Gossip Girl "O Brother, Where Bart Thou" recap, Chuck grieves

Gossip Girl 2.13 episode

“O Brother, Where Bart Thou?”

Original Airdate: Monday, December 8

In this episode, Ed Westwick could easily win an award for portraying Chuck Bass. Lots of good stuff between Chuck and Blair, Dan and Serena, and Lily and Rufus.

Mourning has taken over the Bass household as everyone is reeling from the death of Bart Bass. Chuck is in his “tower” not allowing anyone in but room service, and Lily, Serena and Eric are coping in their own ways.

Unfortunately, the evil grandma Cece (Caroline Lagerfelt) is back to be supportive to her daughter Lily (Kelly Rutherford), though she easily picks up a second agenda pretty quickly.

Serena (Blake Lively) and Eric (Connor Paolo) are worried about their mom Lily, but when she appears she seems like she’s holding up pretty good. She’s more worried about Chuck (Ed Westwick) not coming out to see anyone.

Lily heads to the park for some fresh air, but really she’s meeting Rufus (Matthew Settle) for the first time since news of the accident when they were at the Snowflake Ball.

Lily and Rufus fans can be thrilled at this point because it looks like it’s finally their time. Lily tells Rufus she feels guilty about Bart’s death because he was on his way to see her and she was planning to end the marriage. He left a voicemail on her phone that she’s been afraid to listen to. The super-sweet Rufus offers to be with her when she listens to it, but Lily says she needs to do it in private. Rufus then vows to wait for Lily this time no matter if it takes her six weeks or six years.

Too bad Cece followed Lily to the park.

Meanwhile at the Waldorf household, Blair (Leighton Meester) is worried to death about Chuck, who isn’t taking anyone’s calls, including hers. The death has wrecked havoc on the Waldorf family as well, but that’s not stopping Cyrus (Wallace Shawn) from proposing to Eleanor (Margaret Colin) that they get married as soon as possible, because “In midst of death, we are in life.” Blair, who is appalled, runs off to check with Nate (Chace Crawford) to see if he’s heard from Chuck.

Guess who has been a rock for Serena since the accident? Not Aaron (John Patrick Amedori).

Serena thanks Dan (Penn Badgley) for being there for her, confiding that she’s worried about her mom and Chuck. Then Aaron comes in and ruins the mood. You can tell Aaron is peeved to keep finding Dan around every corner when he visits Serena. Headed to the funeral, she tells the two that she needs to go to the funeral with her family, and she’ll meet them at the church.

Chuck stops drinking long enough to visit with the private investigator, who wants tons of money for the secret he found out about Lily’s past. This would be the information that Bart just learned right before he died. Chuck’s ready to pay up, but the PI says Chuck is not the only party interested in the information. Basically, he’ll give it to the highest bidder.

Chuck has some serious anger against Lily and blames her for Bart’s death. Chuck blames her because Bart was on his way to see her at the Snowflake Ball after learning she was with Rufus. I guess he doesn’t blame the limo driver.

“The bitch is the reason my father is dead,” he tells the P.I.

Drunk Chuck leaves taking a bottle of alcohol with him as he heads to the funeral.

Lily listens to the voice message as she leaves the park. Bart tells her they need to talk, and not about how his wife is making a fool of him with her ex-lover, but because he knows the reason why she was in the hospital in France. So in his last move as her husband, he was more concerned with tearing her down instead of winning her back. Wow, what a loss!

At the funeral in the FUNNIEST SCENE in the episode, Dan and Aaron are waiting for Serena’s arrival. Dan gets a text message first from Serena saying she’s on her way. A jealous Aaron gets the same message seconds later and they spar over it. “Yea, I got that.” “I got it first,” Dan says back to Aaron. And then Aaron says he probably got it first, but his phone network screwed up.

Um, no Aaron, you were second in line and we all know it!

When Serena arrives, Aaron immediately goes to her, but Serena makes a point of hugging Dan first. So freaking funny!

Jenny (Taylor Momsen) hangs with Eric, who is slightly upset that his boyfriend Jonathan isn’t around. How much do you want to bet Bart paid him off before he died?

Cece is outside the church and when she sees Dan her one-track mind only wants to know if Rufus is coming (of course, he’s not).

Lily is wondering where the hell Chuck is as the funeral is about to start,  and it appears drunk Chuck is teetering out of the limo by the cemetery as Blair and Nate try to hold up him up. They try to make him laugh, but nothing is working.

Chuck, who is hanging on by a thread, gets a burst of energy when he sees Dan is a the funeral. Chuck gets in his face telling Dan that his father is the reason why his father is dead. Poor Dan is completely taken off guard. Serena steps in front of Dan to protect him and Chuck goes off on her as well. She tells Chuck Dan has been helping them, but Chuck doesn’t want to hear it and wants Dan to leave. Dan reluctantly leaves even though Serena protests.

Now by the church, Lily tries to comfort Chuck, but he tells her “Don’t touch me whore!”

OMG! Lily tells him they need ‘family’ more than ever, but Chuck reels back to say “My family? I don’t have a family.”

Away from the funeral, Rufus is playing his guitar giddily daydreaming about Lily probably. He’s surprised when Dan comes in telling him Chuck made him leave the funeral because of his “my father killed his father” theory. Rufus is shocked, but thinks Chuck just needs time to deal with his father’s death.

When questioning Dan about how Serena is holding up, Rufus wonders if its possible they might get back together. Dan doesn’t seem to think so because of Aaron, but Rufus says death has a way of changing things and clarifying relationships (could he be referring to his relationship with Lily?). Dan says they’ve broken up twice and he and Serena are over.

After the funeral, Chuck isn’t ready to see anyone, so Nate and Blair try to get him upstairs to avoid the crowd gathered at his house. Nate compliments Blair on taking care of Chuck, which is funny.

Meanwhile, Cyrus is still obsessed with getting married right away and tells Eleanor he wants to get married the next day in a simple ceremony. Life is short, he says. Jenny is nearby and offers to make Eleanor a special coat for her wedding dress as a way to make up for past events (that’s pretty interesting). Blair isn’t thrilled but deals with it. It’s not like she can change their minds anyway.

Aaron has plans of his own — get Serena as far as possible from Dan over the Christmas holidays. I mean, he doesn’t say that, but he does offer Serena a trip to Buenos Aires over the holidays. Serena isn’t sure she can go because of Bart’s death, but Aaron says it would mean a great deal to him and is his Christmas present to her. “But I already bought  you a book,” Serena says. (Funny!).

Cece wants Lily to talk to Chuck and get things cleared up, nudging her upstairs to face him. Poor Lily. As Lily heads upstairs, Cece gets a phone call from the P.I.

Jonathan hangs with Eric, so I guess he didn’t leave him after all.

Lily finds Chuck ransacking everything upstairs, but Lily tells him her file is no longer there, or the will.

Ed Westwick (Chuck) totally gives an Academy Award-winning performance as he tells Lily she disgusts him, blaming her for Bart’s death and accusing her of cheating on Bart with Rufus by calling her a slut.

“He died for nothing,” Chuck says. Lily denies anythign happened with Rufus (at least since the wedding),  reminding Chuck that he was the reason Bart was coming to see her, saying Chuck should have stayed out of it. Chuck seething with anger, tells Lily once the will is read, she will never see him again.

Chuck leaves, and even rips in to Eric when Eric tells him they are still brothers. Chuck says they are not related. Blair wants to catch him, but Nate tells her to let him go. Blair goes anyway, running after Chuck.

Cece tells Lily the P.I. wants her to pay to keep the secret quiet, but she’s suggesting Lily just let the chips fall where they may and face the truth. Lily thinks the time is inappropriate and asks her mother to pay up. Can you see what will happen?

Lily doesn’t want to spend another minute without Rufus, so she calls him to invite him to spend the holidays with her together on a little trip. Rufus agrees very happily and starts packing immediately.

Blair catches up with Chuck as he tries to get into the limo. Chuck tells her he appreciates her concern, but Blair says he doesn’t. She vows to be there for him, but Chuck reminds her that she’s not his girlfriend. But, as Blair says, they are Chuck and Blair, Blair and Chuck, and she will be there for him through anything. Why would she do that for him, he asks?

“Because I love you."

“Well, that’s too bad,” Chuck says, visibly shaken by her words, but not enough to let his anger go just yet. (second Academy Award performance here).

Meanwhile, Dan and Serena meet for breakfast where Serena feels Dan out on her trip with Aaron to Buenes Aires. Only Dan doesn’t seem like he really cares, and tells Serena she should go.

At the Waldorf residence, Blair comes back defeated from dealing with Chuck and sees Cyrus, who is giddy about his upcoming wedding. When he tells Blair he’s thrilled he will be in her family and he loves her, the words set off a chord with Blair, who obviously needs to discuss what just happened (I guess Dorota was busy!).  She tells Cyrus she told Chuck she loves him, but it didn’t go well.

“He’s just as selfish and soulless as ever. Only a masochist could love a narcissist,” she tells Cyrus (time to get out the dictionaries!).

Cyrus tells her Chuck just needs more time and hugs Blair not once but twice as Eleanor watches in the distance.

Cece and Lily talk and it comes out pretty easily that Lily is in love with Rufus and is tired of hiding from it.

About that time, Serena walks in to hear that Lily’s in love with Rufus, realizing that’s why Chuck was so upset with Dan. She runs off to her room, but Lily follows her to explain. This is when Serena says “I should have seen this coming,” in the preview. Lily says Serena asked her one time before to stay away from Rufus so she could be with Dan, but she can’t anymore. Lily asks if Serena is interested in getting back with Dan, but Serena tells her it’s her (Lily’s) time now and tells her of her holiday plans with Aaron. (So for us Dan and Serena fans, this will keep them further apart it seems)

Back at the Humphrey apartment, Jenny can’t believe Dan is going to let Serena go to Buenos Aires with Aaron without a fight. She knows he still has feelings with her and encourages him to come to the Waldorf house for the wedding so he can see Serena. He can hold the garment bag, she tells him.

Dan and Jenny show up at the Waldorf house for the wedding, just minutes before the wedding with Eleanor freaking out upstairs that Jenny hasn’t arrived yet. Dan sees Serena, but unfortunately she just told Aaron that she will go with him. When Dan tells her he doesn’t want her to go, Serena says it’s too late and spills the beans about Lily and Rufus saying it’s their time. Plus, they didn’t work out last time, but Dan says they’ve changed. Serena says things are different: She has a boyfriend now. Poor Lonely Boy.

Chuck meets with the P.I. again. It seems Cece wasn’t willing to pay up, and now the P.I. really, really needs Chuck’s money. Chuck doesn’t see why he has to pay for something if it’s going to come out on the open naturally, but the P.I. convinces him he needs to know what is in the file.

Chuck confronts Lily about the secret — letting her know Cece didn’t pay up, but Lily tries to be the bigger person and tell Chuck he needs his family and friends right now, and to not be like his father.

Surprisingly when she leaves, Chuck burns the letter that contains the information about Lily’s secret.

Meanwhile, Eleanor and Cyrus get married in a private candlelit wedding with their families. Dorota is so adorable out of her maid uniform and in a pretty dress even!

After the wedding, Blair is completely surprised to find Chuck in her room. Watch the video below:

As Rufus is preparing for his trip with Lily, Cece stops by as the bearer of bad news. Rufus says she won’t interfere in their relationship this time, but Cece tells him to read the information she has as Lily wanted her to pay a lot of money to keep it a secret. Cece says she wants Rufus and Lily to have their chance and the only way is honestly. Rufus doesn’t believe that crap, but still takes the envelope.

When Dan walks in the apartment, Rufus is sitting in the dark upset. Dan sees the note Rufus was writing saying he was going on a trip, but Rufus tells him Lily and him will never happen — now or ever. Seems Rufus is a little upset.

Serena and Aaron are lovey-dovey in the car heading to go to Buenes Aires for the holidays. Dan tries to call to warn her about Lily and Rufus, but Aaron convinces her they need time without Dan, so she ignores the call. Damn that Aaron!

Blair wakes up find Chuck gone with a note thanking her but telling her she deserves better and not to try to find him. It seems Chuck is headed on a path of self-destruction.

Lily sees Rufus approach her at the train station (I think), but Rufus doesn’t look as happy as she is.

 “Just tell me, is it a boy or is it a girl?” he asks a stunned Lily, now aware of her secret.

Damn! Damn! Damn!

Fresh episodes of Gossip Girl will return on Monday, January 5. I can’t wait.

Please, tell me your thoughts about this episode in the comments! What do you think about Blair finally saying "I love you." Are you tired of Aaron like I am? What do you think about Lily’s secret? Will Lily and Rufus ever get together?

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