You know, I’m more than a little surprised that this made my top 10 list of the year. But at the same time, I’m not. It was very close between this and fellow CW show Reaper for the number 10 slot, but Gossip Girl just edged it out. In my original review of the pilot, I acknowledged that Gossip Girl had some very good and some very bad things in it. Now, the reason that Gossip Girl is not only a solidly good show in my book, but also one that makes my top 10 is because it has corrected almost every one of those problems.
The first few episodes of the show, it seemed very cartoonish in a certain way. Everyone, even someone like Dan, seemed like a caricature. It was all outlandish and kind of fun but also, at least to me, not particularly engrossing or even faintly realistic. But, while there’s still a certain level of non-reality, the rest of the show, in the characters, their interactions, and the relationships, has made some really big strides in becoming grounded in reality. Dan is less of a know-it-all tool, Blair is no longer just a bitch, Jenny gained personality, and Serena has become miles more genuine.
And those were the ones I regarded as good in my pilot review. Chace Crawford is easily one of, if not THE most improved actor on primetime television. He was so, so bad in the pilot. Like, a disgrace to my first name (Yeah Nate!) bad. But, and I don’t know where this came from, he suddenly got good. Not decent, not acceptable, but actually good. He had charisma, he didn’t make me want to hit myself in the head, and he seemed realistic. Kudos, Mr. Crawford. Similarly, Ed Westwick took the absolute caricature of Chuck, and, while Chuck Bass is and will probably always be a caricature (Not that that’s a bad thing, in this case), Westwick has made Chuck probably the most entertaining character on the show. Similarly, I tore into the portrayal of the parents in the pilot, and they have significantly improved. They’re not quite as good as the parents were on The OC, but there are definitely signs of improvement.
While the show has improved miles since the pilot, it has still retained the really pleasurable elements of watching the show too, which is to say, the campiness and bitchiness is still intact. The war and escalation between Jenny and Blair was incredibly fun to watch, and characters like Chuck, even in his most outlandish brightly colored pant and ascot combination, is still fun to watch when he’s being devious.
Also, and quite possibly the biggest reason this show made the list, is that is has displayed an enormous amount of unexpected maturity for a show that focuses on teenagers, and spoiled teenagers to boot. In the recent post-strike episodes, the show has candidly focused on drug issues, relationship drama like cheating, coming out, and dealing with Michelle Trachtenberg in a much better and more insightful manner than I ever expected to see on a show like this. It was a pleasant surprise, to say the least.
So congrats Gossip Girl, you’ve made my top 10. Lets keep the good work up (and don’t lose the campiness).
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