Gossip Girl's Identity In The Revival Is The Twist The Show Needed

- Gossip Girl -
Gossip Girl's Identity In The Revival Is The Twist The Show Needed

HBO Max's revival of Gossip Girl is a blend of the old and the new. Yes, Constance Billard still boasts plenty of spoiled rich kids, but these are Gen Z's take on NYC's elite. They live in Tribeca penthouses and take Lyfts; they loathe headbands and spend $$$$ online instead of on Fifth Ave. However, perhaps the biggest difference between this version of Gossip Girl and the one that aired on The CW for six seasons is the identity of Gossip Girl, the snarky blogger once again voiced by Kristen Bell. While the original GG's identity was a secret for all six seasons before dropping the bomb that it was Dan freaking Humphrey the whole time in the series finale, this time, it's the teachers at Constance who are calling the shots. And we know pretty much from the very beginning.

The original series had barely any space for teachers, save for one storyline about Dan sleeping with one — but now, they're the "downstairs" characters living among the glossy rich teens.

Images: HBO Max

If you're wondering how the heck teachers got involved in all of the shenanigans, well, blame entitlement. In the first episode, Kate Kellar, a young English teacher who would have totally crushed on Dan had they crossed paths at NYU, is lamenting in the lounge about the mean girls who regularly get teachers fired. These students are supposed to be the future of America, but they're cutthroat and vicious and have zero respect for their education. That's when Rebecca, another teacher, remarks that during her time at Constance, the students were kept in line by an omnipresent blogger who watched their every move: Gossip Girl.

Rebecca explains the entire backstory of Gossip Girl — how the now renowned novelist was behind the site, but that everyone in school took part in sending in tips, and how Blair Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen's rivalry was at the center of it all. That's when Kate gets the idea: What if the teachers exacted subtle control over the students by becoming the new Gossip Girl? They could scare them into being on their best behavior.

And that's exactly what happens. This version of Gossip Girl isn't a blog, but an Instagram account, where students send in tips and teachers sneak pics of students in compromising positions. (In the first episode, it's Zoya and Obie who are caught getting a little too close for his girlfriend and her sister Julien's comfort.)

Perhaps the biggest miracle is that it works — at least, sort of? It's unclear if the teachers are really seeing the improvements in the classroom that they hoped for, but it certainly gives the millennials a feeling of control.

Of course, the thing about Gossip Girl is that she's the ultimate mean girl. Kate may have signed onto this project for noble reasons, but what's stopping her from becoming just as nasty as the rest of Constance? After all, Dan told the world that Serena — love of his life! — had an STD, and routinely slut shamed his little sister. Simply put, Gossip Girl is not an agent for good... and waiting for the teachers to realize that is part of the fun of the new iteration.

Images: HBO Max

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