![]() ![]() As for Jordan, while it at first looked like he was simply all in because of Keller, this episode suggests he’s very much taken by the rush of power. For Wendy-who’s not a teacher but works in the school office-there appears to be a desire for chaos. Rima genuinely just wanted to teach the kids without distractions. As has already been clocked, for Keller, Gossip Girl is a means to a bizarre form of high school popularity. Keller actually somewhat takes a backseat to Jordan and Wendy’s planning and scheming this week, as “Lies Wide Shut” brings some more clarity to these character’s motivations. But I’m pretty sure that’s the point.Īs I’ve noted Kate Keller’s outright villainy in the past two episodes, I can’t ignore that both Jordan and Wendy prove to be just as bad, if not worse, here. Unless you consider showing Julien to be a decent person once again taking away from the story the Gossip Girl crew is trying to craft. While doing the opposite would’ve provided drama-and would’ve easily been how the original Gossip Girl would’ve approached it-nothing is actually taken away from Julien not going after Lola. Take for example the fact that Julien never takes her issues with her father, Davis, out on Lola, his secret girlfriend. And despite how much it does so while winking, it also does operate in a more self-aware world. After all, this is a show that operates with a form of logic that explains why multiple teachers would think being Gossip Girl is a good idea. This early on, the predictability also helps determine this world’s internal logic, especially compared to the original series. It’s also “predictable” that poor, sweet, naive Zoya once again revealing personal information is going to eventually be held against her. In this episode alone, it’s “predictable” early on that the Gossip Girl crew is going to make Rima the scapegoat, just as it’s “predictable” (even if not to Max) from their first scene that the issue between Roy/“Pops” (John Benjamin Hickey) and Gideon/“Dad” (Todd Almond) boils down to gender norms. It can be a sign that a story is following a logical progression, which is something that should never be taken for granted. As I’ve said many times before, “predictable” isn’t inherently a bad thing. It’s the reason the Julien/Max messaround is as successful as it is, as is Max’s emotional breakdown over his now broken family. In a good way, as their behavior throughout is the type of thing that makes you want to root for them or at least feel for them. ![]() In fact, despite the fact that this episode features the most open drug use, underage drinking, and sexual content-this is the Gossip Girl episode with full-frontal male nudity-it is also the episode where the kids are their most kid-like. Nick remains a parent bot in his one scene and Gossip Girl forces Luke Kirby to permanently wear an obnoxious hat, but the parental scheming Julien and Max do in this episode works far better than Julien’s original scheme from the pilot. ![]() It helps that “Lies Wide Shut” also elevates the type of parent-children dynamic focus for Gossip Girl that “She’s Having A Maybe” featured. Once things get into “space coke” and the very realistic bathroom best friends scene between Julien and Lola (Elizabeth Lail) territory, Julien is officially at her best. There’s a bit of bumpiness early in the Julien/Max plot-as Julien having fun comes off as completely performative, which is not the show’s intention-but the episode quickly moves past that. Harris makes his cameo and takes Zoya aside for a one-on-one chat for his play.īut if, as viewers, we’re still pitting Zoya and Julien against each other, then Julien wins this particular round. Yet, having said all that, the moment in this episode that is the truest to the spirit of the original Gossip Girl is the one where Jeremy O. But on the other hand, that sinks interest in this character’s plot, comparatively. On the one hand, that’s a valuable lesson about nonconformity in a teen drama. That is one thing that the Gossip Girl situation hurts: As the teachers are the outsiders attempting to be insiders, the show isn’t all that concerned with its teenage outsider being an insider. But much like in a supernatural series, a character who just wants a normal life is simply at odds with the show. While there are obviously moments (like in this episode) of her trying to be someone she’s not, Zoya’s story is not the same as Jenny Humphrey’s she’s not trying to get into the in-crowd, she’s attempting to just be. However, on her own, Zoya still struggles as a character because of her status as the show’s regular person. Things aren’t perfect-although Julien snarking at Zoya and Obie at the play kind of is-between the half-sisters, but in allowing them to branch off on their own, the episode (and show) is easily better for it. The episode also confirms that getting away from the Julien/Zoya feud absolutely was the right choice. ![]()
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