Gossip Girl is a show that shaped my high school years. Filled with drama, scandals and conflict, it was the modern-day version of a soap opera. The Upper East Side characters witnessed fake deaths, questioned their parent’s pasts and were there for each other during difficult times. While this show has many controversial aspects and probably would not be received well today, it was a pivotal TV series in the lives of many young girls. The show focused on a group of beyond-rich high-schoolers in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. While showing the most cherished areas of the Big Apple, this show captured the tumultuous lives of its six main characters. I have rated these characters below based on morals, character development and what they added to the show.Â
Blair Waldorf: 9/10
None of the upper east siders are without their fair share of flaws, Blair Waldorf included. However, Blair’s never-ending schemes are the main premise of the show, so it would be a disservice to not rank her high enough to reflect this. She also went through many struggles in her life including an eating disorder, her parents’ divorce and many other hardships. However, she always managed to keep her head high and put her best foot forward.Â
Chuck Bass: 9/10
I know this is a controversial take due to his actions in the pilot with Jenny. However, his character development was arguably one of the best plotlines and resolutions of the entire show. He grew as a person through his relationship with Blair and the dynamic between the two of them together truly made the show.Â
Nate Archibald: 9/10
Nate is an easy-to-love character due to his personality and good looks, but he played a big part in Serena and Blair’s falling out in the first season. He was one of the first characters to show strong morals in the first season which leads me to believe that he is one of the show’s better characters. This is not necessarily due to his ability to carry the plotline, but more so due to his ability to highlight some of the better attributes of the friend group.Â
Serena Van Der Woodsen: 8/10
Serena is a consistent character, but I believe she was always deeply insecure. Her status in the Upper East scene hasn’t been threatened prior to the beginning of the show and when she felt it threatened (even though it never truly was), she would sabotage in ways that were hurtful to others.Â
Jenny Humphrey: 3/10
There isn’t much to say here other than the fact that she constantly made Rufus’s life more difficult than it needed to be, sacrificed her entire family’s reputation for “popularity” and overall was never loyal to a single character in the show. I do give her some points since she was much younger than the other characters and didn’t have a fully developed moral compass in the first season.Â
Dan Humphrey: 1.5/10
Dan is the worst character due to the extent of the damage he caused as Gossip Girl. He created a website that was designed to expose the private lives of all the other characters. Not to mention, his whole shtick was the fact that he was poor and that he didn’t fit in because of his lack of money. In reality, if you have enough money to live in a loft apartment in New York City like the Humphreys did, you were doing pretty well in life.Â
Since the original release of Gossip Girl in 2007, HBO has since created a spin-off with a new set of characters. I have yet to see this version (because the sequel is never as good as the original) but if I ever do, I’ll be sure to rate those characters next. Â
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