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30 greatest Thanksgiving episodes of all time

ByReed Gaudens|
385848 12: Actors (l-r): Courteney Cox Arquette as Monica Geller and Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay star in NBC's comedy series "Friends" Episode: "The One Where Chandler Doesn''t Like Dogs." (Photo by Warner Bros. Television)
385848 12: Actors (l-r): Courteney Cox Arquette as Monica Geller and Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay star in NBC's comedy series "Friends" Episode: "The One Where Chandler Doesn''t Like Dogs." (Photo by Warner Bros. Television)
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©2009 RAMEY PHOTO US, SOUTH AFRICA, AND AUSTRALIA ONLY! NEW YORK, 10/5/09 LEIGHTON MEESTER, ED WESTWICK, BLAKE LIVELY, AND CHACE CRAWFORD FILMING ‘GOSSIP GIRL’ IN CENTRAL PARK, NY. CPE (Photo by Philip Ramey/Corbis via Getty Images)
©2009 RAMEY PHOTO US, SOUTH AFRICA, AND AUSTRALIA ONLY! NEW YORK, 10/5/09 LEIGHTON MEESTER, ED WESTWICK, BLAKE LIVELY, AND CHACE CRAWFORD FILMING ‘GOSSIP GIRL’ IN CENTRAL PARK, NY. CPE (Photo by Philip Ramey/Corbis via Getty Images)

7. Gossip Girl

Episode: Season 1, Episode 9, “Blair Waldorf Must Pie”

What’s on the menu: In its six-season tenure as television’s leading teen drama, Gossip Girl logged a trio of unforgettable Thanksgiving episodes. Who could forget Blair’s fight for tradition in Season 2 and the awkward dinner conversation in Season 3? But the real crème de la crème, to steal a phrase that Blair has probably said more than once in her life, is the first season’s humble yet revealing offering “Blair Waldorf Must Pie.”

There’s turkey, mashed potatoes, and all the drama that can fill the Upper East Side in Gossip Girl’s first family holiday, and that includes the Humphreys and van der Woodsens sitting around the same table. Dan invites Serena and her family over for dinner when he hears they will be alone, but Dan and Serena aren’t aware of Rufus and Lily’s past relationship. Meanwhile, Blair loses control of her emotions when her father is a no-show for dinner and confesses her secret eating disorder to Serena.

Why we’re thankful for it: Gossip Girl can be known for its extravagant excess, its high society parties, and its unmatched commitment to juicy drama. But “Blair Waldorf Must Pie” was the teen soap’s rare moment of honesty. Sure, the requisite melodrama was served right next to the mashed (as the Humphreys refer to potatoes), though we’re more privy to the inner workings of each other characters than usual. A vulnerable and insecure Blair Waldorf? You have to see it to believe it. Also, the episode features an oh-so 2007 feel-good montage set to a Vanessa Carlton song.

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