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Kate and Camille's fight in the 'Gossip Girl' Season 1 finale influences a lot of Season 2.

Confused About Kate's Deal With Julien? Here's A Gossip Girl Refresher

Did anyone else kind of forget about this?

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Season 2 of Gossip Girl premiered almost exactly one year after Season 1’s final episode, but in the world of the show, no time has passed at all. The season’s first episode picks up immediately after last season’s holiday party, where the fallen-from-grace Julien made a mysterious deal with Gossip Girl. So when the specifics of that deal are finally explained in the Season 2 premiere, it’s only been minutes for Julien and GG, but a whole year of waiting for the show’s eager fans. Because of that, you might need a refresher of why Kate is so adamant on taking down Camille in Gossip Girl Season 2.

Spoiler alert: This post discusses plot details from Episodes 1 and 2 of Gossip Girl Season 2. First, let’s lay out the terms of Kate and Julien’s secret deal. Julien agreed to send a laundry list of dirt on all her friends to Gossip Girl (with some fake gossip mixed in to throw anyone suspicious off her scent), but GG had one special condition: She wanted a tip that would take down Monet’s powerful mother, Camille de Haan. Even superfans might have forgotten about Camille, since she only appeared in two scenes last season, but she’s a very large presence in Season 2.

The reason Kate is so ferociously single-minded on ruining Camille goes back to their fight in Season 1’s finale. When Kate tried to charge Camille for the cab ride she took to return some jewelry for the socialite, Camille viciously dressed her down, calling her a “glorified babysitter” and telling her she should be thankful for her low-paying job at Constance Billard.

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The infuriating moment is what inspired Kate to resurrect Gossip Girl, so it only makes sense that Camille would be her primary target this time around. And the feud between the two only gets worse and worse in Season 2. As a result of the heated exchange, Camille began punishing the Constance Billard teachers by throwing her never-ending funds at luxury perks for the students, leaving the teachers with nothing. Kate even found out that Camille used her money to bribe teachers into giving her daughter higher grades.

So, just like Julien and Monet became bitter rivals in Season 2, so too have Kate and Camille. Wow, the de Haan family really knows how to make some powerful enemies.