Gossip Girl Review: “New York, I love You XOXO”

So this is the end. After 6 seasons, 121 episodes, my relationship with Gossip Girl is over. We had some amazing moments over the years but to say everything was sunshine and lollipops would be a total lie.

We started off very strong, and the first 2 years were bliss. Like with every relationship though it started to go down hill. I held out hope and continued to work at it. Chuck and Blair were together, Dan wasn’t annoying with really horrible hair, Georgina came to visit (I always enjoyed her visits) and Serena… well she’s Serena, and Nate, well Nate always had great hair. Two years ago things started to go down the drain. I felt like the show lost its identity. I hardly recognized it anymore. I could have stopped watching but I’m loyal to a fault and hung in there. I held out hope things would get better and they actually did. Not season 2 magic but I came to the realization nothing will be as it was. Shows grow, characters grow (one would hope) but if a show stays true to their characters then the possibilities are endless.

Let’s get down to the nitty gritty! I really loved the finale! It helped that I had no expectations before watching. I was willing to take whatever Stephanie Savage was going to throw my way. How could I possibly complain? Chuck and Blair’s wedding at The MET was quick but oh so sweet. We got the best lines from the bride and groom. Chuck: “3 words, 8 letters”, Blair: “1 word, 3 letters, Yes.” Even though the police were coming to bring them in for questioning, it was such a Chuck and Blair kind of thing to say.

One final Ivy put down came at the hands of William. While William was with Lily he pretended he had no idea who Ivy was. Lily being Lily believed William. Of course William’s only goal in all of this was to be with Lily and he succeeded. You really do have to laugh. When these people aren’t sleeping they are scheming.

Now for the Gossip Girl reveal! I was shocked! I had no idea that Dan would be revealed as Gossip Girl. I always thought it would be Dorota. Well done Gossip Girl, well done! I could usually sniff these things out, but I had no idea. Of course now I have to go back and watch again from the beginning to see if there were any clues.

One of my favourite cameo roles now belongs to Kristen Bell who voiced Gossip Girl. I giggled like a little school girl when the camera panned out revealing her. I knew she was going to be in the finale I just had no idea in what capacity. It was also great to see Rachel Bilson. They had Rachel practicing her audition for the role of Blair for the movie “Inside Out” based on Dan’s book.

I absolutely loved the sequence of Mayor Bloomberg, Lola, Vanessa, Juliet and Agnes finding out Dan was Gossip Girl. It was hilarious to see everyone’s reaction. It also gave us a chance to see some of the not so loved characters again.

It wouldn’t be Gossip Girl without a favourite musical moment. “It’s Time” by Imagine Dragons playing in the background while the group walked up the steps of The MET was perfection. The music was one thing I never had to worry about with Gossip Girl. One of my all time favourites is from S04E07 when “Dancing on my Own” by Robyn was playing when Chuck and Blair got busy on the piano. Music really does set the mood.

5 years later and things were going strong for our Upper East Siders. Nate was extremely successful running the Spectator and there was a possibility of him running for Mayor. Chuck and Blair had a son Henry, Lily was with William, Rufus was with Lisa Loeb and Georgina and Jack seemed to be an item. Too bad this was the series finale, that pairing could have been very interesting going forward. There was one more event and that would be the wedding of Serena and Dan. I was actually quite happy with this. A little cliché, but whatever. At least it gave us a chance to see Jenny and Eric one last time too. Did anyone notice the J for Waldorf bag Jenny was holding? Even though it’s a show, I was happy for Jenny. The best thing that ever happened to her character was that she left NY. My final musical memory of this show will be “You’ve got the Love” by Florence + the Machine playing while Serena and Dan were getting married. I’m not afraid to admit it got me quite emotional.

I’m going to end things with one of my favourite quotes. “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” Fantastic words by the great Dr. Seuss. It’s really rare that a show lasts for 6 seasons. It’s also really rare that a show can go out on its own terms. Gossip Girl fans are extremely fortunate. That’s what it was like throughout its entire run. The creators made a show on their own terms, pushing the envelope and trying to give the fans the best show possible. Gossip Girl was quite a unique show when it premiered and many thought it would never last. I would say it has a permanent spot in pop culture and a permanent spot in my heart.

xoxo