GOSSIP GIRL SERIES FINALE

 

[Note: For my fellow Gossip Girl lovers, I waited a day to print this, to give you all time to catch-up. But, if you haven’t seen Monday’s series finale yet, wait to read this until after you have. There are spoilers coming.]

I’ve watched (and re-watched) every second of this series since Day 1. So, I must weigh-in on the finale.

First of all, I was a tad upset right off the bat because I was geared-up for two more hours of actual story, so I couldn’t get into the re-caps and thoughts of the actors and producers that were featured for the first hour. I would have loved them if I had been prepared for that, but I was not. So, I couldn’t really concentrate that much on what everyone was saying in that section. I don’t really know when else they could have shown those segments, though, so I just had to squash my anticipation, and have some patience. (Not my strong suit.)

They did wrap it all up well enough in the allotted one hour, but I really would have loved more story.

I jumped up and began banging this column out with the following paragraph, in real time. But, the rest is random musings, as they came to me, some even in the middle of the night!

When Blair said, “So I guess that means it’s all over now. That we can all grow-up and move on,” I started crying like I do even thinking of the end of Peter Pan. (And that was far from the best thing for me because I had the worst cold ever, and was all stuffed-up to begin with!!!) I guess I really just hate people growing-up. (Duh.)

I actually thought all along that “Gossip Girl” might be Dan. Since we all know they were revealing the identity at the end of the finale, if it had been a minor character, that would have been a letdown. And it had to be someone who made at least a modicum of sense. After all, GG had skewered everyone, so that was going to be hard to get around. They explained some of it away, (like Jenny losing her virginity, if anyone even remembered her anymore,) but, looking over the episode recaps of the entire series, there are just some things Dan would not have done to himself, no matter how badly he wanted to get his name out there. Oh well. I have a feeling the average viewer doesn’t give as much attention to all the details as I do, and that’s who the producers were aiming for.

The only thing that bothered me about that revelation, though, is that Penn Badgley would have really needed to know that as an actor. You play things totally differently with a different back story. (Or, at least, you should.) Something tells me that the writers and producers just came up with GG’s identity no more that a month or so before the start of this final season. (No one on there is really that good an actor that they needed the heads-up, anyway.)

I’m thrilled that Dan and Serena wind-up together because I was really worried that they’d screw us on that one, especially because Blair and Chuck just got married in this final episode. But I’m very disappointed that Lily and Rufus aren’t together; she winds-up with that smarmy William Baldwin while he gets pictured with some bad-looking old nerd? That just ain’t right in my book. (Maybe the powers-that-be thought it would be creepy if the parents of the bride and groom were also together. After all, that’s one reason Dan and Serena broke-up in the first place, way back in the day.)

Okay, I just woke-up in the middle of the night upset about Lily and Rufus. They were the loves of each others’ lives! They should have wound-up together. He fit in nicely with her life, and shouldn’t have been kicked-out of it to begin with. (I guess the writers had to do that to bring back all the conflict with Bart.) And didn’t Serena’s father do something evil awhile ago? How did he get back in??? (Oh yeah, he tried to frame Rufus for adultery, and intentionally misdiagnosed Lily with cancer, in attempts to get back with her!!! There’s no way she would ever forgive him for either of those offenses, and take him back!!! Not even on a show where crazy things happen all the time! And, I just this second remembered this—he helped he arch-nemesis, Ivy Dickens, get all of her (Lily’s) mother’s money!!! Lily divorced the love of her life, Rufus, for even helping Ivy one iota, but she’d be all right with he long-ago ex doing what he did??? NEVER!!!)

Rufus is too hip for that nerdy woman he winds-up with at the end. Yeah, she was wearing okay enough glasses, but that was it. Not his type at all. [Note: I found out, after much research, that the woman he appeared to be with at Dan and Serena’s wedding was Lisa Loeb, who’s some old school singer. I saw her name for a second on a flyer Rufus had been looking at earlier, but since it was too quick and small a reference for even me, who goes back to check on every little thing constantly, (can anyone say OCD?,) then I can guarantee you that nobody got it!!!]

[Big note: I just realized that I wish I had even one friend who watched this show, to discuss this whole thing with. The rest of my pals, even the young ones, are just too mature for me. And the CW! Shame.]

And why did William look into the camera, ala the Modern Family cast, when he saw a phone call from Ivy, while ushering Lily out of the lobby after Bart’s death? I went back to make sure I saw it right, and it was just weird. Did no one on the crew catch that? He and Lily were the only two characters in the scene—how did no director, continuity person, or editor notice that strange move???

Another weird thing is that none of the cast’s looks showed passage of time. But you know what did it for me? The back of Lily’s hair at the end. It wasn’t just that she was missing her usual classy bun, that I think she wore on every single episode! (And also when I met the lovely actress who portrays her, Kelly Rutherford, at an Isaac Mizrahi event a few years ago.) It was that in being worn down, it looked a tad dingy, with the strands separated; kind-of like some older women look. It actually made me sadder than anything. (Besides Blair and Chuck having a weirdo-looking child, that is. What was up with that casting, anyway?)

And Chuck’s Uncle Jack, played by Amanda Seyfried’s sometime beau, Desmond Harrington, looked too sickly to be working. I kept thinking the producers threw him a bone to be in this episode because they knew of some awful condition he was suffering from. So, I looked him up, and…he looks this way on purpose!!! He says it’s from running and changing his diet. Here’s a tip for you, pal—change it back!!! Pronto!!!

I don’t know how they got crazy Taylor Mumford there for this finale, years after they had to banish her from the show because her erratic behavior was so out of hand, (and from what I read, still is,) but it was nice that she was there and the family was complete.

But one thing about the final storyline does bother me—even though Bart Bass was an evil man, will Chuck be able to live with himself for letting his own father die? I can’t imagine that, especially because he seems to take everything to heart. I have some family members I’m less than fond of (actually, that’s all I have!!!,) but I would still do everything in my power to help them. So, are we, the fans, supposed to just ignore that? I guess so.

But what the heck? As my father would always say, (and spoil every sad show for me,) it’s only a made-up TV show. So, I guess all’s well that ends well. It’s just a shame, though, that neither society chick had a major wedding. Where’s the justice in that for the viewers?

I am grateful for one thing, though—that this ending wasn’t as painful for me as that of The OC! With that one, I cried so hard, Mr. X thought the neighbors were going to call the police! I almost broke his hand because he was kind enough to sit on the couch with me for my moment of pain, and was brave enough to hold my hand through it. [Note: It’s the same writing/producing team on both shows, and both had similar endings, showing new generations doing the same things as their predecessors, while the original cast is shown all grown-up. They really know how to torture us Peter Pans, don’t they?!]

Okay, I can’t write anymore about it right now—I have to go watch it again! And this time, in my fancy wedding attire!!!