![]() ![]() The writers certainly did know it, most casual viewers didn’t know it–but Gossip Girl faced a social media mandate to send a more positive message to their young viewers and to break a long running screwball media trope for the better. And being the opposite of an introvert, I felt I had to share an excerpt that I think explains why I’m so up in arms about this whole mess (almost more than I was at the end of Lost. Nor did I watch any of season 6, but I know what happened and I felt compelled to read through my paper for some peace of mind. I didn’t watch the series finale last night. And I got an A, just in case you were wondering. I became so invested that I wrote my final college paper in a Screwball Comedy class on Dan and Blair as the new Mike and Tracy (from The Philadelphia Story). I became so invested in this relationship that I started watching the show again, having quit after a disastrous season 3 finale. Stewart and Hepburn in The Philadelphia Story What occurred, by accident or by the hand of former show-runner Josh Safran, was a modern age example of a screwball romance that gave much more depth, meaning, and growth to a show that had been recycling the same “scandalous” storylines for years. Never a huge upholder of morals, standards or wholesome values–we aren’t talking 7th Heaven here–the show surprisingly found a brightness, a small sliver of magic in its 4th season when it began to explore the Dan and Blair friendship. Especially as its target audience are impressionable young girls. It may have well gone unnoticed by many, but it could have been a significant statement in today’s media culture and its comment on society. Gossip Girl had the opportunity to play an important role in the twilight of its life. Having studied various areas of film and media history and theory, I’m also acutely aware of what place a new television show or film may have in a certain timeline or discourse. Not to mention the fact that as I’ve gotten older (23, ahh!) I’ve become much more aware of the messages a particular piece of media sends and whom it affects. Gossip Girl became a pop-culture phenomenon right off the bat and even as it plummeted in popularity and quality, its stamp on media culture has been prominent and therefore cannot be swept under the rug nor taken lightly. Even if that is the intention of the creators, once it exists in society, if it is popular at all, it is influential. I started this blog because I don’t believe that any form of media exists simply for brainless consumption. Some will think me hyperbolic, some irrational or silly because it’s just a silly guilty pleasure teen show, right? Gossip Girl thankfully ended it’s six year run last night and solidified itself as one of the top 10 things that epitomize everything wrong with the world.
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