Image Credit: Giovanni Rufino/The CW
Woah, Upper East Siders: Sure, you always knew that Blair Waldorf’s wedding would be a decadent affair to remember, but not even the newly revealed Gossip Girl could have seen these twists coming. Yet while Blair’s disastrous nuptials were the highlight of Gossip Girl‘s 100th episode extravaganza, the long-standing queen bee won’t be the only one drowning in the wake of tonight’s chaos.
EW attended a special screening of the episode in Los Angeles last week, where producers Stephanie Savage and Joshua Safran were on hand to answer reporters’ burning questions. One thing was made abundantly clear: Blair’s actions will have major consequences, and we won’t have to wait long to see them. Shout out your feelings on tonight’s events in the comments, and check back after the West Coast airing to read what Safran and Savage had to say on what’s next! MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD:
If you put aside the game-changing identity reveal in the episode’s final moments (more on that later), last night’s major shock came when Blair fled her reception with the on-again-off-again object of Serena’s affection, Dan Humphrey. Blair’s final decision came after her longtime flame, Chuck Bass, professed his undying love in the final moments before her wedding. She said she loved him, too, but ultimately chose to head down the aisle with her current beau, Prince Louis. Unfortunately, the ever-prying Gossip Girl sent a video of this exchange (sans the last, “I choose Louis” part) to the entire wedding party. Louis seemingly forgave her, then broke her heart when he revealed his total indifference during the couple’s first dance.
Chuck and Blair fans are probably steaming, but both producers swore that Dan and Blair’s chemistry was too sizzling to ignore. “From the beginning we always felt like there was a really strong connection between the two of them,” Savage said. “These two people — one is the queen bee, and one is the lonely boy — actually have a lot in common compared to their other friends. [They have] this sense of intellectual curiosity, and interest in things outside their own world. They’ve always had a strong connection with each other. We always knew they were going to become friends; there was a question of whether it was ever going to be more than that.”
But don’t mark your planners for a wedding, part deux, just yet. “I think that question still remains,” Safran quickly added.”But we definitely are going with [Dan and Blair’s] story.”
Of course, the number 1 question on everybody’s mind is how Blair’s decision will affect the jilted Chuck and Serena. Luckily, you won’t have to wait very long to find that out. “The next episode is a direct pickup, and is the same night,” Safran said. “The reactions are very much immediate. You’re not going to feel like, ‘Oh, it’s a week later. What’s happened?’ You’re going to be following with them as they learn. You’re going to see what they do about it, and how it impacts them. Definitely the story of that next episode is Chuck and Serena together, dealing with Dan and Blair together. Obviously, it’s going to wrangle Serena when she discovers what’s happening between Blair and Dan. But I think these characters are growing up. You don’t necessarily go to Def-Con 4 when you find these things out. You try to deal with them in a more rational, direct, honest manner. But that doesn’t mean that you still can’t go to Def-Con 4 after that.”
And how will Chuck, the Upper East Side’s recently reformed bad boy, deal with such a huge rejection? Safran said it probably won’t be what you think. “We were very conscious to make sure that Chuck, up to this episode, did not slide back [into partying],” he said. “We do believe that Chuck has learned, and is still continuing to learn. That evolution is real. Although he will continue to be tested, he approaches these tests now from a place of, ‘I really don’t want to slide back.’”
Besides –- there’s always hope. “Chuck and Blair are never over,” Safran insisted. “There’s always been a thorn in the side of Chuck somewhere. Maybe it will be Dan, maybe it will be someone else.”
NEXT: Gossip Girl is revealed!
