Photos: Giovanni Rufino/The CW
How do we love thee, Gossip Girl? Let us count the gays. There were a whopping two in last night's episode -- probably to make up for last week's pathetic misuse of Cyndi Lauper's cameo.
First, young Eric (above left) made up for his recent lack of airtime by commanding the most riveting sub-plot. In his own sinister semi-paternal way Bart Bass (right) suggests that Eric better check up on the whereabouts of his main squeeze, Jonathan, on a certain evening. Bewildered by Bart's creepy omniscience -- but not too visibly bummed that Jonathan's been getting extracurricular with the captain of the swim team -- Eric takes a break from shielding Jenny from the love and affection of her own doting, estranged father to delve into his evil step father's secret safe of secrets. What does he find? "It's like the end of every heist movie ever made," he quips at the sight of actual gold bars and an actual satellite phone.
But, more crucial to future plot developments, he finds fat files on each family member, the result of Bart's bad habit of having everyone vetted by private investigators in a way that puts the McCain campaign to shame. Lily gets pissed, gathers her kids and heads over to Rufus's loft for Thanksgiving dinner, "the only place that really feels like home." Aw! But, not before Eric confronts her about the dirt he found in her file: She was institutionalized at 19. Considering his sister's secrets involve "killing" a man, this would be a yawn-worthy reveal except for Eric it's particularly heartbreaking given ice queen Lily showed so little heart when he was in the same boat at the show's opening, closeted and cooped up after a suicide attempt.
Meanwhile! Blair's so busy throwing a tantrum over her mom's impending engagement to the bald guy from the Princess Bride (Wallace Shawn, second from left) that she nearly misses the big Thanksgiving surprise: her beloved gay dad (John Shea, left), just in from Paris. Eleanor, in a rare, not-quite-plausible show of family diplomacy, wants him to grant his approval to Blair's future bald step-father. (She also throws her expensive coat over a shivering, sniveling Jenny, her insubordinate-intern-cum-arch-nemesis, because hey, it's the holidays!) It's a sweet moment, but not as sweet as Blair's Dad's much-coveted pumpkin pie, which he's brought all the way to the Upper East Side in...wait for it...a pretty picnic basket. Le sigh.
-- JESSANNE COLLINS
Previously > Chace goes 3 for 3 > Must-see Mondays
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