You Know You Love Her: ‘Gossip Girl’ Final Season

By LEIGH WILLIAMS

Girls everywhere waited with bittersweet anticipation Monday night for the premier of the sixth, and final, season of “Gossip Girl,” which did not fail to deliver the dish on the scandalous lives of Manhattan’s elite.
The debut episode opened with a bang, recounting the summer adventures of the conniving group with sexually suggestive editing that left little to the imagination. Full of sex, schemes and mystery, the first two minutes of the episode set high expectations for the next 40 minutes.
From the scandalous opening, viewers were transported to the lavish van der Woodsen home, where a mountain of unopened mail disguised any trace of the table below. Parents Lilly and Bart discover that Serena, who was put in charge of the house, has been gone all summer.
This initiates a search for the young socialite, which brings all the “friends” together, for better or worse. They all endeavor to call in favors which may aid in the hunt, yet, as any devoted fan knows, favors in the Upper East Side do not come for free.
The endearing Nate Archibald sacrifices career success in an information trade with the infamous “Gossip Girl” in exchange for Serena’s location. Despite that they are all embroiled in their own separate schemes, all the personalities converge to a remote house in Poughkeepsie.
There, they simultaneously crash a gay wedding and finally locate Serena, or should we say, Sabrina, the name she adopted to match her faux, small-town, Wisconsin-girl persona. Oh, to be rich and have the world as your stage.
Having been outcast from the discriminating group for the whole summer, apologies poured in for Serena from the friends who feared she was dead.
It seemed to be a case of too little, too late, however, as Serena was not moved by the sudden reconciliation. It wouldn’t be a typical “Gossip Girl” episode, though, if everything was as simple as a free gift with purchase.
What fun would it be without a war of words between our favorite sparring socialites?
While it seems the only thing this episode resolved was Serena’s whereabouts, we have the rest of the season to look forward to the resolution of the devious drama that defines the show.
As a consequence of being the final season of the series, it seems the only concern is whether the show’s writers are over-dramatizing the storyline. A potential take-down book of the Upper East Side elite, a mysterious business dealing within Bass Industries, a manipulative new woman in Rufus Humphrey’s life and the promise of the reveal of Gossip Girl’s identity are some of the many storylines sure to satiate the appetite of “Gossip Girl” fans.
Whatever happens, let’s just hope it ends with the familiar farewell we’ve grown to love: “You know you love me. XOXO, Gossip Girl.”