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“If you have a good relationship with your family, they help you through problems,” Safran says. From Aki and Audrey’s experimentation (“We’re going to be too busy f-ing Max, anyway!”) to Max’s situation with Rafa, the secrets spilled out like gravy over a mountain of mashed potatoes, gradually drowning everyone until they were all forced to confront their darkest truths - including how Davis kept Nick from seeing Zoya’s mother when she gave birth, thus robbing Nick one last chance to see her before she died. I used to watch movies with the sound off, because it really teaches you if the story is being told.”īut the centerpiece of this episode was undoubtedly the dinner. “When they realize they’re not, they both shift over to opposite sides of the frame. “The camera comes around them and they’re both in the center of the frame, because they think they’re communicating clearly,” he explains. In addition to employing new techniques he’d yet to try, Safran also drew inspiration from some of the greats, admitting that he “robbed Spike Lee a little bit” for Julien and Zoya’s tense phone call about Obie. “I love farce, so I was like, ‘How can I make this the play I wish I had written at Tisch?'” he tells TVLine.
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The inherent drama (with a side of comedy) baked into this dinner was precisely why showrunner Joshua Safran chose to make it his Gossip Girl directorial debut.