Gossip Girl: The Original Series

[MCMLXXVII]

I just started re-watching after only seeing season 1 and a couple episodes of season 2 in the original run. 

I remember Chuck attempting to rape Serena and Jenny in the pilot, but wooooow am I finding Blair’s Asian and Black “ladies in waiting” problematic as heck as well.

And the constant “slut-shaming”! How were we so unwoke just 11 years ago?

I’m just going to treat this like dark comedy like most of Cruel Intentions.

On the positive side, I LOVED Serena’s yellow Ralph Lauren bridesmaid gown then and now. I spent ages looking for a cheaper version of the purple & cream pinstriped blazer I think she wears in early season 2. They made  a Lauren version a few seasons  later, but by then I accepted that I’m not built like Blake Lively.

Edited November 12, 2018 by MCMLXXVII

[MCMLXXVII]

Up to 3:10 and quite impressed that they got Lady Gaga right as “Bad Romance” dropped.

 

Up to 3:19- I was never really into Dan, but the longer fuller hair is so flattering! He looks like a Renaissance painting. Maybe the actor’s been working out too, but it’s mostly the hair.

Also, I’m always worried their champagne is going flat being poured and not always drunk right away.

Edited November 22, 2018 by MCMLXXVII

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Kevin Zegers, who played Damian Daalgard, guest starred on this week's episode of Dirty John S01.E02). He played Toby, the nephew of the show's main character Debra (Connie Britton).

Since Gossip Girl, he has also played Owen on Gracepoint (the American adaptation of Broadchurch), Oscar on Notorious, Alec in Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, and Mel on Fear the Walking Dead.

[Cache]

Just discovered the UK show Skins and wish I'd discovered it before slogging through the final couple seasons of GG...

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Jessica Szohr and Leighton Meester are on S2 of The Orville! Jessica says she still misses Gossip Girl:

[MCMLXXVII]

I’m finished! Finally! 

Odd that “Real Housewives of NY” was never mentioned, or other NY-based reality tv, and Page Six, etc. since they would have totally crossed paths with the fictional GG characters.

The fashion stayed consistently fun, I’m curious if it was auctioned off afterwards or borrowed, or whatever.

Also, Brooklyn (The Humphreys area of Williamsburg at least) had gotten more desirable and almost as expensive as the UES over the course of the show because gentrification, so after awhile all the “poor kid from Brooklyn” stuff became truly laughable like they were still in the NY of “Do The Right Thing” or whatever. 

Edited March 2, 2019 by MCMLXXVII

[lembergwatcher]

I do like Jenny and Vanessa no matter how unpopular this opinion might be. And I don't care whether the majority of fandom hates those two or not.

If it's ok for someone like Blair to be snobbish, bitchy, mean and rude 24/7 (with rare displays of kindness), how on earth do those same qualities make Little J a monster? Does anyone really expect Jenny to just do nothing but cry silently in the bathroom after Blair chose the other girl to be an object of her constant vengeance? Are people so pissed off at Jenny just because some upstart from Brooklyn dared to challenge Her Majesty Queen B. herself? Last time I checked the monarchy was abolished.

Also I don't quite understand the whole Blair/Chuck hype. Is it really so "lovely" when two elitist sociopaths band together to ruin other people's lives?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Dan was not originally supposed to be Gossip Girl

At this year's Vulture Festival, Joshua Safran said that he originally wanted Eric to be Gossip Girl.

Quote

"We worked hard to kind of lay in tiny seeds about it being Eric, and then the NY Post wrote an article saying that Gossip Girl was Eric so we were like, 'We gotta scratch that.'

Then...one of the writers realized that Nate had never sent a tip in to Gossip Girl, which is true at least through the end of Season 5. Nate never sent in a tip in through all of those episodes, which is when we're like, 'Oh, well then he's Gossip Girl.'"

[slf]

On 11/13/2019 at 2:55 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Dan was not originally supposed to be Gossip Girl

At this year's Vulture Festival, Joshua Safran said that he originally wanted Eric to be Gossip Girl.

Gee, writers, excellent decision to prioritize shock value over coherent storytelling.

The Netflix summary for Badgley's new show about a violent psychopath You is: boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, boy obsesses over girl- how far will boy go to get girl? And, hilariously, you could almost describe GG the same way because of the finale. 

[DanaMB]

I’m only on season 4 so I haven’t read the posts Here to avoid spoilers, but I just had to post my thoughts so far. Some of this is so ridiculous and over the top. Now, I didn’t grow up on the Upper East Side, but I find it crazy that these minors can just show up at bars and be served multiple alcoholic drinks. Also, I can’t believe these men who are 18+ dating (and having sex with!) these underage high school girls. It’s crazy. I know it’s based on a book and the author’s experiences, but with the situations they put these characters in, I feel like the show should have placed them in college from the beginning. Just my thoughts. 

[DanaMB]

And now Nate is dating/fucking a 17 year old while he is 21 and running the Spectator. This show... I think if I wasn’t able to watch so much in one sitting I’d have given up a long time ago. Now I feel like I need to see it through to the end.  

[Anela]

I've made it to season four, I don't know why, because the characters annoy me - Blair is the only one I like now, which I didn't expect. 

[Anela]

I also agree that Dan shouldn't have been GG, because of the times he was alone, and shocked by a post. I went in knowing who it supposedly was - it would have made a bit more sense if he set it up, and was working with someone else, so there were two of them. 

Also: why did GG stop paying attention to Blair, until she visited the second University? 

[Hannah94]

I know I am late to the game....just started watching this show a few weeks ago and in season 3 now. OMFG how many times can Serena authentically profess "I have never felt this way about anyone"? She literally "feels that way" about every guy she bangs on this show. *Perpetually rolling my eyes at this nonsense*. That said, I love Blair and Chuck, perfect balance. Why am I watching this show? It's so shallow and dumb, yet I cannot look away. 

[Athena]

I recently thought about this show and am doing a light rewatch. I am watching S1 now and the fashion, music, and editing do show its age and time. I'm still in love with most Blair's wardrobe though and her style was more classic so you could still work some of that stuff now. 

I found an article from Vox in 2017 which marked the 10th anniversary of the show and discussed the devolution of the show from S1. It even has quotes from the TWOP forum which I remember from that time. I think the article summarized my own thoughts about the legacy of show and what I felt about it at the time and since. 

[jade.black]

I am SUPER late to the game here, but I just finished six seasons of this show in an obsessive binge and have many thoughts and no one to share them with (since it's 2020 and they're not relevant anymore). 

I really started the series because I figured I'd hardcore ship Chuck & Blair, which I did, and it was the motivating factor in my love for the show. I am so happy that they consistently wrote the two of them as soulmates through the whole series (unlike most shows where the couples will have other serious relationships and you think they might have dropped the pairing- even Pacey and Joey the first year of college seemed done for good). I was pleasantly surprised their pairing happened so quickly in season 1 and never quit from there on out. They never let you forget that Chuck & Blair had a connection, even during Raina, Dan, Louis, Eva... Plus, I loved the little touches of Chuck and Blair remembering all the tiny details about each other that showed they appreciated one another for who they were, not just for their connection ("You obviously don't know Chuck, he has a thing for roofs", "Blair, you're wearing your beret, who are we spying on?" and so on).

My main issue was that they seemed afraid to write them together, officially, and it suffered for that in that later seasons. I thought Chuck/Blair in seasons 1, 2, and 4 (return of their rivalry, hate sex leading to real sex, realizing they're still in love- I actually thought season 4 was beautiful) were fantastic, and the first half of season 5 as well, but in seasons 3, second half of 5, and 6 it was a mess. It seemed like Chuck's speech to Blair in season 2 (one of my fave scenes) about why they couldn't be together (the games will end, Chuck & Blair don't go to movies/hold hands, etc) was meta- the writers basically saying that the couple won't be the same once they're actually a couple. And I was fine with them holding off for those first two seasons, because somehow it wasn't tiring, and their chemistry and sexual tension was incredible. I expected them to do a good job of writing them together in season 3, but I actually thought season 3 was the worst writing-wise overall. I liked that they were written as functional together (pre-hotel incident), but somehow everyone's lines just seemed off. Blair all of a sudden came off a bit like a caricature with the NYU stuff, I didn't buy the hotel plot, hated that Chuck was about to rush a proposal in a hotel lobby in the finale. I just didn't enjoy the way the relationship was written... I thought maybe it was the whole transition out of high school that was hurting it, but then season 4 felt back to normal quality again. 

The trajectory of the relationship felt on point until the car crash halfway through season 5 and then the writing just took such a nosedive. I didn't even hate Dan/Blair as an idea (and the two had chemistry), I just hated how they got there. Blair made a pact with God? Um, what? That's literally the best they could come up with to keep Chuck and Blair apart? Then all the bullshit about how Chuck needs to destroy his father in season 6? I even thought Blair's backing out after the Heaven & Hell ball (and after that beautiful kiss on the balcony in front of the crowd) because she wanted to be successful without him was reaching. They just kept throwing nonsensical obstacles in the way despite the fact that both Chuck and Blair at various times had been ready to put everything aside to commit- it just never could be at the same time. 

While I'm glad they ended up together, the last season was a wreck (I'll detail their ending in my overall complaints about season 6 in a minute), but they were by far the most wildly enjoyable couple I've ever watched on TV and had the most insane chemistry, so the show has my love forever for giving us that. There was like a magnetic field there and every bit of emotion and body language those actors put out just nailed it. 

Unfortunately, most of the cast didn't have the same type of charisma and I found most of their plots tedious. Leighton Meester and Penn Badgely (as separate entities) had the best comedic delivery out of the whole cast, so they were enjoyable to watch for that. Dan as a character though really suffered as the series went on, but I see that the majority of people overwhelmingly agree with me, so no need to detail that! I actually did like Jenny, helped by the fact that she also had my favorite style on the whole show (the goth/rocker look is my aesthetic), and she was the only actress I missed a bit after she left. Vanessa was a joyless black hole, I wish she'd been more like her book counterpart. Nate was so pretty and I will say I enjoyed him as probably the most decent person out of the bunch- his friendships (with Dan and Chuck primarily, but with the main cast of girls as well) were my favorites to watch. I never bought Blair and Serena as great friends with the amount of backstabbing and the absolute bare minimum they had in common. 

Blake Lively just never had the chemistry and sparkle that the mythical Serena van der Woodsen should have had. Between her trademark mumbly delivery (she always sounded drunk) and her blank acting, I couldn't get into her character at all. She was best with Nate, but even Nate I preferred with Jenny. I can totally relate to being flighty, and I understand her character and the whole "so pretty/magnetic I never need to work for anything, can string guys along, etc etc" and even thought she sold being a sweet person despite all of that in the early seasons, but by season 5 somehow she'd just turned into a gigantic bitch. There were multiple times in the last two seasons that I just couldn't reconcile the scheming Serena was doing with who she'd been earlier on, so I guess her ending up with Dan was fitting in that sense.

Honestly, despite the weak second half of season 5 and my lack of love for season 3, I thought they'd manage to tie up season 6 nicely despite only having 10 episodes, but what the hell was that?! It was just so BORING. First, bringing Bart Bass back from the dead was not only unnecessary, it cheapened the trauma and growth that Chuck went through trying to cope when Bart initially had died. They wasted the majority of the season on filler- Stephen and Sage? Ivy? Why?- instead of working towards a satisfying ending involving the characters that actually mattered. Then, the last two episodes were a total rush job trying to get everybody in place for their conclusion. What the actual fuck was that action-movie bit with Bart Bass falling off the roof ending they did in the penultimate? Like, the music was even so cheesy that for a minute I wondered if Blair was having one of her cinematic fever dreams. Then, after spending six seasons keeping their main couple apart for increasingly unbelievable and aggravating reasons, they just marry them off in a two minute ceremony so they can't testify against each other? Come on. They totally had earned a wedding by season 6, they could have written a finale based around it in SO many better ways after spending the first 9 episodes with appropriate buildup. I even would have liked to see some of the other endgame couples develop a bit more (Georgina and Jack, for one! What a perfect match!). So yeah, this was overall a crazy enjoyable ride, but I'm still left feeling disappointed in what could have been more. Ugh. 

ETA: Two minor details I forgot to mention- It drove me nuts that they never showed Chuck with his shirt off (I assume because of Ed Westwick's tattoos?). It just looked so silly when he'd lay down next to Blair, who would be wearing a silk nighty, and he'd still be in his full suit complete with socks (or worse, those long sleeve pajamas they put him in sometimes).

Also, I actually paused my TV to read one of Dan's great literary works- the story about Charlie Trout in s2 or s3- and it was just TERRIBLE. Like horribly written. So that's always added another layer to the absurdity of Dan becoming some kind of best selling author, haha.

Edited October 20, 2020 by jade.black

[Scarlett45]

@jade.black thanks for sharing your thoughts with us! Maybe Ed didn’t want to be shirtless, you can always over tattoos with makeup (a nit pick I know). 
 

I think Blake Lively has gotten to be an better actor as the years have gone on (I did like The Age of Adeline quite a bit), but I think she was hired because the woman can.wear. Fucking clothes!!!! Her figure is absolutely perfect for capturing the clothes on film- her height and her proportions are so nice, she’s not super skinny (at least on camera) so she fills out the outfits, add that in her with face being gorgeous and her blond hair......it was all about the clothes with Serena for me. 
 

Leighton was the best actress out of the bunch, I did like her season 1 scenes with Ed quite a bit. You could tell they were having fun. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Aaron Tveit singing In His Eyes from Jekyll and Hyde at Miscast 21:

 

[Indigo Luna]

On 12/6/2020 at 10:38 PM, Scarlett45 said:

@jade.black thanks for sharing your thoughts with us! Maybe Ed didn’t want to be shirtless, you can always over tattoos with makeup (a nit pick I know).

If i'm remembering correctly there was an article/interview with Ed during the filming of season 2 and the big issue was that Ed didn't want to wax his chest like the other guys, and the execs didn't want any of the male cast to have chest hair. 

[Primal Slayer]

4 minutes ago, Indigo Luna said:

If i'm remembering correctly there was an article/interview with Ed during the filming of season 2 and the big issue was that Ed didn't want to wax his chest like the other guys, and the execs didn't want any of the male cast to have chest hair. 

Gotta love that execs think that 30 year olds can pass for teens but teens don't have facial or body hair.

[GossipGirl]

Hi, 

i just want to ask if anyone is still watching Gossip Girl.

I want to talk with someone about the show.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Not watching it right now, but I rewatch Seasons 1-2 especially every now and again.  I'll talk about it if I can remember stuff.

[RealHousewife]

Just started watching the show, and I don't get why I heard all this hype about the amazing Chuck Bass. Do I just need to keep watching? I mean, I'm enjoying the show, but he comes across as a jackass. 

On 11/9/2018 at 9:18 PM, MCMLXXVII said:

And the constant “slut-shaming”! How were we so unwoke just 11 years ago?

I'm the type who thinks some people get carried away calling everything slut-shaming, but I noticed that too. Seriously, did I miss something that would make this okay?!

 “You held a certain fascination... when you were beautiful, delicate, and untouched. Now... now you're like the Arabian my father used to own. Rode hard and put away wet. I don't want you anymore, and I can't see why anyone else would.” 

Also, Dan and his dad could pass as brothers. Dan has a mature look for a teen, and his dad looks very youthful. They're only 17 years apart IRL. 

Blair Waldorf is disgustingly cute and has adorable fashion. It's like they made Charlotte York into a haughty teen. 

Edited February 12, 2022 by RealHousewife

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 2/12/2022 at 2:36 AM, RealHousewife said:

Blair Waldorf is disgustingly cute and has adorable fashion. It's like they made Charlotte York into a haughty teen. 

I noticed Blair's resemblance to Cher Horowitz and Karen Walker, but I never thought about a Charlotte York connection.  LOL!  Blair is all guile, and Charlotte is so guileless, so that's funny.  

On 2/12/2022 at 2:36 AM, RealHousewife said:

Just started watching the show, and I don't get why I heard all this hype about the amazing Chuck Bass. Do I just need to keep watching? I mean, I'm enjoying the show, but he comes across as a jackass. 

I think if you aren't totally enamoured by Chuck/Ed Westwick in those first few episodes, then he's not for you.  In the pilot he's horrible, but all of us Chuck fans were pretty much in love very early on I think.

On 2/12/2022 at 2:36 AM, RealHousewife said:

Also, Dan and his dad could pass as brothers. Dan has a mature look for a teen, and his dad looks very youthful. They're only 17 years apart IRL. 

Hmmm, I really disagree with you here, but Rufus's "Charms" never ever worked on me like they seemed to with other viewers 😄  I think the actor is so terrible and I would never think he's Penn's brother!

How far are you into to the show?  Are you still watching?

Edited September 10, 2022 by Ms Blue Jay

[RealHousewife]

8 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I noticed Blair's resemblance to Cher Horowitz and Karen Walker, but I never thought about a Charlotte York connection.  LOL!  Blair is all guile, and Charlotte is so guileless, so that's funny.  

I think if you aren't totally enamoured by Chuck/Ed Westwick in those first few episodes, then he's not for you.  In the pilot he's horrible, but all of us Chuck fans were pretty much in love very early on I think.

Hmmm, I really disagree with you here, but Rufus's "Charms" never ever worked on me like they seemed to with other viewers 😄  I think the actor is so terrible and I would never think he's Penn's brother!

How far are you into to the show?  Are you still watching?

Yeah their personalities are night and day, but both cutesy brown-eyed brunettes who are very girlie/feminine.

My sister loves Chuck Bass. I get that he's cute and charming, but I don't love all the writing. 

I haven't watched in a while. I probably should! I wasn't sure about it at first because it's a high school show, and my high school years are long behind me (though they weren't the time the show aired). But it is more mature, and the fashion is awesome. 

You know who I find super cute who is now a rather foxy man? 

[Athena]

Penn was on Conan O'Brien's podcast recently and Conan revealed that he is a fan of Gossip Girl. This clip has them discussing the decadents breakfasts (which is mentioned more than once in the podcast), the fantasy elements, and it alludes to how Penn was "grappling" with the character and show when he was on it. All in good humor.