Best of Gossip Girl Season 1 Episodes 1-10

On the surface it may seem like trash. I know that was my initial impression. However,underneath the superficial levels of backstabbing and drama there lies a vibrant array of characters and under appreciated dialogue. I've included a couple of my favorite quotes from the first ten episodes (I got them from planetclaire.org which has an amazing collection of quotes so check it out)
                 
                Dan:  "Well I can't say much for his child-rearing skills, but Bart Bass knows brunch.
                                                    (Episode 2: The Wild Brunch)
                         
                Chuck: "Looks like it's just you and me. Apparently my room's available"
                                                           (Episode 2: The Wild Brunch)

                 Dan:  Last year, I believe he had an original thought. It died of loneliness.
                                                                                   (Episode 3: Poison Ivy)

                        Chuck: It's a facility for the disturbed or addicted.

  Blair: You must have your own wing.

(Episode 3: Poison Ivy)

Wall Street: Hey, Baby. You wanted to, ah, maybe show me to the bathroom, get lost somewhere around coat check?

             Blair: My answer is usually never say never. But for you I'll make an exception.

             (Episode 5: Dare Devil)

 Blair: After being broken up with my boyfriend for exactly 20 minutes, I succumbed to inebriation, performed at a speakeasy, and surrendered my virtue to a self-absorbed ass. The only good news is that he's a total pig who'll act it never happened. Thank god. Sorry. Truthfully I'm not even Catholic.

Priest: You don't say.

(Episode 8: Seventeen Candles)

Eric: Even if you did cook, we don't have an oven.

Lily: Preaching to the converted, Eric

(Episode 9: Blair Waldorf Must Pie)

Best of Gossip Girl Season One Episodes 1-10

I had to be really selective when choosing what I enjoyed most about the first ten episodes (much as I would like to spend my entire Friday night blogging I actually have friends. It's hard to believe) So I picked a few things that I thought Gossip Girl did really well. 

Serena's Presentation At Cotillion

For those of who don't know, Cotillion for the New York upper class is basically an excuse to get all the girls with social climbing agendas in one place and see who snagged the cutest guy as an escort. Serena reluctantly goes to Cotillion to please her grandma but when she discovers her mother altered her presentation statement she substitutes it for one of her own. Unfortunately we only get to hear the beginning leaving the end to our imagination."Ms. van der Woodsen hopes to bed as many billionaires as she can before settling down to—" Ahhh, so many possibilities.

                                                        Past Thanksgiving Flashback

These flashbacks were perfect for showing us the differences between the past and the present. We get to see how much things have changed in just a year. Dan goes from random guy on the street to Serena's boyfriend. Serena, Blair and Nate go from a tight threesome to a tense twosome. Rufus and Alison go from blissfully married to on the rocks. I generally find flashbacks overused but the writers knew not to overdo it.

Everyone Ends Up at Dan's House for Thanksgiving

Totally unrealistic but entertaining. I love when a bunch of people all end up in the same place. And turkey just makes it better. Plus seeing Blair in Brooklyn is always interesting.

Blair in the Confessional

Any oxymoron if I ever heard one. If Blair decided to go confession on a regular basis, they probably should just give her her own priest since she'd be there several times a day. In fact she might just want to have him on speed dial. 

Blair and Chuck

My two favorite characters. Scheming, manipulative, self-centered, deceitful, intelligent, attractive, charismatic, lively, captivating. Blair's beauty literally puts me in awe (I sometimes wonder if she's the prettiest girl I've ever seen) and Chuck reinvents the word "sexy" They get together (well they hook up) for the first time in Episode 7 at Chuck's burlesque club, the Victrola. Watching their tumultous relationship for the next several episodes was one of my favorite things about Season 1.

Blair's Truth or Dare Game

Suddenly my past games of Truth or Dare that once seemed exciting now seem tame in comparison. Blair sure know how to make the most of a sleepover, though it wasn't so much a sleepover as a night out on the town. I must say none of my sleepovers have involved breaking somebody out of a mental hospital. Maybe I've been going to the wrong sleepovers.

Ivy Week Interviews 

Instead of showing each individual interview or one individual interview, it was a good idea to blend them all together to show the differences and similarities between the characters. Not to mention amusing.  And anyone who has gone through the college application process knows a Dan Humprey who works his tail off to get the chance he deserves. Or a Chuck Bass who figures he is entitled to everything he wants because of his name. Or a Nate who puts his parent's dreams before his own. And taking a look at the issues of college is a refreshing change from the usual relationship and friendship drama and makes the spoiled socialites of the  Upper East Side more relatable. 

Chuck's Scarf

Only a guy as cool as Chuck could pull off a scarf like that. 

Brunch Brawl

This has to be my all time favorite scene in Season One which takes place at a formal brunch complete with tablecloths and suits. We have Nate, Blair's boyfriend who is in love with Serena. We have Chuck who goes after anyone in a dress and who tried to rape Dan's sister. We have Dan, Serena's boyfriend who gave Chuck a black eye for trying to rape his sister. We have Serena, Blair's best friend who once slept with her boyfriend. We have Blair, out for blood and intent on destroying Serena's reputation. This is probably why adults generally don't invite groups of high school kids to formal events.
                   
It wasn't really all that difficult to figure out what exactly got me hooked on Gossip Girl. It wasn't all the lying or drama because I get enough of that watching my reality shows. I think it was no matter how many times they fought, or schemed against each other they were true friends and when it came down to it they were there for each other (and there is proof of this later in the season and in the following seasons) Also Gossip Girl has got the concept of comic timing down to an art and it just gets better in later episodes (well so far. I'm only on Season Three so far) as I will show you.