Josh Safran did an interview with The Daily Beast, where he said that he'd planned on Nate being Gossip Girl: I do find it interesting that every character the writers considered for Gossip Girl—Nate, Eric and eventually Dan—were male, despite Gossip Girl being Gossip Girl. Oh, and there will be a rimjob in Episode 3, so it looks like someone is going to get their ass ate, even if it isn't the music director like Twitter so kindly suggested.
Just finished the first episode and I enjoyed the more “side” characters much more than the actual main storyline. Really looking forward to watching the tension build between Max, Audrey and Aki and hopefully with more episodes Monet and Luna La will be developed beyond “conniving sidekicks”.
I do like the teachers storyline, but I wish it wasn't presented so... goofy? Other than that, I have no real complaints. It's very much in line with the original. Anyway, here's another interview where its mentioned that several recurring characters will be appearing in an episode later this season.
"We didn't get to see Dan with his [15 year old little sister] Jenny sitting next to him and he's posting something about her". Right because then we would have known Dan was a sociopath from the start and that would have made him way less appealing.
A friend of mine mentioned that the teachers as GG is kind of funny since it unintentionally mirrors the little "feud" between Millennials and Gen Z that was happening on TikTok, which then spilled over onto Twitter, earlier this year and I had to scream
I came away from that pilot mostly interested in Monet teebs. The actress was serving in almost every look she wore, regularly stealing scenes and I kind of need her to usurp Julien's spot and establish herself as the queen bee. Max was doing the most but Thomas always been an entertaining chewer of scenery (much like the original Chuck) so I like him (or the messiness he's going to deliver). Julien and Zoya were cute and their story has potential, I suppose. Pink hair boy and nu-gen-Jenny were meh and I wish there was at least one prime himbo (a la Nate) in the cast, the dudes are all a bit too basic. The teachers are a mess but it's an interesting take. They do seem too dumb though, and I expect them to lose control of that site by season's close. I'll check back in a few episodes to see if Monet gets things to do and things get more interesting. But I'm not keen enough to commit week-to-week.
The first teachers scene was kinda weird because the tone was really clashing with whatever was happening in the outside world ... but at the end of the episode, I felt like it worked well and it's complementing the main storyline.
I do wonder if Monet will eventually come for Julien's crown. I can't imagine Constance's richest girl would be satisfied playing publicist for Julien's Queen Bee.
Aside the lavish production, I don't know what this brings to the table. The acting is abysmal, the plot is paper thin, and there is no relevant commentary or interest. Not that GG needs to be a bastion of culture (it shouldn't) but it should be soapy/camp/salacious to exist. Right now, it's just dull - hoping it will ramp up soon.
Yes! Put some respect on her name! https://www.vox.com/culture/22565071/gossip-girl-review-hbo-max-revival
Totally agree, Leighton was amazing on Gossip Girl and she totally elevated the show. I need a cameo on the reboot.
People are hopeful. Also Monet seems to already have a loud fanbase, louder and bigger than a lot of the 'mains' - a scenario that HBO/Safran clearly didn't anticipate. So who knows if they'll respond to that and do a lot more with her.
Scream @ Joshua highjacking Succession and Industry's whole vibe. I know we shouldn't jump the gun when it comes to first episodes, but everything felt so muted and characterless-the static cinematography and lack of an actual opening scene theme did not help. However, Kristen slipping so effortlessly back into narration mode did give me goosebumps. That said, I hope they lean much deeper into the campy storyline with the teachers, as the final 20 minutes did elevate to another gear; I'm a sucker for sibling rivalry and a fashion show, so I'll stick around...for now. Also, the soundtrack is literally
I hope that we get a Cotillion episode this season. And while I think that the show needs to find its footing before featuring cameos from the core cast of the original Gossip Girl, I'd love to see someone like Penelope or Hazel appear in an episode.
I never watched the original series so maybe thats why the first episode of this I found extremely watchable. The storyline of pink hair guy, the bland blonde and the 40 year old is giving me Elite vibes though. I'm sure this won't be as successful.
