Gossip Girl 2.0 has lost it's cause. Too high on it's own hype, it fell through the cracks of it's own legend. I have to admit, until I saw the first commercial for the revival show, I'd never seen an episode of the original Gossip Girl. I never considered it my thing. I mean there were no vampires or aliens so why bother? I just did not have the space in my life for what people were calling a Sex And The City rip off. Then, a commercial for the 2021 version appeared which looked sleek, tempting and relevant. So, I had to check out the original before diving into the reboot. I was hooked after the second episode. GG was ahead of it's time, fairly predicting the power of our phones, blogging and social media influencers. Let's not forget the fashion it launched.
After a few episodes, it was clear this was not marketed for teens, but as a full on soap opera to everyone. The dialog was smart, biting, well conceived feeling organic. I bindged the entire 6 seasons on Crave. Riveted to every scene every outfit and every utterance of "I'm Chuck Bass". The whole time playing a mental version of my favourite game 'how many actors did vampire movies?' Hint...more than you think.
Hitting the last episode I could see why a spinoff was planned just a few short years after. I wanted more. So, with half of season one of the 2.0 available, I was ready.
2021's offering sadly does not live up to it's parents legend. It feels like the spoiled rich kid it is. The characters are titering on one note, unfiltered through the lens of mock-reality tv and youtube realness. The teens who are the stars of the show, pale in comparison to the teachers that pick up the mantle of Gossip Girl. Had the show centered around the school staff and less on the kids, it would have a better chance of surviving it's own pitfalls.
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