JamesG
08-30-2022, 03:49 AM
While the original "Gossip Girl" was many things, it was never boring. Unlike, sadly, HBO Max's reboot.
The two versions do have some things in common: the stellar Kristen Bell VO, the glam setting (NYC's Upper East Side), and the basic premise of rich kids attending posh private schools. But while the OG version kept its central mystery ("who IS Gossip Girl?") close to the vest for SIX SEASONS, not revealing the identity until the final episode (way to play the long game!), the new show gives a central "secret" away in the… pilot?
Unfortunately, this "secret" is such a weird and reality-challenged swerve that it's hard to believe it was allowed to leave the writers room, because, (spoiler alert) in the reboot, the teachers are GG. That's right, the teachers hate the kids so much they decide to bring them down with their own (illegal, weird, morally compromised) version of Gossip Girl.
The original "Gossip Girl" masterfully weaved tech into the plot, inserting as many close-ups of BlackBerrys and flip phones as a Fry's employee training video. And while the current show also depends on iPhones, these weapons are now wielded by evil teachers, (including one who takes a photo of kids making out, triple-ewwww) making it a whole lot less… appealing.
And let's be serious for a second: in an era when teachers face monumental challenges, portraying them as pitiful bad guys is a bad take — like kicking people when they're down.
Yes, the original was a guilty pleasure — but at least it was a pleasure — full of uniquely iconic (and insane) characters who burned themselves into viewers' brains forever.
The new cast is pretty, but vacant, and the plot lines are weird and dull, sinking the reboot like a lead balloon on the steps of the Met.
https://ew.com/tv/tv-reboots-should-have-never-been-made/
The two versions do have some things in common: the stellar Kristen Bell VO, the glam setting (NYC's Upper East Side), and the basic premise of rich kids attending posh private schools. But while the OG version kept its central mystery ("who IS Gossip Girl?") close to the vest for SIX SEASONS, not revealing the identity until the final episode (way to play the long game!), the new show gives a central "secret" away in the… pilot?
Unfortunately, this "secret" is such a weird and reality-challenged swerve that it's hard to believe it was allowed to leave the writers room, because, (spoiler alert) in the reboot, the teachers are GG. That's right, the teachers hate the kids so much they decide to bring them down with their own (illegal, weird, morally compromised) version of Gossip Girl.
The original "Gossip Girl" masterfully weaved tech into the plot, inserting as many close-ups of BlackBerrys and flip phones as a Fry's employee training video. And while the current show also depends on iPhones, these weapons are now wielded by evil teachers, (including one who takes a photo of kids making out, triple-ewwww) making it a whole lot less… appealing.
And let's be serious for a second: in an era when teachers face monumental challenges, portraying them as pitiful bad guys is a bad take — like kicking people when they're down.
Yes, the original was a guilty pleasure — but at least it was a pleasure — full of uniquely iconic (and insane) characters who burned themselves into viewers' brains forever.
The new cast is pretty, but vacant, and the plot lines are weird and dull, sinking the reboot like a lead balloon on the steps of the Met.
https://ew.com/tv/tv-reboots-should-have-never-been-made/