Gossip Girl Botches Revival

LADUEPUBLICATIONS.COM | 08.23.21

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | 13 HBO BOTCHES GOSSIP GIRL REVIVAL

Panorama compares the pilot of 2007 TV show Gossip Girl with its 2021 reboot

MIMI ZHOU

a&e staff

The “Gossip Girl” reboot kicked o its rst season on a lackluster note. This remake of the iconic 2007 TV show started streaming July 8 on HBO Max.

Both series follow the glamorous lives of wealthy students at the same exclusive private school, but they are set a decade apart. The Constance Billard School is densely populated with bratty trust fund babies and devious socialites.

While the original successfully delivers the glitz and glamor of said lifestyle, the reboot fails to do so. Instead, it chooses to split the focus on weird relationships between students and teachers.

In the reboot, the teachers want to regain control a er spending years being stepped on by students. Instead of teachers throwing students into detention, they nd themselves thrown out if they give students a B. Naturally, the teachers decide that the best way to x this is to create an Instagram account exposing the deepest and darkest secrets of their students — a nod to the Gossip Girl blog from the original series.

Teachers stalk students and deliver awkward lines of dialogue as students act like emotionless adults and partake in abnormal activities such as orchestrating fashion show ascos, bribing school boards, the list goes on.

These odd decisions push the show even further into unrealistic territory. While the original was nowhere near relatable, at least the characters weren’t robots and had actual personalities.

In addition, the chemistry between characters is completely lost in the reboot. Julien, a popular social media in uencer, is the counterpart to Blair from the original, who is an extravagant and demanding diva. Both have their own squad of girls. But, the major di erence is that Blair’s act like mindless minions, while Julien’s seem to think independently. Because of this, the writers miss out on a great opportunity to take advantage of the endless funny moments that come from this power dynamic.

As opposed to the original pilot, which hurls you into the deep end of high-pro le social life, the reboot works to ease you in. This one redeemable quality allows time for writers to lay down the foundation for strained relationships and then build in room to dramatically tear those relationships apart. You’re gradually introduced to the characters and their complicated backstories. One way this is done is through a family photo that reveals a nuanced connection between two half-sisters.

All in all, the “Gossip Girl” reboot doesn’t exceed the original by any means, but it’s not completely awful. It’s worth a watch if you’re looking for any semblance of Gossip Girl. XOXO P

WHO’S WHO?

While the reboot isn’t an exact replication of the original series, it still draws heavy inspiration from its predecessor

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Queens with questionable kings. Lonely souls with big hearts.

Bold, blonde and a little bit of baggage. illustration by | ERICA SHI & MIMI ZHOU