"XOXO Gossip Girl"

Hello readers!

As I sit here with my belly full of turkey I can’t help but think about the TV series that has made some classic Thanksgiving episodes. For those of you who haven’t seen Gossip Girl I apologize for any spoilers!

In the first season of Gossip Girl, the Thanksgiving episode gives us a glance at life on the Upper East Side before Serena’s departure. It shows Blair and Serena’s friendship, as well as Nate and Blair’s relationship before the events of the Shepard wedding, which tore both of these relationships apart for a while. Meanwhile, in present Upper East Side Manhattan, we also get to see how much things have changed in just a year. New kid on the block Dan Humphrey is now dating Serena. She comes to Thanksgiving dinner with her mom (Lily) and brother and that’s when we find out about Serena’s mom and Dan’s dad’s (Rufus) past. This revelation coincides with Dan’s mom’s return to Brooklyn, who has always been jealous of her husband’s past relationship.

Season two continues the theme of advancing the plot line with a Thanksgiving episode. Blair is upset that her father can’t make it home for the holiday, and learns that her mother’s boyfriend is planning to propose while at the same time changing everything about Thanksgiving that Blair loves. Lily’s son discovers that Lily’s new husband Bart has collected files on Lily and her two kids causing Lily to question whether she can really trust her family around her new husband. And if this wasn’t enough to deal with, Nate’s estranged criminal father is back in town to try to convince Nate and his mother to run away with him so he can hold them for ransom.

Season three has one of the best Thanksgiving episodes because almost all of the characters gather under the same roof for dinner. There is a scene in the episode where the camera moves from conversation to conversation, each conversation playing out some sort of conflict for the episode. It’s a great way to get all of the storylines out there on the table (literally in this case). I won’t include any details as there are a lot of non-regulars in attendance and I don’t want to confuse you too much!

A drug overdose involving Serena is what brings everyone together in season four for Thanksgiving. There’s a lot going on at this point in the season so it’s hard to go too in depth here about what has led up to the overdose. Basically there’s a villain who’s out to get Serena, but manages to flee the scene before getting caught. There is one character that knows the truth, which sends Blair on her favourite mission: revenge.

I don’t know for sure as it’s been a while since I’ve watched season five, but I don’t think there was an actual Thanksgiving episode this season. That’s maybe for the best. A lot of stuff goes down in season five with a lot of characters who aren’t regulars. If I’m remembering correctly, I think this season is a bit hard to follow if you can’t watch it right through from start to finish. I would definitely recommend that you watch the entire series this way if you’re interested!

Finally, season six’s Thanksgiving episode is appropriately titled “It’s Really Complicated”. I’m not going to get into this episode at all because there are a lot of spoilers for those of you who may want to watch the series. Basically, it’s the peak of season six as everything and everyone in the show kick into high gear as the show nears the series finale. Even though it gets a bit complicated, I think it’s probably my favourite Thanksgiving episode.

I’m sorry if this post is a little hard to follow. I can go on about Gossip Girl for hours. For those of you who haven’t seen it, I definitely recommend it, if not for the great story line or the good-looking cast then for the amazing fashion! It’s great, I promise!

Thanks for reading!

-Emily