Gossip Girl aired 121 episodes over its six-season run and while most of it was wicked fun but only 10 can make the cut in honor of the show’s 10 year anniversary. Here is how I rank the 10 best Gossip Girl episodes:
10. The Revengers – Season 6 (Episode 9) – In “The Revengers,” which is the second last episode before the series finale, we get an insane amount of drama, with most of it involving Chuck and his father. Bart had been creating nothing but problems for everyone ever since it was discovered that he was still alive and in hiding. In this episode, he tries to have Chuck killed; however, Chuck ends up surviving the plane crash that was supposed to kill him. The episode definitely ends with a bang. Chuck and Bart end up having it out on a rooftop; however, this time, Chuck wins. As Bart hangs off the side of the building, Chuck refuses to help him, so he falls to his death. After this, Blair and Chuck dramatically run off together, which can mean only one thing – Blair and Chuck are finally going to be together for good. It’s big soapy fun and a bit over the top but it makes the cut for some solid Chuck and Blair moments as well as some nice moments between Serena and Blair as well. It shows how ridiculous the show could be but also how grounded it could be with its characters.
9. New Haven Can Wait – Season 2 (Episode 6) – Everyone loves a good catfight and, in “New Haven Can Wait,” we get that and then some. When the episode begins, Blair and Serena are already fighting. Things between them get even worse when Serena gets an invite from the Dean at Yale to come visit the school. He’s just trying to capitalize on Serena’s recent bout of fame and Blair knows this but, when it comes to Serena, she’s a bit insecure. The best part of the episode is when Blair and Serena attend a party thrown by the dean. After trading barbs, the two go outside to settle things, only to get into a physical fight. I find it impossible to forget Blair throwing her heel at Serena’s head and Serena then grabbing Blair’s headband, telling her, “I hate your stupid headband!” It is forever etched in my memory!
8. The Goodbye Gossip Girl – Season 2 (Episode 25) – One of the best things about Gossip Girl is Gossip Girl. She’s (he’s?) constantly outing the characters and judging them for their questionable behavior, which many of them completely despise. In “Goodbye Gossip Girl,” the characters become fed up with Gossip Girl after she sends out a blast after their graduation where she criticizes them and gives each of them an unflattering label. The characters then try to find out who the elusive Gossip Girl is; however, all they really end up discovering is that they are all responsible for there being a Gossip Girl. Without their tips, she would have nothing to work with. They are the beasts that feed the machine.
7. The Treasure of Serena Madre – Season 3 (Episode 11) – No one does Thanksgiving like Gossip Girl and this episode was a Thanksgiving event for the books. The show was starting to spin its wheels a bit in season 3 but this episode gave us a hefty helping of lies, deceit, and intrigue that me wanting to go back for seconds, thirds, fourths and then take a doggie bag home for later. The main reason the episode resonates? It’s the epic Thanksgiving dinner that caps off the episode. Everyone is at the table and then the juice flies. Starting with Rufus and CeCe, who tells Rufus that she had been out of remission since this past August. This puzzles the both of them as to why Lily didn’t return home sooner. Gabriela takes this as a means of dissension in the marriage of Lily and Rufus. Then we move further down to Blair and Eleanor, who Blair is trying to have some champagne. When Eleanor declines for the umpteenth time, she asks Blair what has gotten into her. Blair then counters that she’s not the one with a bun in the oven before storming off. Jenny finally confronts Eric on his dastardly schemes and Eric could care less, because Jenny’s sweet potatoes are bland. Finally, we are at the main course. As Rufus tells a Thanksgiving joke at one end of the massive table, Maureen has had enough of Trip and Serena’s googly eye bartering. She voices her frustration at the table and when the two culprits play dumb, Nate provides the footage. Serena tries to form an apology, but Lily sees the footage and is disgusted and dismayed at her daughter’s behavior and she leaves the room. Serena is close behind her. Maureen threatens to go public if Trip goes through with the divorce.
6. The Wild Brunch – Season 1 (Episode 2) – We’re only two episodes in by this point, but this episode highlights the quips and character interactions we will come to love and of course it all culminates at a big event (a theme on the show and this case Chuck’s brunch) and it’s highlighted with a fun scene of Rihanna’s “Shut Up and Drive”. In the episode, Serena receives an icy-cold reception from Blair; Serena decides to take Dan to arch-enemy Chuck’s fundraiser brunch; Jenny seeks advice from Blair, who realizes she may have something to gain by letting Jenny into her inner circle.
5. The Wrong Goodbye – Season 4 (Episode 22) –In “The Wrong Goodbye,” we get the sort of drama that makes Gossip Girl worth watching. Chuck is searching for Blair, who was kidnapped in the previous episode and is being held hostage by Russell Thorpe; Charlie is behaving more and more erratically; and Georgina unexpectedly turns up looking for trouble (which is always fun). As expected, Chuck saves Blair and they end up hooking up while her boyfriend, the Prince of Monaco, waits for her at Constance; we find out that Charlie, Serena’s alleged cousin, is not who she says she is; and it looks like Blair is pregnant, which makes everyone wonder who the father is. The best part of the episode though is when Blair and Chuck have a heartfelt moment. She wants to be to be with him, but he instead tells her that she and Louis have his blessing.
4. Oh Brother, Where Bart Thou? – Season 2 (Episode 13) –In “Oh Brother, Where Bart Thou?,” Bart Bass is killed in a limo crash and the entire Upper East Side is left reeling. Chuck spirals out of control, blaming Lily, Dan and Rufus for his father’s death. Although Blair and Nate try to be there for him, Chuck rejects them both and then disappears from the Upper East Side. The season needed game changer episode and this proved to be it. Even though the ultimate reveal seasons later that Bart didn’t die felt like a cheat, it still doesn’t cheapen the impact of the episode which features an amazing performance from Ed Westwick.
3. Victor/Victoria – Season 1 (Episode 7) – For the first few episodes of season one of Gossip Girl, we mostly see Blair Waldorf ruling the girls at Constance with an iron fist and doing everything in her power to avoid losing her boyfriend, Nate. In “Victor/Victoria,” we see Blair finally reach a breaking point with her relationship with Nate. After learning that Nate isn’t over Serena, Blair finally breaks up with him during the last ten minutes of the episode. She then heads to Chuck’s burlesque club to escape. Surprising Chuck, she gets up on stage and participates in a burlesque performance. At the very end of the episode, we see Chuck and Blair hook up for the very first time in the back of Chuck’s limo and it is at that exact moment that we realize just how ill-suited Blair and Nate really were and how Chuck Blair are where it’s at.
2. Pilot – Season 1 (Episode 1) – Every good pilot should set the tone for the series, and the Gossip Girl pilot does just that. It sets up the characters well and really engulfs us in their world. It wasn’t until I re-watched the series again for the anniversary that I realized how strong the pilot was. Some first episodes can be lacking but Gossip Girl really kicked things off with a bang and honestly never let up for that entire first season.
1. Hi, Society – Season 1 (Episode 10) – So why choose this as the best episode? Actually, a lot of the stronger episodes come from the first season which seemed to be more tight and focused but this episode really brought elements from the previous episodes and put a few people at a crossroads. Serena’s plan on not attending the annual Cotillion Ball is sidetracked when her grandmother CeCe persuades her to attend; Nate sees Blair’s new buoyant attitude and entrusts Chuck to find out the reason, in which Chuck tells Nate that she is having an affair with St. Jude’s alumni, Carter Baizen, creating drama at the Ball. Blair finds out Chuck did this for personal gain and ends their affair, returning to Nate once more and consummating her love to him during a passionate night. Meanwhile, Jenny attends the ball despite it being on the same night as Alison’s art gallery opening. I’m also all about a good music moment and this episode features my favorite with OneRepublic’s “Apologize” capping it off.
