Gossip Girl: Series Premiere Review - "Just Another Girl on MTA"
The Gossip Girl Season 1 premiere, titled “Just Another Girl on MTA,” is available to stream on HBO Max.
Gossip Girl fans, it’s time to (hesitantly) rejoice. As with any reboot, there’s a lot to live up to, even if what you’re comparing to is an already teen-heavy, didn’t-age-so-well drama from 14 years ago. Although the CW was behind the original TV show based on Cecily von Ziegesar’s popular novels, now HBO Max has picked up Gossip Girl for a new, woke reboot. One could say it’s a reboot nobody asked for, but since it’s here, let’s see if it lives up to the first series’ hype.
Paying homage to the first Gossip Girl in many ways, from the new it-crowd meeting at the steps of the Met to teachers name-dropping high school alumni aka original characters like Nate Archibald (Class of ‘09), there are several cheesy but fun nods to make true fans smile and potential fans possibly roll their eyes at. There’s a headband reference, unlimited money to spend, a classic “mean girls” posse, sex and temptation through a love triangle like Chuck and Blair’s, and of course, a new way to sabotage the private school teens through social media’s own Gossip Girl. We have so much teen privilege to witness, from penthouse-living to drinking at members-only clubs; the rich are richer and the middle-class are, well, still “poor”.
The characters still care more about their looks and what people think more than anything else, with a modern-day focus on being influencers and having a personal “brand” on Instagram. There are even character highlights and teasers on the official Gossip Girl Instagram profile with their noted “brand”. The new crew naturally ditched the Gossip Girl blog since that’s so nine years ago and gave anyone over 30 a hard time, or in other words, those still on Twitter (their words, not mine). Teachers and students both cram in several one-liner critiques about Gossip Girl, from past posts being so “pre-cancel culture” to the new Gossip Girl name: “at least call it Gossip Woman.” It’s silly how many statements are made in just one episode, but the revival wants to be clear that everyone is sticking with the times.
