace in front of Blair (but Blair runs off in classic Blair style disgusted).

Lily confronts Rufus as the gallery, but Rufus has a one-track mind: Where is his child? He still doesn’t know if it’s a boy or girl and he tells her he’s spent his last few weeks knocking on doors of adoption agencies in Boston so he wouldn’t have to ask her for the information. She accidentally reveals it was a boy, but says she gave up the right to look for him, and doesn’t think it’s right to bulldoze into his life — it’s not fair, she says. But Rufus doesn’t think it’s fair that he wasn’t given any options. He tells Lily she just doesn’t want anyone to find out. Lily says that’s not it, though she reveals Chuck already knows, but she doesn’t think he’ll tell. Rufus says at 19 he wanted to be a rock star, but he ended up being a father and he wouldn’t change his choice. “Don’t take that away from me,” he tells her. Still, Lily won’t give up any information and Rufus says he will find it out on his own.

Meanwhile, Jenny is disgusted watching how Penelope and the mean girls treat Nelly in the café. Eric tells her not to interfere, but she can’t help it when she watches Penelope make Nelly clean her shoe. Jenny tells Penelope to stop being cruel.

“We’re not monsters J, Nelly is our friend,” Penelope says, as she drops a scoop of ice cream or frozen yogurt on her shoe on purpose, asking Nelly to clean it up.

Jenny stops Nelly before she can, which irritates the mean girls, who want to know what Little J thinks she’s doing. Jenny says she’s not Little J anymore as she walks off with Eric. Penelope is left with crud on her shoe and wants someone to clean it off! (I’m so ready to throw Penelope off a cliff!)

Back at school, Blair is surprised to see Chuck at school, smoking. Blair runs up to him asking him if he wants to get kicked out, but it’s apparent that Chuck could care less. “Hello to you too, lover,” he tells her. When she asks why he’s at school, he says he didn’t want to miss the first day of school. Blair’s irritated that’s the reason he came to school. “That’s the reason you came here, not because you had something to tell me?” Blair asks. “Like what?” Chuck says blankly.” “You know like what!” she says, grabbing his face to force him to look in her eyes. “Who are you?” she asks seeing nothing in his eyes — no emotion, no heart. Unfortunately, Headmistress Queller sees Chuck and calls him into her office.

Rufus returns to the loft surprising Dan and Serena in a state of undress ready to go for it, and Rufus isn’t happy. In fact, he’s down right pissed realizing they are back together. He tells them they can’t be at the loft when he’s not there and sends Serena home. Dan can’t believe his father, but Rufus tells him it’s his home and to respect his decisions. Then Rufus goes as far as to tell Dan that it’s a mistake, referring to Dan and Serena’s reunion. Lonely Boy isn’t too happy with his dad at the moment.

With Headmistress Queller, Blair tries to defend Chuck, which seems impossible given Chuck’s present state. Blair isn’t thrilled when Jack comes in to be Chuck’s family representative. The funny part is Chuck is surprised to see Uncle Jack because he doesn’t even remember the last few days when Jack rescued him from Thailand. Blair tries to take over, but Jack makes it clear he’s the closest thing Chuck has to a family member and asks Queller what happened. She tells him she found Chuck smoking marijuana, but Chuck corrects her and tells her it’s actually hash. Blair jumps in and tries to get Queller to realize that Chuck is acting out of character over the death of his father, so Queller backs down, if only Chuck will promise not to do it again. With his trademark smile, Chuck stands up and lights another as he walks out. Jack asks what kind of suspension he will be looking at.

The next morning there’s plenty of tension at the breakfast table between Rufus and Dan with Jenny left questioning what’s going on. Dan says Rufus doesn’t want him to date Serena. Jenny is confused, learning just now that they are back together.

She tells her dad that Dan should date Serena because 1. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to him. 2. She’s smart. 3. She’s funny. 4. And she’s nine levels hotter than him. (Funny!) But Rufus doesn’t want to hear it. Jenny tells him to get on board with her “Dan Serena, Dan Serena, Whoa!” cheer, but Rufus is too ticked off at the world to care. Dan says he thinks his attitude has something to do with what happened between him and Lily before Christmas. Again, Jenny is confused. Rufus says it’s none of their business.

At school, Jenny tries to fight for Nelly’s freedom to the jury of Queen B with Jenny and Penelope fighting it out. Penelope acts as if it’s illegal to defect from the group. Blair says she’s having a party for the selection committee of the Colony Club (which usually doesn’t take high school students), and doesn’t have time for the high school nonsense. “Nelly or no Nelly, who cares? I’ve got enough going on already!” Penelope and the mean girls think this means Queen B is stepping down and they say the only way Nelly is leaving is in a body bag. Even Hazel (Dreama Walker) thinks this is ridiculous, as she tells Penelope to “tone down the crazy.” I think this is the smartest thing Hazel has ever said!

Dan and Serena catch up, with Serena thinking they need to find out what’s going on between Rufus and Lily.

Blair walks up wanting to know if Serena has seen Chuck. He hasn’t come home, but she agrees to help Blair find him later that evening if he doesn’t reappear, knowing how upset Blair is.

At the café, Penelope and the mean girls are ticked that Jenny, Eric and Nelly are sitting at their table. Like, OMG! Penelope promises Jenny will pay and calls her dad, telling him to call Headmistress Queller over a girl bullying her. (Oh, the irony!)

Blair finds Chuck at Victrola surrounded by women, wanting a moment alone with him. He told her he bought the place back for a ridiculous amount. She tells him to go home to Serena and Eric — but Chuck says he has no home. He is going to stay at Victrola until the party he already invited everyone to on Gossip Girl.

Blair begs him to stop that “this’ isn’t him, but Chuck says “Bart might have been a bastard but he saw me better than anyone. I’m simply living up to my potential.”

“It’s time to let go of your fantasies,” Chuck tells Blair. When she doesn’t accept that, he goes even a step further.

“Is that it, or are you going to tell me you love me again?” (Poor Blair!)

“Why did you even come back?” She asks as she walks off.

At the loft, Dan and Serena try to snoop through Rufus’ things to find clues to what has him so upset. But Blair calls asking for Serena’s help, so she leaves Dan alone. He finds a phone number and calls it: It’s one of the adoption agencies in Boston. Dan somehow can’t figure out this clue though it’s so BLANTANTLY OBVIOUS!

Arriving back at home, Dorota can’t believe Blair is late since the Colony ladies are due to show up any moment, but Blair says she’s needs a few minutes. Sitting in front of a mirror, Blair breaks down and cries.

Jenny comes out of Headmistress Queller’s office, telling Eric and Nelly how she was reprimanded for bullying Penelope and the mean girls (according to their parents). Jenny doesn’t understand why they won’t let Nelly quit. Nelly then lets out a few of their secrets: Penelope is sleeping with her dad’s junior partner. Jenny figures out how she will blackmail Penelope into letting Nelly go.

Dan heads to the gallery to find out what Rufus was doing in Boston, not believing what he told him about finding a sculptor or painter. Rufus makes a bad mistake by asking if Chuck Bass said something. Dan gets upset that Chuck knows something he doesn’t know about his own family. Dan assumes it’s about Lily and thinks he deserves to know because it affects him and Serena. Rufus says to give him a day to get things straightened out, but Dan says he’s past that.

Serena arrives to help Blair, but she says she doesn’t need her after all. When she asks what’s wrong, Blair says, “Chuck.” “He’s in some Jim Morrison-downward spiral” at Victrolas, but says that he is no longer her concern. Serena says if Chuck is in trouble, they need to help because he doesn’t have any real family. Blair says he doesn’t want her help. Serena can’t believe she’s going to abandon Chuck for a bunch of society matrons. “I’m not abandoning Chuck, I’m just saving myself,” Blair says. Serena can’t believe Blair and gives her a look as the society matrons enter.

Back at Victrola, the party is on and Dan arrives to put a damper on Chuck’s “fun.” Dan gets right to the point in classic Dan style and wants to know the secret between Rufus and Lily. Chuck says he wasn’t intending to give up Lily’s secret, but since he owes Dan one for burning the article he was writing on his father, he tells Dan that he’s not the first Humphrey.

Still, Dan can’t put two and two together and seems confused. Clue 1. Dad has been calling adoption agencies in Boston. Clue 2. There’s a secret between Lily and Rufus. Clue 3. Chuck says Dan is not the first Humphrey. Okay, who couldn’t solve this mystery?

Chuck says Lily’s mom made her give up the baby and Rufus probably just found out. As he eyes Serena coming in, he tells Dan there’s only one more person to tell.

“Of course, as soon as you do it’s over between you, isn’t it? Sharing a sibling, it’s a bit much. Even for me.”

Back at the Waldorf place, Blair is trying to win over the Colony Club ladies. They say it’s not just the person but the company you keep — mentioning Serena who they saw when they walked in. They see her a lot on Page 6 and “quite a bit of her” as the woman points to her chest in regard to Serena’s abundance cleavage. At first Blair, tries to deny her friendship. Then they start talking about Bart Bass and say getting hit by a car was a “mercy killing.” A little cruel, don’t you think? Then they start in on Bass Jr. — Chuck, saying he’s a piece of work. She says she doesn’t have anything to do with him as Dorota watches in bewilderment. Then she changes her mind and speaks the truth:

“That piece of work Chuck Bass needs me. And Serena and her mother are wonderful, kind people,” Blair says reading to leave, done with the snobby women.

When they ask her if she knows what she is giving up, Blair puts them in their place: “I thought I was leaving high school behind. I guess you never do.” Go Blair!!

At Victrola, everything is becoming fuzzy to Chuck and he seems to be getting no pleasure at watching his surroundings. Eric arrives to ask Chuck to come home (yea Eric!), but Chuck ignores him and heads to the roof with a bottle of liquor. “It was nice having you as a little brother,” he tells Eric.

Eric goes outside to find Jenny, but Penelope and the mean girls are waiting for her gloating that they think she’s been kicked out of school. But Jenny is ready with evidence — Penelope’s secret affair, Hazel hooking up with her cousin and something on Isabel. She will hit send to Gossip Girl if they don’t tell their parents to back down and leave Nelly alone. Penelope says Jenny has won and can have the queen throne, only Jenny doesn’t want it and never intended to be queen. It turns out Nelly was just playing Jenny so she could be her BFF when she overthrew the mean girls. Now that Jenny doesn’t want the throne and she needs the mean girls to get into exclusive parties, Nelly is back being their slave. Jenny is disgusted that she wasted so much time helping Nelly, but Eric says she proved that she’s the new Jenny Humphrey. I agree. I like this Jenny. She’s not whiny and doesn’t care what anyone thinks and does the right thing.

Rufus comes over to Lily’s place because Dan is on to their secret. He thinks it’s time Lily deals with the past and put everything in the open before he finds out and tells Serena, but Lily thinks her kids will hate her as he does. Lily says she was young, not ready to have a baby and was being pressured by her mother. Rufus says he’s understands why she gave up the baby but can’t understand why she didn’t tell him.. He says he doesn’t hate her, but the secret is new to him and he needs time to deal with it. Lily backs down and offers to tell him what she knows.

At the party, Dan grabs Serena and wants to talk to her privately.

Blair arrives back at Victrola and runs into Jack, who she’s not too thrilled to see because he’s a bad influence on Chuck. “He does the Bass name proud,” Jack says, a little intoxicated himself. Eric comes up and Blair asks him if he’s seen Chuck.

Hearing that he’s on the roof, Blair and Jack run up to get him, with Blair worried he’s going to hurt himself.

Chuck is teetering on the edge of the building, clearly drunk holding his liquor. When his bottle breaks stories below him, Chuck almost loses his balance. Blair and Jack try to get him to come down.

“Chuck, your father wouldn’t have wanted this,” Jack says.

“Dear ol’ dad? Fortunately, all I know is what he didn’t want, which is me,” Chuck says sadly, still teetering on the edge.

“I’m Chuck Bass,” Chuck screams, somehow not losing his balance. “No one cares,” he whispers.

Blair runs up to him. “I do. Don’t you understand? I don’t want you going anywhere. I couldn’t bear it. So, whatever you want to do to yourself, please don’t do that to me.”

Seeming to get through to him on some level, Blair offers her hand and he takes it, coming off the roof. He falls into her arms (really touching moment) and says softly, “I’m sorry” as Jack watches.

Back to Dan and Serena. Dan can’t contain himself any longer. You know how he is about secrets – he doesn’t like to have them. Just as he’s about to get the words out to Serena, he gets a call from Rufus that he almost doesn’t take. Rufus says he and Lily are going on a trip to find out the truth and Lily should be the one to tell Serena when they return, as it is her secret to tell. He begs Dan not to tell her. Dan gets off the phone and very reluctantly doesn’t tell Serena. How much do you want to bet that this is what will cause the rift between Serena and Dan this time?

Then the SHOCKER.

As Jack puts Chuck into the limo, Blair begs for Jack to let him stay at Lily’s, but Jack says he will just leave and it’s better for Chuck to be with him. Blair says she doesn’t trust him, but he tells her she really doesn’t have a choice.

Blair says Chuck can’t know what happened on New Year’s. And Jack shakes his head in agreement, getting in the limo.

Okay? So what does that mean? From the preview of the next episode, “Gone with the Will,” it appears that Blair and Jack have a secret that Chuck is not going to want to hear. Could it be possible that Blair, distraught over Chuck, hooked up with Jack on New Year’s Eve before finding out who he was? And if so, how will Jack handle this information. From the preview, it appears that Jack tells him they were together but Chuck doesn’t believe it. What do you think the preview means? What do you think of Jack Bass?

Photos: © 2008 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved