The Handmaiden's Tale

Season 1, Episode 6, Aired
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Episode Summary

Masquerade Ball, anyone?
''
''Dan finds himself caught between two girls when his childhood friend, Vanessa, returns to Manhattan and declares her feelings for him, just as he and Serena are trying to figure out what they mean to each other. At the masked ball, Blair sends Nate on a scavenger hunt, but Nate is distracted by his feelings for Serena. Although Blair said that outsiders were not welcome to the party, a disguised Jenny and Dan sneak into the ball. Finally, Lily asks Rufus to accompany her to an Eleanor Waldorf event hoping to make Bart Bass jealous.moreless
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Fan Episode Reviews (32)

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  • 106

    7.5
    "Good"
    By Canogaparkcindy, Mar 16, 2011 Report Abuse
    A really entertaining episode of Gossip Girl. We got some great interactions, a kind of over the top ending, and some great one liners from a few people in the cast. The Rufus & Lilly scenes are just incredibly boring, and I'm really not liking how much screen time they are getting.

    Nate continues to be really uninteresting and things were no different here with him battling with his feelings for Serena and being blamed for his father's indiscretions. Also the Nate & Blair relationship needs to end soon, it's not doing this show any favors.

    The Dan, Serena, and Vanessa interactions were quite good, and I'm looking forward to this triangle and how it will play out this season. I've once called Jenny annoying, and I stand by this statement, but she was good here too and she tied in quite nicely to everyone thinking she was Serena (the ridiculous ending I was talking about).

    This episode was good, but I just don't get why people liked it so much though.moreless

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    0 0

  • Awesome.

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By Sarah_LOST, Feb 22, 2009 Report Abuse
    What an awesome episode. I loved every minute of it, it was amazing. I loved the way Blair was bossing Jenny around, eventhough it wouldn't be fun to get done too. But we see that Jenny isn't so innocent as we thought. But I'm glad she got Chuck back, I thought that was clever. We also see that Nate wants Serena back. So Dan, Vanessa and Serena. I don't really like Vanessa in this episode, it's a good storyline but it's Dan and Serena all the way for me. I loved the Masquerade Ball. Anyway, another awesome episode from Gossip Girl. Can't wait to see more this show.moreless

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  • Another great addition to the best teen drama on TV right now.

    8.7
    "Great"
    By JBentham, Sep 07, 2008 Report Abuse
    Very busy episode. Very good but for a good amount of time it will be a huge failure.

    Okay, so, I don't like it when there's a boy and a girl who struggle to get together. And when they finally do, something bad happens to them and they break up. Like, an episode after they hooked up. I HATE that.

    So it seemed that this episode, that was going to happen. But oh god, thanks. That wasn't the case. This episode was full of twists and turns, lots of funnies.

    I finally came to the conclusion that Dan is a great character. He was good before, but most of the time he just appeared to be this middle class guy who's really funny. But It's nice to see some extra depth to his character every now and then, like now. Also, the previous episode marks the improvement of the parents storyline and so it continues in this one. Still falls short compared to the teens', but still pretty good!

    Overall a fun episode, exactly what I expect from GG .moreless

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  • Masks off at midnight.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By celine09, Jun 18, 2008 Report Abuse
    This was a great episode. I loved how Blair bossed Jenny around and made her do errands and stuff. It's was so cool, lol. Vanessa is unlike the Vanessa in the books but judging from the different storylines, I don't care if she's different :D UGH, I couldn't stand Nate! He didn't even make an effort to patch things up with Blair. He's so insensitive, and good thing Jenny switched masks with Serena. Or else, if Nate really kissed Serena, Serena and Dan wouldn't have admitted each other's feelings at the end of the episode. Jenny was wicked awesome, but I kinda felt bad for Chuck, lol :) I love this episode, makes me wanna throw my own masquerade ball.moreless

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  • The Masked Ball, damn near perfect!!!!

    9.9
    "Superb"
    By tvaddict_10, Mar 21, 2008 Report Abuse
    The Handmaiden's Tale was a nearly perfect episode. The gang attends a masked ball. Blair desperately wants Nate to want her but Serena's just too damn fine. I'm rooting for S and D but with Vanessa all of a sudden coming into the picture its hard to tell whats gonna happen. Jenny keeps on doing things that makes me believe she'll turn out worse than Blair, but I still like her. She got revenge on Chuck for tryna push up on her and she also kissed Blair's boyfriend Nate. Nate thought she was Serena but still it seemed like Jen initiated the kiss. She's really stirring things up, I wonder will Blair find out. The kiss between Lily and Rufus was also amazing, its obvious that something more will happen between them. I'm looking forward to the next episode more than ever!!moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • First episode that does not end with a comment from Gossip Girl. Edit
    • The number of the hotel room Serena is staying in is 1510. Edit
    • Nate, Blair, and Dan all mistake Jenny for Serena after Serena lends her some of her clothes and her mask. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • International Episode Titles: Czech Republic: Maškarní bál (Fancy-dress Ball) Edit
    • This is the first episode to feature Anne Archibald (Francie Swift) as a recurring character. Edit
    • This is the first episode to feature recurring character, Vannessa (Jessica Szohr). Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Chuck: Mysterious financial transactions. Warring parents. Welcome to the Upper East Side. Edit
    • Rufus: There you are. Lily: I just needed a moment with what just happened. Rufus: The kiss? Lily: Yeah. I mean I feel a little... Rufus: Nostalgic? Lily: Nauseous. Rufus: Right. Ummmm. Ouch. Lily: No. I... I'm kidding. Kind of. I'm sorry, Rufus. I... I... Maybe I shouldn't have asked you here. Rufus: Right, ummm... and ummm I'm sorry I kissed you, but I did it because that mercenary in the starched white shirt... he doesn't appreciate everything you have over an attractive 25 year old mannequin, because beauty fades but yours has done a remarkable job of holding on. And in the long run it's going to be his loss, and I thought he should know how it feels to lose you. Because trust me, it's not fun. Edit
    • Vanessa: The Pacifier played for like a year. Dan: And they said Vin Diesel couldn't do comedy. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Serena's Date: almost as bad to make you not want to summer in Newport again. Newport is in Orange County and where The O.C. was set.
      Newport is also a wealthy town in Rhode Island, where the Vanderbilts spent their summers, as well as the location of the "Summer White House" for both Eisenhower and Kennedy Edit
    • Perogies (pol. Pierogi) are Polish variation of Slavic stuffed dumplings. They are made of unleavened dough and can be stuffed with mashed potato, soft cheese, sauerkraut, meat, mushrooms or in the summer with seasonal fruits. In US or UK the perogies are the most common name for every Eastern European dumplings which is not accurate as they are differentiated in making technique and stuffing. In Russia they are called vareniki, in Hungary they are referred to as derelye. Edit
    • Dan's ex mention going to Angelika. Angelika is an independent movie theater on Houston Street in Soho, Manhattan. Edit

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