S2E17 Carrnal Knowledge with Tyler McCall

the infamous Rachel Carr. I also totally forgot about something insane and probably illegal that happens with Dan and miss Carr when I couldn't believe it why I was watching, So we definitely have a lot to unpack. If you can't read but tween the lines there, well just watch the episode back. To offer her expertise and emotional support is Gossip Girl historian Tyler McCall. Tyler always has great things to add and honestly may know the show better

than anyone. She's a great fit for this episode and going to fill in any gaps from fashion to relationships to the wacky storylines. All right, let's jump right in Tyler McCall. Everyone, Hello, Hi, how are you doing so well? I When that countdown goes down, it's like, even if I know and where it's happening and we have a time, I'm still like, oh my god, I got five seconds, you know. I know. It's like, oh, I'm not ready yet. I know. I'm like, I'm not ready. I'm like, did

I watch the episode? A very same thing where I'm like, ship, did I watch the So? How have you been? I've been really good? Thank you? How are you? Um, I'm doing well. I'm loving having you back. The fans are loving having you as much as I am, just because you just know the show so well and your input so great and do you just have a real ease. I like to feel like I get super excited and I'm like, but I also think that's because I've never watched this show. Yeah, to get into it for the

first time, which is very exciting. Uh huh. So everyone, we have Tyler McCall here back to do the rewatch of season two episode seventeen, Carnal Knowledge, which is based on the nineteen seventy one film starring Jack Nicholson and Candice virgin Bergen Bergan Bergen. Okay, amazing. I have not seen that film, so I should probably check that out. So also, okay, this episode, this episode really stuck out to me in a way. Yeah, this was a really wild episode for me. I mean it's a really it's

a really wild episode. I mean it is um. Like Also, even when the episode begins, like Blair just wearing the red jacket while she's doing like is a community service, Like, I'm like, you look fierce girl, fierce, And I have a question for you. It's a fan question that came in if you were doing community service, what would you wear? And what would Vanessa wear? And what do you think

Serena would wear? So I mean, realistically, I would end up wearing just my normal like girlfriend collective sweatpants, activewear because I'm just too practical. I wish I could say that I would do something really fun, um, but I wouldn't. Uh, But I like that, like for something like that, I think practical and kind of hitting it on the nose of what it is, I think works in that, you know what I mean? Yeah, it feels more appropriate, it

feels right. Sure, Yeah, what was Vanessa Air? I feel like Vanessa Okay, so Vanessa had like a really cool sneaker collection. I feel yeah, so I feel like like a cool gene with like one of her really cool pairs of sneakers and like a really interesting jacket. Like I feel like it would be practical but still fun, right, I agree, Serena would be like full Naomi Campbell wearing Dulce and Gabana to do community so you know, it would be like legs out hair tease, like it would

be a full on moment. For sure, it's the moment, But do you also feel like it's like fitting for it, but like extra, Like it's definitely like you can move and do community service in it, but it's extra because it's Serena exactly. Yeah, it costs but thousand dollars, but yeah, but it works. Yeah, okay, well I like that. But also, speaking of fashion, you have recently left Fashionista and now you're a freelance writer. Yeah. I said that is a

question when I knew that, Um, well, that's awesome. How are you feeling good about that? I feel like change is always a little bit like scary, but in a good way, because we're like it's definitely a little scary. I mean, I was at fashionis staff for ten years a little bit over ten years total, and I love the team, I love the site. It just felt like it was time to try something new. So I'll still be writing about fashion. Um, I'm not going super far.

I just wanted to do more writing and hopefully branching out a little bit more into like celebrity and pop culture writing. UM. I have a couple of personal projects I wanted to start working on. Um. But I'm really excited. That's awesome. I'm excited for you. I think you did such a great, wonderful job there. Um. But I do know, like yeah, shifting into something or adding something new, or taking what you're doing and putting it out there somewhere

else is always exciting and fun. But like change again, like I said before, even if it's a great thing, is always a little bit um scary. But I think that's a good thing. So I think that's awesome. Girl. Thanks, Yeah, yeah, you'll be. I'm not worried about you, not one bit. Thank you. Um Yeah, Okay, so let's dive in. Here's

where we left off. Blair found out that she was waitlisted at Yale, while Serena was accepted, Blair decided to get revenge on the new teacher who gave her a bee, and Chuck teamed up with Lily to save Bass Industries from Uncle Jack. Miss Carr exposed Blair's plotting and got her expelled from Constance. Ms Car. Okay, you're all right, anyone, when anyone wants to like line up with Blair, I'm like a careful girl. Um. And then here's the episode

we're going into. In retaliation for not playing by the unspoken rules of Constance Billard, Blair hatches a plan to bring down her teacher Rachel. After Chuck wakes up in a hotel and only has a minor recollection of what happened the previous evening, Nat and Vanessa try to help him fill in the missing pieces. Meanwhile, there's a lot going on with Dan and Rachel, and that's where we are for this episode. So this episode is so wild, and we know that Blair is given to tention last

time from for hazing Miss Car. So the episode starts with her like we were just talking about picking up trash in the park, so well her having to Rota pickup trash and park. That's what we're getting to but also it's it's Central Park and she's in like a beautiful red like is it was it a pea coat? Like yeah, I mean she looks fierce, she looks amazing. The color is just like popping in beautiful and wonderful.

And then yes, we cut to she literally has de Roda doing it and it's just talking on the phone to Serena. Yeah, I mean talk about not learning a lesson, talk about like she does not give two ships, not not even remotely. No. I always wondered, like de Rota puts off with so much. I mean, and I love Dorota, but she puts up so much from Blair, Like can you imagine it's not your job to pick up trash because your charge has detention or whatever, you know, not

at all, and she like does it. And and the cutest thing about de Roda she she loves Blair so much and has such a big heart for her, so she she does these things with and for her from a good, great place. And I also think deep down Blair really loves and respects de Roda as well. But she just knows that she kind of can be bossy because de Rota allows it, not that she can that's actually not it's not right because de Roda kind of

like goes with it. She Blair gets away with it exactly. Yeah, and then her you know, when her dad comes, which, by the way, I didn't realize this is the last time we see him until season five. Wait really yeah? Oh that, I mean, that makes a lot of sense. But im Harold. I love Harold totally. He's just so cute. And that dog handsome I mean, I mean, and we never see Handsome again. I know right now, I know I want to Handsome spinoff. Do you have a dog, by the way, No, we just have a cat. Well

that acts like a dog. But um, how long have you had the cat? We've had her so sam my husband adopted her before we started dating. So uh I think nine years now, Oh my god, yeah, which apparently is elderly for cats. I didn't realize. Yeah, that's what her vets said. That's which is crazy to me because she's going to live another twenty years. Oh my god. If he asked me, um, well, I just this dog pops up on the screen and I get like super excited, and then you kind of forget about the dog because

it's just so like sporadic. But yeah, I think you're right. I don't think we see Handsome for ever ever again. Yeah, he just disappears to France with Harold and never to be seen or heard from again. I mean he just goes like Handsome goes to France with Harold. I love that. That's like a spinoff show in itself. I know it would be so cute, like a little animated series or something. Right, Oh my god. Anyways, Okay, so now Blairs having to do this so that she can get back on track

with school and with getting back into Yale. I mean, I'm talking about doing the community service because she keeps just kind of I don't want to say, barking up the wrong tree. But sometimes it's like what you're saying, like she's not learning her lesson, she can't get out of her own way. Yes, yes, yeah, that she should just leave it alone because she has what she wants. But she won't. No, she will not. We know that.

How about first, when she goes up to the girls, she's like, I made friends with the family of squirrels, Like I'm just like girl I was, because I'm also picturing Blair like sitting in Central Park like talking to a squirrel, like yeah, and it's funny because it's like we know that she likes to go and feed the ducks. It's just it's such a funny situation to put her in. It's totally the five am detention or whatever. Yeah, it's

it's too much, Okay. So we then go to Dan and Miss Carr are hanging out and Dan has been showing Miss car his stories at the coffee shop before school, and she's like very into them. Um. They bond over being outsiders compared to the students at Constant who are very rich and self absorbed. Um. And then in walks Serena and it's like, oh, you two, you guys are hanging out, and Miss Carr says Dan is an excellent writer. When Serena walks in here, I mean she doesn't expect

to see them. But also that's it's an awkward thing because it's their teacher. It's so weird. It's odd. It's odd, it's inappropriate, it's inappropriate, like it is, I mean the conversation if that was like outside of the school where people that you are all around and work with, and it's your other students and friends are around you know

what I mean, It just doesn't feel as inappropriate. But because you guys are like by yourselves outside of school, off the school grounds, it seems weird, do you know what I mean. It's not like they're in its horrible conversation about like what she looks in her under like looks like in her underwear, But this is it's just them meeting outside of school. That's is inappropriate. It's and also it's just there's so much weird about about miss Carr. It's weird to me that Dan and Serena both call

her Rachel. They both call her by her first name, which like maybe rich kids do that. I never would've done that in a million years. I'm trying to imagine calling like my high school senior English teacher by her first name, and I like, I literally don't remember what it is because I only know her last name. You know, right, It's absolutely really odd because I'll tell you what. I run into teachers now in my mid thirties and I still call them by their I'm like, Mr Hannis, how

are you you know what I mean? I know what his first name is. My mom calls by his first name. He had me in eighth grade. I mean, this was like, you know, so many years ago, and I would still call him Mr Hennis or Mr Pugh, you know what I mean? And now I bet. I mean, some of my teachers now are are fully retired, like you know what I mean, it's not like they're still teaching even and I would still be like that's what I'm saying,

So yeah, exactly, Oh my goodness. Um, okay, So this whole situation is is I don't know, and I feel like I don't think Dan was trying to go there. I think it's more on miss car to be on absolutely a hundred percent Okay, all right, she should she should definitely know better, like she's the adult in this situation. And it's also like she's bonding with Dan complaining about her students, which is also really unprofessional, even if her students are horrible, which by and large they seem to be.

They're like bonding over complaining about these people, which is also just everything about it is just so weird one hundred present. Um, So that's going on, and then we move on to Chuck wakes up. We can't tell right away, and then we soon learned that it's a hotel room and he's having these flashbacks from a party, um and it seems, you know, kind of like smoky and dark

and there was things happening. And then he notices how tattoo on his wrist while he's in this hotel room of symbols from from the party, and he calls Nate and he basically has he wants Nate to come and meet him because he can't figure out, like he can't put the a little together of where he was the night before and it was an ultimate private gentleman's club and Nate and Vanessa show up and there at this house.

What were you thinking at this point? Like, I'm like, this storyline, this whole storyline is so out of I kind of forgot about it because it's so out of left field. Well, because I wanted to ask you too, like I know you haven't I know you haven't watched it, but like, when you're filming this, do you know, do you remember anything about what that storyline was or you just kind of well, you know what's funny while watching this, Like yeah, watching this episode, I'm like, this kind of

feels like a eyes wide shut situation. I don't know if you remember that movie with Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman. This kind of feels like that, like with the mask and it's all secretive, and then he makes a Chuck says something along those lines like later on in the episode. So I'm like, okay, that is what they were trying to do. Um, So certain things like click with me, like I remember, you know, playing the piano with Chase

or Nate Vanessa in that house. And by the way, that house was listed for like thirty eight million, six hundred fifty thousand dollars, like that was an insane house. That always that all this is insane, Like you have to be like a billionaire to even have a house like that. And we're not even just talking millions. We're talking like you know what I'm saying, yeah with the

bait um. And then they see this family photo on the piano and Chuck says, the woman holding the baby was there last night, right, And I'm like wait what. So things are kind of coming back to him, but for me, it was really seemed shady to me, to be honest. Yeah, it's so it's so weird, and it's such a like he's trying to track down this woman who he can't really remember anything about that is obsessed

with and it's like, how do you even know? He's like, I'm pretty sure I had the best night of my life, but he can't remember it, which, like I mean, for Chuck, kind of makes sense right, right, it's very often having

those kinds of nights. But it's coming off of all this drama with Uncle Jack and like his dad dying, and so I feel like they're trying to kind of help transition Chuck out of grieving the like grieving for his dad and all of that drama, and they're using the storyline to kind of get him back on track.

It's just so interesting. I had forgotten all about it. Yeah, So anyways, that's all going on there, and then we get back to school and Blairs there and she's talking with the minions and all of a sudden, there's a no phone policy. Yeah, she's trying to get the minions to help her take down this car and they don't want to because they've seen that people are staring to get punished. But then it turns out Miss Car has helped initiate a no phone policy, and that's that's a

no go for any of them. Yeah, there's like how Hazel says something like this is I worse nightmare. Like they basically are acting like the oxygen is being taken from them, like they can't breathe. She's just sitting in the corner of the bathroom kind of texting into thin air, and she's like, is a scandal still a scandal if you can't text about it or something like that, and it's like they're not well because they can't get their

gossip girl fixed. No, and here's okay, so miss car doing this, whether she was behind it or there's like a part of me that feels like that's not completely wrong either, you know what I mean. I don't think the phones need to be taken, but they're definitely needs to be like rules like no texting nor being on during class. Yeah. Oh, I mean I remember when I was in school, which was like a million years ago

relatively speaking, you couldn't have phones in class. No, I don't know how you connatrol it now, and it's like their whole life is on that. Yeah. I just think there has to be boundaries or like a balance, Like I understand like kids nowadays and in high school need you know that that is everything that's there how they look up things. That's how they get the music, that's how they watch TV. I mean, it's that there's so

many things, and I understand that. I'm just meaning like, if you're going to be at school for eight hours a day and there's no boundaries with your phone, like you're not you can't be in two places at once, you know what I mean? You know that when you sit at dinner with a friend and they check a text, they're checked out for a second. That's why I think a lot of times too, at dinners and stuff, I

think it's rude to have phones. But that's just me like, if you're gonna spend time to try to catch up with someone like be yeah, you put the phone away, I mean take it out to get a photo for sure, But then that's like also, have you ever done that where you put the phone in the middle of the table you can and the first person to reach for theirs has to get the bill? I haven't. I've heard about that. Have you done that? We've done it many times.

It's fun and it makes it kind of funny, but it's also great because you may not have to pay for dinner a few times exactly or you may. I'm like, what, that's my that's you know, that's Brad. I gotta get it so or you put it in in the first person's phone to go off, which is like, oh, that's trickier. You can't control that exactly. So I don't know, okay, but there's fun little things to do so people aren't

on their phones. Yeah. Yeah. Anyways, so Blair is like, I'm taking down this car, like, this is what's happening? Who's with me? Like, and Derota shows up all incognito, like coat, sunglasses, with their head dressed still on, and she gives Blair a purse with phones in it, and Blair wants to use them to dig deep to find out Rachel's past, and she's basically like mother Teresa, like they can't find anything. Yeah, and which is like a

tough spot because that's where Blair like thrives. She gets one little thing and she like can run with it. So when they're like she's basically mother Teresa, I thought for sure they were going to get dirt right there in the bathroom. Yeah. Well, I mean, first of all, how I can never get over whenever I watched the scene that Derota delivers all these cell phones and louis utan purse. I mean, they're funny to me. Um, but yeah, you're expecting them to dig up dirt because that's what

Blair is best at. And then yeah, of course when they can't find anything, she's like, it's time to make something up, right, Yeah, which is you know, not an ideal situation, not a good thing for her to do. And this is what we were talking about earlier, where it's like she has what she wants and she should just leave well enough alone, and she just can't because she can't let this person. Blair can't let somebody else

have the upper hand. No, she can't, and she will do anything, including why we learned a lot about that in this episode. Yes, so they find that that, like there's nothing they can do, and um, when Blair noticed is Dan and Miss Car in the hallway, she goes to text gossip Girl Lonely Boy and Miss Car. Yes, she says Mary Kay laterno er, Yeah, I remember that. I feel like it was such a big thing. I think it happened. I can't remember how although as when

it happened, but it was such a big story. Yeah. Well I know she pleaded guilty Basically, she was an American teacher who pleaded guilty for two accounts of felony second degree rate and it was her sixth grade student. Yeah, doesn't they had a baby to get didn't the ultimately get married and have a baby together. I didn't really know where it went, but now I really need to

know that. But I know that was like the thing because it was super I mean, the teacher was having an affair with her sixth grade student, which is like super in insane and inappropriately crazy. Yeah, okay, so here's Blair saying lonely boy in miss car and and throwing in mary kay. I mean, like to compare that situation to that is like really crazy when she saw them in the hall talking to each other exactly. But it's very Blair to just ramp up the drama to some

for sure. So I don't know. She even says something when the truth fails you, you have no choice but to abandon it makes something up idiots like that's what she looks and says, and I'm like, wow, but that's like really going far, far far. She also delivers one of my all time favorite Blair lines in that scene, which is um something like once again, the universe has proven anything you can do, I can do better. Oh my god, wait Blair, Yeah, anything you can do I

can do better? Isn't that how exactly? Yeah? I love it? Um Well, Dan sees the blast and as Dan heads to the courtyard, everyone is high fiving him and he wasn't sure why. He also, I find it funny because he sees the blast on Jenny's hand, which written out on her hand, which is very funny, very old school way of classing around rumors. Oh my god, that's how he finds out because he's like looking all around like why is it? They're like whispering things and high fiving him.

And then Jenny comes and sits with him, and it says is lonely boy giving a certain new teacher more than just an apple? And Dan says he and miss car would that would be absurd, but Jenny says he needs to convince Serena, and Dan asked who would do something like this to Miss Carr and Serena realizes that it's Blair, that Blair is the one behind it, and Dan finds Blair in the ladies room to say he

knows that she sent the rumor to Gossip Girl. I also feel like I see that scene happened quite a bit like Blair and Dan, where he knows it's her, he confronts her. She doesn't really lie to Dan. She kind of is just like, well, you know what I mean? Like, don't you feel like that's happened quite a bit? Yes,

I love the Dan and Blair dynamic. That the topic of much debate, I think, Um, but I really love the Dan and Blair dynamic because they're just antagonizing each other all the time, totally understand each other in a way I couldn't agree more. They understand each other. They going at each other, but they're also both coming at

it from totally different ways. Like Dan's trying to tell the truth and rationalize, and She's kind of like, well, it is what it is and this is what I need and I don't care, and like how are you going to tell me? So that it's like they're both arguing or doing this kind of uphill fight, Yeah, from two different ends. But like in her mind she's a hundred percent right and in his mind he's doing the right thing. Does that make exactly? Yeah? And it also

always puts serena kind of in the middle. Well, I guess it's every other Serena and Blair a fighting, but it always puts Serena kind of in the middle of like defending her bus friend or being on her boyfriend's side. And like this is extra complicated because she and Dan are in kind of a weird spot totally all of this where they're like not really talking as much or

hanging out as much. But also like I think that ninety nine percent of the time she takes Blair's side, even if she's good with Dan, which is kind of why I'm always like, Wow, Serena really is a good friend. And then I have to also go back and like it's crazy because I thinks she's such a good friend to her. And then I'm also like, but she like went and slept with her boyfriend in the beginning of the show. But but yeah, I do think that she has put in a situation many times, but I feel

like she kind of always kind of has Blair's back. Yeah, he's prepared for Serena to take Blair's side, so he knows about it. He saw the blast on Jenny's hand. Because they don't have phones, they can't there's a no phone policy, and then Serena finds Rachel outside at the coffee truck. As Rachel is noticing that everyone's looking at her, she mentions like, I feel like I have spinage in my teeth because people are staring. She's like, but I

went to the bathroom and checked and it's not. And Serena kind of explains to her, like what's going on, which is when she has to explain what it is like when you have to explain what gossip Girl is to someone new on the show, It's always funny to me because I'm like, this girl has zero clue, no idea what's going on, And of course it sounds like such a ridiculous thing to it sounds ridiculous, Yeah, but to truly not know why everyone's staring at you, what's

going on and it's because of Gossip Girl, and Serena's breaking it down for you. But you did a no phone policy before that. Why did she do the no phone policy? Because exactly because if she didn't know what was happening with Gossip Girl, maybe she thought they were just all texting each other too much, like we were saying, yeah,

like maybe it was a texting. It's also so interesting because it's Serena's explaining Gossip Girl to Rachel and she says, um something like we at least we think she's a girl, or we think it's a girl because they don't know

who gossip Girl is. And like, this is one of those situations where it's really funny to watch the showback for me knowing that at the end Dan is Gossip Girl, because there are times like this where you're like, this truly is psychopathic behavior that Dan would publish this own blast about him sleeping with his teacher, Right, it's very funny to me to think about that. It's like, and also how do you do it? Because he didn't have a phone. It's just it's funny to think about, right,

this is true. But also like when people can give a tip to Gossip Girl, he's going through it and deciding what goes on or what doesn't. Right, So even if yeah, so what are you doing? You know? This

is what I mean. It's very funny to watch because I don't often remember like it's you know, I get caught up in the storytelling as it is, But sometimes you're watching it and you're like, oh right, yeah, okay, I just I'm like curious as to why she wanted to know phone policy unless this is all maybe the you know. In two episodes we find out that she did know and whatever and this was a whole plan,

but she it doesn't feel like that right now. All right, Ms Carr, you just needed the kids to pay attention. We can get behind that. Meanwhile, Uck meets with the realtor selling the building. He remembers that the club was in and he bribes her with the Bass industry connections, and she kind of says something along the lines of, well, I could leave a file out, you know, like go get a drink this realtor, and Chuck goes through it. He calls the family number and asked to speak with

the nanny. He leaves a message which leads the nanny her name is l which I love that name, to meet up with him. She tells Chuck she was at the party to meet Bart and she drugged Chuck when she realized that she had the wrong Mr. Bass and left him at the hotel room to keep him safe. She was afraid what will happen if the group finds out that she let an outsider in and tells him not to contact her again. It's so dramatic. It's so dramatic.

I'm like, you drugged someone, a teenager, You drugged a teenager and left him at a hotel room, and I mean, yeah, it's funny. I mean she says, like, oh, I took over another girl's client list, and I I didn't realize bart was dead, which is you know fair. I mean, you know she hasn't live in the city full time.

Maybe she missed the headlines, but yeah, she accidentally invited a teenager to their gentleman sex club, right, Outsider, Well, can we also talk about like it's not even a funny, laughing matter, But like Chuck, he got drugged and he's just like moving past it. I'm like, how do you what if there's something you don't know that happened? You know what I mean? There is there's things you don't remember, and you're just like looking at this girl thinking it's okay,

Like that's not okay. Yeah, he's just so obsessed with her. He's just so obsessed with finding her because he thinks that they had the best night ever together. But he's only remembering, he's remembering what he wants to remember. I guess maybe yeah, I mean that's just yeah. And then we got Blair over here in the head mistress's office and she's getting expelled. They're based calling Blair out, and

then they also say that they have a witness. Basically when they said that, and they turned back to the room to see who's going to walk in. For some reason, I thought it was Serena. Oh interesting, I was thinking Serena was walking in and I thought it was going to be Penelope. Oh yeah, No, it was Nelly Yuki. But I I don't know why. I'm like, just because Nellie show timid and scared and wants to fit in. I was like, why would she do that right now?

Because she knows she's gonna go now. I think because she didn't want to lose Yale because she was on the wait list. I think, yeah, yeah, I don't remember now, but yeah, she's They said that Dan knew to put pressure on the weak link, which turns out to be Nellie. And I'm trying to remember. I think it's earlier in this season when Jenny tries to start an uprising against Blair, right, and she like recruits Nelly at one point. Yeah, so I feel like Nellie is kind of the her loyalty

is easily changed, I think. And it's not like Blair is super nice to her anyway, No, but I just

didn't expect that when she walked locked in of course. Yeah. Well, and then back at home, Blair's talking with her with her dad and he warns Blair that miss Carr has a legitimate case for slander if Blair really did do this, and Blair said that she did, but it was because it was the truth, and her dad is you know, he's looking at his daughter and he wants to support her, and you want to believe your kids, you know what I mean. She he was giving her the opportunity to

be honest with him. You give your children, I want to say. I mean, Bowie is just starting to talk, so she hasn't been able to lie to me yet, but you want to give them the benefit of the doubt that they're being honest with you, and there's a respect there. So you know he's going to support her.

So he's gonna get his lawyers involved to defend Blair, which in this case I would have probably I'd probably do the same thing, because he's literally looking at her, giving her a time to be honest and she decides really not to. Yeah. And also, I mean, Harold lives in France most of the time, so he doesn't really I think, have an understanding of how Blair is, you know, in the same way that like Eleanor does, like he's

not privy to her her scheming. No, he's not. And and they do think even you know, that's that's his little girl, Like you still want to you still probably like want to believe that she's telling the truth even if you can. But I do agree, I don't. I do not think I think he really truly believes her in this moment. Yeah, I just feel like right in that moment, I'm like, oh, Blair, that you have the opportunity to just be honest and you're and he will

still love and support you. But she can't. She just can't let it go. And then Serena goes to meet Miss Carr at the park and asked her to reconsider the expulsion and Rachel just won't do it. It's like not an option. Um, and do you know what like in Rachel's defense, Miss Car's defense, like I don't know

what to call her now, I'm like a Rachel. I mean She's like, Blair posted a rumor that threatened you know, miss Car's future, So I can understand where she's having a hard time to like take that back, but I do again. Here respects Serena stepping up to the plate for her best friend and being the homie that she's being.

But Miss Cars saying, like, the sole purpose of Gossip Girl is to allow people to post terrible things about each other, and everyone in the episode keeps being like, well, Blair's futures on the line here, like, you know, Lily says it, Serena says it, and I'm like, yeah, but she created this for herself. She literally decided to make up a rumor, you know, insinuating that these two are sleeping together when they weren't um, which is very damaging

to to the teacher and damaging to Dan. So yeah, and people are like, but Blair's future, I'm like, well, see funked up. I think it's such a for me watching this episode, and it's been a little bit since I've seen it it, but it's interesting to me because it's sort of predates this conversation that I think that we've been having in recent years about like quote unquote canceled culture and how that affects teenagers right where it's like,

should a teenager be permanently again quote unquote canceled? Like should they have to lose their college entry or whatever because they did something stupid when they were a teenager? Um, And like those are all conversations that we're having now that we definitely we're not having when this episode aired. Absolutely, Like, to me, that's really interesting about this whole Like, but

what about Blair's future. It's like, yeah, she almost destroyed this woman's teaching career by starting this rumor that she was leaving with a student. Well, and Dan's involved here too, you know what I mean. And then that the trickers on. It's like a domino effect. But I do see what you're saying, Like, if we were doing this podcast while this was airing, people weren't having these conversations they it would be like, right, yeah, it would be so much

I think. I don't want to say more simple, but it's just it's just a different conversation that we're having today. Yeah, I just watching it. I'm just like, I don't understand why everyone keeps saying that about Blair. Well, because they're all rich and entitled in this car isn't right? But I mean she really really was put on blast and a rumor that threatened her future, Like she wasn't wrong. When she's explaining that to Serena, I was like irritated.

I'm like, Blair, piss me off. I'm like, that's not right, it's not cool. Because also I was looking at it like if miss Carr was my daughter, I'd be like, who is this girl that just lately made up something that's like taking you down? You know what I mean? And then I'm looking at it like for a school like Yale, do you want to accept a girl that's just willing to like throw anyone under the bus about something that's not even accurate or correct? Right? I don't know? Um,

And you know, I'm like a Blair fan. I just was like very upset with her in this situation because it's like Claire does things that are very hard to defend. Yeah, but then she'll like in one in the next scene, I'm sure we'll be like, but we love her and she's amazing and can do no wrong. Yeah. Um oh, do we even get to Okay, they're sitting and talking and then Serena sees her date book, right, and so

she snoops into that. She finds information in this date book and later goes to see where miss Carr, who Miss cars with, and yeah, done, done done. Who do you think she's with? Guys? I mean, of course, she's of course with Dan, and it looks like they may kiss. It looks like they may, but she did not see them kiss. So for her to take the photo and assume and do all of that I think is really

wrong too. Yeah, it's just sometimes Serena is so insecure and especially insecure about her relationship with Dan, and instead of just talking to Dan first of all about what's been going on anyway, but also seeing him with Miss Carr and assuming that they're about to hook up or whatever, um, she takes it straight to Blair, which is gonna She's gonna take it and run with it. Blair says something to like, this is the smoking gun that I've been

waiting for. When the picture and I'm like, oh my god, you two Because of course she's going to go do something with that. That's what she needs to back up her thing. And we know she's not afraid to lie about it. So she's doing that. But honestly, Serena wasn't the wrong too, because here's someone said something to me years ago, like you can't assume things because when you assume things, you have it in your mind a certain

way that they may not be. So when you find out what actually went down or what's going on and it wasn't, once you assume, you're going to be let down. And I always remember that, I thought that advice was

really good. So Serena assuming that that's what happened is really making She's just adding fuel to the fire right now because she assumes something which is not fair, which again isn't fair to anyone involved, including Serena, especially because like she's also at this point, she's i mean friends with Ms Carr, like friendly with Ms car and she calls her Rachel. Let's be honest, they all call her Rachel.

I'm very confused, right still, Um, yeah, she like calls her Rachel and they talk about assignments together and all this stuff. I mean, they also have been meeting outside of school, so it's like, I don't know, she could have just she could have walked in, she could have done anything, but it would have made for less interesting TV.

So yeah, I mean, yeah, gosh, this episode. Man. And then at the parents Committee meeting, Harold shows up and meets Lillian Rufus and he's there to represent his daughter since Blair's being scapegoaded, and Rufus says that Dan is being slandered, and you know, at this parent meeting, Lily takes their side and Blair shows up, even though the meeting is closed off to students, but like, if anyone's

going to walk in there, of course it's Blair. And she tells Queller to check her email that there's a photo from that Serena took and here we are. Okay, So Lily takes Blair's side in this like what we were just talking about, like this is Blair's future, and again I go back to, well it is, but she got herself into this mess and very I'm not gonna

say easily, but but I am Blair. Easily could have just said, you know what, it was dishonest or I was mistaken and it's not right, and and that could maybe help clear this up a little bit, but she just keeps taking it one step further. Then she gets a picture that again Serena assumes something and pushes it further. But meanwhile they're all going off of something that they don't know for a fact. Dan straight up told Serena wasn't happening. Blair literally has no leg to stand on

even with this picture exactly. And I mean, the thing that I think it's really interesting two here is that Blair isn't gossip Girl, right, Like Blair sent in the tip that she didn't publish it, and I don't think they quite understand how gossip Girl works. They're like, well, you publish this thing, right, But like a lawyer would a lawyer would have cleared this up immediately and be like, well Blair didn't publish it. Whoever published gossip Girl published it,

so she can't be punished, you know. Instead, we're going through this the hard way. But you know, yeah, this is true though, And and with that ms Car gets fired because we don't have a lawyer here to explain and break this exactly. Um, And Serena's texting Dan to meet her at Constance a s a P. And Dan tells her he didn't kissmas Car or Rachel. I didn't kiss Rachel. But it's too late. The Parents Committee meeting has ended with miss Car being fired, Blair is allowed

back at constance. Dan confronts Blair about it and he admits it, which I was like, oh my god, I forgot this moment. I remember this in the script which her dad overhears, and for me, I was kind of pumped about that because she had the opportunity to tell him and here he is fighting for her and she's you know, so I was kind of pumped he overheard that. That was a big moment for me. She loves her

her dad is clearly her favorite parent, right. I think she and Eleanor have kind of a complicated relationship, but she really idealizes Harold. She go home, and so to have Harold be so disappointed in her and and see her for who she is, right Like, this is kind of Blair at her worst, Like this is who she is. Um, it's kind of I think it's an important moment. I think it's important for Blair for sure, and like important

for Harold. It's really heartbreaking because she's she really does love her dad so much and is she does doesn't want to disappoint him, but can't help herself, can't stop scheming. Know, Yeah, well I was, Yeah, I was happy you overheard it. And and in this moment, Dan asked Serena why she was so ready to believe the worst, and Serena said she thinks a part of her wanted to believe the worst. And they decided it's really over, so they're there there

again again. Yeah, it's one of those moments that's happened several times where he's just like Serena, but why and and she's honest. She's like, I just she never really lies to Dan. I mean when they finally get to the point where it's where this where there's so many things on fire going on, she'll be honest with what she really thought. And he's just always like, I don't know. I just felt like I was disappointed in these girls

this episode. I know things happen all the time, but I'm just like, for sometimes it's hard not to be disappointed in them. It's like, you guys are acting ridiculous. Yeah, do you feel what I'm saying though, Like, there's so many things that have happened, But like I told you in the beginning of this episode, for some reason, this was hitting me in different days. And I don't know if it's because here's a moment in these kids live where they're trying to get in these really really hard

schools to get into. They've all worked really hard, their parents are trying to support them and be there for them, and then they're just like playing with fire and it's pissing me off. I'm like, don't be overprivileged and rude and like trying to so selfish and self absorbed that you don't care that you're recklessly like making up rumors and assumptions and doing things to people. Like I was pissed, Yeah, and like you know, kind of ruining people's lives, That's

what I'm saying, to fix it exactly. And this was at a time too where I feel like nowadays, if something goes on, you can kind of go on a platform, or you can speak for yourself or say something if it felt out of line or you know, something in in that world where at this point it was kind of just rumors and people couldn't back themselves up, you

know what I mean. Like if this happened now and this was absolutely not ruined, Dan and Rachel didn't hook up, they could maybe speak for themselves and come up and be like hey for everyone, that just got that blast that's incorrect, like we have not you know. Yeah, but they can't defend themselves no, And I'm not saying on a platform you can completely defend yourself nowadays, it's still there's so many things that go into it. But I

feel like there's just people have more of a voice today. Yeah, you know what I mean, there's so many other outlets, yeah, that you have that you can kind of keep being more on top of that for sure. Well that's all going on. Miss cars fired. Yeah, so they fired Mrs carr Um and we have to check back in with Chuck and l So Chuck is still on this mission

to find her. So he finds in his dad's safe a box of invitations from the Secret Club, like past invitations, which I'm fascinated the bar even kept those at all. But that's another point. But what do you mean kept him? He doesn't he kept all these invites there, see invites? Why wouldn't you burn them? Burn? Um? I thought you meant like kept him, Like I'm like, he's he's died, so he doesn't. Maybe he was would have burned them, but he liked maybe even he was too late. This

is why you burn things as soon as you read them. Okay, I see that feeling, you know. Okay, I'm like, what do you mean? Okay, I'm thinking if I'm thinking like a dastardly rich man, I'm turning those as soon as I right. But maybe maybe I'm wrong. Who knows. I also don't have like a locked safe in my own right, um, but no, I see what you mean. Okay, yeah, get

rid of him. So he's looking at these invites and he gets a call from the father of the kids that La is the nanny four, saying that l had called them from Grand Central but never got off the train in Greenwich and they're worried about her. So now we're getting the vibe that like this secret club is real bad well bad, and like I was like, you don't want I didn't want this to come back, and

like count Bart like he's gone. We like liked he said in the you know what he was trying to do that he trusted you know, Chuck to take over bast Industries even though they had such a strange relationship. That meant a lot when when when Chuck heard that, like there was things that like came up after he passed that kind of like put him in a different light. So when this came up, I'm like, no, don't come back to like haunt part Bass. Yeah, poor Bart, well

not poor Bart. He's a terrible nurse. But just when you think that he's going to get like a redemption, That's what I mean. And then it's like here you go, what would you do if you found that? Like what if you went in your parents safe and found invitations to a secret it's basically a secret sex club. Yeah, I mean, at this point it's clear it's like a secret sex club. I don't know. I imagine finding that

out about your parents. I mean, I know Chuck and and Bart had like a very different relationship than like I have with my parents, and I released, Um, I don't know. I don't know what I would make of that. I just wouldn't go snoop. If I had a dad like Barbass, I would just leave his things alone. But I but imagine in Chuck situation, like he doesn't remember everything he was drugs. So I think he's trying to like put pieces of the puzzle together. That's true, He's

trying to He's trying to solve this mystery. Oh my god, it's just it's it's a lot, it's a lot. And then we get to head MRSS. Color is at the penthouse talking to Lillian Rufus, and Rufus says, Rachel never should have met a student. She didn't even teach after school off hours, and that is correct. Rufus, Oh my gosh, she didn't even talk about that. She doesn't even teach Dan, So why is she hanging out with Dan at all?

You know, I don't. I didn't really know that until Rufus said that as well, Like they didn't shine light on it or didn't you know, they didn't show us in him in class with her or without. They just didn't really touch on it. So I kind of assumed she was his teacher. But that's super odd that she wasn't. Even more so, by the way, Lily is also like she's the head of the parent council. Yeah, and she's like, I thought you would want to know, So I'm like, Okay,

Lily is the head of this. Rufus's son is in the middle of this like scandal going on. Her daughter's best friend is the one who kind of created it all. Her daughter added fuel to the fire. She's in the middle of it. She gets to have like decision making power basically, yeah, but I'm like, how more in the middle could you be with all the people involved in this, Lily,

you know exactly? Yeah, I don't know. And Queller says that the board doesn't have enough proof to fire Rachel, so she'll be here for the rest of the semester. It's so, yeah, it's such a typical like rich person Quagmire. I feel like where it's like they don't want to get sued and they don't want the attention of getting sued. It's not even that they don't want Rachel to sue, they just don't want the press of being sued by a teacher her wrongful termination, right, or this just getting out.

I don't even know if it got as far as as, like, you know, the lawsuit. I don't know. I mean, it's this is wild this all episode. Yeah, I don't know, because then I like, also look back at it, they don't have enough proof. But then it's like the proof you had, you were willing to do this, you were willing to you did fire her, you literally did fire her not that long ago, and then you unfired So what do you mean what proof the assumption that Serena

had exactly. And now, of course Dan comes through and wants to take responsibility for the situation. But like we said before, is he is he to blame Tyler? No? I mean no, right, like yes and no, but like ultimately no, you know, he's not the adults. He's eighteen. I mean they say that he's a teen. But Mrs Carr slash Rachel is the person with authority and power

in that situation who should really know better. She really should. Yeah, and before we even like, Serena goes to see her and she talks about the essay, and Miss Carr say, is something like the unexpected irony of what Serena's essay ended up being about, like new observations about the world around her. Oh yeah, and I thought that was that was brilliant, Like here you go, like here's your essay, but you just did a whole thing about basically what

you just did, you know what I mean? Like I kind of there was like a moment before Miss Carr says that to her, she's she tells her that she's the only teacher that ever expressed any interests in her and that she had ruined it, which yeah you did, Serena. I was like happy when when she said that, and she's like yep, and the iron and the unexpected irony. I'm like, yes, thank you. This is what I've been

going through this whole episode. And then also when Blair and her dad are talking and she said, well I was right and he said, no, you were lucky, and they have this conversation and he says something along the lines of about what school she wants to go to. It's not about that, it's what kind of person you grow up to be. And I was like, boom, boom boom. That's also what I was talking about this whole episode.

It's not okay to just like because you were you know right, No, you were lucky, Blair, and it was rude and it was dishonest and it wasn't right and it's not cool and you need to learn from it. And Serena, you two yeah exactly. It's like, like you said, stop making assumptions about the world. And also, you know, in Blair's case, like stop trying to force things to go your way constantly. That's not how the world works. No,

it doesn't. And soon once you're out of this like little Upper east Side world, like the real world will bite you in the butt. Girls. You can't be acting like this, yep, um okay. So then Dan and Rachel, he wants to make this right, so he shows up at Rachel's house to apologize. He says that the hug was widely inappropriate and he doesn't know what came over him at that time. And Rachel kisses him and brings him inside, and she says, I don't teach Dad anymore.

I know, such a bad idea. Even if you don't teach a constance anymore, you're still what like years which he's still like eight years older than the student, right, it's oh my god? And well, and then Serena is calling Dan and leaving a message at this time apologizing, saying she wants to forget the whole miss card thing, that it ever happened. But Dan and Missed are happening, are having sex in this moment at this time, Oh my god, and the song with a Heavy Heart is

going on. But let me okay, So now, Tyler, this is what's so messed up. This is what's up now. I'm like, well, we're Blair and Serena really that off? I know? Well, like that's like Blair says when Serena shows her the picture, She's like, wow, I must have picked up on a vibe and like she's not totally wrong, right, Like there is a vibe happening this episode between Dan and Rachel. I mean, she's still lied, she still made

it up. She was not right. But I'm saying this is why I'm like with fuming at times of this episode, like screw you guys, that's messed up. Blah blah blah blah blah. And then we get to thirty seconds left of the show and they're having sex, and I'm like, maybe learns or we know weren't wrong. Yeah, well well, oh my god. Anyways, I'm also going to hand you off the Gossip Girl quote. So this is the closing

Gossip Girl quote. They say every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and once something is set in motion, it can't help but build momentum. One thing is certain on the Upper East Side, what goes around comes around XO x O Gossips Girl. Yes, that was fun. That

was super fun. That feels very powerful. All in all, I just feel like this episode for some reason really hit me in a different way but then then again at the very end when they're getting it on, I'm like, maybe I had no reason to be so so it's so upset. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, Um, what is your do you know in season two? Like, what's your favorite episode of season two? Oh? Is that a really good question? Well? I love the I love the opener, the Hampton's episode. Yeah,

it's so good. I can't believe that we're still on the same season. I can't even because of the writer's strike. It goes on so much longer, because it makes up for like it's twenty five episodes instead of twenty two or whatever. Yeah, I do remember that because we were filming a lot longer than the eight or nine forever. But when you just brought up the Hampton's I cannot believe still from this episode because that is the same season.

It's insane. Yeah, I love I love the episode. The next episode after this too, where they do the play the Age of Dissonance. Oh my god, it's a really fun one. I haven't seen it. I can't wait. Oh my god, it's it's really really fun. They kind of really go off script. Really Yeah, Oh my god, you're gonna enjoy watching it. I can't wait. I just like this episode and season one are my two favorites, so it's it's hard to pick like one favorite. Yeah, I'm like, I want to get through it and then I can

maybe pick going back. But even now going back, I can't like separate which is which to me, it's like it's been a long movie. It's a long yeah, exactly, Well, especially if you're watching it kind of all at once is a rewatch. But yeah, it's fine. They bring like the next episode, they bring Carter Basin back, like it's just it's that's awesome. Um, well, I appreciate you coming on. Did you want us to look out for anything right now?

Um no, I don't have any. You know, I have a lot of freelance stories I've picked up that are in the words. Yeah, well that's exciting. But I'm just out and about. I'm just on the internet, you know. You go, girl, just surfing? That exactly amazing, Tyler, What more can I say? You always bring another little flavor to these rewatches. Thank you so much for joining me and being there for the ups and downs and weirdly inappropriate student teacher relationships, and for you listeners catching next

week for another Gossip Girl rewatch. Make sure to like, subscribe and leave a comment on my Instagram about anything you want to see in the upcoming episodes. You're all amazing, have a beautiful day, and I'll see you soon. XO XO is produced by Propagate Content and Meet Jessica's Or. Our show is executive produced by Langley. Our producers are Diego Tapia, Christin Vermilia, Emily Carr, and Hannah Harris. Original music by Moxie and Luon, and the episode was mixed by Sethi lansky Y