FANCL LESS IS MORE呈獻:
花邊教主
For the Upper East Siders of
Gossip Girl, their first year of college means some hierarchical changes. At NYU, Blair (Leighton Meester) gets a cold reception from the students she was hoping to make her minions; alternately, Dan (Penn Badgley) finally hits his stride, including dating a movie star (guest star Hilary Duff) but struggling with growing feelings for his bestie Vanessa (Jessica Szohr). Serena (Blake Lively) tries various jobs in an effort to be taken seriously, but as usual ends up falling for the wrong guy and getting herself in one jam after another, the most serious of which involves her daddy issues when he (guest star William Baldwin) reappears into her family's lives. Meanwhile, Chuck (Ed Westwick) is finally happy in his relationship with Blair and, buoyed by her love, launches his own hotel to emerge from his late father's shadow. As scheming and backstabbing are the bread and butter of
Gossip Girl, many villains cycle through, including Michelle Trachtenberg's return as Georgina and Desmond Harrington (
Dexter) as Chuck's uncle. But the true evolving baddie in the third season is Jenny (Taylor Momsen), now the Queen Bee of Constance Billard and showing a new meanness that leaves her betraying her closest friends and family, trying to steal Nate (Chace Crawford) from Serena, and (gasp!) dealing drugs. Blair and Chuck may be vicious, but at least they're multidimensional and easy to root for--they remain the central couple of the series, with Meester and Westwick's undeniable chemistry and strong acting--whereas Jenny has become (literally) the petulant child whom you just want to give a good spanking. Unfortunately, no amount of tears ever really redeems her, since her transformation from loathing the social elitism to leading the Mean Girls is so abrupt.
The best episodes are when the cast turns into the Scooby Gang to dig for the truth about someone's nefarious ways, with Serena as the far-too-trusting victim (for a girl who's far from sheltered, she's also really dense about people's ulterior motives and really horrible at learning that you should never hide things from your boyfriend). Of course, there's always a college party or a fabulous gala (this season includes a cotillion, a wedding, and a state dinner!) to bring everyone together and have an excuse to wear fabulous couture. Season 3 may take the series out of high school and into the real world, but really, the only difference is they're not wearing school uniforms. Bonus features include a featurette on the many formal events across the three seasons (the Kiss on the Lips party, the black and white party, proms, masquerade balls, etc.), including tips on how to throw your own
Gossip Girl party; a blooper reel; and a music video from Lady Gaga, who makes a cameo in one episode. --
Ellen A. Kim
The fourth season of
Gossip Girl starts to show a little age; while the fashions are as couture as ever and the scandals the right level of sleaze, the season takes some inexplicable turns. But no season is complete without its parade of troublemakers, so up first is Georgina (Michelle Trachtenberg), whose pregnancy announcement at the end of season three throws serious water on Dan's romantic possibilities with Serena (Blake Lively). Then there's Juliet (Katie Cassidy, daughter of '70s teen idol David), an impostor whose elaborate scheme to take down Serena is connected to her past and involves some serious loony-bin activity (Cassidy, who was the best thing on the short-lived
Melrose Place reboot, makes a terrific foil--much less irksome than Georgina, who has by now overstayed her welcome). Finally, there's Russell Thorpe (
Spin City's Michael Boatman), a ruthless businessman who angles to take over Bass Industries from Chuck (Ed Westwick). But none of these villains hold a candle to the internal evildoing within the Upper East Siders; Dan (Penn Badgley) plots against Chuck, Vanessa (Jessica Szohr) and Jenny (Taylor Momsen) plot against Serena, then turn against each other, mapping both of their exits off the series; Serena and Chuck plot against her mother, Lily (Kelly Rutherford), and finally Lily's sister Carol plots against her by employing her daughter Charlie (Kaylee DeFer). Incomprehensible love matches ensue (the show's creators seem intent on having Serena circle romantic possibilities with… pretty much everyone), but the friendship that naturally evolves between Dan and Blair becomes the season's most pleasant surprise. That Blair becomes the center of a complex romantic web between Chuck and an honest-to-goodness prince (Hugo Becker) steers the season back in the right direction; Meester and Westwick remain the emotional centers of the show and anchor it when it veers too far into Crazytown. --
Ellen A. Kim
發表於 2012-4-5 13:30:51
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