List of Gossip Girl characters
Carter Baizen
### Carter Baizen

Portrayed by [Sebastian Stan](/wiki/Sebastian_Stan "Sebastian Stan") in seasons one, two and three, Carter Baizen was a St. Jude's graduate and rival of Nate and Chuck. It is mentioned that he turned his back on his parents and so was left without a trust fund and was forced to take matters into his own hands by shaping his own future, something that Carter reveals to Serena a week before the cotillion. In the second season, Carter resurfaces in New York with the mysterious Elle but ends up being involved with Blair and sleeps with her, contributing to her downward spiral. He soon leaves New York as Serena and Chuck intervene. In the second season finale, Carter returns to New York to tell Serena that he has found her father. During the premiere of season three, it is discovered that he and Serena spent their summer in Europe in pursuit of her father. In light of Serena's failure to capture her father's attention, Carter reveals his feelings to Serena and they share a kiss. Their relationship ends when it is revealed that he left Bree Buckley's cousin at the altar, earning the wrath of the Buckleys as Bree has her cousins called in during Rufus and Lily's wedding to bring Carter to Texas to work in an oil field to pay off his debt. Serena then gambles on a high\-stakes poker game for Carter's freedom and fails. She then takes matters into her own hands and has him freed but Carter refuses to resume their relationship, saying that he would have preferred it if Serena didn't save him so that he could make amends and leaves. Carter resumes his habit of lying when he informs Serena of her father's definite location. Serena disappears with him, which creates a strain in her relationship with Nate. Serena later finds out that he had known about where her father was since before they began dating, but had been delaying the information from her in order to get closer to her. She then forces him out of the limo.


Why was Carter Baizen forced to take matters into his own hands?