10 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching Gossip Girl, 17 Years After Its Premiere

It has been 17 years since The CW’s iconic teen drama Gossip Girl premiered, and several harsh realities about the show have become inescapable since then. Gossip Girl is a cultural staple of 2000s teen dramas and remains an icon for several reasons. The drama is juicy, the characters are fun, and even when the writing is subpar the plot twists are impossible to turn away from. Gossip Girl‘s narrator is another reason the show is great; the narrator’s timing makes the show so much more engaging.

All six seasons of Gossip Girl are now available to stream on Netflix, a reminder that it remains a perfect guilty pleasure TV show. Although Gossip Girl has many positive qualities, some harsh realities about the show and its characters are hard to avoid in the 17 years since it first aired. Some of these involve how a relationship or character would differ today or how a narrative decision changed the show forever. There are even reminders that some characters and relationships are highly underrated. Regardless, these harsh realities fundamentally alter how Gossip Girl is perceived.

10 The Show Was Much Better In Its Earlier Seasons

Gossip Girl’s Drama In Later Seasons Was Not As Good

Although Gossip Girl is dramatic and fun, the show is much better in its first half. The show’s premise fits much better when the characters are in high school, and it is less likely that the Gossip Girl blogger would care about adults in their twenties. The essence of the show is high school cliques and rich Upper East Siders — some of that magic fades as the characters age. Furthermore, the drama the Gossip Girl characters encounter as adults is not believable or as compelling as their high school drama.

Storylines such as Bart Bass’ unexpected return pale in comparison to the shenanigans Upper East Siders found themselves in during high school. It could also explain why Gossip Girl’s identity reveal and the show’s time jump was largely underwhelming. Of course, they cannot be in high school forever, but it does not change the fact that the show was at its prime during the first few seasons.

9 All The Main Characters Were Terrible People

None Of The Characters Would Be Likable In Real Life

Looking back, it’s not surprising that the main characters of Gossip Girl are genuinely terrible people. Most of them are incredibly rich, self-centered, and snobby. That is one of the reasons why the show is so riveting — it is impossible to turn away from watching exceedingly awful characters set their lives on fire repeatedly. However, it is somewhat strange that it can be difficult to root for the main characters, including sweet Jenny, whose character begins as a genuinely kind person, but she quickly sours as she becomes someone that takes out people who stand in her way.

Even Gossip Girl‘s supporting characters largely consist of awful people, usually set on destroying the protagonists’ lives. Characters that are from the middle class are also not good people — both Vanessa and Dan have repeatedly sabotaged innocent people to get their way in the end. Evidently, wealth is unrelated to the ability of Gossip Girl‘s characters to be good or bad. Regardless, Gossip Girl would not be as interesting if the characters were good people. Their messy and chaotic lives strengthen the show, even if it is difficult to root for them as a result.

8 Dan & Blair Made A Lot Of Sense As A Couple

Dan & Blair Complemented Each Other Well

While Gossip Girl aired, Dan Humphrey and Blair Waldorf’s relationship was highly criticized due to the unlikeliness of the pairing. Furthermore, Chuck and Blair were supposed to be the central romance of the show. Many viewers saw Dan and Blair’s romance as a low point on Gossip Girl, but looking back, their relationship actually makes the most sense. Blair and Dan share a connection as early as Gossip Girl season 1, episode 4, “Bad News Blair,” when Dan reveals that his mother left his family without any prompting whatsoever.

It is odd that Dan would comfort Blair when they supposedly hate each other, but it establishes that they are not so different. Their differences are superficial because when the layers are ripped off, Dan and Blair are actually kindred spirits. For the first three seasons, they tolerate each other because of their shared love for Serena, but in Gossip Girl season 4, Dan and Blair discover they actually share a lot in common and develop a genuine friendship. Their friendship blossoms into romantic feelings, but they prioritize their friends before their own happiness.

Dan and Blair might seem out of the blue, but it seemed like Gossip Girl was building up to them. Their breakup also makes no sense. Blair’s feelings for Chuck might be stronger at times, but those feelings derive from a complex history entrenched in abuse. Serena pushing the narrative that Dan loved his version of Blair and not the “real” Blair is ridiculous and seems like the first excuse the writers could think of to break up Dan and Blair. Dan and Blair deserved a real shot at a long-term relationship, especially considering everything that built toward their romance.

7 Lily & Rufus Were Better Than Dan & Serena

Lily & Rufus Had Better Chemistry And The Better Love Story

It is evident from the beginning of Gossip Girl that Dan and Serena could not end up together if Lily and Rufus did — Lily is Serena’s mother, while Rufus is Dan’s father. Although Gossip Girl reveals that Lily and Rufus had a son, it is still strange that both relationships could work out in the end. One of these romances was bound to end for good, but it should have been Dan and Serena, not Lily and Rufus. Lily and Rufus had far superior chemistry and a better love story. They are each other’s “the one that got away.”

While Dan and Serena have their moments, nothing compares to Rufus admitting he made a mistake in letting Lily go in Gossip Girl season 2. After everything they endured, Lily and Rufus finally got to be together, with the show making it so they seem like they are meant to be. Therefore, it makes no sense for Lily to break up with Rufus so that Dan and Serena could be together without it being weird. Lily and Rufus already have a child, which should have permanently ended Dan and Serena’s romance. Lily and Rufus deserved the endgame, not Dan and Serena.

6 Bart Bass Should Have Remained Dead

His Reappearance Had No Real Purpose

Bart Bass, Chuck Bass’ father, originally dies in a car crash in Gossip Girl, season 2, episode 12, “It’s a Wonderful Lie.” Gossip Girl‘s decision to kill Bart Bass makes sense — Bart does not serve a purpose other than contributing to Chuck’s and Lily’s arcs. Bart Bass’ character does not have enough substance to stand on his own, so his presence after a couple of seasons would feel forced and unnecessary.

Revealing that Bart Bass faked his death in Gossip Girl season 5, episode 22, “Raiders of the Lost Art,” has no purpose other than to amp up the show’s drama. Furthermore, Bart Bass’ return only destroyed Lily and Rufus’ marriage and inverted Chuck’s character arc to the point where neither of these storylines made sense anymore. It almost seems like Bart only came back because the writers ran out of ideas.

5 Chuck Bass Should Not Have Been Redeemed

His Actions Were Far Too Repugnant & He Was Not Committed To Redemption

Gossip Girl tries to portray Chuck Bass as Manhattan’s Upper East Side typical bad boy, but it does not work because Chuck is almost immediately established as someone much worse. In the pilot episode, he already tries to sexually assault Jenny Humphrey, a ninth grader who does not want to hook up with Chuck. He is not just a player — Chuck treats women abysmally, frequently assaulting or physically attacking them. A bad boy would just be a player who cannot commit to one girl, with some shady but non-romantic antics on the side.

Chuck Bass is so materialistic that he traded his own girlfriend for a hotel. Furthermore, Chuck is not committed to his “redemption arc” unless it suits him. His only motivation to be a better person is so that he can be with Blair — a misogynistic motivation that has no place in fictional redemption arcs anymore. If the writers were serious about Chuck redeeming himself, then they should have portrayed his arc as being dedicated to his own redemption for himself and not just be with a girl. Otherwise, Gossip Girl should have kept him as a villain.

4 Blair & Serena Were The Real Love Story

Blair & Serena’s Friendship Overcame All Odds And They Became Stronger

Blair Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen are the real love story of Gossip Girl. The show begins when Serena returns after spending a year away out of guilt for sleeping with Blair’s boyfriend, Nate Archibald. This revelation seems like the end of their friendship, but it is just the beginning. Blair and Serena endure many betrayals and fights, and there are many instances where their conflict seems so severe that their friendship is truly over for good. However, each scenario only strengthens their bond and brings them closer together.

By the end of the show, Blair and Serena are the one consistent dynamic that has grown since the beginning. The heart of Gossip Girl is ultimately Blair and Serena, the many obstacles they endure, and growing closer after overcoming them together. Without Blair and Serena, Gossip Girl would not be the show it is.

3 Chuck & Blair Were Abusive

Chuck Should Not Have Gotten Away With His Gross Actions

Chuck and Blair are often regarded as one of the best on-again, off-again TV couples. Their romance has been iconic since Gossip Girl season 1, episode 7, “Victor Victrola,” when Blair joins Chuck at a club and teases him on stage. However, Chuck’s treatment of Blair throughout the show is abysmal. He said awful things to her, such as, “You’re like one of the Arabians my father used to own; rode hard and put away wet,” when she needed him the most. Chuck acts out when Blair rejects him, retaliating by exposing her deepest secrets to the Gossip Girl blog.

However, Chuck and Blair’s point of no return occurs in Gossip Girl season 3, episode 17, “Inglourious Bassterds,” when Chuck sells Blair to his uncle in exchange for a hotel. It gets even worse when Chuck becomes physically violent with Blair. Chuck is possessive, dangerous, and obsessive around Blair. Of course, Blair also did terrible things to Chuck in Gossip Girl. However, trying to make Chuck jealous and disregarding him for Nate does not compare to Chuck’s criminal abuse. Chuck and Blair should never have ended up together due to the problematic nature of their relationship.

2 Dan & Serena Were A Strange Couple

Dan & Serena Were Not Well-Suited For Long-Term Romance

At the beginning of Gossip Girl, Dan and Serena seem to be ideal partners for each other, but their relationship largely stems from Dan’s crush on Serena. Unlike Dan and Blair, removing the layers of Dan and Serena’s relationship illustrates that they do not share much in common and do not work well together. Ultimately, what cements their relationship isn’t any great moment, but rather the show simply coming to an end in season 6.

If Dan and Serena’s relationship has not changed, then it is more than fair to assume that they break up again at some point after the show. When Blair and Dan were together, their relationship was much stronger and far more secure because their dynamic worked as a romance. Dan and Serena were much better off as friends and should have remained broken up.

1 Dan Being Gossip Girl Makes No Sense

Dan’s True Identity Undercuts His Entire Character

The revelation of Dan Humphrey being Gossip Girl is one of the most nonsensical things to occur in the show. This narrative decision received a lot of backlash, but it is well-deserved. To make Dan Humphrey Gossip Girl of all people destroys his arc and the core parts of his character development. Dan always felt morally and intellectually superior to his wealthy classmates, but a large part of his journey involves realizing he is just as flawed as they are, and he might have much more in common with them than he initially thought.

Dan learns to appreciate his peers for who they are, but remains uninterested in their world. Dan was never obsessed with his peers’ lives and never wanted to be like them. Part of Dan’s growth involves accepting his wealthy peers, so being Gossip Girl is a slap in his face. Although there are several missed clues to Dan being Gossip Girl, most stem from his crush on Serena, not a secret obsession with her lifestyle. The show built towards the blogger’s identity all throughout Gossip Girl, so it was highly disappointing and unsatisfying when it turned out to be Dan.

Source: Screen Rant

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December 1, 2022

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