*SPOILER ALERT* If you haven’t already binge-watched this ridiculously addicting series on Netflix and don’t want to know who the elusive Gossip Girl is, don’t let me be the one to ruin the ending!
If you’re like me, you were pretty surprised to find out Dan Humphrey, the Lonely Boy from Brooklyn, was behind the complex website that knew all the gossip of the Upper East Side. Rewatching the series when you know that Dan’s pulling all the strings is like watching an entirely new show with a totally different perspective, noticing things you didn’t the first time around.
The Pilot
From the very first episode, there were already subtle hints that Dan was involved with Gossip Girl. Serena is the first to enter the scene, returning from boarding school, her exile from the Manhattan elite. The same time that Serena arrives at Grand Central Station, Dan arrives with Jenny from visiting their mom. Within the first few minutes of the first episode, Dan sees Serena in the train station as the Gossip Girl narrates, “if only she knew who he was.” Could this have been a sly reference to the fact that Dan would one day make sure Serena knew who he was by being Gossip Girl?
Dan’s Expose on Chuck
In season 2, Dan’s interest in the elite of the Upper East Side, (a.k.a Blair, Chuck, Serena, and Nate) becomes even more clear as he starts writing an expose on Chuck and his dad. Dan even tries to befriend Chuck, spending a night out with him to try to understand his ultra-rich, indulgent, and reckless lifestyle. Dan’s efforts to understand the celebrities of Manhattan was just a clue hinting at his bigger role: exposing all of their secrets on Gossip Girl.
Serena’s Brief Role As Gossip Girl
When Serena briefly finds herself playing the role of Gossip Girl, she enjoys having control of what kind of gossip is published about her and her friends. But then the real Gossip Girl steals Serena’s entire computer, taking both the job and all Serena’s secrets. It would have been easy for Dan to steal Serena’s computer so that comes at no surprise. What is surprising is that Dan blames Serena for briefly assuming the role of Gossip Girl, saying he doesn’t know who she is anymore. Looking back and knowing that Dan was behind the gossip feed the entire time, it’s hard not to blame him for being hypocritical. Then again, Serena did steal his creation, so can we blame him for his reaction?
Dan’s Book
When Dan publishes Inside, a memoir exposing the secrets of all of his elite friends, it seems like Dan’s first step toward admitting his role as Gossip Girl. If he can publish the details of his friend’s lives in a book, why wouldn’t he be the one behind the most famous gossip blog in Manhattan? Maybe we should have all seen it coming after the release of Dan’s book, but who would ever think Dan would have the skills to manipulate the way Gossip Girl did?
The Final Episodes
As the last season of Gossip Girl entered its last few episodes it became more and more clear that Dan had something to hide. After Dan published an expose exclusively on his love interest, Serena Van Der Woodsen, he has an interesting conversation with his dad, Rufus. Dan explains the reason for publishing the story on Serena. “Tonight for the first time they weren’t looking down on me. They might have hated me, but I was one of them.” If that isn’t enough to hint intricate plan, he goes on to say, “What I want isn’t in Brooklyn, dad. I have a plan. I have this whole time. And it’s working.” Here, he clearly addresses his plan of using Gossip Girl to get where he wants, the plan he had the entire six seasons of the show. Being Gossip Girl, he was able to get inside of the inner-circle of the Manhattan elite- exactly what he always wanted.
So, there you have it. There were clues all along pointing at innocent-Lonely Boy as the mastermind behind Gossip Girl. We have Dan Humphrey to thank for the drama, the lies, the scandal, and the entertainment that the Upper East Side brought us for so many years.