Best of Gossip Girl Season 2 Episode 1-10

The second season of a TV show always faces the difficult task of living up to the expectations set by the first season. And Gossip Girl did just that. In fact in many ways, Season 2 exceeded expectations with unexpected plot twists, scandalous new secrets and interesting characters. Here are some of my favorites:

Better Characterization of Nate

Season 2 was really when we started to get to know Nate better. Instead of seeing Nate as an indecisive party guy who hops from Serena to Blair to Vanessa, we start to see Nate as someone who is really struggling to keep his family together and someone who is feeling the full repercussions of his father's criminal actions. In Season 2, the Gossip Girl writers decided to introduce yet another girl for Nate but this time she is A) older and B) married. And unlike alot of Nate's relationships which just fizzle, this time Nate tries to get out of the relationship and Catherine manages to manipulate him into staying with her. Manipulation and blackmail in a relationship are always good for storylines. It becomes somewhat overused in later episodes (in my opinion) but for now it is effective. 
                                                                    Catherine and Marcus

Gossip Girl has a lot of relationships that are really pushing the boundaries and the relationship between Catherine and her step-son Marcus is definitely one of those. I know that they are techinically not blood related but having a romantic relationship with someone who is in the role of your mom is just wrong. 

(www.justjared.com) 

Tiny Gossip Girl Fans

These tiny Gossip Girl fans ( who are like mini versions of the Upper East Side girls) are so adorable. I'm not sure if they were meant to be used as representations of the audience or if is just used for entertainment purposes but I found it to be a good source of comic relief. 

Chuck Trying to Seduce Blair at Her Party

Seduction always intensifies the drama and when the guy is as boring as Marcus and the guy is as attractive as Chuck, a seduction is practically required. Plus I love Blair's transparent protests that she dislikes Chuck when she is clearly only staying away because he has hurt her. However, when it comes to TV a dangerous love is the best kind. 

Blair's Blackmail of Catherine

There is no question that for all the backstabbing and double crossing everybody does, Blair is hands down the best at revenge and/or blackmail. So watching Blair take down Catherine was satisfying and inevitable. Until Vanessa had to come along and screw things up. Vanessa really needs to leave the blackmail to Blair and stick to filming documentaries or making coffee or whatever it is that artsy people like her do. 

http://www.videogum.com/24751/gossip_girl_charlie_trout_don/tv/soap-operas/

Dan Trying to Establish Himself as a Writer

Dan's battle to become a writer is a distraction from all the interpersonal relationship drama just like the SATS and college applications were in Season 1. From his struggles to find mentors and receive letters of recommendations to his story about Charlie Trout (aka Chuck) and his journey to add more excitement into his life, Dan's adventures and misadventures are extremely engaging not just to potential writers but for anyone looking to make it big in this world. 

Chuck's Background

There is no character without a backstory- a family history, a childhood trauma or even just hopes and experiences that make a character who they are. In 

Season 2, Chuck's history is revealed- that his mother  

died during childbirth and this (he believes) is why his father hates him. It doesn't justify Chuck's actions but it does help explain why he is so screwed up and why he does what he does. I feel like out of anyone on the Upper East Side, Chuck has it the hardest.

Aaron- At First

Like I've mentioned before, Serena always gets the most interesting guys. Like Aaron. A sexy, mysterious artist. At least at first. I liked the way he had more than one girl and didn't try to cover it up. After a while of being monogamous with Serena, I kind of got tired of his insecurity regarding Dan. What happened to that cool, confident guy that caught my interest in the first place? Apparently Gossip Girl felt the same way because Serena and Aaron broke up after being exclusive for a few episodes. 

Blair and Emma

I felt that Emma was a younger, less sophisticated version of Blair (more of a Blair wannabe) I love the facade Emma presents to her mother (the innocent school girl willing to stay home and read a Harry Potter book while her mother goes to yet another social event) when in reality she is desperate to lose her virginity. It's nice to see Blair's soft side come out when it comes to Emma (I think she recognizes alot of herself in Emma) I feel like she and Blair should continue to have a relationship after this episode because Emma is a walking contradiction (ex. she acts like she's ready to be a big girl when she only wants the attention of her mom) and therefore makes an interesting, 3 dimensional character. 

So what did you think? Do you agree? Please comment or subscribe and check out my next post. And you know you love me. XOXO Bernadette

Disclaimer: I take credit for none of these photos- they all come from results that I've got from Google Images.