Gossip Girl Season 4 Episode 1: Dan's Baby, Blair's Heartache & Why You Need to Watch Next Week

Gossip Girl season 4 episode 1, cleverly entitled Belles de Jour, premiered Monday night on the CW. As a brand spankin' new Gossip Girl groupie who got her first-ever glimpse of Blair, Serena, Chuck, Dan and the rest of the socially savvy circle just a week ago, I'm too out of the loop to give a detailed review of the show. What I can give, however, are the great reasons to love this CW young adult hit, and a quick and dirty recap of the season premiere. You game? Read on.

Three Reasons to Love Gossip Girl

The Fashion is fab. It's like Dancing with the Stars sans spray tans, a herd of C-List celebs and, well, dancing. It's chock full of pretty people, amazing clothes, and perfectly coiffed do's. If wardrobe inspiration is your game, get your creative juices flowing with a peek at Serena or Blair's latest wardrobe winner.

The Characters don't suck. The CW doesn't have a great track record of late when it comes to creating shows that feature good, solid acting. Ahem, 90210, anyone? The Gossip Girl circle may be spoiled rotten and completely out of touch with reality, but they're believable. And the actors bring them to life with an impeccability that's largely unmatched; I have to go back to my other favorite GG show - Gilmore Girls - to find role playing that can match it.

Kristen Bell. She may not be an on-screen member of the Gossip Girl family, but you've gotta admit it: Veronica Mars is just about the coolest pick ever for a narrator. Can't you just see her clawing some chick's eyes out or stabbing someone in the back? Hiss!

So what happened during the Gossip Girl season 4 premiere?

Okay, so now that you know why you should be watching Gossip Girl, here's a quick look at the major storyline developments from the season 4 premiere. Blair and Serena enjoyed their summer in Paris, but shining star Serena had more fun with the Frenchmen than her bestie; substantially more fun. The duo met with a royal and his driver for a night out on the town, which ended with an unpleasant surprise for Blair and a 'fall' into a fountain for Serena after Blair revealed that she knew Serena planned to attend Columbia. But don't worry: They made up before hour's end as Blair shared her heartache over Chuck, and Blair blasted the college news Gossip Girl style. Meanwhile, Georgina moved in with Dan so the duo could take care of their infant son, Milo, and forced an awkward introduction of grandson to grandparents by crashing a party across the bridge. Dan's dad doubted his son's parentage, but it seems to be the real deal.

Chuck, who had been missing throughout the premiere, finally surfaced during the last five minutes of the premiere. Rescued and cared for by a Frenchwoman, he disowned his previous identity - symbolically removing his initial ring and dropping it on the floor - and assumed a new name: Henry. He and the lady moved to Paris, setting up future fireworks with ex Blair.

Miss Gossip Girl season 4 episode 1? Don't make the same mistake next week when episode 2 hits the airwaves!