Gossip Girl Episode 2.08 "Pret-a-Poor Jenny" recap

Gossip Girl, Episode 2.08

“Pret-a-Poor Jenny”

Wow, the first five minutes of Gossip Girl were freaking off the wall. And the rest of the episode wasn’t so bad either.

First, Blair (Leighton Meester) gets caught by her maid Dorota sharing some one-on-one time with herself during a very vivid fantasy about Chuck (Ed Westwick). Dorota reminds her that God sees everything.

Then while Jenny (Taylor Momsen) is scrambling to not be late to work at Eleanor Waldorf Designs, she runs into a naked Nate (Chace Crawford) coming out of the bathroom after a shower. He’s got the towel over his shoulder instead of around his hips. Um, Nate, did you forget that young Jenny was in the house? Nate doesn’t seem concerned, but seems intrigued that Jenny looks different. Jenny, embarrassed, tells him her hair is blonder and shorter. She can’t help but look. Could you?

Chuck pulls the limo next to Blair (Leighton Meester) walking to school, and offers her “a ride.” But Blair tells him that will be a little hard since he has made that impossible. Chuck says maybe he was a little hasty and doesn’t want to be tortured anymore. Just when she thinks she’s going to get her man, Chuck reminds her he needs to hear those ‘three little words” first.

Blair’s answer to Chuck’s “three little words” request: “I hate you.”

Meanwhile, Rufus (Matthew Settle) asks Dan (Penn Badgley) to help him and Vanessa (Jessica Szohr) with the opening of exhibit by a new artist, Aaron Rose.

Jenny arrives at work to find that Eleanor is leaving her out of the buyers’ meeting that she promised she could sit in on. She meets Agnes, a model (Willa Holland, The O.C.) whodoesn’t understand why she puts up with Eleanor. Nate stops by (to get his flirt on) to drop off something to Jenny, and Agnes says Nate is interested in her. Jenny thinks Nate looks as her as a little sister and nothing more.

Dan and Serena (Blake Lively) are on a “just friends” basis. When Blair comes up wanting Serena’s help to get Chuck, she wants Dan to leave. But Serena suggests she ask Dan for advice. Here’s the funny part: Blair takes his advice. Who saw that coming?

Blair (who is hilarious) tells Dan she has an itch that only Chuck can scratch. Dan can’t believe she’s having trouble getting Chuck, the womanizer, to sleep with her. Chuck wants to hear the three little words. Dan says to tell him the words even if she doesn’t mean it, but to Blair, that will mean defeat. Dan tells her to become unavoidable to Chuck.

Eleanor apologizes about leaving Jenny out of the meeting, and admits the buyers aren’t interested in this season’s designs — but next season. The only dress the buyer was interested in is the one that Jenny is wearing. Eleanor wants her to make a copy of it by the next morning. Jenny protests that it’s impossible, but Eleanor makes it a demand and bribes her with sitting in on another meeting.

Blair asks Chuck to meet her for a drink (while showing off her sexy stockings). He agrees. At the bar, she asks him to smell the nape of her neck to see if he likes the new cologne she is trying, and he tells her it smells like “desperation.” Blair tries to make a comeback by spilling a drink in his lap and then touching him, but it just pisses Chuck off. He tells her he gave her a shot and he’s bored.

Serena come to the art gallery to look for Dan but instead runs into the new artist Aaron Rose (John Patrick Amedori). They share a cute minute together and there’s instant chemistry.

At home, Rufus and Vanessa are surprised when Blair calls Dan for advice. Blair says the nape of a woman’s neck is Chuck’s Kryptonite. So funny! Dan tells her to intercept Chuck at his house. Blair promises to keep Dan updated (wow, this is weird!). Dan isn’t thrilled, but wants to remain on Serena’s good side.

When Dan shows up at the gallery to meet Serena, they have an awkward moment with Aaron, who thinks they are going out on a date. Dan says they are just friends, though they have history together.

Agnes convinces Jenny to hang out with her at a club and introduces her to a slimy photographer Max (Wade Allain-Marcus, American Mall). When Agnes learns the dress Jenny is wearing was designed by her — she wants to go switch outfits with her. They both come out, Agnes in Jenny’s design and Jenny now in a punk-look. Max takes photos.

While Dan and Serena are hanging out, Blair texts both of them about her plan to meet Chuck in Serena’s bedroom. She wants to know where the candles are. When Blair texts that it will be easy, Serena texts back, “U R so bad.”

When Chuck arrives and sees Blair in Serena’s room, he’s instantly intrigued. She tells him Serena knew she was upset and letting her stay over. She tells Chuck to go away because she’s not going to say those “three little words.” Chuck says he doesn’t care. But then Blair’s phone makes the text noise and Chuck and her both dive for her phone.

When Chuck reads her message about how easy it will be, he’s turned off again. “You almost had me, Blair.”

Agnes wants to introduce Jenny to more people, but Jenny says she will have to pull off an all-nighter to get the dress done. Before she realizes that Agnes has her dress, Agnes jumps into a cab to party.

Eventually, she gets Agnes to answer her calls and she meets Jenny at work. Agnes doesn’t understand why she’s bending over backwards for Eleanor. She tells Jenny she could start her own fashion line and that the photos they took with Max look like an ad campaign. Jenny is excited about the idea, but doesn’t think it’s possible.

Serena and Dan are hanging out at the art gallery again when Blair shows up to get advice from Serena. Serena pushes Dan into giving her advice while she runs off to flirt with Aaron. Dan asks Blair if she loves Chuck and she finally admits that she does. Dan is just in awe that someone loves Chuck Bass. He tells her the greatest feeling in the world was when he told Serena he loved her and she told him the same words back. He tells Blair she can either keep her pride or take a risk to have everything.

Jenny looks like hell from her all-nighter so Eleanor tries to get her to go home. She doesn’t want her to attend the buyers’ meeting obviously because it makes her look bad. Eleanor plays it off that the dress still needs work and that she knows that Jenny was out all night with Agnes at a bar. She tells Jenny that maybe she shouldn’t have gave grown-up responsibilities to a child.

Jenny is rightfully upset and stands up for herself because the only designs the buyers want are her designs. She threatens to quit and Eleanor encourages her to take the rest of the day off. When Jenny tries to take one of her dresses, Eleanor tells her if she takes it, they are through. Jenny takes the dress and leaves.

Blair texts Chuck that he wins and she will see him at the art gallery exhibit opening.

At the gallery, Rufus is confused to see Blair in Brooklyn two times in a row. Dan tells him and Vanessa that he’s helping Blair because of his friendship with Serena. Vanessa tells Dan how Blair and Chuck played a horribly cruel joke on her and doesn’t understand why Dan would help her. Dan vows to get even.

Serena asks Aaron whom he plans to celebrate the exhibit opening with. He uses that as his opportunity to ask her on a date. Serena tells him she’s not dating at the moment. Aaron gives her a second chance with a weird riddle about a caterpillar. Serena jokes back that she wouldn’t date a person who makes up crazy riddles.

Blair plans to meet Chuck on the roof. She tells Serena that if Chuck turns her down, she’s going to jump off the roof. Serena jokes that Blair wouldn’t want her obituary to say that she died in Brooklyn.

On her way to the roof, Dan tells her to make sure Chuck is done playing games before she professes her love to him. I guess this is Dan’s way of sabotaging their relationship, but really I didn’t think it was that bad.

Agnes can’t believe Jenny quit but thinks she can introduce her to the right people to help her get her own fashion line going. She says Max will help with the photos.

Nate runs into Jenny and is hoping they can hang out. She’s kinda surprised by this. She tells him she quit her job. He’s floored because he knew the job meant everything to her. He questions her decision and wonders if she’s talked to her dad about it. Jenny seems offended that he would question her decision. Nate also is concerned with Max, thinking he’s too old to be hanging out with Jenny.

Blair meets Chuck on the roof and he’s ready to hear what she has to say. But her talk with Dan has her confused. Just when she’s ready to blurt out those “three little words,” she gets cold feet. She tells Chuck how hurt she was when he left her on the helicopter pad in Tuscany. He says it hurt him to see her with Marcus. Chuck is angry at this point saying he can’t believe she brought him out to Brooklyn for another one of her games. Blair says he started it. Chuck says she’s the one who finished it. He leaves Blair in tears.

Nate talks to Aaron and finds out that he knows Max from school. He says Max is a good guy unless he’s dating your younger sister.

When Serena finds out Dan sabotaged Blair, she’s ticked off at Dan. She tells Dan she asked him to help her because she thought Dan would help Blair be brave. Dan apologizes, telling her that he did it because of what happened to Vanessa. Serena doesn’t see that as the same because Blair and Chuck actually love each other.

Dan asks for a second chance on the friendship level, and Serena tells him that Aaron asked her out and she’s interested in him. Dan gives her his blessing. As she talks to Dan, she solves the caterpillar riddle. She realizes that she knows Aaron from summer camp when they were kids. They sung the song together and were “married” as little kids do when they are playing around.

With Dan’s approval, Serena runs off to tell Aaron she will go to dinner with him, but she sees him leaving on a motorcycle with another girl.

Dan runs into Chuck in the hallway. There’s no love lost between the two, but Dan tells him it’s his fault Blair didn’t tell him how she felt. I’m sure Chuck will punish him later.

Agnes and Jenny party with Max. When Agnes starts dancing and takes off her shirt, she wants Jenny to take her shirt off too. At first she refuses, but Agnes makes it seem that Max shouldn’t matter because he’s a photographer. She takes her shirt off and dances just as someone knocks on the door.

Of course, it’s Nate coming to rescue Little J from Max. Jenny doesn’t want to leave, but Nate refuses to leave until she comes with him. Agnes says out loud to everyone that she was right, Nate does have a thing for Jenny.

Chuck comes to Blair’s room. He says the reason they can’t say those three words to each other is because they don’t mean it. He says what they love is the tug-pull they have going. He says they know the minute they start something, it will be over. He doesn’t see Blair and Chuck going to the movies or holding hands. Blair says they don’t have to do those things. Chuck says it would only be a matter of time before they messed it up. Chuck says he thinks they should wait, that maybe they would be ready in the future. Blair agrees. He kisses her very softly on the lips and their hands touch before he leaves her again. Chuck was really sweet and honest in this scene. Sweet, but sad.

Nate chastises Jenny for her behavior, but she says she knew what she was doing and wouldn’t get into a bad situation. She wants to know why he cares so much anyway.

They kiss, she tries to pull away, but Nate pulls Jenny back into his arms, and the show ends with them kissing passionately.

Photos courtesy Newscom