Once Upon A Time In The Upper West: Gossip Girl 1.07 Recap

Hey Upper East Siders,

I know you’ve missed me. I had to go on a slight break, but I’m back just in time for our favorite holiday. I’m sure you’ve missed our favorite throuple, the frenemy sisters, and where the hell has been Monet been? Well, sit back, grab some turkey, and get prepared for the Thanksgiving dinner of a lifetime. 

Guilt is the emotion everyone’s consumed with this holiday. Julien and Obie didn’t just kiss at that protest. That’s right, our former lovers slept together. We’re not quite sure if Obie realized that cheating does count, maybe even more, if it’s with your current girlfriend’s sister.

Aki and Audrey are also filled with guilt over sleeping with Max. The two can’t quite seem to work together as a couple anymore, in and outside of the bedroom. It seems as though they have to be with Max now in order for the two of them to stay together, and I can’t say that I’m complaining.

Zoya has been avoiding Julien and Obie all weekend, but she’s determined to work things out. She invites the two to her family’s Thanksgiving, but they both reject her. However, will it shock us that the three of them, as well as everyone else in their group, all end up together?

Julien is trying to make things work with Obie and Zoya. She doesn’t want to lose her sister, but as soon as she realizes that Obie saying “the L word” to Zoya was his plan to make things right, she realizes she’s not so sure if it’s actually what she wants. Of course, to Zoya, this was “the most romantic thing to ever happen to her.”

Meanwhile, our least favorite teachers are up to no good. The teachers (now down to two) confess to Rafa that they saw the video. He locks them out of their account in hopes that they’ll find different dirt on Max to protect Rafa’s career. In the end, Rafa decides to quit instead of allowing all of this to blow up in his face. I’m sure future employers wouldn’t want to know he slept with his student.

Regardless of Rafa and the throuple, Max has a special surprise from his birth mother. She shows up in hopes of rekindling Roy and Gideon, but I’m not so sure those two are a match made in heaven.

While Julien is faced with what she did to Zoya, she’s missing out on what her dad did. We still don’t know what this is, but his new fiancee is convinced the only reason he proposed is to make sure she can’t testify. Instead of worrying about Obie, perhaps it’s time for JC to focus on her family.

Now the moment we’ve all been waiting for: the GG thanksgiving dinner. You might be wondering who’s in attendance, but the better question to ask is who was not there? Aki’s mom tagged along with Aki in order to help rekindle the relationship between him and Obie. She’s convinced Obie is not accepting of Aki coming out. Audrey brings her mother, Kiki, along (which, who’s idea was it to let her know about the throuple?) Max, his dads, and his birth mother are all in attendance. We’re glad to see our favorite throuple spending the best holiday together.

Julien, her dad, and his new fiancee are also there. We’re not so sure why her dad didn’t let JC know prior that he was engaged, but perhaps that has to do with the whole “testify” thing. Obie is there as well. He walks in as Zoya’s boyfriend, who Zoya is now ready to sleep with, and ends up walking out alone. Too bad he couldn’t at least leave with Julien on his arm.

Somehow the teachers are there, which of course, they always find a way to weasel their way in. How long is it going to take for someone to expose them?

Lots of truths however were exposed at the dining table. We’ve already covered the engagement and the throuple. What we’ve missed so far is Zoya finding out that Julien and Obie slept together, that mysterious voicemail from Aki’s dad (which now perhaps something to do with Julien’s dad), Max telling his parents about Rafa, and the fact that Julien’s dad prevented Zoya’s father from seeing their birth mother before she died. Things were definitely hot at the table, but we did miss hearing “Whatcha Say” by Jason Derulo in the background.

Following Thanksgiving dinner, Zoya reveals to JC that they are “no longer sisters.” Julien’s step-mom-to-be reveals to Kate (probably the worst teacher of all time) about the trial. Rafa told the teachers about his decision to quit. Kiki decides to walk home without Audrey (which there’s no way this is going to end well). But best of all, Aki, Max, and Audrey reunite in the end.

This was definitely quite the overwhelming episode. We can’t wait to see what type of drama Luna and Monet had in their corners. In case you didn’t know, HBO Max dropped three episodes on Thanksgiving Day. Tomorrow, you’ll get your next recap on episode 8.

But until then,

Xoxo.