Jaunted

Nate lent Dan his old test-prep books and caught Vanessa's eye; in a twist too TV for words, they spend the night together, and then N. convinces V., who claims her family's "thing" is not going to college, to take the SAT anyway. Nothing more romantic than the scent of No. 2 pencils!

Blair, instead of studying, decides to distract her Yale-applicant rival Nelly in the days before the test, because Blair only has a 2200 and Nelly has a 2300. (Note to old people like us: Yes, the SAT switched to a 2400-point scoring system, so you're not just dumb.) "So girls," Blair asks her minions, "Aromatherapy... or annihilation?"

Jenny, being a freshman, is exempt from SAT hell, but she's still grounded. That doesn't stop her from continuing her war against Blair, which she believes requires her to find a man post-haste. A cute dogwalker catches her eye, but she's cool to him until she sees him getting into a private limo.

This dog-chasing hottie, Upper West Side prep school boy Asher (Jesse Swenson), is even willing to go out to Brooklyn and hang out with her under Rufus' watchful eye. Aw, that's love.

We have to give the writers of "Gossip Girl" credit for structuring an episode around a hell which many high schoolers, not just the rich white preppy ones, have to face. Since all are brought low by his masterwork, SAT creator Carl Brigham is the Prep of the Ep. Go read Nicholas Lemann's The Big Test, people, it'll change your life. Now we're going to have nightmares about that proctor with the crazy eyes again.

Next week on "Gossip Girl": Something terrible in Serena's past comes back to haunt her! (Again!)

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[Photo : Just Jared]