Will Julien ever learn?
Gossip Girl (2021) Season 1 Episode 12 ended with one of the most bonkers conclusions you could imagine, and it’s hard not to feel like a forced attempt to reinvent the wheel when the series returns.
When I initially reviewed Gossip Girl ahead of its debut, I wasn’t fond of the series, the characters, or the way the show was put together.
The characters all came into their own shortly after those initial episodes, but Julien was one of the best because she was so multi-layered.
Influencers are typically portrayed as people who don’t have a lot going on behind the eyes by the media, but Jordan Alexandar brought a certain level of depth to Julien throughout Gossip Girl (2021) Season 1 that it was easy to root for her.
Actively working to destroy Grace was a big turning point for her, proving that given the tools, Julien would use them to her advantage, even if it meant destroying someone else’s life.
Threatening to take down Gossip Girl was something the characters on the original show often did, but here, everyone seemed to get a thrill out of their dirty laundry being aired.
Maybe the consensus among these teens is that you’re not somebody until you’re talked about, even if it’s something terrible.
Kate: Oh, and um, here is my invoice. I also take cash app or Venmo, if that’s easier.
Camille: Why is there a cab receipt here?
Kate: You specifically told me not to take the subway or rideshare.
Camille: Are you seriously trying to nickel and dime me right now?
Kate: The cost of the cab is like an hour of my time.
Camille: I don’t see how it’s my problem you don’t listen. Implicit to running errands for someone is doing what they ask you to do.
Kate: And part of running errands for people is that I was denied my end of year bonus because the board, made up entirely of parents, including you, decided that money would be better served going to a new gym, so here I am, returning thirty-thousand dollar earrings for you, and you seriously want to argue about a 15 dollar cab?
Camille: You think you deserved a bonus this year? You all complained about teaching during COVID, so the school didn’t re-open. Do you know how hard it was on us working parents?
Kate: We didn’t want to risk our lives.
Camille: Then, you all allowed Gossip Girl to taunt and torment them upon their return. Not only did you do nothing about it, but some of you even sent in tips yourself. Tips on kids you were in charge of. If I could fire each and every one of you, I would.
Kate: So you being cheap was punitive?
Camille: That’s the thing with you people. You think you’re entitled to something you didn’t earn.
Kate: Who people?
Camille: Middle-class white girls who don’t stand out, so they claim some kind of victimhood, push others to spread the wealth they themselves can’t earn. I pay forty percent in taxes so you don’t have to. I trickle down so that you can teach in a safe environment eating cafeteria food cooked by Michelin chefs, all while teaching the future lawmakers of America. You’re glorified babysitters whose names will be hard to recollect in five years, whereas the names of the kids you teach will never be forgotten. It is a privilege to work at Constance, and the board felt you all needed to be reminded of that.
Kate: Thank you, Mrs. De Haan for reminding me why I do what I do.
The visuals of the teenagers fighting because of what they put on Gossip Girl gave Kate the gratification that these teens were facing a reckoning.
They were some vivid scenes that showed the true extent of the account’s power, but with Kate, her redemption arc has been flung out the window, and we should have seen it coming.
Kate is someone who has always had doors shut on her.
The rich people are the gatekeepers in this scenario, and Amanda Warren’s portrayal of Camille de Haan as she gave Kate this verbal beatdown illustrated why Kate thought Gossip Girl was a good idea in the first place.
Warren is one of the bright spots of Dickinson, and seeing her get much meatier material to work with on Gossip Girl is excellent.
We’ll come back to Camille in a bit because of the Kate of it all.
Kate now has more ammunition than ever, and her journey from villain to saving grace to supervillain has made for good TV.
There was always a connection between her and Nick, but how she spoke to him was abhorrent. Kate doesn’t have kids, so who is she to judge what Nick would do for his?
Accepting the offer of someone like Davis could come with caveats and scrutiny, but Nick wants the best for Zoya and Julien. If he can keep them both enrolled at Constance, taking money from Davis may be necessary.
With the verbal beatdown between Kate and Nick happening near the end of the hour, I was sure he was going to reveal he knew she was Gossip Girl or some outlandish twist.
It would have been the perfect way to take Kate down, but no, she’s being dragged kicking and screaming into the second season.
I have to hand it to the writers. They could have had a new person taking over the account like the original and kept us in the dark to start a mystery.
Man: Who are you?
Julien: I’m Julien fucking Calloway.
Maybe they’re concerned it plays out more like Pretty Little Liars if the narrator is omniscient.
Julien sending EVERYTHING she had on everyone, including lies to throw Kate off, will probably blow up in her face, and I’m kind of here for it.
Julien chasing Obie like a lost puppy was embarrassing, but I stand by my countless previous sentiments about Obie. He’s the worst, and the show would be much better without him.
The show is finally starting to show the decadence of these rich kids’ lives, and it’s not a moment too soon.
Aki’s family’s “weekend house” was awe-inspiring and the perfect place to take us viewers who wanted out of the Upper East Side for a little.
There are so many places the show should take us to show how these fabulous kids party, but I’m glad Grace managed to escape unscathed.
She didn’t have much of a personality, but the girls scheming to take her down was horrible.
Monet and Luna have only been used throughout the show as these scheming minions, but it looks like we’ll finally delve deeper into their lives beyond Julien.
Monet’s mother already appears to be a formidable foe, and I laughed when she revealed she sent a tip into Gossip Girl.
Camille may be in the media, but she also controls it like Aki’s family.
Monet also seemed tired of Julien’s tamer ways and seemed way more interested in causing mass destruction.
I would love to see what she put in that notepad!
Luna and Rob were a cute enough couple, but there could have been more development for them, or at the very least, mentions of Rob.
Luna was swept off her feet the moment she caught up with Rob again, so hopefully, this could be the start of an actual storyline for her.
Aki and Audrey’s pursuit of Max was pretty embarrassing. You forget these people are not adults sometimes because of their actions, but damn, Aki and Audrey saying they would share Max was bizarre.
Max doesn’t know what it feels to be in a loving relationship, and maybe he never will. How are we supposed to know where this will go?
Audrey and Aki vowing to make Max an equal and that they will all split up if it fails is a big risk, but maybe they felt it would be worth it if they got Max back.
I hope there’s no drama for this trio, but something tells me jealousy might rear its head before long.
That’s all I got, Gossip Girl fans!
What did you think of Julien’s plan to take down the account?
Do you think Nick made the right decision?
What are your thoughts on Kate?
Is Camille de Haan the best parent?
Hit the comments.
Gossip Girl airs on HBO Max.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
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