Easy J
Encyclopedia
"Easy J" is the 71st episode of the CW
television series, Gossip Girl
, as well as the sixth episode of the show's
fourth season
. The episode was written by Jake Coburn and directed by Lee Shallat-Chemel
. It aired on Monday, October 25, 2010 on the CW
.
Easy J focuses on the return of Jenny Humphrey
(Taylor Momsen
) and the consequences she faces from her short visit to Manhattan while Blair Waldorf
(Leighton Meester
) hunts her down in the hope of maintaining her social order and eschewing any possible attempts by Chuck Bass
(Ed Westwick
) to ruin her at the same time. Serena van der Woodsen
(Blake Lively
) runs into unfortunate circumstances when she discovers that her new flame is also her college professor.
with her as Audrey Hepburn
being attacked. However, unlike in the film, her attacker is, strangely, a blond female.
Blair awakes to find Serena with an unmade bed, messy hair, and adorning the same clothes from the previous day. Serena admits to having spent the night with "The Cab Stealer.", Colin Forrester (Sam Page
). However, they spent the night talking of pop art in lieu of sleeping together. Serena says she refuses to be one of the women he hands off in a cab every morning.
Blair explains her dream to Serena, who believes it to be about recently becoming Chuck's active target. Blair is unsure, however, and wonders aloud why the attacker would be female.
After spending the night with Nate (Chace Crawford
), Juliet Sharp (Katie Cassidy
) departs early so as "not to be late to class." Nate is disappointed, hoping to have spent more time with her. Via phone, Dan (Penn Badgley
) assures him it's probably the truth. As Nate ends his call with Dan, getting in line to visit his Dad in prison, he spots a sheepish Juliet.
Jenny returns to New York, only to face an angry Blair - willing to do anything to make "Little J" leave town again.
On her way to class, Serena spots her fling, Colin from the night before while entering the building. Irked, Serena is further thrown off by the revelation that he is her Psychology of Business professor, a fact that threats their relationship.
Blair visits the Van Der Woodsen residence and runs into Jenny. Outraged that Jenny is breaking the rules about being "banished," and after some verbal sparring, Blair grants her "amnesty 'till midnight" if Jenny refuses to be seen while in the city. Blair seeks out Chuck at Columbia, after a brief chat with Serena about the Cab Stealer turned Professor. She asks if he knows about Jenny Humphrey's return, and warns him it will damage his reputation as well as hers if the story about Jenny's virginity is outed; however, unknown to Blair, Chuck is responsible for Jenny's return to Manhattan, and remains nonchalant about the possibility of the truth being revealed. After talking to Chuck, Blair assigns her minions to stake-out the Van Der Woodsen residence, in order to make sure Jenny doesn't violate the terms of her Manhattan amnesty.
Dan and Eric (Connor Paolo
) find it strange when Jenny declines going out to one of her favorite venues, so she explains to them the terms of the agreement she made with Blair. However, Jenny ultimately reveals to Gossip Girl to whom she lost her virginity, and after a confrontation with both Chuck and Blair, decides to leave town again. At the episode's end, Chuck visits Blair in her apartment, and, after agreeing that the circumstances surrounding their breakup were beyond both their controls, the two agree to end their war, before they both destroy each other.
reprises his role of Howard "The Captain" Archibald, making an appearance on the show since the second season episode, The Magnificent Archibalds. Katie Cassidy makes her sixth appearance on the show as Juliet Sharp.
On August 17, 2010, Michael Ausiello
from Entertainment Weekly
reported that Project Runway
s mentor, Tim Gunn
, will be appearing as himself in the episode, which was later confirmed to be the episode featuring the first appearance of Taylor Momsen
in the fourth season.
Mad Men
star Sam Page
makes his second appearance in the show, elaborated his character's personality and the four episode story arc involving the main cast, calling him a "terrifically successful, young, financier...and he's taken quite a shine to Serena."
Following October 6, 2010, Ausiello reported reported that the characters of Serena and Nate will negotiate a peace treaty between the warring exes, Chuck and Blair, and that Blair will allow wannabe fashion designer Jenny to temporarily gain entry to the island of Manhattan to meet with Tim Gunn about a job opportunity. Also from Entertainment Weekly, Kristin Dos Santos reported on October 7, 2010, that Juliet will recruit Jenny and another major character's help for a scheme against Serena.
InStyle and CBSNews reported that New York
socialite Ivanka Trump
and her husband Jared Kushner
will be making cameo appearances for the episode. Fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi
posted on his website that one of the characters will be wearing his designs and that he will make a cameo appearance as well.
gown on the set. Isaac Mizrahi posted on his website that Kelly Rutherford wore one of his dresses and several jewelry pieces designed by Ivanka herself. InStyle reported that Taylor Momsen wore a one-shoulder Emilio Pucci
dress paired with a Carlos Fachi clutch, Leighton Meester was clothed in a dress designed by Victoria Beckham
, and Blake Lively wore a Maxime Simoens for The Observer's New Yorkers party scene.
lead in by 16% in women 18-34 (2.2/6) and 8% in adults 18-34 (1.4/4).
On set problems were revealed when Entertainment Weekly
reported that Tim Gunn was displeased with Taylor Momsen's on set behavior but enjoyed working with the rest of the cast, calling Penn Badgley in particular, "a delight to work with".
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
television series, Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl (TV series)
Gossip Girl is an American teen drama television series based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series was created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, and premiered on The CW on September 19, 2007...
, as well as the sixth episode of the show's
Gossip Girl (TV series)
Gossip Girl is an American teen drama television series based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series was created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, and premiered on The CW on September 19, 2007...
fourth season
Gossip Girl (season 4)
The fourth season of Gossip Girl, an American teen drama based upon the book series by Cecily von Ziegesar. Developed for television by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. The CW officially renewed the series for a full fourth season on February 16, 2010...
. The episode was written by Jake Coburn and directed by Lee Shallat-Chemel
Lee Shallat-Chemel
Lee Shallat-Chemel is a television director and producer.She began her professional directorial career at the South Coast Repertory theatre in Costa Mesa, CA, while working at the same time as the head of the theatre's conservatory program...
. It aired on Monday, October 25, 2010 on the CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
.
Easy J focuses on the return of Jenny Humphrey
Jenny Humphrey
Jennifer Tallulah "Jenny" Humphrey is one of the characters in both the Gossip Girl and The It Girl series of novels by Cecily von Ziegesar...
(Taylor Momsen
Taylor Momsen
Taylor Michel Momsen is an American actress, musician and model who portrays the character of Jenny Humphrey on the CW television series Gossip Girl and portrayed the role of Cindy Lou Who in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and fronts the rock band The Pretty Reckless.-Early life and career:Taylor...
) and the consequences she faces from her short visit to Manhattan while Blair Waldorf
Blair Waldorf
Blair Cornelia Waldorf is the main character of Gossip Girl, introduced in the original series of novels and also appearing in their television and manga adaptations. Described as "a girl of extremes" by creator Cecily von Ziegesar, she is a comical overachiever who possesses both snobbish and...
(Leighton Meester
Leighton Meester
Leighton Marissa Meester is an American actress and singer. Meester first garnered attention for playing Blair Waldorf in the CW television series Gossip Girl...
) hunts her down in the hope of maintaining her social order and eschewing any possible attempts by Chuck Bass
Chuck Bass
Charles Bartholomew "Chuck" Bass is a fictional character in the Gossip Girl series of teen novels and the television series of the same name. He is portrayed by English actor Ed Westwick. Although he is a secondary, antagonistic character in the original book series, in the television series Chuck...
(Ed Westwick
Ed Westwick
Edward Jack P. "Ed" Westwick is an English actor and musician, best known for his role as Chuck Bass in the main cast on the American television series Gossip Girl.-Early life and career:...
) to ruin her at the same time. Serena van der Woodsen
Serena van der Woodsen
Serena Celia van der Woodsen is a fictional character in the young adult novel series Gossip Girl and its television adaptation. Serena is featured on the blog of the novel series' mysterious "Gossip Girl" narrator...
(Blake Lively
Blake Lively
Blake Christina Lively is an American actress and model who stars as Serena van der Woodsen in the television teen drama series Gossip Girl...
) runs into unfortunate circumstances when she discovers that her new flame is also her college professor.
Plot
The episode begins with a Blair Waldorf dream sequence of Wait Until DarkWait Until Dark (film)
Wait Until Dark is a suspense-thriller film directed by Terence Young and produced by Mel Ferrer. It stars Audrey Hepburn as a young blind woman, Alan Arkin as a violent criminal searching for some drugs, and Richard Crenna as another criminal, supported by Jack Weston, Julie Herrod, and Efrem...
with her as Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn was a British actress and humanitarian. Although modest about her acting ability, Hepburn remains one of the world's most famous actresses of all time, remembered as a film and fashion icon of the twentieth century...
being attacked. However, unlike in the film, her attacker is, strangely, a blond female.
Blair awakes to find Serena with an unmade bed, messy hair, and adorning the same clothes from the previous day. Serena admits to having spent the night with "The Cab Stealer.", Colin Forrester (Sam Page
Samuel Page
Samuel Page is an American actor. He is credited under the name Sam Page.-Early life:...
). However, they spent the night talking of pop art in lieu of sleeping together. Serena says she refuses to be one of the women he hands off in a cab every morning.
Blair explains her dream to Serena, who believes it to be about recently becoming Chuck's active target. Blair is unsure, however, and wonders aloud why the attacker would be female.
After spending the night with Nate (Chace Crawford
Chace Crawford
Christopher Chace Crawford , better known as Chace Crawford, is an American actor. He currently portrays Nate Archibald on the CW television drama Gossip Girl.-Early life:...
), Juliet Sharp (Katie Cassidy
Katie Cassidy
Katherine Evelyn Anita "Katie" Cassidy is an American actress who has performed in The CW TV series Melrose Place, Supernatural, Harper's Island, and Gossip Girl, and on the films When a Stranger Calls, Black Christmas, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Taken, Monte Carlo, and has roles in the upcoming...
) departs early so as "not to be late to class." Nate is disappointed, hoping to have spent more time with her. Via phone, Dan (Penn Badgley
Penn Badgley
Penn Dayton Badgley is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Dan Humphrey on the CW television series Gossip Girl. He has also starred in the movies John Tucker Must Die, The Stepfather, and Easy A....
) assures him it's probably the truth. As Nate ends his call with Dan, getting in line to visit his Dad in prison, he spots a sheepish Juliet.
Jenny returns to New York, only to face an angry Blair - willing to do anything to make "Little J" leave town again.
On her way to class, Serena spots her fling, Colin from the night before while entering the building. Irked, Serena is further thrown off by the revelation that he is her Psychology of Business professor, a fact that threats their relationship.
Blair visits the Van Der Woodsen residence and runs into Jenny. Outraged that Jenny is breaking the rules about being "banished," and after some verbal sparring, Blair grants her "amnesty 'till midnight" if Jenny refuses to be seen while in the city. Blair seeks out Chuck at Columbia, after a brief chat with Serena about the Cab Stealer turned Professor. She asks if he knows about Jenny Humphrey's return, and warns him it will damage his reputation as well as hers if the story about Jenny's virginity is outed; however, unknown to Blair, Chuck is responsible for Jenny's return to Manhattan, and remains nonchalant about the possibility of the truth being revealed. After talking to Chuck, Blair assigns her minions to stake-out the Van Der Woodsen residence, in order to make sure Jenny doesn't violate the terms of her Manhattan amnesty.
Dan and Eric (Connor Paolo
Connor Paolo
Connor Paolo is an American actor best known of his role as Eric van der Woodsen in The CW young-adult series Gossip Girl since 2007-2011.He became part of the two Oliver Stone films, World Trade Center and Alexander where he bagged his biggest break in Hollywood.He is currently playing Declan...
) find it strange when Jenny declines going out to one of her favorite venues, so she explains to them the terms of the agreement she made with Blair. However, Jenny ultimately reveals to Gossip Girl to whom she lost her virginity, and after a confrontation with both Chuck and Blair, decides to leave town again. At the episode's end, Chuck visits Blair in her apartment, and, after agreeing that the circumstances surrounding their breakup were beyond both their controls, the two agree to end their war, before they both destroy each other.
Casting
Sam RobardsSam Robards
Sam Prideaux Robards is an American actor.-Life and career:Robards was born in New York City, the son of actors Jason Robards and Lauren Bacall. He began his acting career in 1980 in an off-Broadway production of Album, and made his feature film debut in director Paul Mazursky's 1982 film Tempest....
reprises his role of Howard "The Captain" Archibald, making an appearance on the show since the second season episode, The Magnificent Archibalds. Katie Cassidy makes her sixth appearance on the show as Juliet Sharp.
On August 17, 2010, Michael Ausiello
Michael Ausiello
Michael Ausiello is an American television industry journalist and actor. He was a Senior Writer at TV Guide and its companion website, TVGuide.com. On May 28, 2008, Ausiello left TV Guide for Entertainment Weekly and posted his first blog for Entertainment Weekly on July 2, 2008...
from Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
reported that Project Runway
Project Runway
Project Runway is an American reality television series on Lifetime Television, previously on the Bravo network, which focuses on fashion design and is hosted by model Heidi Klum. The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted in time, materials and theme...
s mentor, Tim Gunn
Tim Gunn
Timothy M. "Tim" Gunn is an American fashion consultant and television personality. He was on the faculty of Parsons The New School for Design from 1982 to 2007 and was chair of fashion design at the school from August 2000 to March 2007, after which he joined Liz Claiborne as its chief creative...
, will be appearing as himself in the episode, which was later confirmed to be the episode featuring the first appearance of Taylor Momsen
Taylor Momsen
Taylor Michel Momsen is an American actress, musician and model who portrays the character of Jenny Humphrey on the CW television series Gossip Girl and portrayed the role of Cindy Lou Who in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and fronts the rock band The Pretty Reckless.-Early life and career:Taylor...
in the fourth season.
Mad Men
Mad Men
Mad Men is an American dramatic television series created and produced by Matthew Weiner. The series premiered on Sunday evenings on the American cable network AMC and are produced by Lionsgate Television. It premiered on July 19, 2007, and completed its fourth season on October 17, 2010. Each...
star Sam Page
Sam Page
Sam Page is an American physician and politician serving his third term in the Missouri House of Representatives. On June 5, 2007, Page announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Missouri from his hometown of Van Buren, Missouri.- Political career :Page was...
makes his second appearance in the show, elaborated his character's personality and the four episode story arc involving the main cast, calling him a "terrifically successful, young, financier...and he's taken quite a shine to Serena."
Following October 6, 2010, Ausiello reported reported that the characters of Serena and Nate will negotiate a peace treaty between the warring exes, Chuck and Blair, and that Blair will allow wannabe fashion designer Jenny to temporarily gain entry to the island of Manhattan to meet with Tim Gunn about a job opportunity. Also from Entertainment Weekly, Kristin Dos Santos reported on October 7, 2010, that Juliet will recruit Jenny and another major character's help for a scheme against Serena.
InStyle and CBSNews reported that New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
socialite Ivanka Trump
Ivanka Trump
Ivanka Marie Trump is an American businesswoman, socialite, heiress, and fashion model. The daughter of Ivana and Donald Trump, she is Executive Vice President of Development & Acquisitions at The Trump Organization...
and her husband Jared Kushner
Jared Kushner
Jared Corey Kushner is an American real estate entrepreneur and newspaper publisher. He is the principal owner of Kushner Properties, his family’s holding company, and the publisher of The New York Observer. He is the son of American real estate developer Charles Kushner.-Early life:Kushner is the...
will be making cameo appearances for the episode. Fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi
Isaac Mizrahi
Isaac Mizrahi is an American TV presenter, fashion designer, and was the creative director of Liz Claiborne. He is best known for his eponymous fashion lines.-Early life:...
posted on his website that one of the characters will be wearing his designs and that he will make a cameo appearance as well.
Fashion
Ivanka Trump wore a Naeem KhanNaeem Khan
Naeem Khan is an Indian-born, American fashion designer. He is the designer and CEO for Naeem Khan, which was launched in 2003. His designs have been worn by celebrities including Beyoncé, Carrie Underwood, Eva Longoria and Brooke Shields, and by First Lady Michelle Obama.-References:1. 2....
gown on the set. Isaac Mizrahi posted on his website that Kelly Rutherford wore one of his dresses and several jewelry pieces designed by Ivanka herself. InStyle reported that Taylor Momsen wore a one-shoulder Emilio Pucci
Emilio Pucci
Emilio Pucci, Marquis of Barsento , was a Florentine Italian fashion designer and politician. He and his eponymous company are synonymous with geometric prints in a kaleidoscope of colours.-Early life:...
dress paired with a Carlos Fachi clutch, Leighton Meester was clothed in a dress designed by Victoria Beckham
Victoria Beckham
Victoria Caroline Beckham is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model, actress, fashion designer and businesswoman. In the late 1990s, Beckham rose to fame with the all-female pop group Spice Girls and was dubbed Posh Spice by the July 1996 issue of the British pop music magazine Top of the Pops...
, and Blake Lively wore a Maxime Simoens for The Observer's New Yorkers party scene.
Reception
This episode was watched by 1.88 million of viewers, which was up from last week's episode, which had a viewership of 1.78 million of viewers. The show also built on its 9021090210 (TV series)
90210 is an American teen drama television series developed by Rob Thomas, Jeff Judah and Gabe Sachs, and the fourth series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise created by Darren Star. 90210 is the first series produced by CBS Productions under the company's re-launch, but is now produced by CBS...
lead in by 16% in women 18-34 (2.2/6) and 8% in adults 18-34 (1.4/4).
On set problems were revealed when Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
reported that Tim Gunn was displeased with Taylor Momsen's on set behavior but enjoyed working with the rest of the cast, calling Penn Badgley in particular, "a delight to work with".