I don’t know about you but I was obsessed with Gossip Girl when I was a teenager. I even had a poster hanging on my bathroom wall for the longest time. Like, longer than I care to admit. Gossip Girl got teenage girls to aspire to be confident like Blair yet carefree like Serena. All done while wearing glamorous designer clothes with Manhattan as the backdrop.
It’s nice to see that as an adult, the show still has a hold on me. Thankfully, the show hasn’t dated the same way others from that time have. The fashion (for the most part) is still glamorous and there aren’t any cringe-worthy slang words. The only outdated part was the cell phones, especially when Gossip Girl decided to promote the Windows phones. And we all know how well that did. But full disclosure, I did have a Windows phone and felt like I was cool. At least for a hot minute.
I Have a Lot of Questions
I never noticed this before but there are a lot of plot holes in Gossip Girl. Here’s a shortened version of the questions I’m still asking:
Why did Serena’s confession of “I killed someone” get brushed off so casually? No one even really cared about it but someone died. The only person who really cared about this was Serena. And her guilt only lasted an episode. Unless you count Blair bringing it back up when she’s trying to get into Yale.
How are they all able to drink at bars when they’re high schoolers? They might be rich and famous but underage drinking is still illegal.
What happened to college? Most of the group end up going to Colombia. But it didn’t seem like they ever went back after their sophomore year. Instead, it just seems like they forget about college and go straight to work. Why did we see them all work so hard to get into college if they’d just forget it later?
How does Nate become editor-in-chief (and seemingly owner) of an entire company as a 20-year-old college dropout? I get his grandfather has connections but, seriously?
Why does Blair always go back to Chuck? I’ll talk about this more later but he was literally the worst boyfriend ever. But she always forgave him for being a monster.
The Big Questions
How is Dan Gossip Girl?! Even Penn Badgely doesn’t think it makes sense. If they revealed he was Gossip Girl in season two, I may have believed it. But there were too many instances that proved he wasn’t. Like when he looked surprised after seeing a blast. Despite the fact that he was alone. Then, he asked for Gossip Girl’s help in season four. It’s just ridiculous. It should’ve just been Dorota. Or at least Eric.
Why did Lily (and everyone else) forgive William for giving her fake cancer? I’m not saying that Lily should’ve ended up with Rufus though. They just had too many problems between them to work out but William’s worst. He literally faked her cancer for months. Yet, he somehow ends up with Lily in the end?
A Destructive Culture
I remember being instantly captivated by Chuck and Blair’s manipulative ways. In addition to finding the Upper East Siders’ lives especially interesting. Especially compared to my dull monotonous life. Looking back on it now, I realize it would be exhausting. Although entertaining to watch, it’d be difficult to live in a world where you’re constantly being manipulated.
More than that, that kind of environment is unhealthy and destructive. A prime example would be the entire plot of Ivy Dickens. She was assumingly a normal person beforehand. But jumping into that world destroyed her personal life and her reputation. The same goes for little Jenny Humphrey. So, imagine that being your world; people are manipulative, everyone’s dressed in all-designer garb, and you’re just trying to keep up.
Queen B
In addition to that, there’s Queen B and the culture of high school cliques. It’s a hierarchy culture that excludes others over arbitrary details. For no other reason other than they can. And no one did that better than Blair Waldorf. Not to mention that all the Upper East Siders are the definition of privilege.
Romantic Relationships
Almost everyone’s dated each other by the end of the show. But there were certain ships with a lot of hardcore fans in the end. Teenage-me included. I was one of many ‘Chair’ shippers, AKA Chuck and Blair. As an adult, I realize that Chuck was really just a sympathetic asshole. He had a myriad of family problems so it’s obvious where he gets it from. But he doesn’t have a great track record. I mean, he did try to rape Jenny as a freshman and literally trade Blair for a hotel. But I will say, if I could change things, I’d let Chuck end up with Eva if not alone. Looking at it now, he actually did seem like a pretty decent guy when he was with her.
In addition to that, I was always more of a Nate and Serena fan when the show was still on. I can’t say I’ve really changed my mind seven years later. I also always thought of Dan and Blair as a brief aberration because it was treated as such. As an adult, I’m borderline obsessed with them together. Dan is as great of a guy to Blair as Nate is to Serena. The fact that I never understood that before is mind-blowing. But then again, the writers didn’t keep Dan and Blair for all that long. I always hated the fact that Serena “cheated” on Nate. Even though she didn’t technically cheat. All she did was fall asleep with Dan. And I was too obsessed with how dramatic Chuck and Blair’s relationship was to notice how terrible Chuck really was.
Serena and Nate v. Serena and Dan
If I had the choice to change the show in terms of relationships, Nate would’ve ended up with Serena. Nate’s practically an angel when compared to everyone else on the show. He deserves to be with Serena, who he’s been in love with since before the show started. But I will say it still makes sense that Dan ended up with Serena. After all, the series starts with the introduction of “Lonely Boy” (AKA Dan). And he also has been in love with Serena for a long time. But Nate and Serena’s relationship was also pretty short-lived. When we finally did see them together, it was great. Especially when Nate stayed in the hospital after her car accident.
Dan and Blair
Also, Dan and Blair would’ve ended up together if it were up to me. It’s crazy that it took me that long to realize that Dan and Blair actually have a lot in common. Even though Blair makes it very clear in the beginning how much she doesn’t like him. But Dan was there for her after her disastrous wedding with Prince Louis. And when it ended, he treated her like an actual princess (pictured above as a reference). That is, by the way how someone should treat their significant other. And if it weren’t already obvious, it’s the exact opposite of how Chuck treated Blair.
Could ‘Gossip Girl’ Exist Today?
If the show existed today, there’s no way viewers would let Chuck get away with what he’s done. Especially with the feminist movement that’s only getting stronger today. Other than a few things, the show hasn’t aged that much. Arguably, it could work today. However, there are a few things that would need to change. Namely, the dated technology, Chuck’s treatment of women, and the exclusion of diverse characters (in both race and sexuality).
Luckily for us hardcore GG fans, it’s coming back! It won’t be exactly the same for obvious reasons but I’m excited to see how different it will be. Especially since it’s updating with a more diverse cast of characters. Most of the main cast of the OG GG were white as well as straight. The new trivial will consist of LGBTQ+ storylines, which the show severely lacked prior. I mean, we had Eric, but that wasn’t nearly enough, in my opinion. Even though we probably won’t see iconic characters like Blair Waldorf, the plus side is that rebooted Gossip Girl will have the same OG showrunners and it’s getting a much-needed update. Now, maybe a new generation of teenagers will become obsessed with the newly rebooted Gossip Girl in 2020.
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