Rachael already covered the finale in her trademark depth in the post "What If" so I'll try and keep it brief on this one.Gossip Girl's sophomore season was a bumpy one. There were low points at which it seemed like the worst of teenage television (Blair and Nate's early season entanglements with the duchess and her kin, Kaitlyn Cooper's guest stint, the entire Rachel storyline, etc...), but this was also the year that the audience really fell in love with Chuck and Blair.
This season, the show's 2 most interesting characters were put front and center, and they didn't let the spotlight down once. This was also the year that Lily and Rufus finally found each other, (the most engaging "adult" story to grace the teenage drama genre since the days of Keith Mars).
Now that the main characters have all graduated, is it safe to assume that the drama will switch mostly to the NYU campus (where Blair, Georgina, Vanessa and Dan are all conveniently enrolled)? How will Serena be magically transported from Brown to a New York City school? Does Chuck have any college plans? How will Nate tie in since he's all the way across town at Columbia? And how much time will we still spend at Constance, where Jenny is all set up to be Queen Bee? And what about St. Jude's, where Eric and Jonathan can serve as interesting character anchors? And with very few kids left at home, what happens to Lily and Rufus's share of the screen time? What about Eleanor and Cyrus?
This is as good a time as any for me to thank gossip girl herself for finally saying something that's bothered me for 2 years now: Dan Humphrey makes a big show about being an outsider when in fact he is, more than anyone else, "the ultimate insider". It was about time he was called on it.
With their characters having been cunningly shuffled into schools that are close together, and with gossip girl's promise to follow them into the future, there's no telling where or how long this show could go. And after a promising finale like that, it's safe to say that we here at My TV are enthusiastically on board for the rest of the ride.
FINALE GRADE: B+
SEASON GRADE: B
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2 comments:
Explain to me what is interesting about this show ? Seriously i really don't get it beside Leighton Meester acting talent and sometimes Ed Westwick talent (he can be very too over the top).
First, I'd say that Leighton Meester is a reason to watch nearly anything.
But second, and more importantly, Gossip Girl is a show that sinks you 100% into its world. It's just as strange a society as the vampire strewn landscape of True Blood or the space and cylon world of BSG. That is to say, how fascinating you find these characters is completely dependant upon how much you can buy into their world.
The relationships between the characters, especially between Blaire and Chuck, Blaire and Serena, Rufus and Dan and Jenny, Rufus and Lily, etc., are what keeps me coming back. The witty dialogue (because it truly is top notch, watch any lesser teen drama to make you appreciate lines like, "Georgina: I gave up my old ways when I let Jesus take the wheel
Blair: That is a Carrie Underwood song, not a life choice!" ) and the acting (which is across the board good, with slight exceptions, and with obviously stand outs like Meester and Westwick) are what makes me unashamed to be a fan. Although often ridiculous and frustrating, Gossip Girl manages to create its unique world and make it feel real enough that I'm emotionall invested in the outcome.
Give the show a chance. I would say watching it from the beginning, and preparing to settle in for at least four episodes (but better yet six), is the best way to do it. If, after 4-6 episodes, you still don't get it, then the show might just not be for you.
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