Gossip Girl Season 4, Ep12 Full Recap & video

When we last left the crazy world of "Gossip Girl," it all came down to Lily. She was selling Chuck's company behind his back. She'd put a very cute man (Ben) in jail five years ago for having an affair with her (then) underage daughter, even though Lily knew nothing had really happened. Bad, bad blond flower.

So Chuck is mad. Serena is mad. Rufus - barely existent anymore - is mad. It's Mad, Mad, Men. The fall season ended as Serena set off to set Ben free. Blair and Dan went to a movie together. Chuck went to New Zealand to try and save his company.

And now we're back to find Serena didn't get anything accomplished because she couldn't find the judge. Blair is acting mighty weird about her movie date with Dan, which makes us all go ewwww. Blair is also using her mother to get an internship with someone better. Wonder how that's going to go. Chuck didn't find his uncle but thinks he might get help from his father's old friend who is throwing a party. And Nate is babysitting his just-out-of-jail father who wants to go clubbing and play tennis wii.

Please, please let nothing have happened between Dan and Blair because that is as wrong as Ugly Betty with Daniel. So. Wrong.

Every G.G. must have at least one drama family gathering and one end-of-the-episode party.. For part one, there's family brunch where Rufus and Lily try to smooth talk Serena and Dan and Eric -the now barely existent son. All the kiddies stomp away, leaving Lily to call the judge and tell him he can come back from hiding. That Lily! So sneaky! Oop, except barely there Eric finds out. Whoops!

Chuck discovers the Bass Industry sale is fast-tracked for 24 hours. He finds Serena and they plan a big take-down at that night's party, the one held by his father's old friend. Because there's ALWAYS a party at the end of G.G.

Lily tells Chuck that Bass was in trouble because it's based on hotels and real estate which aren't doing so fabulously, and she found a private bidder where she controls the sale in hopes of saving the rest of his father's legacy. It's very meaningful. She always wears a chignon when she's meaningful. She promises that Serena will see the light too. Where? At that night's party, of course.

Serena blows of Dan, again. He misses his interview. He forgives her. Again. They head off.. to the party.

And here we all are at the party. Chuck thanks his father's friend, Russell Thorpe, for buying Bass Industries. Turns out Russell was super duper burned by Chuck's dad and isn't buying the company. In fact he wishes the company would die a thousand painful party dress deaths. Even if he did sleep with Lily a long, long time ago.

Dan misses a second interview because of Serena. Blair looks sad. They talk nice. Ewwww.

Whoops! Thorpe and his daughter, whom I believe are the first black people on G.G., decide to buy Bass Industries after all! They promise to make everyone's life a living hell. Yay! And guess who they are hiring to make naughty financial deals - Nate's criminally inclined dad. Is there no one else in New York City who is free to make financial deals, like all of Bear Stearns?

Finally Serena and Dan gaze at each other wistfully and say eh. Seems like it's over for a moment.

The episode ends with Dan and Blair going to another movie. It's all too painful to think about. Serena heads to visit Ben in jail only to discover he's been set free by the same oft-paid-for judge. They end up having coffee in what's sure to be a stable, secure relationship.

And Chuck decides to win back his company by sleeping with Reyna, Russell Thorpe's daughter. Because that's just good business sense.

P Recap........Damien Darko