Well it seems like it has been forever since we’ve seen a new ep but tonight we are back in business. If you recall Serena and Dan broke up, yet again. Was it their different plans for college, she no longer Yale bound, or was it that Dan was doing his teacher? Really I’m not sure they ever give a real reason for the breaks and reunited loves but let’s just leave them apart for now.

And yes Dan was accused of having an affair with the new teacher, who was fired and then they actually started having an affair… woo hoo. And then since folks realized they didn’t have any proof of her inappropriate behavior she’s getting hired back. How inappropriate.

This whole situation was brought about by our delightful Blair who was out to get Teach for first giving her a bad grade and then reporting her for trying to get Teach back… Now this would be normal drama if B didn’t lose her slot at Yale over the whole deal, and of course the respect of dear old dad.

Now B has finally given up on Chuck, so we think, though Chuck may be straightening out after his dad’s death. He’s gone off on an international bender and returned to lose Dad’s company to his less than reputable uncle. But Uncle lost his legal guardianship when Chuck finally allied with the woman he blamed for his dad’s death new adopted mom Lily Vanderwoodsen.

Though we’ve learned that trying to take over the company isn’t Uncle’s only misdeed… we learned that he offered Blair a little comfort whilst Chuck was on the bender and she’s doing all she can to keep this quiet. We all know nothing stays quiet for long.

As for the rest of the crew, Vanessa and Nate have been cozy and dull, Little J and Eric are mostly out of the limelight, while their folks Lily and Rufus are all hooked up. And of course we shouldn’t forget that Lily and Rufus’ kid is still out there though they believe him to be dead per the new adoptive folks. What we’ll gossip about next is anyone’s guess.

When last we left, the eldest Bass (husband of Lily van der Woodsen, father of Chuck) was taken out in a car wreck. Chuck went into a tailspin and though Blair admitted that she loved Chuck he pushed her away. His new-to-the-show uncle dragged him home from wherever. After Chuck got tossed out of school for smoking hash (since it has a smoother buzz), he made it to the roof of his repurchased burlesque club. On the edge, Blair talked him down and there may just be hope for the young lovers. ‘Til we hear Blair say to the uncle “He can’t know about new year’s”… Oh Blair, whatever happened on new year’s?

Our other big drama when last we left, was that the Mrs. finally free of the Mr. (as in Bass) was free to pursue her love of Rufus. Until the Humphrey clan patriarch found out about their long lost child given up for adoption, he could forgive the giving up of child, but not telling him… Well Dan found out about this through spy skills, and from Chuck, but is sworn to secrecy, no sharing with his reunited beloved Serena, waiting for mom to tell her secrets herself. Will this rock the kid’s new found togetherness, they keep being apart because… because they’re from different worlds, or their parents are together, or… who knows, but the young love is apparently an easily derailed one.

And the rest of our players? Little J is still in the dark about the drama being back at school on cream coat day and picking a fight with the girls on the steps on behalf of the latest tormentee Little J replacement. Eric van der Woodsen is so far just little J’s new sidekick. And Nate, who chose Vanessa over the littlest Humphrey, might just be hunkered down with Vanessa, no sign of them yet. Always something to stay tuned for.

If you missed the season kickoff they’re rerunning the opener tonight (really, repeats already?). But they’re back and getting in the groove and if you just want to know they have been up to so far…

Dan and Serena tried it again because they’re still in love but alas their differences are too great. Meaning they had to continue a contrivance to keep them apart. But good for us because our beloved ascot wearing Chuck decided to screw with them to bring out the old Serena. How we love it when a reformed bad girl goes back to her evil ways.

And why would Chuck want Serena to rise to her old self? Well because her rise should facilitate Blair’s fall. And a fallen Blair is more susceptible to Chuck. This is of course after Blair lost her Duke after finding out he was doing it with his stepmom the Duchess. Ridiculous.

The same Duchess that was doing it with Nathan. Nathan’s summer fling got complicated when she offered him money to cover his prison fleeing dad’s debts. Though Blair tried to blackmail the Duchess to bail out Nathan, Brooklyn’s Vanessa wasn’t patient enough to wait for Blair or honest enough to talk to Nathan and told the Duchess’s husband all. At least that storyline is over.

So then we got into fashion week and watching Little J on her new self destructive turn. Last season she tried to scheme her way up the social ladder and this season she is scheming her way into the fashion world. While working Blair’s mom for her fashion expertise she’s skipping school and of course pissing off Blair. Or are they now developing an alliance? Little J will need some help if she’s quitting school to pursue her dreams.

In other unlikely alliances Dan tries to intern at the school of Chuck to get some new writing fodder. He tries to not just follow in Chuck’s footsteps but to learn what makes Chuck tick (mom killed in childbirth, dad hates him for it…). Chuck doesn’t take to being used so Dan better watch out.

And what of the rest of the parental units? Pops Humphrey has a new girlfriend. I doubt this one’s a keeper but he’s giving it a go instead of pursuing a relationship with the now married Serena’s mom. Serena’s mom apparently has yet another secret to come out as we learn that Chuck’s dad has a dossier that seems to be keeping her in line.

Now that Serena’s deciding not to worry about Blair’s feelings and shine full force, I can only hope there’ll be plenty more juicy gossip to come.

So we see the start of the fall season tonight with the premiere of Gossip Girl. I started by mocking how cheesy this show was but came to relish in it. Teen soaps are faster today than they were when 90210 first hit the scene and the audience has become more sophisticated. Each new show seems to need to up the ante in some way. GGirl is based on a popular series of books and seems to combine the flash of the NY ultra privileged as well as the use of the digital age. Our unidentified narrator (wonderful Kristin Bell) is a blogger who tells all, with the help of people who send her reports and images of gossip in all its glory.

Serena is the reformed bad girl who finds the good guy Dan, but can’t keep him. Dan is the scholarship boy who doesn’t fit in with the snobs and doesn’t want to. Blair is the snobbiest of snobs playing the ever so good girl who can manipulate better than the rest. Nate was her true love who slept with Serena, and after the break Blair fell for bad boy Chuck (in his ridiculous bow ties). And of course we have Dan’s sister and wannabe social climber Jenny. And for a touch of the ‘old’ our true love couple Dan and Serena’s parents were once young lovers who are crossing paths again, through mostly not with each other.

Apparently we start the season off in the Hamptons, what will the kids be up to? Last we saw, Dan was breaking up with Serena because he couldn’t stand the lies. Blair was stood up by Chuck, who couldn’t go through with being a one gal guy. Nate was dealing with dad running out on his drug and embezzlement charges. Jenny was starting her devil wears prada internship, while her dad was hitting the road to tour with his band. And Serena’s mom was probably on her honeymoon with Chuck’s dad.

The challenge with this show, and those like it, is that the majority of the action is romance, or at least sex. And of course there’s at least one bad guy, who we start out hating but then we realize they have a heart of gold. And then once they reform, what are we to do, recruit new bad blood? But sadly we can never stand folks brought in for just that purpose. So once we’ve run through the coupling and the drama of the first season it all feels a little forced. Here’s hoping these kids can keep it fresh. If not there’s always the new 90210 which might be good for at least a season.