Reversals of Fortune
Encyclopedia
"Reversals of Fortune" is the 44th episode of the CW
television series, Gossip Girl
and the third season
premiere. The episode was written by Joshua Safran and directed by J. Miller Tobin
. It originally aired on Monday, September 14, 2009 on the CW
.
"Reversals of Fortune" shows Blair Waldorf
(Leighton Meester
) and Chuck Bass
(Ed Westwick
) exercise their relationship through unconventional means. Serena van der Woodsen
(Blake Lively
) returns from her European vacation a celebrity but finds herself facing other troubles when Carter Baizen (Sebastian Stan
) follows her. Nate Archibald
(Chace Crawford
) decides to sever ties with his family returns from his travels with Bree Buckley (Joanna Garcia
), a member of his family's political rival. Dan Humphrey
(Penn Badgley
) finds himself overwhelmed by the sudden change in his lifestyle while Vanessa Abrams
(Jessica Szohr
) assumes the worst of Dan and brings a long her new friend, Scott Rosson (Chris Riggi
) to meet him and Rufus Humphrey (Matthew Settle
).
reportedly earned a role for the third season premiere, portraying herself. "I kind of came in between Ed Westwick and Leighton Meester’s character. I kind of was the wrench that Chuck and Blair threw in their relationship. I gave Chuck somebody to think about but in the end, the joke was on me and the game they were playing. That was something they enjoy doing, so it was kind of funny." DJ Alexandra Richards
, daughter of musician Keith Richards
, makes a cameo appearance in a role that would also catch the eye of Chuck Bass. Richards also filmed her scenes at the Greenwich Polo Club
separately from polo player, Nacho Figueras
. When approached for the role, Figueras accepted the offer. "Amazing, that’s great. But I will only do it if I’m Nacho the polo player and I can wear my Black Watch shirt.” And they agreed to let me do that."
New York Magazine hailed the return of the third season and praised the premiere's theme of change as "Last night's episode was all about new beginnings. About taking on new roles — or shaking off old ones." and "a fresh start, a chance to do something, to be something different." Michelle Graham from Film School Rejects reviewed the episode unfavorably, noting a lack of interesting storylines. "For a season premiere, this episode lacked a lot of the punch designed to motivate viewers to stick with the show." but judged the premiere as a "calm before the storm lull" further stating that "Of course, with college just around the corner, things are soon going to change for everyone, so perhaps more of the fire will return to GG then." Enid Portugez of the The Los Angeles Times had mixed thoughts on the episode. "Overall, my mind wasn't blown by the premiere, but the season's only just begun. Bring on the drama!"
With the Humphrey clan moving into the world of the Upper East Side, New York Magazine examined the altercation that occurred between Dan and Vanessa. "When Vanessa confronts Dan at the polo match, he presents a list of totally valid and sympathetic reasons he's not the same old Dan, which includes an illness in the family and major life changes, and brings up the very valid and obvious point that Vanessa is a shrew with class issues." The Los Angeles Times however, was unsupportive of their move, stating "Their arty loft and bohemian existence was part of their charm," and sympathized with Vanessa's perception of their move, "I still felt just as Vanessa had when she saw Dan climbing into that limo—bittersweet and somewhat betrayed." Film School Rejects considered Dan’s speech to Vanessa as the high point of the episode.
Film School Rejects called Blair and Chuck’s game "predictable, with the whole set up screaming, well, set up." The Los Angeles Times compared it to Samantha and Smith's courtship in Sex and the City
and looked forward to the progression of their relationship.
Serena's storyline was heavily panned with Graham calling it a "side plot" but found Serena fleeing from Carter interesting. "Serena’s wild child summer didn’t have the meat to hold up the bulk of the episode, which the writers attempted to have it do." In contrast, Jacob from Television Without Pity praised Serena for using Gossip Girl's blog for her personal ends and her motive for using it. "She's used GG and the tabs against Bart, she's used it against Rufus and Lily, she's even used it against Blair; she's been victimized by it more than any of them [...] And then Graduation, when she called GG's bluff sixteen times in an episode, bringing the world crashing down around her. So maybe it's just the wording, coincidentally: Maybe this is the strongest, smartest choice Serena could have made, and the lies are just about protecting Dan and Lily from how far she's willing to go."
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...
and the third season
Gossip Girl (season 3)
The third 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. Airing on The CW from September 14, 2009 to May 17, 2010 with 22 episodes...
premiere. The episode was written by Joshua Safran and directed by J. Miller Tobin
J. Miller Tobin
John Miller Tobin is an American television director and producer.As a director, Tobin has worked most notably on the television series Oz, The Agency, Numb3rs, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Supernatural, 90210, Gossip Girl and The Vampire Diaries in which he is also a producer.He also...
. It originally aired on Monday, September 14, 2009 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...
.
"Reversals of Fortune" shows 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...
) and 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:...
) exercise their relationship through unconventional means. 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...
) returns from her European vacation a celebrity but finds herself facing other troubles when Carter Baizen (Sebastian Stan
Sebastian Stan
Sebastian Stan is a Romanian-born American actor. He is best known for playing Prince Jack Benjamin on the television drama Kings and Carter Baizen on Gossip Girl.-Early life:...
) follows her. Nate Archibald
Nate Archibald (Gossip Girl)
Nathaniel Fitzwilliam "Nate" Archibald is a character in the best selling Gossip Girl book series. He is portrayed by Chace Crawford in the television series of the same name...
(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:...
) decides to sever ties with his family returns from his travels with Bree Buckley (Joanna Garcia
Joanna García
Joanna Leanna García is an American television and film actress. She is known for her portrayal of Cheyenne Hart Montgomery on The CW sitcom Reba...
), a member of his family's political rival. 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....
) finds himself overwhelmed by the sudden change in his lifestyle while 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...
) assumes the worst of Dan and brings a long her new friend, Scott Rosson (Chris Riggi
Chris Riggi
Christopher "Chris" Riggi is an American actor, best known for his role as Scott Rosson in the TV series Gossip Girl, and Jacob White in the Twilight Parody film, Vampires Suck, which was released in the US on August 18, 2010....
) to meet him and Rufus Humphrey (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:...
).
Production
Abercrombie and Fitch model, Ashley HinshawAshley Hinshaw
-Career:As a model, Hinshaw has appeared in ad campaigns for Abercrombie and Fitch. Her experience as a model lead to her guest-stint as pageant judge on the MTV reality TV series Made in 2008. A year later she appeared as herself in Gossip Girl, coming in between the relationship of Chuck Bass and...
reportedly earned a role for the third season premiere, portraying herself. "I kind of came in between Ed Westwick and Leighton Meester’s character. I kind of was the wrench that Chuck and Blair threw in their relationship. I gave Chuck somebody to think about but in the end, the joke was on me and the game they were playing. That was something they enjoy doing, so it was kind of funny." DJ Alexandra Richards
Alexandra Richards
Alexandra Nicole Richards is the daughter of Patti Hansen and Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, and the sister of Theodora Richards. She is a model, artist, and DJ in New York City...
, daughter of musician Keith Richards
Keith Richards
Keith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
, makes a cameo appearance in a role that would also catch the eye of Chuck Bass. Richards also filmed her scenes at the Greenwich Polo Club
Peter M. Brant
Peter M. Brant is an American industrialist, businessman and entrepreneur, worth an estimated $2.4 billion. He is also a major art collector, movie producer, and avid horseman...
separately from polo player, Nacho Figueras
Nacho Figueras
Ignacio "Nacho" Figueras is an Argentine polo player. As of September 2009, he is ranked as one of the top 100 polo players in the world. Sometimes called the "David Beckham of polo", he usually plays in Argentina and in the U.S. as part of the Black Watch Polo Team...
. When approached for the role, Figueras accepted the offer. "Amazing, that’s great. But I will only do it if I’m Nacho the polo player and I can wear my Black Watch shirt.” And they agreed to let me do that."
Reception
"Reversals of Fortune" was watched by 2.55 million viewers and received mixed reviews.New York Magazine hailed the return of the third season and praised the premiere's theme of change as "Last night's episode was all about new beginnings. About taking on new roles — or shaking off old ones." and "a fresh start, a chance to do something, to be something different." Michelle Graham from Film School Rejects reviewed the episode unfavorably, noting a lack of interesting storylines. "For a season premiere, this episode lacked a lot of the punch designed to motivate viewers to stick with the show." but judged the premiere as a "calm before the storm lull" further stating that "Of course, with college just around the corner, things are soon going to change for everyone, so perhaps more of the fire will return to GG then." Enid Portugez of the The Los Angeles Times had mixed thoughts on the episode. "Overall, my mind wasn't blown by the premiere, but the season's only just begun. Bring on the drama!"
With the Humphrey clan moving into the world of the Upper East Side, New York Magazine examined the altercation that occurred between Dan and Vanessa. "When Vanessa confronts Dan at the polo match, he presents a list of totally valid and sympathetic reasons he's not the same old Dan, which includes an illness in the family and major life changes, and brings up the very valid and obvious point that Vanessa is a shrew with class issues." The Los Angeles Times however, was unsupportive of their move, stating "Their arty loft and bohemian existence was part of their charm," and sympathized with Vanessa's perception of their move, "I still felt just as Vanessa had when she saw Dan climbing into that limo—bittersweet and somewhat betrayed." Film School Rejects considered Dan’s speech to Vanessa as the high point of the episode.
Film School Rejects called Blair and Chuck’s game "predictable, with the whole set up screaming, well, set up." The Los Angeles Times compared it to Samantha and Smith's courtship in Sex and the City
Sex and the City
Sex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...
and looked forward to the progression of their relationship.
Serena's storyline was heavily panned with Graham calling it a "side plot" but found Serena fleeing from Carter interesting. "Serena’s wild child summer didn’t have the meat to hold up the bulk of the episode, which the writers attempted to have it do." In contrast, Jacob from Television Without Pity praised Serena for using Gossip Girl's blog for her personal ends and her motive for using it. "She's used GG and the tabs against Bart, she's used it against Rufus and Lily, she's even used it against Blair; she's been victimized by it more than any of them [...] And then Graduation, when she called GG's bluff sixteen times in an episode, bringing the world crashing down around her. So maybe it's just the wording, coincidentally: Maybe this is the strongest, smartest choice Serena could have made, and the lies are just about protecting Dan and Lily from how far she's willing to go."