Is Monet The Blair Waldorf Of 'Gossip Girl' 2.0?

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Is Monet The Blair Waldorf Of 'Gossip Girl' 2.0?

In the real world, mean girls should never win. But on Gossip Girl? Well, that's kind of the point. Blair Waldorf, the original show's Queen B, didn't get anywhere by playing nice, and while her character certainly developed over time, she never quite lost that Machiavellian drive to succeed. That's part of what made her so fun to watch: Blair would go above and beyond what any regular person operating under the social norms of human decency would if it meant getting what she believed she deserved.

There's a new Queen B on HBO Max's Gossip Girl revival — or, rather, Queen J, aka Julien Calloway, a super successful teen influencer. Yet while Julien is gorgeous, stylish, and commands attention, there's one thing she's not — ruthless. In every episode, it's her teenage publicist, Monet de Haan, who encourages Julien to take down her enemies by whatever means necessary.

Images: HBO Max

Whether that means getting her ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend drunk and disorderly, or humiliating her little sister Zoya to show her who the real HBIC is, it's always Monet behind the drama — and Julien later apologizing for it. That's why, in the Gossip Girl finale, when Monet finally gets the idea that maybe she should be the It Girl at Constance and on the internet, it's like...girl, what took you so long?

Monet has big Blair Waldorf energy, and while it doesn't make her the best person on the planet, it does make her schemes all the more fun to watch. We don't watch Gossip Girl to see teens behaving kindly — we watch it because we're at a safe enough distance from the high school bullies to relish in their awful-beyond-awful schemes. Julien is charming and lovely, but that's just it: She's Serena van der Woodsen at her best, but Gossip Girl was always the most fun when we were watching Blair at her worst. Julien isn't willing to get dirty in the name of drama. Fortunately, Monet is.

Images: HBO Max
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