Being a fan of the OG GG, I came in with high expectations. The original show was groundbreaking when it first aired. And to this day, has withstood the test of time and can be considered a cult classic. I mean this show was a pioneer on bullying and harassment in the modern age with modern technology that may have inspired other shows like Pretty Little Liars, and more. I went in with pretty high standards, as I thought it was going to be excellent as they had hired on crew from the original show like the costume designer. The show was something.
The reboot of the show follows a whole new cast of teens that are once again, stalked and berated by an anonymous online social presence. However, the plot is not as similar to the original one at all. While in the original series (SPOILER ON THE ORIGINAL GOSSIP GIRL INCOMING) it is found out that the whole inception of gossip was done by a sole person to get back at all the people that had wronged him in his school. (If you want to read a review on the Original Gossip Girl series click here.) For this new series that is not the case, and things actually become complicated because of this.
Keep reading my post if you want a basic run down of the show, the good, the bad and the fashion. I don’t try and hold back because the orignal Gossip Girl is one of my favorite shows, so the bar has been set by the predecessor. Nevertheless, I do try and be unbiased and do take in count that this is only the first season, while the original had a seven season run. Moreover, the reboot is less episodes than the original. So this may take into account for any issues in the story.
The Cast
From left to right top row; Monet, Luna, Aki, Zoya, Max
Bottom Row; Julian, Obie, Audrey, Kate
SYNOPSIS
So the overall plot of the show like I mentioned was the same as the original. A group of rich kids in the upper east side, begin to get harassed publicly on instagram by someone who calls themselves Gossip Girl. In this world, it is known about the previous Gossip Girl and how everything went down, so this is a “copy cat” of them. The main story revolves around the cast but mainly around Julian, Zoya and Obie. I guess this versions of Blair, Serena and Nate. Even with a little love triangle (lol). Since this is only the first season, you can’t really say how it will go. As the original has six seasons, and throughout that run was a whirlwind of events. This new series is set in modern times, which comes with modern problems. Having characters be influencers with fans to having characters use hook up apps to set up a scheme, you have the modern backdrop.
HOWEVER, the reason and how it is done is weird. This is not really a spoiler as everything is said and done in episode one, but the teachers are gossip girl… yeah, when I saw that I, too, was confused. The whole allure and excite about gossip girl was that NOBODY knew who she was. Not the characters, nor the audience. The reasoning that the teachers do this is because they want to put students in place as in school they feel like they do not have power because if they do try and do something, students lie about the situation an get some teachers fired. Remember, these are ultra rich students who’s parents fund scholarships and buy wings for the school, they do have more influence than the regular high school student. So I guess I understand?..
The Good
One good thing about this show was the diversity. It did have more diversity than the original show, which the main cast was composed of all white characters. Additionally, it did have more sexualities portrayed by the characters and eve gender expression. From Aucki and Audreys weird throuple relationship with Max to Max’s dad coming to terms and accepting themselves and dressing how they wanted. The reboot was really up to date with representation. I am not gonna lie, I don’t think there were a lot of gay characters in the original, only Eric; but he ended up leaving the show at one point. I know this because I watched the show he left GG for Revenge, so good as well.
Moreover, some of the drama was on par with the orignal. Of course coming in watching I was expecting to be a good amount of drama, that was what Blair Waldorf basically survived on. There are a few parts in the show when watching will leave you shocked and then you remember, “YUP, THIS RIGHT HERE, YUP!” To add on, the characters were great. SOME OF MY FAVORITES WERE Luna and Monet. I liked some of the side characters a bit more than the main characters. I think they gave them better lines and even outfits at some times.
Also this is more for the original gossip girl viewers, but they add Easter eggs for us. Throughout the series’s the creators throw in a bit of scenes that look familiar. They add in a couple of scenes that remind you of the original. For one is this: this shot and scene remind me of when Blair “fixed” up Jenny in the first season or in a later season when Serena does the same to Blair. If you didn’t watch the original, this would fly over your head, and seem like nothing much. But for those who know, KNOW. I also find this scene important, for fans of the franchise because Zoya is wearing a head band and then Julien, proceeds to take it off and say “better.” I believe this is a way of not outwardly stating that this is something different to the original; as head bands were a staple for the Queen B, Blair herself. So when Julien takes it off from Zoya, she was not only trying to give fashion advice, but the writers to the viewers were discreetly telling them this is not going to be like the original series and this is something new and fresh. Another one being this one (bottom) big homage to the original as they are wearing Serena’s wedding dress and Dan’s jacket.
THE BAD
Oh.. I don’t know how to start this.. Not saying there was a lot of bad things with the new gossip girl, but there was a lot of things bad with the new gossip girl. I am not being a hater or biased towards the original one, but this new one is odd. For one (SPOILER SORTA?) The feud between the sisters gets TIRED after like episode 2. Literally every episode they fight and by the end of the episode they make up. YAWN. I get that they wanted to show the sibling dynamic by having them fused and reconcile because at the end of the day they are family but they do it TOO much throughout the season. And yes, Blair and Serena are also constantly at wits ends with each other, but at least it, every end of episode there is no makeup and it extends the drama.
Moreover, they got the girls fighting over a dude that’s MID. LIKE STAND UP! STAND UP! Not to mention dude is sometimes so pretentious acting. He was very much like Dan Humphrey but worse because he had money and chose to be annoying. In my opinion, I think the sisters were supposed to be the Blair and Serena of this series. I see the love-hate relationship that they have with each other like the previous duo did. However, I feel like them being sisters hinges them from having better interactions like Blair and Serena had.
One of the things that intrigued the audience about Gossip Girl was how unhinged it became as the seasons went on. Like the characters did not care about any repricussions and if there was any they’d find a way out. However, in this season there is not a lot of that. The most we get is Julian being “canceled”. While yes, it is understandable to add this into the plot line as Julian is an influencer and that is something that happens to people. The way they added it in made it seems so forced and even comedic at one point. If they wanted people to feel invested in this arc of Julians story, it was not it. The storylines that were supposed to add shock value and reel people in did not do as good, as I would have liked it to. I mean c’mon in season he of the original one Blair “exposes” Serena of going to rehab because she saw her there; when in reality she was visiting her brother who was being kept in their by their mother because he tried to off himself. Or when Blair told Serena’s new boyfriend that Serena had hooked up with her boyfriend, Nate and then ran away to a boarding school for a year and cut contact with everyone so no one would find out. LIKE THAT IS DRAMA. HELLO!!!
Also I think some of the storyline is off. Like Julien being the main It Girl and Monet being one of her “minions”. I think Julian should not have been given that Queen Bee and it should have gone to Monet. She more so embodies the Blair Waldorf persona better than Julien. But I think they wanted Julian as the Blair and Zoya as the Serena, so they fight over the same man and that’s the drama. Like I see what they were trying to do, like I get it; but it didn’t work out as they thought it would. And from various tweets I see online the whole sisters, but love one man story got tired very quickly.
Not even mentioning who gossip girl is cause… SIGH. Like i get it but at some point you’re gonna be like ???! What ??!? While the overall idea I get, as putting someone on the spot for what they do will more likely make them not repeat said actions, the way they tried doing this. Weird. Like y’all grown… Especially when you keep watching throughout the series you will become a bit confused as they sorta lose the ball on that. Like I don’t know if you don’t feel respected in your job environment find a new place?
The Fashion
A main thing that a lot of fans of the original Gossip Girl loved was the fashion. When the original aired gossip girl was a phenomenon and was influential. Things like Blair’s iconic head bands became a trend in real life and not only in the show. When seeing that the original costume designer was on board for the reboot of the show, high expectations, in my option; were put on the show as how iconic the original one was.
The style was there but nothing has stuck… yet… maybe. (Lol) It was very trendy and of the time. I think the fashion is cute and is very wearable for anyone who would try and recreate the look. It has styles that many can appreciate like the preppy style , the elegant style, the bohemian chic style, street style and more. All characters do have their own style, which is appreciated because it gives them more depth; even if they don’t get many lines. I always believe clothes can speak for a person, even when they don’t.
One thing I can give to them is the way that uniforms are interpreted in this version. While in the original everyone wore the same uniform base, they made it their own by accessorizing with things like tights, coats, head bands, and of course bags. While in this version they keep the uniform base to quite a minimum and wear things that could be considered a uniform. I honestly like the latter because it gives the characters more personality and makes them standout more. one thing we can get from this is that a stylish tie, and tweed will never go out of style, even almost 10 years later.
I do think the show emphasized and gave more looks to the girls of the show than the boys. There wasn’t as much variations in uniforms. And in their outside clothes, nothing much, except for Max. He always wore very eccentric looks at events that made him stand out in the room. I do hope they might try more in giving more style to the men of the show.
Personally, my favorite fashion from the show was Audrey’s. I really liked how she was always comfy, cozy and cute. The three important C’s when deciding an outfit. Her outfits also incorporate a lot of navy blue which is my favorite color. So I appreciate her looks a lot.
Overall, this is an okay show. I would recommend this show to others as it is entertaining for the most part. I have seen worse, but I also think that I hyped it up to myself a bit too much as I was fan of the original one. Compared to other shows that would be considered in the same category as this one, Gossip Girl is more on the higher end per say.
While it does give it a new twist on the storyline, I do want to continue and see how this story unfolds as they have a season 2 filming and during the season 1 finale something happens, (if you know you know sorry not spoiling), so i want to see how it plays out now. Will do a review of that season when it is aired. Have you watched the new rebooot of Gossip Girl? What do you think? Let me know in the comments.
J’s Journal 