Yesterday, September 19, marked the 10th anniversary of one of the most historic moments in television history. Okay, maybe not that dramatic, but ten years ago on this day, Serena van der Woodsen was spotted at the Grand Central, with bags in hand.
What followed was a tumultuous saga of twists and turns and murky secrets spread over flashy, flirty parties. Only to arrive to an end which was probably the most unplanned, ridiculous revelation in all of television history. BIG MAJOR SPOILER BUT – Dan Humphrey turned out to be the mastermind, conniving, know-it-all Gossip Girl. But how befitting was it?
The show ended ever so abruptly and all hose sorted, happy endings were a bit bland after everything "scandalous" that went on in the "lives of Mahattan's elite". But why Dan Humphrey – the least fashionable gifted, the least scheming and definitely the least twisted almost puppy --had to end up being the hated icon?
The clear go to justification is the fact that Dan was a writer. As creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage have pointed out, Dan being a writer makes him an observer too. The character's quiet nature and flare for noticing the finer details was a clear bonus towards being the almighty in the show.
Yes, he was lonely-boy-extraordinaire and the classic millennial kid burying his lack of friends in a make-believe world on the internet. Baseless rumours channelled into ruining people's lives, busting motives and scheming ploys – he did it all. And funnily enough, it does serve quite the deeper outlook on modern internet life and behaviours.
Dan Humphrey being Gossip Girl can be easily labelled as a troll, but that's not all he did. He was a stalker with precision too. An androgynous icon of sorts, if you will. He could have been anybody, but he chose to be a girl in spite of informing his sister Jenny, "I don't read Gossip Girl. That's for chicks."
Trust me, you weren't the only one surprised or bitter after THE BIG REVELATION. For those who haven't seen already, look at how the characters reacted upon finding out:
From being the outsider to being revealed as the ringleader that ruled their lives – Dan Humphrey's character has seen legit development. This only goes on to prove why we should have seen this coming. On a show where there are a million plot twists within nanoseconds, the fact that the most relatable, no nonsense character was going to end up being the live ruining puppeteer shouldn't come as a surprise.
It has left us tormented and sulking for a decade now, but who doesn't want to see the outcast rising to be the be-all-and-end-all? Call it poetic justice or just a ludicrous attempt at boosting the wow factor after seasons that were clearly dragging on for too long, suit yourself.
But you have to admit that Dan Humphrey-being-Gossip Girl, infusing himself as an indispensable part of the lives of the elites that were so quick to judge and diss him, AND GETTING THE GIRL – dude's got some style!
