Subscribe
In honor of Father’s Day this week, I thought I’d take a look at the dads of Gossip Girl.
First up, Bart Bass.
Soo… what do we know about Bart Bass?
We know that he is Chuck Bass’ father and now, stepfather to Serena van der Woodsen and Eric van der Woodsen. And we know, according to the official wedding announcement for Bart Bass and Lily van der Woodsen, that Mrs. Bass is no longer around.
Bart is the CEO of Bass Industries, Inc., where he gained his immense fortune. Bass Industries mostly manages real estate holdings – such as The Palace Hotel – but Chuck was hoping to expand the company to include a burlesque club.
Bart and Lily rekindled their relationship early on in the series and got married in the finale, despite Lily’s indiscretion. Bart was clearly aware of Lily’s continue infatuation with Rufus and asked her (albeit indirectly) to call it quits.
(An aside: I can’t figure out Bart’s angle with Lily. She’s society, true, but she’s kind of tainted society, no? She has money but Bart, reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars doesn’t need money. She’s been married three times before – hardly the poster girl for commitment. And it’s not love, so what is it?)
Bart wins points for sticking around through Chuck’s childhood. He loses points, however, for not having faith in his son – they clearly have some kind of ongoing trust issues. Why else would Chuck be so angry and afraid of commitment?
Rumor has it that the alternate ending for this season’s finale would have killed off Bart Bass at the airport – in full view of Chuck. It would have been a little Dylan McCabe in 90210 if you ask me – and surely we would have found out later that Bart was still alive and controlling Chuck’s money. But cooler heads prevailed and nothing like that happened.
So, with all of this is mind, do you think Bart is a good father? Is Chuck better or worse off with Bart in charge? Will Lily make Bart a better father? Sound off!
(Image: Newscom)
[...] up in our Gossip Girl Father’s Day series, Harold Waldorf, Blair Waldorf’s [...]
I don’t know what to make of Bart. Most of the time I hate him, but I’m glad he married Lily.
Plus: I don’t blame him for dissaproving of Chuck’s actions. If my son acted like Chuck, I’d be worried too. But the way Bart goes about it, is all wrong. He makes it worse but still manages to put more of a strain on their relationship. Chuck may act out, but he still wants to please his father. That’s one thing that’s clear.
It’s funny how Bart told Chuck that he’d have to take into account other people’s “feelings” when he’s not too good at handling that himself…
Oh, and maybe having lost his wife has something to do with how he treats Chuck? I’d really like to know what she was like and how she died. Oh, and I definately think Lily will make him a better father in one way or another. She gives him more positive reinforcement and isn’t so hard on him. After all, Lily handled Serena when she was going through that party stage…
[...] up in our Gossip Girl Father’s Day series, William van der Woodsen, Serena’s [...]