'XOXO, Gossip Girl'

If you’re looking for mystery, intrigue and confusing plot-based drama, this is your show! "Gossip Girl" (2007-2012), the teen drama series, is based on a book series, also called “Gossip Girl” (2002-2011), written by Cecily Von Ziegesar. The show follows the “scandalous lives of Manhattan’s elite” -- in this case, the intertwining and exciting lives of children with rich and famous parents who live in New York City. The television series ran for six seasons, from Sept. 2007 until Dec. 2012. It loosely follows the plot of the books, but expands much beyond it in its many seasons.

One reason to watch this show is the fashion. It’s just unbelievable. Also, as a girl from the Midwest, I’ve always been obsessed with New York City. In an episode in the first season, after a bunch of drama, Serena (Blake Lively), the protagonist, and her best friend Blair (Leighton Meester) are chosen as models, and it’s just unbelievable to watch them try on the fanciest clothes. Another episode, in which Blair holds a sleepover, shows the girls similarly having fun dressing up in just unbelievably nice clothing. Honestly, watching them live in luxury in one of the best cities in the world makes me nauseatingly jealous.

My favorite episode of all time shows the "Gossip Girl" crew having a scandalous and amazing time in the Hamptons, culminating in an exclusive party where everyone wears only white clothes. I’ve never been more jealous of television characters. But then I’m reminded that their lives are seriously messed up when intense drama later inevitably ensues. Maybe the way the other half lives isn’t so great after all. What also makes this show interesting is just how scandalous the drama is. From sleeping with each other’s significant others and reuniting with old lovers to searching for missing parents to committing various crimes, planning mass humiliations and exiling former friends, the characters' actions keep one excited.

This show also lends itself perfectly to binge-watching. Specifically, each episode is designed so that the most interesting information and plot comes at the very end of the episode, leaving viewers consistently pining for next week’s episode. Through binge-watching the show, viewers don’t have to wait that painstakingly long week. I also honestly don’t think I would be able to keep track of the plot if a whole week went by, because it can get confusing.

Some parts of this show are, in all honesty, hard to get to. The best episodes are in seasons one and two. Something about the characters still being in high school and living at home makes everything they do seem more scandalous. The last few seasons drag on, and each individual episode is less interesting. It’s almost like the directors ran out of plot material, so they relied on less exciting situational drama instead, involving the surprise return of old characters from previous seasons or bringing up past drama. I'm still struck with the episodes out of a loyalty to the characters, but at times it was painful. Especially when there were major holes and inconsistencies in the plots of individual episodes and entire seasons. Let's not even get into how inconsistent the ending is…

I guess that’s all for now. Watch it or don’t watch it, up to you (said in snotty Blair Waldorf voice).

XOXO, Gossip Maya