The last post of Gossip Girl

The CW aired the final Gossip Girl episode this week. Entitled "New York, I Love You XOXO," the episode wraps up the Bart Bass (Robert John Burke) storyline, reveals who is behind the titular character's website, and gives a glimpse into the future for all the main characters. It's an hour of cameos and romance.

Gossip Girl has always been scandalous and overly dramatic. And yet, I feel like some parts of this episode go just a little too far. One can be shocking without the plot holes, and this series usually is. The scene where Bart falls to his death is not helped by the hokey music, and making the finale A plot about some scheme to quickly wed Blair (Leighton Meester) to Chuck (Ed Westwick) so that she doesn't have to testify against him, when he did nothing wrong in the first place, is kind of ridiculous.

That being said, anything that gets a ring on Blair's ring, instead of around her neck, is good stuff. Fans of the series have been waiting for Blair and Chuck to finally get together for a very long time. Knowing they were promised to one another, but having to wait because of their careers, is sheer torture. "New York, I Love You XOXO" has to see them them walk down the aisle, and it did, with enough style to satisfy.

The wedding scene itself is touching. Do I wish the other drama wasn't forced upon it? Yes. But at least all of the characters pull together, and manage to make it happen before the police can show up to arrest Chuck. We get to see everyone celebrating and happy.

I also have mixed feelings on the outing of Dan (Penn Badgley) as Gossip Girl herself. He is a writer, sure, and has the talent and motivation to accomplish such a feat. However, there is a vague feeling that it doesn't quite add up. I would have to go back and re-watch the series to pinpoint when it doesn't work, and at some point, I will. But my first impression is, while this serves this particular point of the story very well, it may not add up in earlier seasons. And I think the flashbacks are mainly present in this episode to try to give a feeling of continuity.

The other characters' reactions to Dan's outing are completely in character and fantastic. Nate (Chace Crawford), who is already established as a good guy at heart, of course will forgive Dan when he is handing the story to Nate, saving Nate's beloved Spectator. Serena (Blake Lively) has also always been understanding, and her clear affection for Dan, at an all-time high after reading the nice things he wrote about her, make her susceptible to letting it slide. Chuck can appreciate a game well played, and Blair is, well, Blair.

Rufus (Matthew Settle) handles the news the best of anyone, because his concerns are real, and, I assume, the show's way of trying to address any past inconsistencies. Being mad at Dan about everything that happened with Jenny (Taylor Momsen) is exactly what Rufus should be, and allows someone to be angry, since Dan's friends can't be.

I love, love, love that everyone from Mayor Bloomberg (cameoing as himself) to Blair think that Dorota (Zuzanna Szadkowski) might have been Gossip Girl. After all, what fan hasn't suspected Blair's handmaiden is the guilty party from time to time, even though her apparent loyalty would make this the ultimate betrayal? And her wonderful bits that pepper the series continue through "New York, I Love You XOXO" when she has a very surprised Jack (Desmond Harrington) make her a drink.

The other reaction shots are great, too, as the secret is exposed amid a wave of appearances by past characters. These include Juliet (Katie Cassidy), Lola (Ella Rae Peck), Vanessa (Jessica Szohr), and even an almost unrecognizable Jenny. What a great way to fit the faces of earlier seasons in, without shoehorning them into a story in which they wouldn't fit! It's satisfying for the fans, makes sense for the series, and provides a great way to mark this major revelation.

One thing that is being talked about is the teasing cut scene where Kristen Bell, playing herself, delivers some of the same infamous phrasing she has been speaking for years as the voice of Gossip Girl, narrating Gossip Girl. It's fun little bit with another CW star, Rachel Bilson (Hart of Dixie), also playing herself, and a tongue in cheek reference for fans. This is all well and good, and I very much enjoyed it, until Bell turns and winks at the camera at the end. That takes it just a step too far, making what could have been an amazing scene only a very good one. We get the joke without the wink. No need for ham.

Then there's the ending, set five years later. There is a lot to praise this scene for. Knowing that it takes Dan and Serena five more years to get married is a bit disappointing, but not exactly surprising, considering. Given their track record, they probably broke up three times before getting hitched. I also greatly enjoyed seeing Chuck happier than he's ever been, glimpsing Dorota playing with the next generation, and Nate being successful, even if he hasn't found a girl yet.

The other elements of that scene, the ones that didn't make sense to me, such as Georgina (Michelle Trachtenberg) and Jack being invited (though I adore the thought of the evil duo as a couple), and Lily (Kelly Rutherford) ending up with William (William Baldwin), can be overlooked. After all, we know that relationships shift, and without seeing what happens in the intervening five years, these are plausible circumstances. They just aren't ones that are really telegraphed in the episodes leading up to "New York, I Love You XOXO."

Does anyone else want a two hour TV movie leading up to Dan and Serena's big day? Because I sure do!

Gossip Girl is a series that broke new ground, set trends, and was a highly addictive prime time soap for a good many years. I greatly appreciate the work everyone involved put in, and found the vast majority of it extremely entertaining. Even if the series finale stumbled a few times, it hit the needed emotional beats, and did not spoil my love of the show. For that, I thank it, and will definitely miss my Gossip Girl.

XOXO

Want to read some of my fiction? It's on my website, JeromeWetzel.com! Also, for the latest updates and article links, as well as commentary on episodes I don't fully review, please follow me on Twitter!

Article first posted on TheTVKing

Gossip Girl "Gaslit"

     The CW's Gossip Girl seems to have raised the stakes this season. Long gone are the high schools days of the show's first two years, and here to stay seem to be adult consequences for the decisions the characters face. Luckily, almost all of them have matured enough to handle it. Notice, I say almost.

     The past few episodes have followed Juliet Sharp (Kate Cassidy, the Melrose Place reboot) as she enacts her mission of revenge against Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively). Why Juliet hates Serena is still unknown, though it seems to have something to do with her brother, Ben (David Call, Mercy, Rescue Me), who is in jail. However, after Juliet teams up with Vanessa (Jessica Szohr) and Jenny (Taylor Momsen) to alienate Serena, Juliet goes up a step further and druggs her enemy, leaving her in a motel room surrounded by pills. Even Ben is shocked at how far Juliet has gone, leaving our main cast with quite a conundrum.

     Perhaps most impacted by Serena's supposed actions, is her mother Lily (Kelly Rutherford), who doesn't seem to know how to handle Serena's slide. Though Serena insists that she doesn't remember what happened, and has not returned to the mistakes of her youth, her mother doesn't believe her. But an interesting confrontation between Lily and Dan (Penn Badgley) in last night's episode, "Gaslit," seems to imply that Lily's reticence to deal with Serena may be more about herself than her daughter. It's hard to argue that Lily has been a better than average mother, and shutting Serena up against her will in rehab is just one more bad idea. Lily is turning more into her own mother each season, and that's not a good thing.

     The question now is, how will Serena possibly clear her name? She has suffered so much recently, as Juliet has sabotaged her school career, her love life, and her friend and family relations, that it may take Serena a long time to claw back to what she worked so hard for. Dan is fully on Serena's side, being the only one who is willing to believe her unlikely claims of innocence. After a confession from Jenny, it looks like Serena's best friend Blair (Leighton Meester) is climbing onto the revenge train. But Juliet has fled town, and with Gossip Girl (Kristen Bell) having trashed Serena so hard publicly, it will not be an easy time. I'm not so much worried about her personal life, as I don't see Columbia accepting her back as a student, even if her name is cleared.

     I am thrilled that Serena and Dan are heading for a reconnection. Dan's original pursuit of Serena is a big chunk of season one, and I have never liked her much with any of the other many men she has been paired with. Similarly, Dan doesn't click as well with any other girl. Should the series continue with a Dan/Serena couple, I would ask them to please, please, please make it long lasting. I know this show thrives on drama, but drama can be had in a relationship. Enough already. These two belong together. In my opinion. I'm sure many people disagree.

     Of course, with Gossip Girl, the drama is not just happening on screen. Lately, Taylor Momsen has been created plenty of her own angst with a reportedly diva-like attitude. She has barely appeared on the show this fall, and it was announced that she will be taking an undetermined continued absence. Now, of course, most of the information floating around is rumor, so it's hard to be sure exactly what's going on. But it sounds like she's throwing a tantrum, and the people working on the show are giving her a time out.

     The other couple still dancing around each other are Blair and Chuck (Ed Westwick). The two were red hot and together for much of last year. They had some rough times, and seem to have settled into an uneasy friendship. It's clear that neither are satisfied with the arrangement, Chuck telling Blair directly in this week's episode that he can't be her friend right now. These two are much more likely, in my opinion, to be in a stable relationship than Serena and Dan, as much as I like them. In fact, I would not be surprised if Chuck and Blair are reunited no later than February sweeps, and hopefully this time it sticks.

     It's not unheard of for a Gossip Girl couple to end up permanently attached. Lily and Rufus (Matthew Settle) had been will-they or won't-they for a long time, Lily even marrying another man. But now their marriage seems solid, despite many difficulties, and it doesn't look like they will be breaking up anytime soon. Sure, those two are much older than most of the cast, but I'm ready for at least one pair to last longer than half a season in the younger group, too.

     Lastly, Nate's (Chace Crawford) parents are suddenly back in the story. Early in the series, Nate's father, known as "The Captain," (Sam Robards) went to jail. Nate visited him earlier this fall, though the elder Archibald had not been seen on the show in two years. In last night's episode, Nate discovers that his mother, Anne (Francie Swift), is filing for divorce. Nate truly believes his father has changed, and so has worked to reunite them. All had gone well, until Nate discovers that his father just may be putting on appearances for a parole board hearing. This plot, though so far fairly small, is likely to pull more focus in coming episodes.

     Generally, while I have always liked this show, it's good to see such high stakes drama after a period of small tiffs. I'm glad to report that in its fourth season, Gossip Girl is as strong as ever, and has grown out of its high school pettiness. Though some aspects of that will never end. Thankfully.

     Gossip Girl airs Monday nights at 9pm on the CW.

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Article first published as TV Review: Gossip Girl - "Gaslit" on Blogcritics.

Gossip Girl spends two hours in the City of Lights

(If you're memory of the season finale is blurry, here's my review from last May.)

    Gossip Girl, now entering its fourth season on the CW, has never been better than in these first two episodes of the new season. Titled "Belles de Jour" and "Double Identity," the show picks up a few months after season three left off and, as advertised, large portions of each episode are set in Paris, France. As GG always brings the culture, it the feel of the show in Paris isn't all that different from when in New York. I can't write a review of the first two hours without spoiling a few things, but I'll spoil as little as I can and save the big twists for you to enjoy.

     Serena (Blake Lively) and Blair (Leighton Meester) hopped a plane out of NYC last spring, both wanting to escape from boy troubles. As season four begins, Blair is trying to enjoy herself, but her feelings for Chuck (Ed Westwick) have led her to waste most of the summer, leaving her boy-less.  Serena has chosen the opposite tack, throwing herself into the food, shopping, and men that Paris has to offer. She doesn't appear to have even thought about whether she wants to choose Nate (Chace Crawford) or Dan (Penn Badgley) when she goes home. She also has a secret she doesn't want to share with her best friend, B. This is classic S and B, with a bit of fighting, and plenty of friendship. It's so nice to see the two in their element, and it really allows both actresses to shine with the characters they have perfected these last few years.

     Meanwhile, Nate has put Chuck's little black book to good use, partying it up in the Big Apple. It's sad, really, that a character that has grown so much takes a gigantic step backwards. He has his reasons, but then he meets Juliet (Kate Cassidy, formerly of the Melrose Place reboot), and she pulls his interest away from casual sex. Of course, this being Gossip Girl, there is more than meets the eye to Juliet, and although she gets a little scheming done in the first couple of episodes, her true motives are still a secret. While I'd like to see Nate happy and am a bit tired of him getting played, Juliet is surely bringing some juicy drama in the future.

     Dan ended last year facing a very pregnant Georgina Sparks (Michelle Trachtenberg, Mercy). Poor, trusting Dan has yet to have asked for a paternity test, but has been shacking up with Georgina and taking care of the new little tyke, Milo, all summer in Brooklyn. He hasn't told his family or Vanessa (Jessica Szohr) about the baby and he hasn't exactly been hanging on pins and needles for Serena either. Again, like Nate, I want Dan to be happy, so it's hard to watch. But anything that keeps Georgina on the show will be worth it.

     Chuck was shot in the finale, but it's been no secret on the Internet — and is just common sense — that Mr. Bass is alive and mostly well. You'll have to wait for the end of episode one to get a glimpse oh him, and when he returns he'll have a "friend" (Clémence Poésy, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and the Deathly Hallows) in tow. It will be even longer until he and Blair have one of their best moments of the series near the end of episode two. Both actors play it fantastically. Ol' Raccoon Eyes a.k.a. Jenny Humphrey (Taylor Momsen) is also M.I.A., and word is that we won't be seeing her again until late October. Against popular opinion, I like Jenny and I cannot wait for her return. But, there is enough other stuff going on that I didn't feel her absence in the double-episode premiere.

     As for Rufus (Matthew Settle) and Lilly (Kelly Rutherford), they've got too much drama between Dan and Chuck's problems to have their own plot yet, but I look forward to seeing it when they do (but Rufus does get in a fantastic line about his daughter's eyes).

     Gossip Girl returns this Monday at 9pm on the CW.


Article first published as TV Preview: Gossip Girl Spends Two Hours in the City of Lights on Blogcritics.

Did you hear the Gossip, Girl?

     I am ashamed that it has taken me four days, my longest delay this year, to watch and write a review for Gossip Girl's season finale, but I blame Lexington, Kentucky's Insight Cable, for not airing the CW in HD.  I am always battling a full TiVo at the end of the season, and as most of what I record is HD, I often neglect those non-HD shows so that I can free up space as rapidly as possible.  No matter.  It meant I got a seven episode Gossip Girl marathon last week, and it was amazing!

     The finale was called "Last Tango, Then Paris", and there was plenty of drama, especially in the game of love.  For one thing, Blair (Leighton Meester) and Chuck (Ed Westwick) cannot possibly be over.  Sure, Blair missed their fated meeting at the top of the Empire State Building, but the two are just so perfect for each other, and their connection runs so deep.  Chuck simply has to forgive her.  What excuse is better than rushing Dorota (Zuzanna Szadkowski) to the hospital so that she could give birth to her baby?  Speaking of Dorota, her plot has been top notch lately, not to mention the actress's ability to enliven the part.  Why is she not a series regular at this point?  And, quickly, back to Chuck, did they really expect anyone to believe that the gunshot, the season-ending cliffhanger, would kill him?  The show would not work without Chuck.

     Jenny (Taylor Momsen) has gone off the deep end.  She wavers back and forth between good girl and bad girl so often, it makes your head spin.  I have to say, I am actually looking forward to her not being around for awhile when next season starts.  I think that perhaps in the long-term she and Nate (Chace Crawford) would make a good couple, but he clearly hasn't seen her in that light yet.  She's lucky he has such a good, forgiving spirit about him, or she'd never get another shot with him.  But I'm thinking that she probably will.

     Just when I was getting used to Dan (Penn Badgley) and Vanessa (Jessica Szohr), they break them up.  Damn the show's writers, who can't let any couple stay happy for more than a handful of episodes.  Yet, I was already rooting Dan and Serena (Blake Lively) again by the end of the finale.  Too bad that reunion, while it will probably still come, will most certainly be delayed with the arrival once more of the wonderfully wicked Georgina Sparks (Michelle Trachtenberg).  I'm still digesting the implications of that twist, if it's true.  With Georgina, you never know.

     Rumor has it that the show is trying to sign Trachtenberg full-time, now that her delightful show Mercy is canceled.  A silver lining in every dark cloud.  That would kick the show up another notch.  Not that it needs it.   XOXO.

Catch up on the Gossip (Girl)

    CW's Gossip Girl has already gone off the air, unfortunately until March, but its not too late to catch up on what has happened with everyone's favorite East Siders in their third season.  So far, it has been quite the roller coaster, and the fall finale left plenty of unanswered questions and flitting rumors to keep us guessing until its return.  Despite the fact that most of the main cast graduated from high school last spring, all have remained in Manhattan, and the show has lost none of it's zeal that made it a guilt pleasure triumph.  In case you missed it, let's review who's doing what and what's coming up next.

     Let's all breathe a sigh of relief that Serena (Blake Lively, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) and Blair (Leighton Meester, who seems to be trying to launch a singing career now) have finally set aside their differences and cemented a fast friendship.  Watching S and B go back and forth could be fun, but they have both matured into more adult characters.  Sure, Serena was involved with a married man, and Blair still gets involved in school politics, but they both seem to have finally passed the point where they will be at war with each other.  Speaking of Blair, her settling down with Chuck (Ed Westwick) has done both of them a lot of good.  Chuck has finally become a respectable adult with real emotions and left behind most of his childhood tantrums.  It's nice to see some genuine character development among the leads.

     Nate (Chace Crawford) has returned to family roots, and seems to be seriously in love.  While Nate was almost always above the backstabbing and manipulating, the other characters starting to rise to his level makes him feel more a part of the ensemble than he did before.  He has ceased to become an extraneous character and matters to the overarching plots now.  Same goes for Vanessa (Jessica Szohr, What About Brian?).  After her threesome with Dan (Penn Badgley) and Olivia (Hilary Duff, Lizzie McGuire), resulting in their breakup, it appears that a happy ending for her won't be too far down the line.  The only holdout in the growing-up group is Jenny (Taylor Momsen, How the Grinch Stole Christmas), who, not coincidentally, is the only one still left in high school.  Jenny's balancing act between decent human being and queen of mean is finally finding a balance, but hopefully the correct side of her will win out in the end.

     The only major concern for the show is the always too fragile bond between Rufus (Matthew Settle) and Lily (Kelly Rutherford, the original Melrose Place).  The took so long to make it to the altar, the threat that it may fall apart so soon is too much to bare.  Either they need to be left alone to grow old together, or break them up and get them out of the cast.  The back and forth has become too frustrating.

     All in all, though, the show has only gotten stronger with time, and it is shaping up to be something much more than what it started as.  If it continues on this track, there is nothing but blue skies ahead for the whole gang.  Unless Georgina (Michelle Trachtenberg, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Mercy) comes back again.