The Trades - Television Review: Gossip Girl

Home · Reviews · Interviews · Contests · Blog · Forums · Follow Us On Twitter

CONTESTS

CD Giveaway - 33Miles, "One Life" Ends Aug 4, 2010
The country-pop sound established in their eponymous debut is a mainstay for this album as well, and even adds a little more southern flavor.

CD Giveaway - Phil Wickham, "Cannons" Ends Aug 3, 2010
With an opening shot that hits the sonic pinnacle, this collection of spiritual Brit pop/rock is heavily influenced by Keane, Travis, Coldplay, and U2.

CD Giveaway - Jars of Clay, "Closer" EP (+ Mini Poster) Ends Aug 2, 2010
This five-song EP serves as a preview of the band's new musical direction, free from the rigors of corporate Contemporary Christian Music.

DVD Giveaway: Kick-Ass Ends Aug 1, 2010
Get ready to have your ass kicked when this DVD of awesomeness releases to the home entertainment market.

Blu-ray Giveaway: Rambo - The Complete Collector's Set Ends Aug 1, 2010
Follow John Rambo's action-packed journey from Vietnam to Burma on this 4-disc set.

CD Giveaway - "Sunday in the Country: 12 Inspiring Hits From Today's Top Country Artists" Ends Jul 31, 2010
Themes of family and faith run deep in country music, and this collection gathers a dozen examples from currently popular artists.

CD Giveaway - Wavorly, "Conquering the Fear of Flight" Ends Jul 30, 2010
A churning, but consistently tuneful brew delivers lyrical images heavily colored by C.S. Lewis’ classic novel The Great Divorce.

CD Giveaway - Diamond Rio, "The Reason" Ends Jul 29, 2010
The long-time country band releases their first album of original Christian music.

ARTICLE

Television Review: Gossip Girl - Pilot
by R.J. Carter
Published: September 7, 2007

	Print this article
	E-mail this article
	More articles by this author

Related Sites:
· IMDb: Gossip Girl
· Sir Linksalot: Gossip Girl

Grade: B-

Gossip Girl is The CW's newest entry into the scandalous teen-scene of the elite-in-training. They're the pretty people, the party people, the people you want to be -- and their comings and goings are all documented by the watchful and anonymous internet blogger, Gossip Girl. If you're anybody at all, your every move will be logged at this popular Website that feeds up-to-the-minute notifications to laptops and cellphones. If you're at a party and someone who's someone comes through the front door, expect a text within sixty seconds.

The pilot opens with the return of former party girl, Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively.) No sooner is she off the train than Gossip Girl (Kristen Bell) begins her narration, alerting her readership that Melanie91 has spotted Serena back in town. Where she went -- and, more importantly, why she went -- are mysteries to everyone, but when she went away she left her friends in the lurch.

Chief among her friends is Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester.) Formerly Serena's BFF, their reunion is a shaky one. When your best friend takes off and doesn't tell you, it can make you question a lot of things. But when Blair gets the text from Gossip Girl that Serena is back, she knows one thing she has to do right away: cement, sexually, her relationship with her boyfriend Nate (Chace Crawford) before he also learns that the girl he's always pined for has returned.

Whatever kind of party girl Serena used to be, she seems to be much more grounded today. Her first concern upon returning home is the condition of her younger brother, Eric (Connor Paolo), who's currently hospitalized after a suicide attempt. Of course, these kinds of things don't happen to the upper crust, so Eric and Serena's mother, Lily (Kelly Rutherford), has kept the entire affair hushed up. As far as the world is concerned, Eric's visiting relatives.

And then there's Chuck (Ed Westwick) -- amoral, Oscar Wilde-esque Chuck, who's always out for a good time, even if it's not his. How Chuck has managed to stay out of prison is anyone's guess, since we see him walk the sidewalks openly smoking pot -- not to mention two separate attempted rapes in just this first episode.

Setting the counterpoint to all the glitterati of children drinking, smoking, and sexing -- not to mention being used as political and business pawns by their own parents! -- are the Humphreys. Jenny (Taylor Momsen) is a freshman at the school, and a ripe mark for Chuck to move in on. Older brother Dan (Penn Badgley) goes largely unnoticed in his new classes, choosing to adore Serena from afar. However, circumstances conspire to bring them both together, much to the chagrin of Lily, who has something of a history with the Humphrey's dad, minor rock star Rufus (Matthew Settle.)

I'm not in the right tax bracket to know if much of Gossip Girl is based in reality, or if it's all "it girl" fantasy. Veronica Mars fans who were excited to learn their star was moving over to a new series may be disappointed to find out they don't actually see her, as she narrates the scene segues from the perspective of Gossip Girl web alerts. In the pilot alone, there are plenty of betrayals, forbidden relationships, and mysterious intrigue to keep any young soap opera enthusiast engaged. But the only thing that makes this series unique from Melrose Place is the addition of the Website and the impact it has on the characters.

Gossip Girl premieres September 19 on The CW at 9:00pm, 8:00pm CST.

Read our complete look at the Fall TV season at Network Programming Falls Into Place for 2007/08 Television Viewing Season