Remakes Written in the Stars: XOXO, Gossip Girl
From Full House to Sex and the City, it seems almost every popular show and movie get remakes/reboots that to appeal to the audience’s nostalgia as they age. In this series, I will look at the best and worst remakes of all time and breaking down scenes from each to see how they stack up.
Evolution of Gossip Girl:
The OG Gossip Girl, which first aired in 2007, quickly became a hit among teens, so much so that the show went on for six seasons and now has a reboot almost ten years later. Unlike many reboots, no members of the original cast came back for the show. Instead, the producers went in a new direction with a cast in what feels like an attempt to be more relatable to a younger generation. One thing that remains the same for the reboot is the voice of Kristen Bell narrating the show and serving as the voice of Gossip Girl, which is amazing and nostalgic for fans of the original series.
The Characters:
We all know and love Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) and Serena Van Der Woodsen (Blake Lively) who have become iconic best friends in pop culture. So, when I watched the remake, I was surprised to see that they didn’t seem to try to emulate that friendship with any of the new cast members. They did, however, choose to recreate Blair’s character who acted as the “Queen Bee” of the popular and wealthy girls of Constance Billard-St. Jude’s School. Blair was arguably the most important character in the original series, who essentially drove the plot with her catty behavior and scheming. In the latest version, Julien Calloway (Jordan Alexander) appears to take on the main character role, at least until her hold on her group of friends starts to unravel at the end of episode one. She gives off the same mean girl energy that Blair had throughout the show but showcases a softer side as she tries to get her friend group to accept her half-sister, who isn’t part of lifestyle they are all accustomed to.
Aside from Blair, it was interesting to see how the other characters were interpreted in the remake. The characters didn’t all seem to be recreations of the original cast members. However, there is a similar vibe to the group overall. Max Wolfe (Thomas Doherty) seems most similar to Chuck Bass from the original series since he presents himself as a party boy who is indulgent and loves a good time. Although he is similar to Chuck in a lot of ways, Wolfe identifies as pansexual, which is something we didn’t see in the original. In many ways, the reboot is more open to exploring to exploring sexuality, gender, and inclusivity. They also seemed to put more effort into giving the characters elaborate backstories and interesting family dynamics.
The Story:
In both versions of the show, the storyline is centered around a group of wealthy teens enrolled in fancy private high school, played by actors who look way too old to be in high school. However, it was interesting to see the adaptations made to freshen up the plot and characters for a new audience. Immediately in the first episode, the Gossip Girl persona returns to haunt the students of Constance Billard and keep them in check for all of their immoral actions.
In the original, the role of Gossip Girl switched from character to character, who would blackmail their peers on a blog using images that were submitted by random people that captured scandalous moments of prominent NYC families, specifically on the Upper East Side. The remake takes more malicious approach as the teachers replace the role of the gossip-hungry students. Constance Billard’s teachers, hungry for revenge on their poorly behaved students, take to social media to expose them the best way they know how. In doing so, the teachers hope to hold their students accountable because the school shies away from punishing the affluent students. In my opinion, this took away some of the fun of the Gossip Girl persona. Throughout the original series, the fun in watching was speculating who had the inside scoop and was acting as Gossip Girl, ultimately betraying their friends. Also, in the first season, the drama spread on the blog felt more harmless than the scandalous information that was leaked in the first episode of the reboot.
Key Themes:
Both versions of the series expose drug and alcohol use among teenagers, the effects of wealth, and friendship. Although I only watched the first episode of the remake, I could tell that the writers went in a similar direction by choosing to look at elite New York families and adding some other, less privileged characters to the mix to create an interesting power dynamic. Throughout the original series, the audience is shown that wealth doesn’t guarantee happiness as characters struggle with addiction and mental health issues.
Who Did it Best?
The original Gossip Girl will always have a special place in my heart, considering I’ve watched it through multiple times since middle school and adopted small parts of characters into my own personality. However, I don’t think the remake should be entirely discarded. Although it isn’t exactly my taste based on the first episode, or something that I will continue to watch, I think the writers were able to harness a similar energy in the new characters that fans loved. Given that the cast members from the original series were so well liked, it’s hard to watch new actors trying to emulate them. Perhaps my lack of interest in the new version speaks to how they have succeeded in attracting a new and younger audience to the series.
Written by & Art by: Isabella Harrison
