[s2e18] The Age Of Dissonance -

The loss of Yale forces Blair into a rare moment of self-reflection, admitting she has no one to blame but herself for her life falling apart .

The episode’s title and play-within-a-play are direct homages to Edith Wharton’s novel, paralleling the rigid social codes of the Gilded Age with those of the modern Upper East Side . [S2E18] The Age of Dissonance

Nate becomes jealous of Vanessa's interaction with Julian, leading to a fight where Vanessa criticizes Nate's lack of varied interests . They eventually reconcile while watching The Age of Innocence together, though they begin to realize they may have very little in common . The loss of Yale forces Blair into a

Serena develops a crush on the play’s pretentious director, Julian . She enlists Vanessa’s help to appear more "intellectual" to impress him, only for Julian to eventually reveal he is gay—a fact Serena finds more humorous than heartbreaking . They eventually reconcile while watching The Age of

Blair receives devastating news that Nelly Yuki has been accepted into Yale instead of her . She discovers that her admission was rescinded after an anonymous tip informed the school of her previous hazing of Ms. Carr . Convinced Vanessa ratted her out, Blair launches a "witch-hunt," only to eventually realize that her own past conniving behavior led to her downfall .

Despite agreeing to stay away from each other, Dan and Ms. Carr continue their illicit affair . Rufus discovers their relationship after finding a key to Rachel's apartment . The tryst ends when Dan realizes Rachel was the one who sabotaged Blair's Yale dreams; he confronts her for being "worse" than Blair because she is an adult who should have had more integrity .