Episode 4 (RECAP): Grave Concerns, An Open Letter
Discussed: Literary Coups; Dark Clouds On The Horizon; Not Having Time For This Shit-Type Girl Drama; You’ve Got To Give It Up, If You Want to Live It Up; Dan & I Are Treating Ourselves To A Night Of Debauchery because, Frankly We Deserve It.
C here. I usually take a backseat on the episode recaps, as they’re sort of B’s thing, but this week’s episode is just too much. So I come hat in hand, to express some grave concerns I have about the future of Gossip Girl.
Firstly, tonight’s episode, from a Chuck Bass perspective, was fantastic. We got easily twice as much Chuck as usual and all of it was Grade A+ Bassian manipulation (exception: my jury is still out on his buying off of this little Amanda girl). In fact, a lot of this episode was classic GG quality, but there were some indicators that concerned us greatly – things we could have passed up & not thought about, if not for seeing them thrown back at us ten fold in the “Next Week on Gossip Girl” promo.
Let’s face it, we watch this show a little more for the “Girl” and a little less for the “Gossip”. Every time Chuck gets socked in the face, every time Lily shows up at Casa de Humphrey, every time Serena is on camera, every time Blair’s legs are on camera…but what we don’t watch it for is to see Blair & Serena fight (zzzzzz…what a bore) or to see Vanessa get alienated, Nate hate the world, Blair “brokenhearted”, Serena binge drinking and hooking up with entire prep school lacrosse teams, Dan as a ghost, Lily shunned by Rufus (though he was right) or Jenny cutting class because of all the drama.
NOTE TO THE WRITERS/CREATORS OF GOSSIP GIRL:
Have some confidence. Know your audience. Rise above the lowest common denominator that network TV so consistently resides at. Kubrick said that the best definition of something being “good” is how “daring and sincere” it is. And judging from the preview for next week’s episode I think it’s safe to say that you’ve lost touch with this guide a bit. Let’s remember the equation for a life-afirming episode of GG is Chuck Bass + Lily/Rufus + Nate Running + Blair’s Legs + Serena + that girl Bex who kept asking Rufus out in season one…..NOT: Fashion week + Blair/Serena drama + Dan Alienated (further pussyfying him) and no hot senior year action at all.
I mean, where does this work? I beg of you, keep your audience in mind, and know that they expect as much from you as you’re capable of. Daring & sincere. Daring & sincere.
p.s. NOTE TO DAN: You aren’t the only one who just broke up with their girlfriend, and jumping on the first girl who walks your way is a mistake we’ve all made at some point. But lowering your standards that much is just unacceptable and only further perpetuates the misconception some people have, that Serena was too good for you. I know that’s bullshit, you know that’s bullshit, so pull yourself together. Give me a call, we’ll get a drink, catch up, and maybe check out the Body Shop. Lord knows we could both use a lap dance.
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:22 am
really though, it wasn’t such a step down. She wasn’t hot but she “got” dan. And isn’t that a good thing? forgetting of course what a jerk he was for going after someone at the same school, on the FIRST day.