Gossip Girl: Review

Hello, everybody! Today we're time-travelling from 2007 to 2012 when the popular and iconic show "Gossip Girl" was airing on our televisions. I recently watched the whole show for the first time ever so I could actually see what all the fuss was about. And I must say, I was not dissapointed. Full of scandals, romance, money and power, this show brought everything to the table. So, let's begin with this review because I have a lot to say.

To be honest, because I'm reviewing 6 whole seasons, I won't excactly tell every scene and line I liked because we will never be over! I will just talk about the storylines that I liked throughout the series and my honest opinion about the characters.

If you haven't watched this show yet, I would advice to NOT continue reading because there are SPOILERS AHEAD!

SEASON 1

So, let's take this from the beginning and by that I mean the first season. We are introduced to the whole world of the Upper East Side, where our main characters go to Constance/St. Judes High School. The show begins when Serena van der Woodsen returns to New York after disappearing for about a year without telling her friends. And of course we are introduced with the incredible Gossip Girl; an anonymous blogger who reveals the secrets and scandals of Manhattan's elite, as she says so herself.

The basic storylines of the first season were the love triangles between Serena, Blair and Nate and the Chuck, Blair and Nate. I must say that when I was watching the first season, I honestly kind of liked the triangles but while I countinued watching the show, they seemed kind of boring compared to the amazing storylines that appear later on. Eric (Serena's brother) reveals that he is gay which I think it gave the show some diversity, especially for the year it was released. And of course we had the beginning of Serena and Dan's love story, who I must say I shipped them since the first episode, but I'll get on that later.

SEASON 2

In the second season, we are introduced to new characters such as Scott, who not only starts dating Vanessa (Dan's best friend and part of the love triangle between her, Serena and Dan) but also is Rufus and Lily's the long lost biological son. I must say I kind of liked this storyline because it gave Rufus and Lily's love story a much deeper past but to be honest I think Scott as a character was kind of boring. Another new character is Cyrus who is Eleanor's (Blair's mother) new husband who I must say I loved as a character throughout the whole series. And of course we have Jenny (Dan's sister) who is working with Eleanor on her fashion line. I must say I kind of liked Jenny at this point of the show, because she was happy and not toxic like some of the other characters, but I'll talk about her later. We are also introduced to Georgina Sparks, Serena's former best friend who always put her in trouble that wants to destroy Serena for good. But I will talk about her later on. And lastly, we have Bart's (Chuck's father) sudden death. I was actually kind of happy about this incident because I never really liked Bart and I think it helped Chuck mature in the process. And lastly, the main characters graduate from high school and get accepted into colleges but Gossip Girl not only belittle's them in their own graduation but also says that she's going to follow them and continue posting about them.

SEASON 3

In the third season, a whole new world of Gossip Girl is born after the characters begin going to college. I personally really liked watching the characters transform from teenagers to college students. We are introduced to a new character called Olivia Burke, played by the infamous Hillary Duff, who is a famous movie star trying to live a normal teenage life. I really liked her and the fact she, Vanessa and Dan had a threesome. I think it was quite interesting in the storyline and the Vanessa/Dan love story. We have Vanya and Dorota's wedding and pregnancy, which I must say gave a happy and non-dramatic tone to the whole show. Chuck purchases The Empire hotel, which is something that I liked in the series. Especially, because he actually fights for the hotel and Bass Industries with his uncle Jack. William (Serena's father) comes back into town. I must say I despise him in all sorts of ways but I'll elaborate later. And lastly, we have Elizabeth who Chuck is speculating that she might be his mother. I actually liked her and the whole storyline. It lasted some seasons though because she is confirmed to be his mother later on in the series. I actually liked the third season, it was much more mature than the other seasons.

SEASON 4

Let's continue with the forth season, which I must say was one of the show's best seasons. The drama, storylines, lovestories were incredibly written and played by the actors. Let's start with the very beginning where we have Dan and Georgina living together and haveing a biological child! Later on we find out that Georgina lied to Dan about the baby being his and that she was actually trying to avoid the Russian mafia. This storyline was incredible and surprising. Furthermore, Lily tries to sell Bass Industries, which Chuck is against and does everything in his power to stop. In this storyline we are introduced to Russel Thorpe and his daughter Raina. I can truly say I loved this, especially the plot twist in the end where we learn that Russel was the one that killed his wife and not Bart, even if it was by accident. In this season, we are also introduced to Juliet and her brother, Ben. Ben was Serena's former teacher, the year she was in boarding school, with whom Serena fell in love with and he with her but Lily took advantage of that information and forged Serena's signature accusing Ben of raping Serena. This was the part where I started not liking Lily because she could not understand that putting an innocent man to jail was something wrong. Why did she do that, you ask? Well, I actually loved the way Serena told it "You put an innocent man to jail just so that I could go to Constance?". I must say I was absolutely thrilled with this storyline, especially because of Juliet's evil plans to destroy Serena. I must say I hated both Juliet and Ben, for being a total psychopaths, especially when Juliet almost killed Serena and tried to convince everyone she was on drugs and when Ben was so crazy about Serena that he threatened people, including Damien (Jenny's drug dealer partner). There's also the engagment between Blair and Louis, who belongs to the royal family of Monaco. I have to stay I really liked this storyline and especially the way it was developed in the next season. Lastly, we are introduced to Charlie, Serena's cousin. Carol (Lily's sister and Charlie's mother) tried to hide the whole world of the Upper East Side and hr family in it from her daughter because she didn't want her to become like them, which made Charlie want to become part of their world even more. In the end of the season, Charlie is revealed to be an unknown actress named Ivy who Carol hired to portray her daughter so she could gain access to her real daughte's trustfund. I actually hated Carol and was so happy she got into jail in the next season for all the bad things she had caused.

SEASON 5

Woah, this season was quite woozy. One of my favorite seasons full of reveals, plot twists and revenge. Let's start with a change of scenery, Serena is working on a film production in Los Angeles where she encounters Ivy (Charlie). She pursuades her to move back to New York with her and there is where the drama gets real. Carol comes back from Florida after she discovers Ivy has been living in the Upper East Side as Charlie to stop her. But, unfortunately for both of them, the real Charlie Rhodes (now known as Lola) appears and reveals that Ivy was just a con-artist. Everyone instantly despises Ivy for the lies she told and Lola gets mad at her mother for hiding a whole world and side of the family from her. I actually got really mad at everyone for despising Ivy, especially Lily who treated her better than she treated Carol, even though Carol had done worse things, just because Carol was her sister. Lily made it seem like family is only the people that are blood-related or legally related to you. I was actually sad when Cece passed away, I didn't think I would be because I didn't like her at first but she grew on me. Furthermore, Dan publishes his first book! I was actually so happy about Dan for publishing it, especially because it was based on his friends. But I got really mad when everyone hated him for the things he wrote even though he said that it was all just fiction. That was so immature. Nate starts working at The Spectator (a New York media website that tries to surpass Gossip Girl) where his boss is Diane Payne with whom he has a relationship with. She is actually quite the character on this season, because most of the drama is around her. She blackmails Ivy she will expose her secret, she is so crazy about Nate she does everything in her power to keep him, she works in The Spectator because of Nate's grandfather and she lies about being Chuck's mother to protect the biggest secret that Bart is actually alive and had faked his death. Also, we have two new Gossip Girls! After the original one stopped posting after Blair and Chuck's car accident (where Blair lost her and Louis' child), Georgina hacks into the site and posts as Gossip Girl for some months without anyone finding out except Dan and when she was done with it she gives the laptop to Serena so she could have the power of GG now. I actually liked having Georgina as Gossip Girl for a while and I liked the storyline that Serena is also GG for a small time period but I hated Serena for believing she was different than the original GG even though power had corrupted her too. Blair continues to organize the Royal Wedding with Louis but she faces a lot of troubles from Louis' sister, Beatrice, who works with Father Cavalia to destroy the wedding. Louis' mother, Princess Sophie, also dissaproves the wedding and tries to stop it but she accepts it in the end. As the troubles grow, so does Blair and Dan's friendship, which I loved but hated when it turned into a romantic relationship. I really didn't like them together as a couple. I loved the Royal Wedding scene, especially the part where Blair runs away wearing her wedding dress when she gets embarrassed when Gossip Girl posts about her saying she loves Chuck. Louis' turns into a monster after that and while playing nice and continuing the weddind, he tells Balir that their marriage will be fake and she could get away from it because she would be bakrupt. I absolutely hate Louis and his whole family at this point.

SEASON 6

And the final season of the iconic show! To be honest, I enjoyed the final season a lot but it was kind of rushed up. The only season that had only 10 episodes instead of 22 or 24 like the rest of the others, the story was moving quite fast. The main story of this season was Chuck trying to take down his father, Bart. Bart lied about the reason he faked his death, because he had been illegally transfering oil to the US so he could not go to jail. In that process he killed two men that new the truth and made it seem like an accident and he tried to kill his own son! I always hated Bart but I would never believe he would try to kill Chuck. We are also introduced to new characters such as Steven, who at the beginning of the season is Serena's boyfriend but then they break up, and his daughter Sage who is the new Queen of Constance and Nate's girlfriend. I especially loved the scene where Blair, Serena, Ivy, Georgina and Sage team up to take down Bart. Blair and her bitches as Blair calls them were truly amazing at their job and the whole scene was spectacular. After Chuck accuses his father of trying to murder him on the roof of the building, they get into a physical fight where Bart pushes his son like he's trying to kill him again and he loses his balance and falls of the building. Chuck actually had the chance to save him but didn't, I'm not sure if I completely liked that because I liked Chuck and I thought he would show mercy but Bart would fall while Chuck was holding him...

Anyways, I loved Blair's and Chuck's wedding. Even though it was very rushed, it totally fitted them and Blair looked so beautiful in her wedding dress. And I also liked the way Gossip Girl was revealed. Dan finally uploaded his last chapter and decided to publish it on The Spectator instead of Vanity Fair to help Nate launch his site. In the chapter, he reveals he is Gossip Girl and created the site because he wanted to make Serena known but he didn't expect it to become such a hit and people sending him tips consecutively. Juliet, Vanessa and even Kristen Bell (the voice of GG) and many more appeared and I thought that was a nice closure for the show. And finally, I loved the final scene where we saw everyone together and happy after many years, gathered to celebrate Dan's and Serena's wedding!!

I also liked the final Gossip Girl narration where she explains that there will always be an outsider that wants to be a part of the Upper East Side world so Gossip Girl doesn't actually dissappear. It kind of paved the way for the new show that will air on 2021 where the new characters will acknowledge the existence of the original characters and maybe some of them will make a guest appearance on the new show.

Now let's begin with the character review.

MAIN CHARACTERS

Serena Van Der Woodsen

I must say I loved Serena as a character. She had her ups and downs sometimes, like when she became Gossip Girl and she became totally annoying and when she trusted Ben even though everyone was worried. And let's face it, she was always indecisive about the man she wanted. (You can stay single for minute, girl). But she was always caring and loving on the people she cared about and never let any argument get between her and her loved ones. I liked her story from the A to Z, I shipped her with Dan since the first episode and was so happy when she finally married him at the end.

Blair Waldorf

Blair was always sassy, classy and the Queen of Schemes. She never let anyone get in the way of her success and she always helped her friends in any situation. Even though she was kind of self-obsessed, she never became boring nor annoying. I must say I didn't love her and Chuck's relationship at first but as the show went on, I liked their story together and I shipped them until the end. She had a tough journey by watching Chuck almost die, losing her baby, being in an awful marriage that she couldn't get away from... But in the end, she was happy married to her one true soulmate.

Dan Humphrey

Lonely boy was always the outsider of the group. Being the only one that didn't have a social status and money to back him up, Dan was always rejected after trying to get into the Upper East Side world. I actually liked Dan a lot, he was kind of selfish sometimes but he never meant to harm anyone. I loved that the final season focused on the fact that he was always the outsider when in fact he was the infamous Gossip Girl meaning that he had greater power than any of the other characters. I was actually spoiled that he was GG so I wasn't surprised but the way they did reveal was absolutely amazing.

Chuck Bass

I must start with the fact that on the first two seasons of Gossip Girl, I didn't like Chuck at all. To be fair, he was self-absorbed, crazy, selfish and mean. But I think he had the best character development on the show. I believe his father's death changed him as a person as he became more mature and caring. The love Lily, Blair, Nate and others gave him paved the way for him to become a better person. I believe I liked his storyline the most, because his matters were always about serious matters like family and business and not always about love.

Nate Archibald

Nate was always the caring and nice one of the group. He always loved his friends no matter what they did. He struggled with his life a lot since he was bankrupt for a period of time and always blackmailed. I'm glad he found happiness in the end and bulit his media empire through The Spectator. If I had to choose one bad thing about him though it would be the same as Serena's since he never seems to want to remain single. As well as the fact that he has some mother issues judging from his affairs with older women.

Gossip Girl

I must say I love Kristen Bell as an actress and she was amazing in this show. Her voice was always scandalous and catchy! The fact that she appeared at the final episode made the show even more amazing and I'm so excited about the fact that she is returning for the new Gossip Girl show. Can' wait to hear he voice say "XOXO, Gossip Girl" again.

CHARACTERS I LOVED

Let's begin with Georgina. She was THAT bitch! Even though she started as a "villain" in the show, Georgina was never bad. She was just selfish and did things for her own entertainment. I loved her journey throughout the whole series, especially the time she returned as a fully committed good christian girl and for some reason the phrase "I haven't been this bored since I believed in Jesus" made me laugh so hard. I was glad she was part of the crew by the end and was happy.

I believe Ivy was very misunderstood and treated awfully. I know she manipulated everyone and lied but she only did it because she was very poor and in the process she actually cared about the people there, especially Lily who treated her badly even though she helped her and begged for her forgiveness. She took cared of Cece, who I was so sad she died, and was never appreciated. At least, in the end, we got to see that she wrote an autobiography named "Ivy League" which turned into a movie starring Olivia Burke and Lola Rhodes.

Rufus was always sweet, kind and treated everyone nice and equally. He loved his children and their friends and mostly Lily, who left him for William... I was really glad he had a happy ending and found love somewhere else and for becoming at least friends with Lily (even though I shipped them).

I personally believe Dorota was the best character in the show. Let's get a spin-off series of her life! She was kind and cared about Blair like a mother and she never treated anyone badly, except if she had to. I loved Vanya as her husband and was so happy she started her own family outside the Waldorfs. Also, I was so glad Blair never treated her like staff and always like family. Other characters I loved was Eric because he went through a lot to find happiness and was always kind, Cyrus because he was amazing and sweet, Eleanor because she was always fair and nice and lastly I kind of liked Lola.

CHARACTERS I HATED

Let's begin with Carol. She was utterly awful, selfish and never cared about anyone. I kind of liked her in the backstory with Lily but once she was introduced as a character, I hated her. She never cared about her mother nor her sister and she even made someone to portray her daughter just so she could still from her own family. I was so glad when she finally got what she deserved and went to jail.

I absolutely hated that William got a happy ending and especially with Lily. He was selfish and mean and abandoned his children and wife for years for no reason. He is inexcusable and I wouldn't even mind if he had died in the show...

Bart was always a cold and mean father but trying to kill his own son?! That was indescribable. I never actually liked him and was not happy when he actually returned, it was a very nice plot twist but I hated him as a character and was kind of glad he died in the end...

Juliet and Ben were brilliant characters that made the show very interesting but that doesn't mean I liked them. Ben was mad about taking revenge on Serena and once he saw it wasn;t her fault he was actually crazy and hurt everyone to protect her... Juliet was cruel and mean and the fact that she almost killed Serena just so she could destroy her life was...

Other characters I hated were Diane bacuse she was snooty and mean, Agnes because let's face it, she was a bitch and Nate's grandfather who I kind of wished he had died...

CHARACTERS I HAVE MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT

Vanessa wasn'r excactly a bad person but not a good one either. Even though she was always kind of a boring character because she never wanted to be a part of the Upper East Side world, she was kind of toxic herself. She actually tried to help sometimes but in the end I had no actual opinion about her. She was just irrelevant.

Jenny was the quite opposite of Vanessa. She was always trying to be a part of that world even though she failed. I actually think that Jenny is a nice person, especially in the second season where she was happy doing fashion and when she left Manhattan but as long as she was around the Upper East Side, she was always toxic and revengeful.

Lily was actually a really good, moral and sweet character until the fourth season. Ever since the fact she couldn't understand the fact that forging Serena's signature and getting an innocent man in jail was wrong, I kind of hated her. Especially, when she treated Ivy and Rufus horribly. I was kind of glad she understood her mistakes by the end but I have to say I'm not sure if I like her or dislike her.

Jack was kind of a weird character. He was always portrayed as a "villain" but he did do the right thing by the end of the show. He stood by and helped Chuck in the matters with his father. So, I'm not excactly sure about his character...

Other characters like this are Damien, because he was mean but he did help Blair and Dan and Carter because I couldn't understand if he had a moral compass. He just did things without thinking of the consequences.

Overall, I really liked the show and I would definitely reccomend watching it. I loved the story, the characters and the fact that it was never boring. Also, I'm so excited for the new show to air and Gossip Girl to reappear after 8 long years to reveal new scandals. Once the new show airs, be ready for a comparison and review! XOXO

Written by: Angelo