Search - Gossip Girl - The Complete First Season on DVD

Spotted: X & O for Gossip Girl

Jacki | Reno, NV USA | 08/23/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Finally, a teen drama which scores with its take and spin on the absurd and stupid genre. Everyone knows that this style of drama is far fetched, highly unbelievable, and utterly pathetic when placed in such serious contexts with moral issues. But Josh Schwartz, the creator of Gossip Girl, is turning the show into a "close sister" to his original work: The OC. And his work is the complete opposite of portraying ridiculous incidents for teenagers and their disfunctional parents to take part in such serious manners. Gossip Girl takes a refreshing approach to the teen drama genre with humor, heartfelt moments, self parodies, and not trying to make everything so serious with attempted "landmarks." It is because of these traits, that keeps Gossip Girl so interesting and enjoyable to watch. Its viewers know that teen dramas are stupid, its creators know that the genre is stupid, and so they all have fun making it stupid and fun to watch. Nothing more is needed. Making such a genre serious raises the absurdity of a such a show to extreme levels and enjoyment is lost. Josh Schwartz has learned this with his previous work. The OC fans know that ratings on the show tanked during the second and third season due to the attempts for serious writing and loosing the humorous parody of the teen drama. Now if only Schwartz and his team keep that factor in mind and don't do the same thing for the second and third year of Gossip Girl, this series will continue to be a delightful viewing pleasure with great fun. Keep Gossip Girl funny, its what made The OC so unique and successful, and its lack of existence is what makes Gossip Girl's competition (and once The OC's competition): One Tree Hill SUCK!"

Spotted: Josh Schwartz headed east and learning his lesson.

Brian Tuft | New York, New York United States | 07/07/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Gossip Girl takes place in New York City, which is what got this New Yorker into it in the first place. It's location attracted my friends, many of whom reside uptown like the characters. However, after a viewing of the pilot I saw a lot more than just some of my favorite Manhattan landmarks. With a cast of fresh faces and entertaining characters, the show has a lot to offer. Starting with Blake Lively, she plays bad girl gone bad Serena.



Returning from a trip out of town with the intensions of turning things around she starts a relationship with the token indie boy from Brooklyn. New Yorkers will laugh at the idea his being from Williamsburg is being from the other side of the tracks, due to the insane rents there. Dan played by Penn Badgley, is likable and delivers his witty one liners in a way of that of Seth Cohen. While likeable apart, the two of them together are the most boring couple of prime time. Which is disappointing due to the fact that they are the central focus of the season.



Serena's best friend Blair Warldorf is deliciously bitchy as the reigning Queen of the Upper East Side. Although Blake is the breakout star, Leighton Meister who plays Blair is the most talented actress of the bunch and not to mention the fact that she is the most entertaining character. Aside from her ups and downs as Queen B, she also dapples in love affairs with golden boy Nate, and bad boy Chuck.



Nate played by Chace Crawford in an empty eyed performance, is a wasted character who never really has too much going on. However, his best friend and the third member of the love triangle, Chuck Bass played by Ed Westwick is another amazing element of the show. His stylized, plotting man bitch is the only character who is on par with Blair. But the true star of the show is Kristen Bell as the title character and anonymous blogger. Her voice is just bitchy enough yet also warm enough to deliver the cold truth but not be too cold to care. For me anyway, she was the driving force in my love of the show, from the moment she introduces herself and telling you her identity is "the one secret she'll never tell", you find yourself as addicted to her and her blog as it's many readers.



But character developments were never Josh's problem, the problem was keeping them going. And, after watching the dizzying first season of the OC where more happened in seven episodes than in seven seasons of 90210 I feared that Gossip Girl would move too fast and ruin good plot lines. However, they seemed to have learned their lessons. The 18 episodes contained here, move at a great pace that allow you to enjoy the story lines yet them turning into something before they get tired of them. The only question is if they can keep it up for many more seasons, the problem with high school television dramas is that high school can only go on for so long."