The Wrong Goodbye (Gossip Girl)
Encyclopedia
"The Wrong Goodbye" is the 87th episode of the The CW television series Gossip Girl
. It is also the 22nd and final episode of the fourth season. The episode was directed by Patrick Norris
and the second finale in the series written by Joshua Safran. This also marks the second time that the show filmed a scene in California. "The Wrong Goodbye" aired on the CW in the United States on May 16, 2011, and was viewed live by an audience of 1.36 million Americans. Despite the low ratings, the episode garnered positive reviews from reviewers and critics.
"The Wrong Goodbye" picks up where the previous episode had left off. Chuck Bass
(Ed Westwick
) looks for a missing Blair Waldorf
(Leighton Meester
) who has been held hostage by an unstable Russell Thorpe (Michael Boatman
). An erratic Charlie Rhodes (Kaylee DeFer
) escapes the humiliation of being rejected by Dan Humphrey
(Penn Badgley
). Serena van der Woodsen
(Blake Lively
) and Vanessa Abrams
(Jessica Szohr
) reluctantly join forces after discovering the secret behind Charlie's behavior. Georgina Sparks
(Michelle Trachtenburg) unexpectedly turns up at the event looking for trouble.
) everything behind her mother's death. Chuck reprimands Nate until Raina interrupts them to apologize. Blair is held hostage by Russell in Chuck's hotel. Pretending to escape, she calls Chuck on her phone, revealing her location. Russell explains his reason for kidnapping Blair: to burn down the hotel with her in it. A drunk Charlie is seen dancing wildly until Dan confronts her, but she escapes. Serena greets Headmistress Queller (Jan Maxwell
), who expresses her concern with Serena's choice of staying in New York
, having hoped that Serena would find her place outside of the Upper East Side
. Georgina offers her aid in their scheme but Dan, Vanessa, and Serena reject her help, going their separate ways to find Charlie.
At Chuck's hotel, Chuck saves Blair while Raina stops her father. With the police arriving, Chuck offers Blair a limo ride, and a homesick Raina breaks up with Nate, intending to return to Chicago
. Chuck proposes avoiding the Constance party by going to a bar mitzvah in a similar fashion to Death Takes a Holiday
, which Blair accepts. Chuck and Blair have sex while Prince Louis (Hugo Becker
) waits for Blair at Constance. While looking for Charlie at the loft, Vanessa spots Dan's novel and reads it. Dan calls her and is upset that she has been reading the novel, which she suggests that he publish despite the possible backlash. Realizing that he no longer cares about writing, Vanessa steals the novel after Dan angrily dismisses her. Serena stops Charlie from jumping off a window and Charlie expresses her envy towards Serena, aspiring to be like her until Serena admits her personal flaws to Charlie, who comforts her. Dan and Nate find Charlie and Serena and return to the party. Charlie makes a suspicious call to her mother and piques Georgina's interest, who gives her her number. Blair finds herself in a dilemma as her feelings for Chuck have resurfaced, arriving at the party to inform Louis of her decision but Chuck interrupts her, informing him that he has their blessing. Blair confronts Chuck for making a decision for her, but the two eventually settle their issues, and he lets her go.
Three weeks later, Blair travels to Monaco
to spend the summer with Louis while Serena goes to Montecito
, Charlie departs for Miami, Chuck and Nate decide to travel together, and Lily (Kelly Rutherford
) tells the family that her house arrest will end by autumn. Dan decides to spend summer in The Hamptons with Eric (Connor Paolo
) and tells Rufus (Matthew Settle
) that he has moved on from writing. Vanessa has Dan's novel published and leaves for Spain
. While in California, Serena runs into a man who has been trying to convert one of her favorite novels into a movie, but finds herself being given a job instead. In Miami, Carol (Sheila Kelley
) pays Charlie, who is actually a con artist named Ivy that was hired to gain access to her daughter's trust fund. Ivy's bag shows that she has stolen money from Carol and plans on returning to New York. A later scene shows a positive pregnancy test in a trash can at Blair's bathroom being thrown out by Dorota (Zuzanna Szadkowski).
Following her role in Green Lantern
, news surfaced of Blake Lively leaving the show to further her acting career in Hollywood. IOL
notes "Despite all talk of career trajectories and fanbase, Blake insists her choices are made through far simpler criteria and when asked about playing in a comic-book film says: “It’s not really a suitable question because the decisions I make on parts come from a more emotional place. It has to be a character I connect with or someone I can have empathy with.“" New York Magazine and various media periodicals have also noted the possibility of Lively leaving the show.
made a cameo appearance in the show. Actor Ethan Peck
reportedly landed a role in the show. Both stars were seen filming with Blake Lively in California. Peck made his debut in the season finale together with Russell. Tony Award
-winning actress Jan Maxwell
reprised her role as Headmistress Queller for the season finale. Hugo Becker remained ambiguous on whether he would be joining the series as a recurring or regular cast member during an interview with Zap2it
, stating "the answer is in the finale." and hinted the possibility of a recurring role. Cecily von Ziegesar
makes a cameo appearance during the finale and filmed her scenes with Lively.
made a special appearance as the band for the Constance Billard Alumni party, playing the song "Changing" from their sophomore album, All at Once
. The band announced that they would performing in the finale on their website.
to none other than Hollywood." Critical praise went to the storyline twist behind Charlie's identity, citing her as "the big “shocker” of the Gossip Girl finale" and the cameo appearance of Gossip Girl author, Cecily von Ziegesar. Television Without Pity included the episode in its gallery of "Season Finales 2011: The Best and Worst", declaring the finale as one of the best and stating that it "had a lot of storylines pay off" and "was our own little version of a fairy tale."
Television Without Pity and Steve Marsi of TV Fanatic praised the return of Georgina, stating "Michelle had some of the show's funniest dialogue in a long time. She and Jack Bass have really made the last two weeks for me. It was great to have her back." When reviewing the final scene, Marsi commended the appearance of the positive pregnancy test to the audience, calling the it "Quite the cliffhanger to leave us with after a finale that was already pretty darn entertaining. The show went out on a high note and next season could be even better." New York Magazine commented on the pregnancy test, insisting that "we’re pretending that positive pregnancy test didn’t exist."
The Los Angeles Times
Judy Berman praised the finale, stating "[...]this year went out with a bang. I had my doubts and reservations, largely concerning Blair and Chuck, but I am surprised and pleased to report that I found the end of "Gossip Girl" Season 4 both exciting and satisfying." The return of Georgina Sparks was well-received as with Serena's development, with Berman citing Serena's confession with Charlie before she could plunge to her death. "This debacle, along with the events of this season in general, seems to have given S some perspective. Friends, she apologizes to Nate and Dan for leading them on and confesses to Charlie that her decision-making skills leave something to be desired! Even if lazy writing results in Serena falling into old habits next season, it's a pretty gratifying moment." Berman also questioned Vanessa's motive behind publishing Dan's novel "[...]it's impossible to know whether she's trying to do her old friend one last favor or profit from stirring up more drama in his life. Considering that Jessica Szohr won't be returning to the show in the fall, we may never find out." Berman also complimented the casting of director David O Russell calling it "one of the show's most delightfully random cameos ever". New York Magazine labeled Chuck and Blair's relationship as the "Longest-Delayed Breakup" of the season, adding that "the big news was that Blair and Prince Louis are somehow still together and engaged, with the wedding scheduled for November sweeps. We feel comfortable assuming that by then, Chuck will have regrouped enough to break things up more definitively."
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...
. It is also the 22nd and final episode of the fourth season. The episode was directed by Patrick Norris
Patrick Norris
Patrick R. Norris is an American television director.His directing credits include Chuck, Friday Night Lights, Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries, Hidden Palms, Related, Bones, North Shore, The Division, The O.C., Boston Public, Star Trek: Enterprise, The Twilight Zone, American Dreams, Roswell,...
and the second finale in the series written by Joshua Safran. This also marks the second time that the show filmed a scene in California. "The Wrong Goodbye" aired on the CW in the United States on May 16, 2011, and was viewed live by an audience of 1.36 million Americans. Despite the low ratings, the episode garnered positive reviews from reviewers and critics.
"The Wrong Goodbye" picks up where the previous episode had left off. 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:...
) looks for a missing 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...
) who has been held hostage by an unstable Russell Thorpe (Michael Boatman
Michael Boatman
Michael Patrick Boatman is an Image Award-nominated American actor and writer. He is best known for his roles as U.S. Army Specialist Samuel Beckett in the ABC drama series China Beach, as New York City mayoral aide Carter Heywood in the ABC sitcom Spin City, and as sports agent Stanley Babson in...
). An erratic Charlie Rhodes (Kaylee DeFer
Kaylee DeFer
Kaylee DeFer is an American actress. DeFer currently stars in The CW's Gossip Girl as Ivy Dickens, a con artist who assumes the role of the Serena van der Woodsen's cousin Charlie Rhodes...
) escapes the humiliation of being rejected by Dan Humphrey
Dan Humphrey
Daniel Randolph "Dan" Humphrey is a fictional character in the best selling Gossip Girl book series. He is the main male character in the television series of the same name and is portrayed by Penn Badgley. Daniel Humphrey is the son of Rufus Humphrey and has a younger sister, Jenny Humphrey. His...
(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....
). 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...
) and Vanessa Abrams
Vanessa Abrams
Vanessa Abrams is a fictional character in the book series Gossip Girl. She is portrayed by Jessica Szohr in the television series of the same name.-Novel series:...
(Jessica Szohr
Jessica Szohr
Jessica Karen Szohr is an American actress. Szohr began her screen career starring on television shows such as CSI: Miami and What About Brian...
) reluctantly join forces after discovering the secret behind Charlie's behavior. Georgina Sparks
Georgina Sparks
Georgina Sparks is a fictional character in the Gossip Girl novel series and a recurring character on the television series Gossip Girl. She is portrayed by actress Michelle Trachtenberg on the show...
(Michelle Trachtenburg) unexpectedly turns up at the event looking for trouble.
Plot
After discovering that Charlie has not been taking her medication, Serena and Vanessa reluctantly team up to find her. Chuck, Nate, Vanessa, and Serena soon encircle Dan, exclaiming that they need something from him. Chuck asks him where Blair is while Serena and Vanessa ask for Charlie's whereabouts. One of Blair's old friends reveals that Blair left the party. While accompanying Chuck to their apartment to look for Blair, Nate confesses that he told Raina (Tika SumpterTika Sumpter
Euphemia "Tika" Sumpter is an American actress.Sumpter is known for her role as Layla Williamson on One Life to Live.-Private Life:...
) everything behind her mother's death. Chuck reprimands Nate until Raina interrupts them to apologize. Blair is held hostage by Russell in Chuck's hotel. Pretending to escape, she calls Chuck on her phone, revealing her location. Russell explains his reason for kidnapping Blair: to burn down the hotel with her in it. A drunk Charlie is seen dancing wildly until Dan confronts her, but she escapes. Serena greets Headmistress Queller (Jan Maxwell
Jan Maxwell
Jan Maxwell is an American stage and television actress. She is a four-time Tony Award nominee.-Biography:She is the daughter of former First District Judge Ralph B. Maxwell and Elizabeth Maxwell, a lawyer for the EPA. She attended West Fargo High School, West Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead...
), who expresses her concern with Serena's choice of staying in 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...
, having hoped that Serena would find her place outside of the Upper East Side
Upper East Side
The Upper East Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, between Central Park and the East River. The Upper East Side lies within an area bounded by 59th Street to 96th Street, and the East River to Fifth Avenue-Central Park...
. Georgina offers her aid in their scheme but Dan, Vanessa, and Serena reject her help, going their separate ways to find Charlie.
At Chuck's hotel, Chuck saves Blair while Raina stops her father. With the police arriving, Chuck offers Blair a limo ride, and a homesick Raina breaks up with Nate, intending to return to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Chuck proposes avoiding the Constance party by going to a bar mitzvah in a similar fashion to Death Takes a Holiday
Death Takes a Holiday
Death Takes a Holiday is a 1934 romantic drama starring Fredric March, Evelyn Venable and Guy Standing, based on the Italian play La Morte in Vacanze by Alberto Casella.-Synopsis:...
, which Blair accepts. Chuck and Blair have sex while Prince Louis (Hugo Becker
Hugo Becker
for french actor see Hugo BeckerHugo Becker was a prominent German cellist, cello teacher, and composer. He studied at a young age with Alfredo Piatti, and later Friedrich Grützmacher in Dresden.He was born in 1863 in Strasbourg; his father Jean Becker was a famous violinist...
) waits for Blair at Constance. While looking for Charlie at the loft, Vanessa spots Dan's novel and reads it. Dan calls her and is upset that she has been reading the novel, which she suggests that he publish despite the possible backlash. Realizing that he no longer cares about writing, Vanessa steals the novel after Dan angrily dismisses her. Serena stops Charlie from jumping off a window and Charlie expresses her envy towards Serena, aspiring to be like her until Serena admits her personal flaws to Charlie, who comforts her. Dan and Nate find Charlie and Serena and return to the party. Charlie makes a suspicious call to her mother and piques Georgina's interest, who gives her her number. Blair finds herself in a dilemma as her feelings for Chuck have resurfaced, arriving at the party to inform Louis of her decision but Chuck interrupts her, informing him that he has their blessing. Blair confronts Chuck for making a decision for her, but the two eventually settle their issues, and he lets her go.
Three weeks later, Blair travels to Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
to spend the summer with Louis while Serena goes to Montecito
Montecito, California
Montecito is an unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County, California. As a census-designated place, it had a population of 8,965 in 2010. This does not include areas such as Coast Village Road, that, while usually considered part of Montecito, are actually within the city limits of Santa...
, Charlie departs for Miami, Chuck and Nate decide to travel together, and Lily (Kelly Rutherford
Kelly Rutherford
Kelly Danne Melissa Rutherford is an American actress known for her roles of Stephanie "Sam" Whitmore on Generations, Megan Lewis on Melrose Place from 1996 to 1999 and currently as Lily van der Woodsen on Gossip Girl...
) tells the family that her house arrest will end by autumn. Dan decides to spend summer in The Hamptons with 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...
) and tells Rufus (Matthew Settle
Matthew Settle
Jeffrey Matthew Settle is an American actor best known for playing Captain Ronald Speirs on the HBO show Band of Brothers and Rufus Humphrey on Gossip Girl.-Career:...
) that he has moved on from writing. Vanessa has Dan's novel published and leaves for Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. While in California, Serena runs into a man who has been trying to convert one of her favorite novels into a movie, but finds herself being given a job instead. In Miami, Carol (Sheila Kelley
Sheila Kelley
Sheila Kelley may refer to:*Sheila Kelley , Gwen Taylor in L.A. Law*Sheila Kelley...
) pays Charlie, who is actually a con artist named Ivy that was hired to gain access to her daughter's trust fund. Ivy's bag shows that she has stolen money from Carol and plans on returning to New York. A later scene shows a positive pregnancy test in a trash can at Blair's bathroom being thrown out by Dorota (Zuzanna Szadkowski).
Production
"The Wrong Goodbye" is the second part of the two-part season finale. Gossip Girl executive producer, Joshua Safran notes that the most important returning character of the show was Georgina Sparks and discussed working on a two-part season finale for the first time on the show.Following her role in Green Lantern
Green Lantern (film)
Green Lantern is a 2011 superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. The film stars Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Angela Bassett and Tim Robbins, with Martin Campbell directing a script by Greg Berlanti and comic book writers Michael Green and Marc...
, news surfaced of Blake Lively leaving the show to further her acting career in Hollywood. IOL
Independent Online (South Africa)
Independent Online, or IOL is a news and information website based in South Africa. It is owned by the Independent News & Media organisation, which is the largest publisher of print material in South Africa....
notes "Despite all talk of career trajectories and fanbase, Blake insists her choices are made through far simpler criteria and when asked about playing in a comic-book film says: “It’s not really a suitable question because the decisions I make on parts come from a more emotional place. It has to be a character I connect with or someone I can have empathy with.“" New York Magazine and various media periodicals have also noted the possibility of Lively leaving the show.
Casting
Oscar-winning director David O. RussellDavid O. Russell
David Owen Russell is an American film director and screenwriter. He has been praised for the loose, comic energy that characterizes his work, and is notorious for his explosive confrontations with cast members.-Early life:...
made a cameo appearance in the show. Actor Ethan Peck
Ethan Peck
Ethan Gregory Peck is an American actor. He is best known for his work in the ABC Family network television series 10 Things I Hate About You, where he portrayed Patrick Verona, a role originated by Heath Ledger in the movie of the same name...
reportedly landed a role in the show. Both stars were seen filming with Blake Lively in California. Peck made his debut in the season finale together with Russell. Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
-winning actress Jan Maxwell
Jan Maxwell
Jan Maxwell is an American stage and television actress. She is a four-time Tony Award nominee.-Biography:She is the daughter of former First District Judge Ralph B. Maxwell and Elizabeth Maxwell, a lawyer for the EPA. She attended West Fargo High School, West Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead...
reprised her role as Headmistress Queller for the season finale. Hugo Becker remained ambiguous on whether he would be joining the series as a recurring or regular cast member during an interview with Zap2it
Zap2it
Zap2it is an American website and affiliate network that provides news, photos and video, local TV listings and movie showtimes. The site is produced by Tribune Media Services , part of the publishing division of the Chicago-based Tribune Company...
, stating "the answer is in the finale." and hinted the possibility of a recurring role. Cecily von Ziegesar
Cecily von Ziegesar
Cecily von Ziegesar is an American author best known for the young adult Gossip Girl books.-Early life and education:...
makes a cameo appearance during the finale and filmed her scenes with Lively.
Music
The Airborne Toxic EventThe Airborne Toxic Event
The Airborne Toxic Event is an American indie rock band from Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. It consists of Mikel Jollett , Steven Chen , Noah Harmon , Daren Taylor and Anna Bulbrook...
made a special appearance as the band for the Constance Billard Alumni party, playing the song "Changing" from their sophomore album, All at Once
All at Once (album)
All at Once is the second studio album from Los Angeles based indie-rock band The Airborne Toxic Event, released April 26, 2011.- Track listing :All songs written by Mikel Jollett, unless otherwise noted.# "All at Once" - 5:16...
. The band announced that they would performing in the finale on their website.
Reception
The Wrong Goodbye received positive reviews from critics and garnered an audience of 1.36 million viewers. New York Magazine drew out the references from past seasons and commented on how the season finale was written. "The Last Episode of the Fourth Season of the Greatest Show of Our Time felt in many ways like it might have been written to end the series, what with the many This Is Your Life moments (such as the return of Georgina Sparks and Blair's old minions Izzy and Kati), the wry references to episodes past, the wrapping up of story lines (including the revelation that Dan has been secretly novelizing his observations of the Upper East Side for the entire time we've thought we've "known" him), and the meaningful departure of its most marketable starBlake 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...
to none other than Hollywood." Critical praise went to the storyline twist behind Charlie's identity, citing her as "the big “shocker” of the Gossip Girl finale" and the cameo appearance of Gossip Girl author, Cecily von Ziegesar. Television Without Pity included the episode in its gallery of "Season Finales 2011: The Best and Worst", declaring the finale as one of the best and stating that it "had a lot of storylines pay off" and "was our own little version of a fairy tale."
Television Without Pity and Steve Marsi of TV Fanatic praised the return of Georgina, stating "Michelle had some of the show's funniest dialogue in a long time. She and Jack Bass have really made the last two weeks for me. It was great to have her back." When reviewing the final scene, Marsi commended the appearance of the positive pregnancy test to the audience, calling the it "Quite the cliffhanger to leave us with after a finale that was already pretty darn entertaining. The show went out on a high note and next season could be even better." New York Magazine commented on the pregnancy test, insisting that "we’re pretending that positive pregnancy test didn’t exist."
The Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
Judy Berman praised the finale, stating "[...]this year went out with a bang. I had my doubts and reservations, largely concerning Blair and Chuck, but I am surprised and pleased to report that I found the end of "Gossip Girl" Season 4 both exciting and satisfying." The return of Georgina Sparks was well-received as with Serena's development, with Berman citing Serena's confession with Charlie before she could plunge to her death. "This debacle, along with the events of this season in general, seems to have given S some perspective. Friends, she apologizes to Nate and Dan for leading them on and confesses to Charlie that her decision-making skills leave something to be desired! Even if lazy writing results in Serena falling into old habits next season, it's a pretty gratifying moment." Berman also questioned Vanessa's motive behind publishing Dan's novel "[...]it's impossible to know whether she's trying to do her old friend one last favor or profit from stirring up more drama in his life. Considering that Jessica Szohr won't be returning to the show in the fall, we may never find out." Berman also complimented the casting of director David O Russell calling it "one of the show's most delightfully random cameos ever". New York Magazine labeled Chuck and Blair's relationship as the "Longest-Delayed Breakup" of the season, adding that "the big news was that Blair and Prince Louis are somehow still together and engaged, with the wedding scheduled for November sweeps. We feel comfortable assuming that by then, Chuck will have regrouped enough to break things up more definitively."