Gossip Girl: A Wedding and a Funeral

Gossip Girl:
"O Brother, Where Bart Thou?"

Today my sister saw this in the Wall Street Journal:

"Stayin' alive. Buried in the tax law is a powerful incentive for many wealthy people who care about their heirs to stay alive at least until the dawn of 2009. The basic federal estate-tax exclusion, now $2 million, is scheduled to soar to $3.5 million next year. Thus, if someone survives until Jan. 1, an additional $1.5 million of that person's estate will be sheltered from the federal estate tax, where the top rate is 45% both this year and next."

So, do we think that the real reason Chuck Bass is so upset is that he would have gotten an extra $1.5 million tax free if Bart had just held off on succumbing to the fatal automobile accident for one more little month? Or is it because his unclassy skank of a step-mother marries people she doesn't love for money? A mixture of the two, perhaps?

I now hate both Rufus and Lily more than I hate Vanessa. Vanessa! Rufus is just smug and self-righteous and whiny. Lily is a terrible person. What the hell was she even thinking blaming CHUCK for Bart's accident (in the scene in Bart's office)?!? (She said that Bart wouldn't have been driving to the party if Chuck hadn't called him.) WHAT IN THE HELL IS WRONG WITH HER? Why would you say that to a grieving teenager? And then she freaking slapped him!!! Like I said last week, slapping a kid during his father's funeral just is not okay. Evil, crazy woman.

Poor, poor Chuck. The boy is not handling this well (as we would expect). Yea for Blair for doing her best to stand by him. And hurray for one of those two finally having the balls to say "I love you." How much better is it that she said it in a situation like this instead of as a ploy to get him in bed? Unfortunately, grieving Chuck is a hard nut to crack, and he could only accept her comfort for a short period of time. (Don't fall asleep when you're on Chuck-watch, Waldorf.)

Highlights and observations:

• Wow, so Bart's already dead, huh? No long, drawn out coma storyline or anything?
• Eric: "We know that's gin in your coffee cup."
• Lily: "We're doing comfort food! Nobody's comforted by a tuna tower!"
• Eleanor!
• Cyrus: "Because, my dear, in the midst of death, we are in life!"
  Eleanor: "Genius."
• Oh, so Dan's been a rock for Serena these last few days, huh? Speaking of rocks, Serena's wearing a whole mineral collection around her neck! At least she's not displaying her typical amount of cleavage to go to her step-father's funeral.
• Oh, Rufus is waiting for Lily this time, huh? So he's not going to start bedding random 23-year-olds a week from now?
• Oh, my freaking gosh, Chuck killed me in the first scene with the PI in the bar. He looks devastated.
• Do Dan and Aaron need to stand together? Awkward.
• Eric looks tiny compared to towering Jenny in her heels. At least Jenny's gothic, all-black wardrobe is finally appropriate.
• Blair: "Am I going to have to stick my finger down your throat? Nate will hold back your hair."
• Wow, Chuck is crazy mad at Dan! It's too bad Rufus didn't show up--I'd like to see him feel some of Chuck's wrath too.
• Is Jenny going to get kicked out too? I'd love to see Chuck turn on her now.
• Here's my proof the Ed Westwick would kill as a vampire. (He's even got the dark circles under his eyes.) No one should ever doubt my casting decisions again.
• Oh geez. Now we have to listen to whiny Rufus' stupid song?
• Blair: "I'm not maternal. I've just been spending too much time with Cyrus, and I'm turning Jewish."
• Eleanor really wants to get married in an outfit Jenny made? She must not have seen the dress Jenny made for Penelope to were the the Snowflake Ball...
• Geez, just go away, Aaron! Even Serena wants you to leave now.
• Ok, was Jonathan always this much of a dork? Is there a point to him coming back? I mean, it's nice that Eric has someone who cares about him, but I don't really care...
• Why did Blair and Nate leave Chuck alone upstairs?
• No, Nate, Blair should not just let Chuck go; he's a freaking wreck. Nice to know that Nate's still worthless in a crisis. Jenny dodged a bullet here.
  
• Blair: "But I am me and you're you. We're Chuck and Blair. Blair and Chuck. The worst thing you've ever done, the darkest thought you've ever had--I will stand by you through anything."
  Chuck: "And why would you do that?"
  Blair: "Because I love you."
• Aww, poor Blair; she started to cry when Cyrus told her he loves her.
• Blair: "Only a masochist could love such a narcissist."
• No, Lily, there are no subtle nuances to what you did (loving Rufus and marrying Bart anyway). You just suck.
• Nice use of an accent by Dan when he said "going off to Buenos Aires with Aaron."
• Jenny: "You still have feelings for her, right? Okay, do you think you can put them into words and speak to her out loud?"
• Geez, I hope Chuck takes every cent of Bart's money away from Lily. She is so beyond unclassy. Going away with Rufus the day after her husband's funeral? I think even Julie Cooper waited a little longer than that after Caleb's funeral to hook back up with Jimmy.
  
• Hmm, so Lily's mom wants the truth out there? Interesting. Because she knows it will break up Rufus and Lily?
• Dan: "I carried the garment bag."
• Blair's dress for the wedding is gorgeous. Probably because Jenny didn't make that one.
  
• Wow, Dorota looks fantastic! It looks like she got to wear one of Blair's headbands.
• I hope Dan beats smug Rufus and his turtleneck the hell up.
• Don't burn it, Chuck! You don't have to go public with whatever info is in the document, but I'd keep it around just in case.
• Awww, the scene with Blair holding Chuck was the sweetest thing I've ever seen.
• Biggest. Eye roll. Ever. I was hoping so much that Lily's big secret wouldn't be that she had Rufus' love child. Who couldn't see that coming from about 300 miles away? And, frankly, if you're Gossip Girl, it's embarrassing that the new 90210 beat you to this storyline.
• Oh no, the previews indicate that Chuck's going to continue to spiral out of control. I just hope the poor kid doesn't fall of the roof. There's no reason for him to go all Cassidy Casablancas on us.
  

Headband Monday: I wore the blue one with criss-crossed ribbons. Probably should have gone with black though since it's the color of mourning and poor Chuck is in pain.

(photo: cwtv.com)