# The Dark Night > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/The_Dark_Night > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/The_Dark_Night.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Night > Source revision: 1267379415 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) This article is about the Gossip Girl episode. For other uses, see [Dark Night](/source/Dark_Night_(disambiguation)). Some of this article's listed sources may not be reliable. Please help improve this article by looking for better, more reliable sources. Unreliable citations may be challenged and removed. (April 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message) 3rd episode of the 2nd season of Gossip Girl "The Dark Night" Gossip Girl episode Chuck seduces Blair. Episode no. Season 2 Episode 03 Directed by Janice Cooke Written by John Stephens Production code 203 Original air date September 15, 2008 (2008-09-15) Guest appearances Mädchen Amick as Duchess Catherine Beaton Margaret Colin as Eleanor Waldorf Patrick Heusinger as Lord Marcus Beaton Michelle Hurd as Laurel Purva Bedi as Clare Alexandra Carl as Laurel's Assistant Yin Chang as Nelly Yuki Nicole Fiscella as Isabel Coates Amanda Setton as Penelope Shafai Episode chronology ← Previous "Never Been Marcused" Next → "The Ex Files" Gossip Girl season 2 List of episodes "**The Dark Night**" is the 21st episode of the [CW](/source/The_CW_Television_Network) [television series](/source/Television_series), *[Gossip Girl](/source/Gossip_Girl)*.[1] It was a [bottle episode](/source/Bottle_episode) and the third episode of the show's second season. The episode was written by John Stephens and directed by Janice Cooke. It originally aired on Monday, September 15, 2008 on the [CW](/source/The_CW_Television_Network). This episode is also the most watched episode of the series, with an average of 3.73[2] million of viewers. ## Plot Blair wants to consummate her relationship with Marcus, but he would rather wait for a more special moment. Nate keeps postponing his dates with Vanessa, leaving her worried about the status of their relationship. Dan and Serena are ready to go public with their rekindled relationship despite not having fixed their issues. Blair has been devising a scheme against Vanessa and Nate for Catherine. Chuck has been suffering from erectile dysfunction due to his repressed feelings for Blair. Three preteen girls spot Dan and Serena and admonish them for getting back together. Vanessa and Nate are hanging out when Blair invites them to a party, but Nate can see through her uncharacteristic kindness. Jenny is fired from Eleanor Waldorf's company for criticizing her design. During Blair's party, Vanessa catches Nate with Catherine right before a city-wide blackout (that traps Serena and Dan in an elevator). Blair is determined to have sex with Marcus as soon as possible but Chuck thwarts her plans by pretending to be him in the dark. Serena and Dan agree to disagree and break up again. When the power comes back on Marcus catches them. Vanessa breaks up with Nate as she leaves, due to Catherine threatening to extort Nate's family. Eleanor rehires Jenny. ## Reception "The Dark Night" was watched by 3.73[3] million viewers, and with the Live + 7 DVR Rating, it scored 4.16 million viewers[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*], making this episode the highest of the series. The episode also hits series highs in women 18-34 (4.1) and adults 18-34 (2.8). It also ranked #1 in adults 18-34 for the night, beating shows like *[Two and a Half Men](/source/Two_and_a_Half_Men)* and *[The Big Bang Theory](/source/The_Big_Bang_Theory)*. The episode received mixed reviews from critics though, critics praised [Leighton Meester](/source/Leighton_Meester), [Mädchen Amick](/source/M%C3%A4dchen_Amick), and [Blake Lively](/source/Blake_Lively)'s performances by saying that they got all the best lines of the episode. Isabelle Carreau, from *TV Squad*, compared [Serena](/source/Serena_van_der_Woodsen) and [Dan](/source/Dan_Humphrey)'s relationship to [Friends](/source/Friends) main couple [Ross](/source/Ross_Geller) and [Rachel](/source/Rachel_Green) by saying that "the couple has a bumpy road ahead". Although, she felt that the couples scenes "felt a little flat" for her taste, and that she had expected "something juicier than what we were offered". She defined the episode as "an enjoyable episode filled with twists and turns and loads of backstabbing" and also defended [Vanessa](/source/Vanessa_Abrams) by saying that she's starting to like of the character "because of the calmness and maturity she can show".[4] Michelle Graham, from *[Film School Rejects](/source/Film_School_Rejects)*, said "Catherine’s comments on her need for Nate and how Blair’s relationship with Lord Marcus might be missing one thing is an interesting parallel", and also said that even though "it was nice to see Vanessa again", "she did come off very whiny and a tad annoying". She also said that "Jenny’s sudden rise from intern to confidante of the designer felt incredibly contrived", and that the scene where Blair make-out with Chuck knowing that it's him, not Marcus, makes "no-sense". However, she defined the scene of the girls catching Serena and Dan up to the park as "excellent".[5] Buzz Sugar, from the *BuzzSugar* site, said that she cannot say anything too serious on the series and that she's "loving how ridiculous this season is". However, she enjoyed the scene of the little girls at the park and the bonding between Eleanor and Jenny.[6] Kona Gallagher, from *Television Blend*, had said that she felt "silly" that Catherine was jealous of Nate and Vanessa's relationship, because in the end she's a married woman. She was confused and angry over the reason that lead to Serena and Dan's break-up by saying that it was such a "clichéd class war nonsense". She said that the episode overall had made "every relationship suddenly became completely contrived and laughable" and that pissed her off.[7] Amber Charleville, from *Firefox News*, said that Dan's reason to break-up with Serena "sounds more like bitter jealousy than righteous indignation" than something else, and that the episode overall "ties up a lot of loose ends, but makes others fray unbecomingly".[8] Jennifer Armstrong, from *[Entertainment Weekly](/source/Entertainment_Weekly)*, ranked this episode at #7 as one of the best episodes of the year of 2008, as well as Brian Ford Sullivan, from *The Futon Critic*, who ranked this episode at #33 as one of the 50 best episodes of the year of 2008.[9][10] ## Featured Music - "[Lights Out](/source/Lights_Out_(Santigold_song))" by [Santogold](/source/Santigold) - "Like Knives" by [The Fashion](/source/The_Fashion) - "Closer" by [Ne-Yo](/source/Ne-Yo) - "I Can Feel A Hot One" by [Manchester Orchestra](/source/Manchester_Orchestra) - "It's A Lot" by [The 88](/source/The_88) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Gossip Girl Episode Listings [http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch.aspx?id=gossip_girl&view=listings](http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch.aspx?id=gossip_girl&view=listings) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Broadcast TV Ratings for Monday, September 15, 2008"](http://entertainmentnow.wordpress.com/2008/09/16/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-monday-september-15-2008/). *Your Entertainment Now wordpress*. September 16, 2007. Retrieved September 19, 2008. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Broadcast TV Ratings for Monday, September 15, 2008"](http://entertainmentnow.wordpress.com/2008/09/16/broadcast-tv-ratings-for-monday-september-15-2008/). *Your Entertainment Now wordpress*. September 16, 2007. Retrieved September 19, 2008. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Carreau, Isabelle (September 15, 2008). ["Gossip Girl: The Dark Night"](http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/09/15/gossip-girl-the-dark-night/). *TV Squad*. Retrieved July 27, 2010. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Graham, Michelle (September 16, 2008). ["TV Review: Gossip Girl 2.3 – The Dark Night"](http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/tv/tv-review-gossip-girl-23-the-dark-night.php). *Film School Rejects*. Retrieved July 27, 2010. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Sugar, Buzz (September 16, 2008). ["Gossip Girl Rundown: Episode 3, "The Dark Night""](http://www.buzzsugar.com/Gossip-Girl-Recap-Season-2-Episode-3-Dark-Night-2027650). *BuzzSugar*. Retrieved July 27, 2010. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Gallagher, Kona (September 15, 2008). ["TV Recap: Gossip Girl - The Dark Night"](http://www.cinemablend.com/television/TV-Recap-Gossip-Girl-The-Dark-Night-12219.html). *Television Blend*. Retrieved July 27, 2010. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Charleville, Amber (September 24, 2008). ["Review -- Gossip Girl: The Dark Night"](http://firefox.org/news/articles/1975/1/Review----Gossip-Girl-The-Dark-Night/Page1.html). *Firefox News*. Retrieved July 27, 2010. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Armstrong, Jennifer. ["TV Episodes: Best & Worst of 2008"](https://web.archive.org/web/20081228023241/http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20162677_20164091_20248951_3,00.html). *[Entertainment Weekly](/source/Entertainment_Weekly)*. Archived from [the original](http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20162677_20164091_20248951_3,00.html) on December 28, 2008. Retrieved July 27, 2010. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Ford Sullivan, Brian (January 6, 2009). ["THE 50 BEST EPISODES OF 2008: #40-31"](http://www.thefutoncritic.com/rant/2009/01/06/the-50-best-episodes-of-2008-number-40-31/20090106/). *The Futon Critic*. Retrieved August 8, 2010. ## External links - ["The Dark Night"](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1266859/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier)) v t e Gossip Girl Gossip Girl novel series The It Girl novel series Television series Gossip Girl (2007) Gossip Girl (2021) Gossip Girl: Acapulco episodes Gossip Girl Indonesia Gossip Girl: Thailand Little Secrets Episodes Season 1 "Pilot" "The Wild Brunch" "Hi, Society" "A Thin Line Between Chuck and Nate" "Desperately Seeking Serena" "All About My Brother" "Much 'I Do' About Nothing" Season 2 "Summer, Kind of Wonderful" "Never Been Marcused" "The Dark Night" "The Ex Files" "The Serena Also Rises" "Seder Anything" "Valley Girls" "The Goodbye Gossip Girl" Season 3 "Reversals of Fortune" "The Freshman" "The Lost Boy" "Enough About Eve" "They Shoot Humphreys, Don't They?" "The Last Days of Disco Stick" "The Debarted" "The Hurt Locket" "Last Tango, Then Paris" Season 4 "Belles de Jour" "Double Identity" "The Undergraduates" "Touch of Eva" "Easy J" "Gaslit" "The Townie" "Petty in Pink" "The Princesses and the Frog" "The Wrong Goodbye" Season 5 "Yes, Then Zero" "Rhodes to Perdition" "Riding in Town Cars with Boys" "The End of the Affair?" "Father and the Bride" "G.G." "The Backup Dan" Season 6 "Gone Maybe Gone" "New York, I Love You XOXO" Characters Serena van der Woodsen Blair Waldorf Dan Humphrey Nate Archibald Jenny Humphrey Chuck Bass Vanessa Abrams Eric van der Woodsen Georgina Sparks Juliet Sharp Ivy Dickens Lola Rhodes Related OMFGG – Original Music Featured on Gossip Girl No. 1 Category --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [The Dark Night](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Night) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Night?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.