The 2007 American teen drama television series, Gossip Girl, was watched by 15 billion people in July 2021. The reboot came out the same month. Real gossip girl fans know which was better and why. The original Gossip Girl was unbeatable. It had the perfect mix of drama, comedy, romance and of course… gossip. Spoilers are included!
I first watched this show when I was about 15-years-old. Now, five years later I’m watching it for the third time. It’s the perfect show to binge when cold weather comes. There’s a blend of adult and teenage storylines that gathered a mature audience but simultaneously kept the audience young, while the show starred high schoolers. Not just any type of high schoolers, though, teenagers that ruled the Upper East Side. The first time watching this show you want to be the characters, and live their lives of luxury.
Let’s break down the characters:
The most underrated character: Nate Archibald. He was seen as a pretty boy with no substance, which was incorrect. He had the potential to be a better character. He was a decent, always honest person who never sent anything into Gossip Girl. He had loyalty to his friends and was always looking for a great love (we’ll get into that later). He also was funny and tried his best to create a name for himself. Another underrated character was Carter Baizen, even though he wasn’t in the show that much. He would pop in and out.. He was one of the few characters that should have stuck things out with Serena.
The comforting, quiet character: There was little to no drama that followed Eric Van Der Woodsen. He distanced himself and faced hard times in his life that weren’t taken that seriously. Eric leaving the Upper East Side was probably really good for him.
The most hated characters: Ivy Dickens, Georgina Sparks, Juliet Sharp, Jenny and Dan Humphrey. They wanted the power behind the main stars. Did that make them bad people? No, but they tried to gain power and attention in annoying ways. One created a false identity, another tricked Dan he had a baby, and the other was run out of the city. First season Jenny was a great character. Don’t get me wrong, she was a talented, young designer, but like others, the power went to her head. “Lonely boy” of Brooklyn always had his own agenda. People hated him for being Gossip Girl. It made sense he ran the website because of his writing skills and determination. Was it selfish and done for the wrong reasons? Yes, but a brilliant idea for him to gain his way into the elite and become a successful author.
Louis Grimaldi…..the fairy tale prince. I loved him with Blair Waldorf at first. I also felt bad because she was constantly putting him second to Chuck Bass. I wanted to see Blair follow through with the royal wedding and become a princess, but that wouldn’t fit into the plot. Louis revealed his true colors by trying to lock her into a loveless marriage. I don’t blame her for picking Chuck.
The “it girl.” Serena was filled with good and bad traits. She always had to fulfill a conquest and there was always drama involved. She supported her friends and started facing her problems for once, but she was extremely selfish and pretty naive. Hello…she married her cyber-bully Dan who ran after her the whole show as a lost puppy. Her dependence on others and her scattered drug problem made her the center of attention a lot. Serena dated questionable guys sometimes, but who hasn’t? She was determined to make amends with most of the people she hurt. Serena and Nate should’ve been endgame, because they truly loved each other. Their relationship was sometimes messy, but I think they both had to mature more.
A lot of fans couldn’t stand Vanessa Abrams. I felt bad for her many times, but when she was involved in the scenario that had Serena drugged; that was the breaking point. She also went in the same direction as Jenny and wanted power too much. She dated Nate, which the breakup was his fault, but they kind of worked together. Then she was with Dan, which was a total mess. She was yet another character that made you wonder if anyone stays true to their roots or does everyone give into the Upper East Side?
The adults in Gossip Girl had their own drama as well. Lily and Rufus’ relationship was a favorite, at first. It was strange they dated when their children were on and off dating, and they almost got married. I felt as though they played childish games in their relationship. After Bart Bass “came back from the dead” (another confusing time in the show) Lily chose him over Rufus. I didn’t see that coming. There was always such a social and economic divide among the parents and other characters. I think everyone could agree Bart Bass was a terrible person and caused so many problems for Chuck. Eleanor and Cyrus were unproblematic and pretty cute. Eleanor was sometimes hard on Blair, but she was a good mother.
Dorota, hands-down, was one of the best characters on the show. She was beyond loyal to Blair with her schemes and secrets. She was hilarious and always honest. For some reason, I think she would’ve made the better Gossip Girl. She kept everyone together.
Let’s end with the “epic love” relationship in the show. Chuck and Blair’s relationship was filled with a lot of confusion. They were arguably the two main characters, and they used people to get what they wanted, whenever they wanted. I think Chuck was a narcissist, creepy at times and sometimes a really bad person. They both did terrible things to one another, like Chuck trading Blair for the hotel. That’s why they deserved each other. Their relationship was really unhealthy, but it seemed as though they were fine in the end. Blair was an obsessive overachiever and manipulative but the queen of the show. Other than being extremely rich, Chuck was powerful, had deep insecurities and was also manipulative.
I think I managed to cover all the major characters. There were a lot of real-life lessons learned from Gossip Girl, and a lot of insane ones. It was an amazing show that highlighted so many aspects of teenagers’ lives and beyond!
“Xoxo, Gossip Girl.”