We knew it had to happen sometime. I keep trying to be all serious and work on poetry and papers, but like a moth to the flame, the pale coin called me back. I'm sure you're wondering exactly which piece of gossip was so good that I just had to report it. I myself, in this little hiatus, have been wondering, "Hmmm, I wonder what it will be. What will be SO juicy, SO amazing, that I will HAVE to turn my eyes away from "greater" academic endeavors and report back to the coin." Well my friends, the answer is not in fact a single piece of gossip, but rather an entire broadcasting of it: S and B. Lonely Boy. GOSSIP GIRL.
Okay, when I first learned about this series, I'll admit, I was excited about it only in the muted, half-hearted way I was excited about, say, "Palmetto Pointe," and "Summerland" and even "Central Park West." These shows all promise to be the next 90210 or OC, and inevitably disappoint. Oh no, I wasn't getting my hopes up about Gossip Girl. I vowed that I would stay strong. But as the advertisements got longer and more revealing, my resolve weakened. With each preview, with each playing of Fergie's G.L.A.M...well, you know the rest. Anyway, I began to get more and more excited, until by the time the actual premier came, I WAS PUMPED (certain people can attest to this). And lo and behold, Gossip Girl did not let me down.
The second episode aired last night, and I'll say this: I'm still enamored. If 90210, the O.C., and Cruel Intentions all had a freakly little love child (much as, some are speculating, Serena did last year in "boarding school"), this would be it. Even the names are amazing; get a little bit of this: Serena van der Woodsen. Blair Waldorf. Nate Archiblaid. It's as if they took all of the names of the 19th century tycoons and put them through anagram software. The dialogue, too, is all I could expect and much, much more. Upon being told that Serena is back in town, Chuck, resident Upper East side bad guy, swirls his scotch and declares with the perfect mix of bordeom and disdain, "Good...it was beginning to get a bit dull around here." Mind you, he is all of sixteen. Ah, Gossip Girl.
Now that I've made clear my immediate love for this show, here's the beef: exactly how much can creator Josh Schwartz rip off from his other baby, The OC, before people start to get a little miffed? Cause I'm telling you, once you notice it, you REALLY notice it. There's the expression of conflicted teen angst that Serena assumes about every five minutes, like when she tells Nate "I didn't come back for you!" This expression is Marissa Cooper, through and through. Furrowed brow. Slight parting of the lips. Shaking that perfect head of blonde hair. Hey, Mischa, don't worry; they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Also eerily OC: the Kirsten and Sandy Cohen look-alike parents (at least they're not married, although it's clear we can expect a hook-up sometime soon). The witty geek a la Seth Cohen (I bet Dan owns a lot of Death Cab for Cutie...). Even the Rooney playing in the background, because nothing says Upper East side brunch like Rooney.
None of this is changing my love for the GG, of course. I'm just saying, I think it can stand on its own...it needs no help from the OC, which got pretty bad after the first two seasons anyway. Mr. Schwartz needs to allow GG a chance to get away from its older sibling, a chance to come into its own. After all, everyone knows the second child is usually the cooler one.
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