When I watched the first iteration of Gossip Girl, I had never had a martini. I say this to distinguish I was but a wee small child (OK, I was 15 and not really getting invited to a lot of martini parties) who saw not only the adults of Gossip Girl to be, quite frankly, old, but the teens of the show to also feel leagues away from my own young adult status. Now, 14 years later, I've had my fair share of martinis (Tito's, dirty, blue cheese olives, thank you) and tuned into the new Gossip Girl... to the horror that I am not only about one Titanic-excavation older than the main characters of the show, but that I identify most with... the adults.

The show, which takes place in present-ish day (COVID is over, and school is in session), revolves around a group of friends, turned not-friends, turned enemies, turned lovers, turned besties, turned friends again, who are all in high school. (Some are older than others, though.) Then there are the teachers who have decided to ruin the kids lives via Gossip Girl all because they basically don't want to be bullied for a bad haircut. (Don't get a bad haircut!) The teachers are led by Tavi Gevinson's character, Kate Keller, who is dedicated to this destruction because of some spilt coffee and a power struggle? For that I say, don't hate the player, hate the game, Kate.

Anyway, if you feel old while watching Gossip Girl and are looking at the parents/teachers/general adults like, "Aren't they my age?" the answer is probably yes. Yes, you are now supposed to relate to the parents of a teen show, and that, my friends, is the passage of time.

Let's take a look at how old some of the mature adults are in the revival of Gossip Girl. (Grab your tissues and walker, this is gonna hurt.)

There comes a day in every person's life when you realize... you're closer in age to (and sometimes older than, bless!) the parents and adults of a teen show versus the teens themselves. And that is not an easy day. Thinking of all my late-20s, early-30s, and beyond friends who watched the original Gossip Girl like the true babies we were (at the time) tonight.

Images: HBO Max