'Gossip Girl,' where did you go wrong?

Last November, I wrote a post for Her Campus about why I chose to continue watching “Gossip Girl,” even after the loss of two vital characters and a plot that grows more ridiculous each week.

In the article, I said that “Gossip Girl” is well executed, with legendary stylist Eric Daman sneaking product placement, like Serena’s Marc Jacobs iPad case on last night’s episode, into every show and guest stars ranging from Cecily von Ziegesar, the author of the “Gossip Girl” books herself, to Julian Tepper and Jenna Gribbon of The Oracle Club.

But the show has becoming increasingly difficult to enjoy as of late. The storylines aren’t just twisted. They’re also not original.

“Gossip Girl’”s second season ended with Serena attempting to figure out who, exactly, was behind this slanderous website, but the Upper East Siders eventually realized that no one person was responsible. 

Each of them sent in tips, photos and rumors about their classmates. The person behind the website didn’t matter, because that person depended on all of the students. Everyone was “Gossip Girl.”

The CW could have ended the show then and there, with a “Mean Girls”-like critique of teenage gossip and its negative effect on self-esteem. The anti-gossip theme is prevalent in the book series, and there are many days I wish -- and pretend -- that there were only two seasons to this show. But there are five, and “Gossip Girl” history is already beginning to repeat itself.

Several episodes ago, Serena again decided to embark on a journey to discover who was really behind GossipGirl.net. But instead of (re)discovering that everyone was responsible, she became an interim Gossip Girl herself! The second season’s lessons apparently taught her nothing, and she once again has to learn the hard way that spreading rumors doesn’t end well.

And with two episodes left in the season, the show’s writers have once again sparked conversation among their audience about Gossip Girl’s identity. 

They can't believe this relationship has lasted this many episodes, either. Photo: Giovanni Rufino / The CW.

To recap: In the last few episodes, the “Gossip Girl” writers have brought Chuck’s father back from the dead, made Serena’s cousin her half-sister by throwing in a twist of adultery, and most unforgettably, created a romance between Upper East Side queen Blair Waldorf and Brooklyn hipster Dan Humphrey.

All of this, and the plot they choose to revive is who Gossip Girl is? Seriously, CW writers, that’s all you’ve got?

I understand that it’s difficult to keep the site relevant to the episodes since the characters aren’t in high school anymore. In that respect, Serena acting as Gossip Girl was a nice twist. But surely there is a  better way to incorporate the site into the show without rehashing what was actually a powerful moral lesson in the second season.