My Review of Gossip Girl Series Finale- New York, I Love You XOXO

Gossip Girl's identity is revealed, the fallout from last week continues, and we get a look at the future of the gang....

Ok, I just have to say that as series finales go, that was a bit underwhelming, but then again most finales' are unable to live up to the hype/expectations. Overall though, I liked the finale. Gossip Girl was one of the first shows I watched from the beginning until the end, so it will hold a special place in my heart for it. The show was always a bit of a mess, but that is part of the reason I loved it.

Ok, raise your hand if the reveal of Dan as Gossip Girl was totally not a surprise. Yeah, that's what I thought. He was on my top two most likely to be Gossip Girl, and to be honest, I have been pretty sure since last week that he was Gossip Girl. Only Georgina made more sense, but she was so obvious that I pretty much discounted her. Honestly, before this season, I never thought about who Gossip Girl was because it was more fun not to guess about it. So I don't know if there were a lot of inconsistencies. At some point, I plan on going back over all of the episodes with the identity of GG in mind and seeing if there is anything weird.

What I don't get is the ease with which Dan was forgiven. I will grant that he did nothing worse to the gang then they did to themselves, he just did it for the whole world; rather than just their world; to see. The whole thing also seems to be tinged with a certain amount of respect for the way in which Dan; as the quintessential outsider; managed to become the ultimate insider in the UES. But still, the whole gang (especially Serena) did seem really, really easy on him.

I do have to admire the fact that Dan was able to pull it off. I think everyone else so discounted him that they never considered looking at him as GG. He was the White Knight to Serena, the Powerless Nobody to Blair, an annoyance to Chuck, and a friend to Nate. What was even more fun was when he revealed that Jenny knew about it and helped him to pull it off.

I did adore the reactions of people finding out who Gossip Girl was. Between Dorota asking Jack to make her a drink, Mayor Bloomberg, the actress (who was that anyway?), Juliet, Vanessa, the model, and then the coup de grace. Kristen Bell appeared as herself helping Rachel Bilson (as herself) to prepare for a GG movie. That was a total riot. Just loved it!

Blair and Chuck were sort of adorable. Did they marry for the right reason? No, but they were going to anyway, so the spousal privilege was just icing on the cake. And getting the whole gang involved was just fun. Loved that this is the first time Jack and Georgina met and that they apparently hit it off very quickly because they're still involved 5 years later. Disappointed that Lily is with William, but after reading what Stephanie Savage said, I get it. Lily and Rufus wouldn't have worked out, so at least they can be friends. And now Dan and Serena are getting married.

It's been a trippy 6 years. Loads of fun, ups and downs, and good soapiness. Thanks for the ride Gossip Girl.

XOXO

My Review of Vampire Diaries 4.09- O Come, All Ye Faithful

Well, that was a quickly aborted revolution.  In an hour that saw a death, a betrayal, a fleeing, and a broken bond or two....

So, how exactly did Klaus find out about the revolt?  Was he told by Hayley?  Did he figure it out on his own?  Or did someone else tell him?  Whichever way it was, the ending was particularly disturbing.  Not so much because of the deaths themselves as much as it was because of the fact that "O Holy Night" was playing during the slaughter.  The juxtaposition was almost too much for me, particularly since "O Holy Night" is hands-down my favorite Christmas song.

I did find Klaus' conversations with Stefan interesting.  I know that Klaus sees in Stefan someone akin to himself, if only Stefan doesn't suppress it and that came through loud and clear in this episode.  If Klaus figures out that Stefan knew about what happened, things will not be pretty.  And if he figures out that Caroline knew, that will be even less pretty.  Wanna know something else even less pretty?  Rebekah coming back after Klaus had her daggered.

I have to side with what Damon did.  He took the time to think through what was going on and didn't make an immediate leap that could have gotten him in trouble or taken advantage of his bond with Elena.  Unfortunately, until she is human again, she doesn't have freedom where Damon is concerned, so no matter what he does, she'll be under some level of his control.  But, for now, he has given her the freedom to do what she wants in Mystic Falls while he helps Jeremy.  Best solution?  No, but it is a workable one.

And Stefan, dude, why are you so shocked that Damon and Elena slept together?  Now, not sure if Caroline knew about it, but Damon slept with her *before* he knew about the sire bond.  Afterwards, Damon did the right thing and kept their clothes on, for which he gets major kudos because that could not have been easy.  Now, should Damon have told Stefan what was going on?  Probably, but not doing so was not a horrible idea.  As I said before, it gave Damon time to think and plan before taking any action.

I am torn about Tyler's plan.  Not happy that his mom died, but I do think keeping Klaus alive is a good thing, if only because he may very well be the start of the vampire line in Mystic Falls.  Also, he's an awesome villain.  And his sense of revenge was pretty cool, if completely gruesome.  Like I said, not happy with his killing Mayor Lockwood, but the unfortunate side effect of a failed revolution is often the death of the plotters' families.

Watching Jeremy be "deprogrammed" was pretty cool, as was the sight of Jeremy in a wife-beater.  I must join the chorus of people insisting that he wear no tops but wife-beaters after this.  Damn, that is a fine looking young man.  I should not be surprised that Bonnie would act as his anchor to reality, but I sort of was.  I also have to wonder if what he said about Elena is truly how he feels or the vampire hunter talking.  Either way, that had to be rough for Elena to hear.

Until we come back on the 17th!

My Review of Arrow 1.09- Year's End

For a "game-changing" midseason finale, it underdelivered. Don't get me wrong, I loved the episode, but I had read/heard that it was supposed to have a "WTF!?!?" moment or two and it didn't really. There were a couple of "Wow!" moments, but nothing more than that (for me anyways....).

 

Apparently Oliver has been working harder than ever now that Helena is gone. Guess he is throwing himself into work in order to get over her. Love that he wanted to celebrate the holidays with his family and that he totally took charge of everything. I get why his family stopped celebrating, but it was nice to see them do it again. And were he and Diggle practicing with actual knives? Wow. Potential for disaster there. Also, was I the only one who laughed when Oliver said that the name "Green Arrow" sounded silly? That was quite amusing.

 

Then there was the Dark Archer. First, loved that he and Oliver had a face-off. Having Tommy's dad revealed as the Dark Archer was a "Wow!" moment, but if it was supposed to be more, it really wasn't. I do wonder if he is as in charge as he seems to be or if his comment to Oliver should be taken at face value and there is someone over him. I am betting that there is no one over him, but I could very easily be wrong. And why are they looking to kill thousands of people? That cannot be a good thing at all.

 

And Moira has been so unsuccessful in controlling her husband that Tommy's dad has taken him and is holding him until the plan can come to fruition. I so want to know all about this plan. It has been years in the making and has caused several deaths already as well as kidnappings and people's lives being ruined. Call me intensely curious.

 

Going back and forth about Thea. While I get that she is a rebellious teenager who has apparently not had the best raising, she can be awfully bratty. Granted, Oliver hasn't been the best brother, but it sometimes seems like she doesn't try. I also have to go off on the writers' for a second (which I rarely do). The continuity regarding Oliver and his family has been awful. It seems like they keep getting better over the course of an episode only for it to inexplicably be forgotten or fall back by the next episode. Either have Oliver make things better with his family or not, don't keep hitting the freaking reset button. That is the one thing about this series that is *SERIOUSLY* getting on my nerves.

 

Not alot of Tommy and Laurel, but that was fine. What little they got was good. Love the three of them at the party and he conversation. Unfortunately, I don't think it is going to stop being weird anytime soon. There is entirely too much history there for things to go back to normal quickly. But they are headed in the right direction, so kudos.

 

Watching the Arrow work with Laurel's dad was amusing. Glad that Detective Lance unbent enough to accept help. I get that the Commissioner needed to do something to appear to be effective, trying to pin the murders on the wrong guy was not good. But, whatever.

 

See ya when we come back in January!

Who is Gossip Girl?

With Gossip Girl coming to an end next week and the impending revelation of GGs identity, I figured now would be a good time for me to weigh in with my thoughts. Before I weigh in, I want to mention a couple of assumptions I am making:

[1] GG is a major character who has been around since Season 1.

- I assume this because I can't see them bringing in a new character to just be GG and I can't see it being a character who came in late.

[2] GG could be a girl or a guy.

- Let's face it, seeing as no one has seen GG, GG could easily be a guy masquerading as a girl online.

[3] GG is not one of the parents.

- Honestly, I just can't see the parents being involved enough to be GG. I could be wrong, I think this one is the shakiest assumption.

Ok, now onto the characters in no particular order:

[1] Serena- I doubt that she is mainly because she has been the target of many hurtful e-mail blasts by GG. Could she have done this to throw everyone off her case? Yes, but I seriously doubt it.

[2] Blair- Again doubtful. While Blair and GG both like gossiping and tearing people down, I don't think Blair is GG. It just seems wrong somehow.

[3] Jenny- Possible, but again doubtful. She has been gone for so long that I don't see it.

[4] Vanessa- A snowball's chance in hell. Granted, she became pretty bad in her final year in New York, but she is the unlikeliest possibility here.

[5] Georgina- Very possible. Seeing as she was already revealed as GG (supposedly 2.0), it would not be a stretch. Not to mention she and GG are so much alike it is not funny. But given how obvious she is, it is entirely possible that she is not GG.

[6] Dan- Very possible. Dan has shown that he is eminently capable to writing truthful and hurtful things about people, so I could really see him as GG. I would say that he is the most likely possibility after Georgina.

[7] Nate- Possible. I don't see this because of his investigation, but it is again possible that his investigation is meant to throw us off of the trail.

[8] Chuck- Highly unlikely. Chuck is a little to self-obsessed to pay as much attention to other people as Gossip Girl does.

[9] Dorota- Possible. This would be the most amusing possibility. As a maid to Blair, Dorota would be ideally suited to spy on the kids. I sort of doubt it, but would be very, very amused if she is.

On Monday, we'll see how right I am....

My Review of The Vampire Diaries 4.08- We'll Always Have Bourbon Street

Tyler takes steps to bring the pack to heel, Damon and Stefan look for something, Elena finds out the truth, and we find out why Shane wants Bonnie.....

Well, we now know for sure that Elena is sired to Damon.  The one thing I don't understand is why everyone seemed to be so surprised that Elena had true feelings for Damon when she was human.  She has spent the last year or so proving that and at the end of last season, she had to make a decision between the brothers.  So, the news that she loved Damon when she was human and it carried over should not have been a surprise.  Yet, it seemed that it was to a lot of people.  Anyway, turns out that the only way to break a vampire sire-bond is for the maker to tell the sired to leave them forever and be happy.  Should Damon do it or not?  Both he and Stefan seem to think that he should, but I am honestly not so sure.  It sounds to me like the sire-bond stays in place, it just ensures that the sired vampire stays away from their maker.  But, I could be wrong.  I would say to let Elena choose, but unfortunately at this point, she cannot freely choose.  The sire-bond is going to ensure that she chooses Damon.  If/when she becomes human again, then she will (hopefully) be able to choose between them.

Turns out that Damon thought that there was a magical solution to the sire-bond.  So, in the 40s (forgot the exact year) when he had made a vampire who sired to him, he killed 12 people because a witch told him she could use it to break the sire-bond.  Turns out that killing those 12 people was meant to allow her to access some very, very dark magic and this is what Shane is after, because he had Hayley break the sire-bonds on 12 hybrids.  I am willing to bet that the purpose of the spell he is looking for is either to kill Klaus or make him human.  Either way, it cannot be good.

Tyler had a pack problem.  Turns out that they went all "We want free will!" on him and he was challenged for authority within the pack.  While they were right that he is out to restore their free will by breaking the sire-bonds, they didn't get that in order to have free will, they had to break the sire-bonds.  So, he had to give them only one choice now to restore more choices later.  I did love the way he put his hand around that girl's heart because she so deserved it.  He is now undisputed Alpha of the freed hybrids.  Just wonder how long the pack will last.

And we also got even more evidence that Damon is not a bad a guy as he pretends to be.  Turns out that he wanted to go into war with Stefan, but Lexi talked him out of it at the last minute because Stefan was trying to make up for his Ripper days.  Can't say I was fond of what she did, but I can understand why.  It made sense to keep Damon away since he does tend to lead chaos around.

Next week, mid-season finale....

My Review of Arrow 1.08- Vendetta

Oliver tries to get through to Helena, Walter continues to investigate Moira, Diggle is worried about Helena, and Tommy comes to a decision....

Wow, I cannot believe how big of a bitch Helena was.  Oliver was offering to help her, work with her, and help her get justice rather than revenge and she turns on him for the flimsiest of reasons.  I mean, she was the one who invited Laurel and Tommy to join her and Oliver at dinner.  Both Tommy and Oliver objected to it, but the girls insisted, so the guys decided to let it go.  Then Helena gets all mad and acts as if Oliver was the one who invited Laurel to join in the first place after she figures out who Laurel is?  Talk about unbalanced!  I mean, I get that she is upset about her fiancee's murder, but wow.  This girl is in need of serious therapy.

Honestly, I can't blame Oliver for wanting to help Helena.  Let's face it, both of them lost someone close to them through an event that was their fathers' fault.  Oliver decided to go more on the justice side of revenge and take down people for the common good, whereas Helena went the revenge route and killed people to get back at her dad.  Is either one perfect?  No, but Oliver's route is a lot better.  And if Helena were rational, she would see that.  However, she is not, so she doesn't.

I also cannot blame Diggle for being wary of Helena.  He saw that she was unbalanced and knew that Oliver and his white knight syndrome would not fare well with her.  He was a little harsh with Oliver, but fortunately he didn't go the whole "Told you!" route in the end.  Appreciated that

I do want to say that I wanted to like the relationship between Oliver and Helena, but it moved through the various stages so quickly that I never had a chance to.  While I am not saying that they should have dragged the relationship out for a season or more, I do think it would have been a good idea to have let it develop a little slower.

Was proud of Tommy for going to Oliver for help.  That could not have been good for the ego.  And thankfully, Oliver understood where Tommy was coming from and gave him a face-saving way out.  That is a good friend.  Unfortunately, this may put Tommy closer to Oliver and what he is doing which could be a bad thing.  But, it will also give us more Oliver/Tommy time (hopefully), which will be fun.

Walter is still investigating Moira.  At first, he didn't want to and took off the head of that IT girl in what was; I thought; an incredibly unfair move.  Granted, he didn't say to continue the investigation, but he did ask her to start and never told her to stop, so the good detective just kept going.  And good thing she did, because she led Walter to another list of names.  Apparently, each member of the group got a list of names of people involved written in invisible ink.

 

And next week, the mid-season finale....