This week on Non-Judging Breakfast Pod, Leif and Steve break down Gossip Girl Season 4, Episode 17: “Empire of the Son,” an episode packed with daddy issues, secret affidavits, emotional implosions, and one very frozen kiss. From Bart Bass’s legacy of trauma to Serena’s worst decision-making instincts, the guys unpack one of the most pivotal episodes of Season 4.

With corporate warfare at the Empire, friendships tested, and a romantic line crossed that can’t be uncrossed, this episode marks a major tonal shift as the show heads into a long hiatus.

1. Is Bart Bass really dead… or just Gossip Girl dead?
2. How long can Dan and Blair pretend this was “just curiosity”?
3. What happens now that Lily has turned herself in?
4. Is Serena about to pivot straight back into old patterns?

1. Steve: B+
2. Leif: B (upgraded to a B+ emotionally once Ben exits the chat)

“Empire of the Son” is a turning-point episode—emotionally heavier, more character-driven, and finally rewarding long-term tension (even if it leaves us painfully blue-balled). With major reveals, evolving dynamics, and the promise of chaos ahead, this is peak Gossip Girl momentum heading into hiatus.

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🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your pods.

📱 Follow us on Threads, IG & X @NonJudgingPod

🧇 Leave a review if you love waffles and wild plot twists

🔗 http://nonjudginbreakfastpod.com

🔗 http://njbpod.captivate.fm/discord

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Produced by Leif Capicola and Steve Marchion.

Edited and mixed by Leif Capicola.

The Gossip Girl Theme Performed By Steve Marchion.

This week on The Non-Judging Breakfast Pod, Leif and Steve dive into Gossip Girl Season 4, Episode 16, “While You Weren’t Sleeping.” With nonstop Rolling Stones references, drug-filled tulips, and a chaotic Upper East Side birthday party, this episode packs in classic Gossip Girl excess.

The hosts break down Blair’s unraveling at W, Dan accidentally becoming a drug mule, and Eric’s $100,000 birthday problem. They also unpack Chuck and Lily’s corporate espionage scheme, Nate’s accidental seduction of Raina Thorpe, and Serena once again choosing family over logic.

Plus:

1. A behind-the-scenes shoutout from director Norman Buckley
2. Why Dan & Blair’s chemistry is the emotional core of the episode
3. Damien Dalgaard’s final, audacious play
4. Vanessa’s perfectly timed (and deeply annoying) return
5. Rolling Stones Easter eggs you probably missed
6. Episode grades, Stockwatch, and a trip to the Television Without Pity forums

Is this the episode where Dair truly begins? And is Ben… actually terrifying? Grab a mimosa and settle in.

XO, XO—Non-Judging Breakfast Pod ☕🥐

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🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your pods.

📱 Follow us on Threads, IG & X @NonJudgingPod

🧇 Leave a review if you love waffles and wild plot twists

🔗 http://nonjudginbreakfastpod.com

🔗 http://njbpod.captivate.fm/discord

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Produced by Leif Capicola and Steve Marchion.

Edited and mixed by Leif Capicola.

The Gossip Girl Theme Performed By Steve Marchion.

☕️ The coffee is strong, the waffles are fresh, and the Gossip Girl discourse is heated.

This week, Leif and Steve recap Season 4, Episode 15 of Gossip Girl, originally aired on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2011. Loosely inspired by the classic film It Happened One Night, the episode sends Serena and Ben on the road, Blair into full social-climbing overdrive, and the rest of the Upper East Side into various states of romantic confusion.

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🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your pods.

📱 Follow us on Threads, IG & X @NonJudgingPod

🧇 Leave a review if you love waffles and wild plot twists

🔗 http://nonjudginbreakfastpod.com

🔗 http://njbpod.captivate.fm/discord

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Produced by Leif Capicola and Steve Marchion.

Edited and mixed by Leif Capicola.

The Gossip Girl Theme Performed By Steve Marchion.