Giovanni Rufino / The CWNews flash: The hot-as-fire chemistry between Chuck (Ed Westwick) and Blair (Leighton Meester) is not lost on Gossip Girl's masterminds Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage.
See, although you may have heard rumblings about how tragic things may get in upcoming episodes of the CW show—starting with what appears to be a haunting, Indecent Proposal-esque episode tonight—Schwartz and Savage tell me exclusively that fans should not give up hope on Chuck and Blair:
"The thing that fans should know that hopefully is reassuring," Josh explains, "is that Chuck and Blair are always top of mind to me and Stephanie, to the writers. There's been a long-term plan in place since the beginning of the show about them as a couple, and Chuck and Blair will always be top of mind."
You hear that? Top of mind. As in, tippy top. As in, above and before all else when it comes to the show. I know what you "Chair" fans are thinking: "That's a pretty awesome present, Josh, and I didn't even get you anything!" May I suggest a little faith, with a side of patience? 'Cause after talking to Josh and Stephanie, it does seem warranted.
"A lot of times on shows like these," Josh says, "fans live and die week to week in terms of what happens with their favorite couples. Obviously if they only stay together and are happy, people will complain, and if they're fighting, people will, too. You're always caught a little bit in a catch 22. But we are fans of Chuck and Blair, and we have a plan."
That plan includes keeping Chuck and Blair as one of the show's longer-term power connections. "Narratively, Chuck and Blair have been the most sustained couple we've had on the show. Many other couples have come and gone in the time that Chuck and Blair and their romance has been in the forefront, and the driving edge of other stories."
"Chuck and Blair have been there since the first episode," Stephanie says. "You see them come together in the very end of the pilot, the second-to-last scene before the coda, and you feel the electricity of these two minds meeting and about to embark on a scheme together. We got them together in episode seven and we've really been telling that story since then."
So perhaps it's time for a smidge of a shakeup? Mayhaps?
In tonight's episode, "Inglorious Bassterds," we'll see the ramifications of Chuck losing his hotel at the hands of evil Uncle Jack (Desmond Harrington), and the ominous twist involving Blair that lead to that genius promotional display (see above) in an NYC storefront. Turns out, that window was Stephanie's brainchild.
"I was in the Matthew Williamson store," Stephanie explains, "and the beautiful dress Blair wears in this episode was in the store, and I had this weird, tingly feeling, like, 'I have a secret! I know something about this dress that no one else in this store knows. Wouldn't it be cool if there was a way that we could do something with that?' So I called [Gossip Girl stylist] Eric Daman, and our publicity people got the Matthew Williamson people together on the same page, and we just threw it together in a couple of days, indie-music-video style, like, who's got a TV? We just did it ourselves." Awesome, no?
Check back later today (in the Spoiler Chat) for what Stephanie and Josh said about Gossip Girl's other couples, including Jenny and Nate, and the one you should not be rooting for because you're "barking up the wrong tree."
And don't forget to watch Gossip Girl tonight on the CW to find out what Chuck did!
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Check out our sneak peeks of tonight's episode.