259 replies to this topic

[SassandtheCity]

With the season over of Gossip Girl, I thought it'd be fun to go and have a look back at the season. The high points, the low points, the storylines that worked it out like Blair in a headband, the storylines that failed like Chace Crawford trying to emote, and all the other scandal fabulousness that was season one of Gossip Girl.

For me, the hands down best on-going storyline was the reconciliation of Blair and Serena during the first arc of the show. A close second would be the ascent and rapid fall of Little J because I think Taylor made Willa Holland like leaps through that storyline, particularly her freak out about being stuck in her dress.

The worst storylines to me most storylines of Dan and Serena which involved him being judgmental, Serena being ashamed of her life, and then Dan actually turning out to be right at the end of the day. A close second was everything to do with Allison Humphrey since the actress was atrocious especially when she had to go toe to toe with the awesomeness of Kelly Rutherford.

The worst payoff on the show is tied between Blair's take down of Georgina and Serena's "I killed somebody" as they both had so much momentum and the conclusions were both a little lame given what this show is capable of.

[cady622]

I didn't start watching GG from the very beginning, but I quickly caught up with it and I have one part that I absolutely LOVE! When Serena goes all Lohan and Blair, Chuck and Nate overcome their differences and pull together for their friend. They even stand strong against the outsider Dan. That was amazing it shows such love between the 4 of them, no matter how crappy they are to each other. It is an us against them mentality that is great to watch. Really shows that no matter what Dan may think he is NOT the UES. All and all an awesome season. I will definitely watch the next one.

[Rowena666]

This season showcased one of the most interesting, complex, and just-plain-fun-to-watch characters on TV: Blair Waldorf. The development of Blair from the "Little Evil" who made Serena's life a living hell, to the layered, vulnerable-yet-badass, firecely-loyal-friend-yet-crazy-bitch we know her as now was excellent.

[mkay]

I especially liked Dan and Serena's earlier stuff, from their first interactions (Pilot) to "Hi, Society" (the Debutante).

[CaitieUGA]

I thought Jenny's arc was very well done, if perhaps a little rushed towards the end, thanks to the reduced order. I personally didn't find her to be overly sympathetic, but it was certainly interesting and definitely one of the season's strongest story lines.

One arc I thought was really mishandled was Nate/Blair's. Most of their reunion (Nate realizing he still cared about Blair, Blair going back to Nate) happened off screen, which unfortunately seems to be a reoccurring issue with the show. And then they never had so much as a one-on-one scene together following episode 1.13! I also thought Nate's reaction to Chuck/Blair was much too comfortable and happy. As much as I want to be interested Nate/Blair, they're much more compelling in my head than they have been on the show. And that's a shame, considering all of that history between them. And they're such a cornerstone in the books! I really wish they'd done a better job. Sadface!

[Miss Scarlett]

I think the season started with a bang and everything was pretty much handled picture perfect until around School Lies, when I could see that there were some holes and characterization problems that seemed to end up plaguing the latter half of the season.

I loved the Serena/Blair make up arc, but hated the eventual retcon. S going away to boarding school because of Not!Murder instead of Nate? Cheapened the awesomeness of B/S for me. Whatevs, writers.

I thought Chuck/Blair turned the show (for me) from a guilty pleasure to OMG, I LOVE this show obsession. From attempted rapist to sleazy Lothario, Chuck's arc was one of my favorites. And that scene in the back of the limo? Easily the hottest thing this show has ever done so far. I didn't know I wanted B/C until that moment and now I need them.

Everything Blair did through out the season knocked my socks off, but I thought her moment to shine was easily in A Thin Line Between Chuck and Nate. Vulnerable! Blair is almost as good as Bitch! Blair and they were both represented wonderfully. And I loved S coming to the rescue, Chuck's awful speech and even Little J's back stab.

The latter half of the season kind of failed to deliver on all of that awesomeness. Blair's plan of social destruction was pretty lame, S never really did stand up with her against the UES bitches, the Georgina plotline was rushed, convoluted, and ended in a whimper, and Serena's total abandonment of her brain and sense to devolve into a spineless victim, grated big time.

I thought Josh had learned from the OC not to burn through too many storylines in the first season, but I'm afraid GG, (writer's strike or not) sped through a huge amount of story in a too short time, throwing alot of organic characterization out the window to hit predetermined plot points, so that the finale seemed disjointed and clunky.

And seriously, what is with this show and missing scenes or off camera revelations? This is a TV show, so I don't understand why pivotal scenes like Nate's realization of his feelings for Blair, Rufus/Lily deciding to call it quits, Nate's getting over Serena, Chuck realizing he loves Blair, Serena telling Lily and Pete's parents about the OD, all happened off screen. Show not tell!

Hopefully, with no strike and an extended season, the writers will have the leisure to take things a little more slowly in season 2. I know they can do it, 1-13 were awesome TV after all.

[catnamedzane]

The worst storylines to me most storylines of Dan and Serena which involved him being judgmental, Serena being ashamed of her life, and then Dan actually turning out to be right at the end of the day.

...so basically all story lines involving S and Lonelyboy? Yeah, I'd agree with that. This last one really made no sense.

S: Georgina helped me murder someone but really, I didn't so everything's cool!
D: Um, but about last night...me and Sarah, I mean, Georgina...
S: Don't worry about it! I just want to move on.
D: But I didn't sleep with her...
S: Whew!
D: I might as well have, though.
S: ...um. You know what, it's cool.
D: Well, you cheated on me first so I thought...
S: No, actually I didn't...But that's okay, it's all in the past and I just want us to be together and happy!
D: I can't take all the lying!
S: What?
D: You have been lying to me from the beginning!
S: But Dan --
D: Hey, listen, everybody knows that I am the least judgmental person on the planet, and humble too, but I can't take the lying!
S: I just thought --
D: I'm dumping you, liar.
S: ...yeah, I guess I deserve that.

[PalomaK]

*snort*

That seriously made me laugh, catnamedzane.

[MarigoldSkye]

D: I'm dumping you, liar.
S: ...yeah, I guess I deserve that.

Bwah! Ok, that whole thing made me laugh. I have never really been the hater of Dan that some people are, he's had moments of pure brilliance, but the finale was not one of those moments. His turn from 'hey, it's cool' to 'you are so dumped' was just weird and came from nowhere. I don't like how Serena is supposed to be understanding and he's not. Just like I didn't care for how Blair was supposed to be understanding about Nate's infidelity with her best friend, but Nate couldn't return the favor when he found out about Blair and his best friend.

Overall, I favored the first part of the season over the second half.

[mkay]

Overall, I favored the first part of the season over the second half.

That's a given.

I also think that Blair's dance at Victrola was anything but "hot". Cringe-worthy moment right there, along with the limo stuff. I just don't think it was that hot. However, I really liked them in the finale, liked their vibe and all. Their opposing or conflicting personalities create some sort of explosive dynamic which is very exciting. Furthermore, both actors have a lot of chemistry together, which helps.

What I don't like is the plot device used to break up Dan/Serena. Seriously, it was one of the lamest part of this season. Dan/Serena from Episode 14 up to the finale was mediocre. However, Penn and Blake play wonderfully together - they have great chemistry - as the finale showed us, so I'm sure that, with some good material, these two can be a force to be reckoned with.

[SassandtheCity]

I really do think they overshot the Serena/Georgina thing because number one, I think Serena confessing she killed somebody was something that seemed to be more season finale worthy and the fallout from it was lame when they basically backtracked on all of the hellion Serena to make her really blameless in that situation. They knew they had a shortened season so they should have planned accordingly when they came back from break, the Georgina gifts could have easily been spread out over a couple episodes with her first appearance in the second to last episode and then the big reveal in the season finale.

A lot of times, rewatching the series, I feel like I can tell that the writers are bored writing Serena and Dan as opposed to Chuck and Blair.

[Sashayette]

Favorite moments:
- Revealing Serena’s escapade with Nate to Dan and the little shove-fight that followed. Blair’s entire sequence of facial expressions during that scene was to die for. First time I realized my Blair love.
- Blair reading her letter that she never sent to Serena. She breaks my heart.
- Field hockey fight!
- All of Victor/Victrola and Seventeen Candles. I am an unashamed Chuck/Blair addict.
- The bar scene in Thin Line.
- ‘I’m Chuck Bass.’ Only in Poison Ivy and Much I Do About Nothing, though. That other time made me cringe.

Worst moments:
- Morning scene with Chuck and Blair in Much I Do. While it was cute the first time I watched it, the more I actually listened to the dialogue the worse it got. Much too “look at me, I’m so witty and snarky and cute because I can make random past references that have nothing to do with the current scene just so that the audience can awww and think how completely myself I am” aka Juno reminiscent.
- Non-judging breakfast club. WTF. That was just plain bad. Didn’t fit the mood at all, and did the same thing as the above scene, just twice-fold.
- Serena’s whole Georgie storyline. Lammme.
- Some of the stuff Gossip Girl said at the beginning of the season. It seemed a little off. Or maybe I just got used to her.

[sendtherain]

I'm hoping they would have had the "i killed someone" turn into something else with consequences had they been given nine episodes instead of 5. If it had been self-defense, at least, which she then tried to cover up, I would have understood her panic and her lies. As it was, the G versus S story line ended up being totally ridiculous, even though I thought Georgina was amazing. And then maybe Chuck's transformation from total sleaze to hopeless romantic sleaze to CHUCK BASS in less than half an hour would have been more believable. Well, it was believable in the sense that Ed is amazing, but as a story, it felt ridiculously rushed.

Also... once again, why did Nate/Vanessa even happen if it went nowhere? Exactly how was that a plot line they just HAD to keep in given their limited amount of time? They seemed perfectly happy together and then... death.

Edited by sendtherain, May 22, 2008 @ 11:29 PM.

[hgalve]

I guess I'll start with the positive. I think the best thing to happen this season was Chuck/Blair (I honestly never watched an episode of Gossip Girl until I saw these two on my screen and now I'm hooked), Serena/Blair (I love their friendship) and I enjoyed the Van Der Woodsen/Bass family. And Blair and Chuck as individual characters.

I also loved the scenes with Nate/Serena/Blair/Chuck, I loved their friendship and how even though they pretty much hated each other they found some way to put their differences aside and help out a friend in need. There's definitely a lot of history and love between the four.

I didn't get the Nate/Vanessa relationship. What was the point of getting them together if they were going to just break up? And why did they get together in the first place?

I hated the Serena killing someone storyline. Absolutely hated it. The conclusion sucked and honestly I was expecting something mind blowing.

I wish they had explored the Nate/Blair/Chuck triangle more because I thought Nate accepting these two together was a bit too soon. I guess I just wanted more angst.

Edited by hgalve, May 23, 2008 @ 1:58 AM.

[Mpol]

The season had some little bumps but over all it was a FANTASTIC watch. Bring on Season Two.

[marshmellow]

I think the best thing to happen this season was Chuck/Blair

I have to agree. Quite honestly I would not still be watching this show if CB had not gotten together, Seventeen candles was what did it -- it turned me from a fair weather viewer into a crazy obsessive fan! Indeed when I watched the Pilot I really thought this show was dreadful, the only person I liked was rapey Chuck and Kristen Bell as Gossip Girl (which was the initial reason I tuned in in the first place; to support my beloved KB!).
There was something really charming and enjoyable about those few almost insular and self-contained episodes at the start of the season; those like 'The Wild Brunch' and 'Bad News Blair'. In some ways I enjoyed them more than the arc-heavy portion of the post strike episodes. Everything remained relatively cohesive for me until after episode thirteen when the CBN triangle was put on the back-burner and never really came back off of it. I was very confused as to why C told B that he didn't want her anymore, in effect choosing N, and then proceeded to do nothing about winning N and their friendship back. This was the only triangle in my viewing history I have ever really enjoyed, so it was a shame not more was made of its impact.

I didn't like the abundance of Chuck-less episodes, I hope we've seen the back of those. Chucks arc has been my favourite though, the stripping back of the veil as it were, he's filled the empty void Logan Echolls left in my heart! Looking back I think my favourite Blair episode was The Roman Holiday -- she'll always be the real protagonist to me! I love her. I have to give Leighton and Ed their dues, I do think they are the best actors on this show and without them it would be all the poorer -- I think Ed could have chemistry with a brick wall. As far as the other characters go I liked Dan in the first few episodes and then it was all down hill from thereon in. It's not that I find him irritating whilst on screen I just think he's a complete dick head a lot of the time -- Nate has come on a lot, as well as Vanessa. Serena is wonderful and I love her when she's behaving badly or is around her BFF. I'm hoping Carter will return in season two and sweep her off her feet for some fun. Loved the Georgie stuff too, but it was resolved too quickly.

[fashionista]

The beginning of the season definitely has a very different mood--I was watching the earlier ones and realized that, more than anything else, it was because they seemed to adhere to the books more. Not necessarily the storylines themselves, but the mood of the entire thing.

Also, I didn't even realize how intensely they dropped Blair/Nate at the end of the season. Come on, writers. He certainly had an impact on her life, you can't just let it die that way. I understand that there was a lot to cram at the end there, but this was just sloppy.

Overall, it's a great show. But the last few episodes--especially the last two, in my opinion--left much to be desired.

[SassandtheCity]

Looking back over the season, the best part was probably the stretch from The Wild Brunch to Blair Waldorf Must Pie as they were really great in examining the core relationship of Blair and Serena.

Some of the problems with the season finale was related to something they did all season long where plot threads would be picked up and then dropped shortly thereafter. Jenny's transformation was a little out of nowhere since they had had her turn a little mean and fab in the sleepover but then revert and then they picked it up again during The Thin Line, losing some of the building of that arc.

The worst arc was probably the Georgina arc since it was so poorly planned because Serena's big secret was a little too self-contained from the rest of the characters. Plus the show kept on harping about bad Serena and even showed us a clip of her potential in Blair Waldorf Must Pie but they seemed too timid to fully have her wild, which makes me sad since one of the best arcs on The OC were Marissa's yearly slut spirals.

A lot of stuff was pushed aside for the Georgina arc, which is too bad since Serena and Blair taking down the UES was cut, the Blair/Nate/Chuck fallout never really played out well, and Michelle Trachtenburg just wasn't good enough in the role to make it all seem worthwhile.

The beginning of the season definitely has a very different mood--I was watching the earlier ones and realized that, more than anything else, it was because they seemed to adhere to the books more. Not necessarily the storylines themselves, but the mood of the entire thing.

I think the beginning of the show had a more distinctive, Upper East Side feel to it that is sort of missing now.

[mkay]

I think the beginning of the show had a more distinctive, Upper East Side feel to it that is sort of missing now.

True. It reminds me of the contrast (in that regard) between Season 1 of The O.C. and everything that followed. The show lost its "SoCal" vibe in between Season 1 and 2.

Another thing that was really disappointing is the way TPTB really transformed Dan into a judgmental ass. We knew he wasn't the most understanding guy in the world, but for a guy that's supposed to be totally in love with Serena, he sure as well gave up quite easily on her. Their whole ending, as opposed to their union, felt really cheap in the sense that it was a consequence of bad writing and of the strike of course. The issue was there but it was tackled at the surface. They didn't go deep enough and in really, they could have stayed together but for the sake of the show (and to bring us back) they had to break them up.

[SassandtheCity]

The one thing that I hated about the end of the season the most is that there was plenty of material for Dan and Serena to fight about aside from Georgina stuff that was wedged into the show. Dan's sister effectively helped temporarily destroy Blair's life using information that she garnered from listening in on them, you'd think that the show would have formulated some sort of Dan and Little vs. Serena and Blair conflict because it would've given Penn great material to be conflicted about what Jenny did, his love for Serena, and how he maybe feels Blair might deserve some of it.

[Diorelle]

I wish there was more Blair! She is the true star of the show. Serena is just blah. Blair has character development and depth and you root for her to win...occasionally. Her style is a lot cuter than Serena's boho aesthetic.

I loved Jenny! She was also a great character that had lots of development and depth. I loved that she could stand up to a total bitch like Blair. I thought the Blair/Jenny storyline's were way better than the Blair/Serena storyline's because that storyline was really good at the beginning of the show. Same with the whole different worlds thing between Dan and Serena.

I'm glad Rufus and Lily broke up. I didn't like them together. Same with Dan and Serena. In the book Serena was like with fifty different guys throughout the whole series. She needs to move on and be the glamorous girl she should be.

And is it just me or did the show lose a lot of it's glamor? Like pre-writer's strike they were having parties every other week wearing Valentino gowns to masquerade balls, photoshoots, late nights out in NYC. What happened to that? It added a lot to the shows awesomeness.

[Miss Scarlett]

And is it just me or did the show lose a lot of it's glamor? Like pre-writer's strike they were having parties every other week wearing Valentino gowns to masquerade balls, photoshoots, late nights out in NYC. What happened to that? It added a lot to the shows awesomeness.

Yes, the first 13 episodes had a very specific UES/NYC feel to it. The rest of the season seemed to lose that sense of place for some reason.

[Rowena666]

I may be in the minority here, but I liked the way that Nate/Blair played out, throughout the season. I thought that the way Nate's feelings flip-flopped from seemingly not caring about Blair at all to desperately wanting her back was very realistic for a teenaged boy, and very fitting with Nate's character. To have a girl go from being completely obsessed with you and constantly demanding your attention and presence, to acting very carefree and happy without you and with no seemingy desire to have you around is a pretty big change, and a pretty alluring one to most people, especially teens. And I think it was fitting for Nate's character, too- Nate doesn't know for sure what he wants in life; all he knows it what he *doesn't* want, and that's the cookie-cutter UES-life that his parents have planned for him. The Old Blair was part of that- besides epitomizing the UES-scene and all of its rules and obligations, he was basically betrothed to her from a young age. He was a douchey boyfriend for a while, but he didn't make a real, definitive move to break things off until his parents started to hard-core pressure him about his future with Blair. While he may have know, deep down, that Blair was not the one for him, with or without his parents' meddling, I don't think he knew it at that point. So it seemed pretty realistic, to me, that once the parental pressure was gone, and he saw Blair by herself, without any strings or obligations, he thought he might still want her. And look at the language he used to Chuck, "I think I might want her back." That's not a profession of love- it's just an admittance of continuing feelings, so it wasn't that unrealistic to me that Nate cut Blair off so entirely once he found out about her and Chuck. He was never in love with her, but he did have feelings for her that were strong enough to keep him hooked in after the break up, but not strong enough to survive her dalliance with Chuck. And, in the end, he did the noble thing and recognized that his best friend truly loved Blair, and gave their relationship the okay.

And, for Blair's part, I think her feelings for Nate were pretty consistent throughout the season. She loved him, and she still does, but she's not allowing that to hinder her from finding someone else.

[marshmellow]

I agree with you Rowena666. I think the writers dropped the ball a little with every arc this season, but in the end the way NB was written made sense (in context) for both characters.

[SassandtheCity]

In rewatching the first few episodes of the season, one thing I think was dropped or sort of pushed aside was Serena did have a bitchy, Queen B side and could be snide which made her being a former Queen B of the school far more believeable than when after she and Blair made up, she sort of turned into extreme goody goody. Even her flashback in Blair Waldorf Must Pie showed her more as reckless than somebody that would've been in charge of everybody. I sort of miss those flashes of hardcore! Serena.

[FromReality]

Here are my 2 cents regarding Serena.

I don't think the writers ever meant to portray her as a previous Queen B because she was a bitch or manipulative in the past. I think Blair has always been the one in control, however Serena was a wild carefree mess who all the guys wanted and all the girls envied due to that + the fact that she just didn't care what people thought. Therefore, Blair was overshadowed but she was still technically the boss. Hence Nate saying to Serena in the thanksgiving flashback, "What are you new? Blair's the boss of all of us." I always assumed Blair and Serena were kind of like partners in leadership, though with Serena it was more because everyone loved her due to her charisma etc., and with Blair it was more Queen B status due to control, manipulation, etc. Thus, when Serena left, Blair didn't have to share the spotlight anymore and that was her whole fear at the beginning; that Serena being back meant she was no longer solely in control.

And I also think that Serena was truly wild. She was drunk and didn't care all the time...she was obviously into hooking up with random guys-notice how quickly she got into making out with the guy, and Blair saying that they've seen her hooking up with investment bankers (which, what when she was 15???) She was around drugs all the time and probably more than dabbled in them, she came up with fake names and stories when she went out with Georgina. All of that is wild behavior, especially at that age. But like I said above, the writer's never intended to make her a bitch in her past, I think, more like on a wild destructive spiral. Therefore, she was always a good person and that shows in the flashbacks in which she called the cops and felt so horrible about what happened to Pete.

It's true to the books, if I remember correctly, Serena was never portrayed as a bitch. I think they did a good job of showing a wild side that no longer exists, but showing that essentially Serena was always a good person. I actually think it helps me feel sympathetic toward Serena because it's not like Dan couldn't get past her being a bitchy whore who left a guy for dead because she was more afraid for herself and just someone with no feelings but because she was a horrified teen girl who despite doing wild and crazy things because she was self destructing was horrified to play a role in the death of a guy and called the cops because she was still, deep down a good person.

I do agree that the writers dropped the ball a bit on all arcs. I really would have loved to see Nate and Serena in a friendship scenario because the books were all about how Nate, Serena, and Blair were a threesome torn apart by confused feelings. In fact, I was always under the impression that Nate's indecision was caused because the two girls meant the world to him as friends first and therefore his teenage hormones were confusing things even further than if they were random girls. I think that would have helped Nate develop more of a character if they had tried to show that. The final two episodes showed that a bit as they established the fact that those three + Chuck were a foursome who were indestructible despite all the harm they could cause each other.

One thing I enjoy though, is that addition of Chuck. In the books he doesn't play nearly as an important role, and making it a foursome that will hopefully continue next season leads to great potential.

[BenMech]

The best arc: Blair vs Jenny, with the rise of the new bohemian trying to topple old money, but Old Money's completely Machiavellian annihilation of the Clueless but Slightly Slick lil' miss Humphrey.

Weirdest parallel: Lily and Rufus still going at it, even when BOTH THEIR CHILDREN were hot n' heavy (well, not Eric) for each other. For that alone, they should have put aside their hormones. Kelly Rutherford OWNS YE ALL, as she did on Brisco County Jr, Kindred: The Embraced, Melrose Place, and the other shows she was on. Matthew Settle is kinda alright. Reminds me of the dude from Nada Surf.

Chase Crawford should shave his head, and grow some testicles.

Penn and Blake are a good couple together. So, are Nate and Vanessa.

That Constance Billard place is a school, right? Were the classrooms empty? Were there teachers? Seriously, show us SOME clue that school HAPPENED.

[TexMarques]

The best thing about the season? the best thing about the show altogether? Blair, simply put. Leigthon is awesome, Blair!Bitch is awesome, Blair!MamaBear is awesome, Blair!Dady´s Girl is awesome! She is such a real person, behind all the act, and you really feel for her, and cheer for her. And she has chemistry with EVERYBODY (well, expect Nate, that only has chenistry with Chuck).

The second best thing, S/B friendship. You can tell why, how, and how much they love each other and is never fake. They fight like real friends, they complain like real friends, they spend time and relly on each other like real friends. Together they could like, rule the world.


And Chuck is love, and I aplaud the writers for going there and making him a douche after his declaration of love to Blair. It was true to character and slowed things down. B/C is the couple of the series but they can only get really together in the end, because Blair can only be happy at the very end. The whole drive of the show is how much life is always screwing with Blair, and she is always trying to just be content in her own skin, and if you take away that you take away depth. Is all Veronica Mars´in this way.

Worst thing? Chace Crawford. I´m sorry, but he is awful, and he makes Nate be awfull and I just wish he would drop off earth. I can´t find him even pretty because I always wanna throw things at my tv when he is on. Thats why a B/N/S triangle wouldn´t work, because altough I can see why Queen B of denial would find him appealing in her own head, there is no way not drunk Serena would hit that. She loves B too much to jeopardize their friendship for Nate. You know, at least Dan was book smart and sarcastic and had that mouth to die for.

My congrats to TM that evolved so much during the course of the season. That Valentino Dress scene is extremely well acted. And she is only fourteen, Chace.

[sendtherain]

I don't know, the drive of the books is definitely how much life constantly screws Blair over, but I think they made that a little less apparent on the show. Serena's struggle to change was probably more front-and-center than Blair's sad life. I think the shows provides more of the perspective that Blair brings a lot of the pain upon herself. She didn't have to put up with Nate, but she did and that drove her to even more pain. Serena, other than being gone for half a year and sleeping with Nate, doesn't do much else to fuel Blair's insecurities. I definitely think the show is more about Blair not feeling good about herself and therefore life screws her over.

Chuck and Blair definitely the couple of the series, but I don't want a totally insecure and unhappy Blair for two more seasons or however long the show will run, so I hope they have some truly happy moments in between all the angst. I think season 2 might actually focus on Chuck's insecurities rather than Blair's. Because, even if he starts hooking up with random chicks to avoid commitment, Blair has to be totally blind if she can't tell how much Chuck lurves her.

I agree that Chace is a pretty weak link, but he's at least improved a good deal over the season. I think he has chemistry Ed, Jessica, Taylor, and Blake. I don't think he's meant to have much chemistry with Leighton, because I think they were supposed to be dead in the water from the word "go." He could still use some acting lessons, but I think he's moved forward decently.

Taylor has made the sharpest improvement, thankfully. Post Thin Line, all her work has been bordering on brilliant.

Blake is a pretty good actress, but I think she has made the least improvement throughout the season. She stills needs to stop mumbling her lines, but whatever.

Edited by sendtherain, Jun 7, 2008 @ 4:12 PM.

[TexMarques]

I don't know, the drive of the books is definitely how much life constantly screws Blair over, but I think they made that a little less apparent on the show. Serena's struggle to change was probably more front-and-center than Blair's sad life. I think the shows provides more of the perspective that Blair brings a lot of the pain upon herself. She didn't have to put up with Nate, but she did and that drove her to even more pain. Serena, other than being gone for half a year and sleeping with Nate, doesn't do much else to fuel Blair's insecurities. I definitely think the show is more about Blair not feeling good about herself and therefore life screws her over.

So, I didn´t read the books, so I wouldn´t know, but on the show, to me, the whole Serena thing is superficially the front and center, but at its core is all about Blair. And you know, when you say that is more about Blair not feeling good about herself to me this translates to how much life is always screwing with Blair, because in this case is even worse. She´s auto-sabotaging and this the hardest circle to break. There is a reason for her being like that, like gossip girl said, bitches aren´t born, they are made, so is not her immagination or something. And Nate is all part of the fairy tale life she thinks she deserves, but for some reason doesn´t get. The problem with Blair is that she doesn´t know how awesome she is, and the day she does learn that theres no more point to the show, and that´s why I say C/B can only happen in the end. IDK if I made myself clear...

Blake is a pretty good actress, but I think she has made the least improvement throughout the season. She stills needs to stop mumbling her lines, but whatever.

I like Blake just fine, and I think she plays of some of the actors pretty well (like Leighton and Ed), but her work with Penn was, to say the least, boring.