Disclaimer: This review is for Seasons 1-3 of “Gossip Girl”. Spoilers are included.
And who am I?
That’s one secret I’ll never tell.
These two iconic lines from the opening monologue of “Gossip Girl” influenced the history of teen dramas from the early 2010s onwards. Amassing a fanbase with millions of viewers worldwide, the show won 18 Teen Choice Awards, declaring its place as a top leader in entertainment for its time.
“Gossip Girl”, based on the book written by Cecily von Ziegesar, was released on Sept. 19, 2007, and was created by producer Josh Schwartz and writer Stephanie Savage. Ziesgar’s series sold over four million copies and got on The New York Times Best Sellers list in 2002.
With six seasons, 121 episodes and over a million viewers per season, there’s no denying that it was one of the most popular teen dramas of its time and its influence is still known today. Within days of being released on Netflix, “Gossip Girl” rose to the top 10 in views.
But beyond the glamor and money, the one secret it will tell you is this: growing up can be messy and complicated.
Even for Upper East Side socialites, loneliness is a hidden virus that can affect anyone, one that money can’t touch. This is proven by Serena’s insistence on belonging, Blair’s desperate attempts to remain on top, Chuck’s scandalous nights at the bar and Dan’s irrefutable reputation as “lonely boy.” The amount of money they have cannot hide their need for a purpose, and I thought that was brilliantly executed throughout the series.
From Episode 1, Serena van der Woodsen returns from her boarding school adventures and makes her presence known again in the halls of Constance High School, a prestigious school for the elite. Meanwhile, Gossip Girl, an anonymous blogger makes their daring entry into the school.
When I first watched Serena in Season 1, I knew she would make a big, lasting impact on the series. Once she entered the scene, the dynamics of Constance changed. Her reputation was unlike others. She was admired for her mysterious past and effortless charm, and she was very held on a higher pedestal than the rest of her peers. This is why, for the rest of Season 1, I was very drawn to her character. I was also drawn to the allure of Gossip Girl, seeing as they shared some of the same qualities as Serena; that being secretive. Gossip Girl was somebody I questioned – I loved the idea of having an anonymous blogger spill the secrets of the elite to the rest of the world. Gossip Girl made me question what secret they would soon reveal next – would it be something tragic or infuriating? Each scandal grew increasingly worse than the first, either revealing a hidden truth or a disastrous lie.
At first, I didn’t like Dan Humphrey’s character starting from the third episode. I didn’t like the way he talked or the way his character was depicted. He seemed bland and he didn’t add anything interesting to the series. However, Blair Waldorf was the opposite. Every second with her was drama-induced and I couldn’t get enough of it. She was quite literally impossible to ignore with her constant schemes. As for Nate Archibald, to me, he was a guy with a good-looking smile and looks, but he seemed to be in the background more than at the forefront of the drama with Blair and Serena. For example, when Blair invited Jenny Humphrey to the annual Waldorf sleepover, she didn’t invite Jenny with pure intentions, she wanted her gone. With some subtle persuasion from Blair, the night ultimately resulted in Jenny stealing from Blair’s mothers store, getting her in trouble with the cops.
This was the beginning of Blair’s schemes, and definitely not the end of it. Not only was this season full of lies and deceit, it was full of secret sincerity as well.
With a love child added to the mix between Lily Bart and Rufus Humphrey, season two only got more complicated than the last. Speaking of messy, Bart Bass “passed” away in a tragic car accident, leading Chuck, his only son, to inherit his large empire – and what was that saying? With great power comes great responsibilities? Chuck must live up to his father’s expectations and navigate something he’s never done before seriously – relationships, which are the source of problems in young adults.
During season 2, the relationship between Blair and Chuck only served to confuse me. They shifted from enemies, to friends and lovers. It would’ve been better to stick to one trope, rather than three.
After ending childish feuds from high school in Season 3, Blair attempted to dominate unfamiliar territory as the “Queen Bee” at New York University while trying to mend her relationship with Chuck. As she adjusted to the new environment, she faced unexpected foes in her reign to be the leader. On the contrary, Serena tried to find her identity, who she truly was. On this path to self-identity, Serena found something meaningful to be – a publicist. As a teenager going through highschool, I found these scenes relatable. Blair struggling to fit in is a common theme occurring not just in college, but also in highschool as well, common with people of my age. I felt like the scenes were very well thought out, and the execution was great as well. I could feel the character’s emotions bleeding through the screen, which I enjoyed.
While Blair was the leader in Constance, she became a follower in NYU. She struggled to fit in, which never happened to her before. I found that was interesting, seeing her fight to the top from the bottom. While Blair was trying to fit in, Chuck was attempting to adjust to a life without his father. Maintaining his status as CEO, he tries to find a new meaning to Bass Industries and create something new from the company to “impress” his father. I personally thought that Chuck losing his father was necessary to further progress his character development. Without his father’s death, he wouldn’t have experienced what he did, and learned from his previous mistakes. Then, he used those past experiences to somewhat fix his relationship with Blair.
“Gossip Girl” is undoubtedly one of my favorite classics from the late 2000s. With the mix of teenage angst, drama and relationships blooming throughout the series, I never got bored. Every second mattered, and I couldn’t resist watching the series from the beginning until the end. As always, there’s more to the story than what meets the eye, and the secrets, betrayals and lies come back to bite you in “Gossip Girl”.
And who am I? That’s one secret I’ll never tell.
You know me,
XOXO Gossip Girl
