Lou, Sijia
Professor Manly
ENG 108
Feb, 26, 2011

Summary 1: Article
In the article “What Are Friends For? Power and Pain” which was written be Alessandra Stanley, we can know that the author thinks in adults’ world friendship is more constant than romances, but this rule is not right in the youths. Young people pay more attention to love than friendships, so in young’s world the friendships are more variable than the romances. This concept is also right in the “Gossip Girl”. This TV show talked about the friendship, power, romance, gossip and fashion in the campus between the boys and girls.
Some parents think this TV show isn’t suitable for their children, because the contents in “Gossip Girl” let their children grow faster to know the real society. But the Children didn’t agree. Even though the “Gossip Girl” is a soap opera and it is based on a popular book series, it not only put fashion and sex as its main point, but also reversed course and found a way saucily to make a virtue of vacuity and viciousness.

Summary 2: TV show This TV show is from Gossip Girl season 4 Episode 2. Serena(S) and Blair (B) still stay at Paris and B get another chance from Prince Louis. But while B was getting ready for her perfect date, S was at Paris Morgue to make sure the people laid may or may not be Chuck Bass. Of course it wasn’t him. When S went back to tell B the whole sordid story B didn’t believe it for she just met Chuck minutes ago. Then S found her wayward stepbrother. Chuck told her that he would never go back. After he losing Blair, he didn’t think there wasn’t any reason worth let him to be the Chuck Bass. B didn’t forgive Chuck though she knew Chuck was shot because he refused robber to give ring which he would use to propose, it didn’t change what he did that destroy B’s heart. In the end, Blair changed her mind for Chuck Bass planed leave Paris and disappeared in her world forever. She race to the station to stop Chuck. B told him that her world would not be completed without him, but she didn’t love him anymore. While Blair refused the date with Prince Louis and Chuck was getting ready to turn back to New York with Eva. He said: “I’m Chuck Bass.”

Evaluation: The Gossip Girl’s executive producers know that in some aspect, teenager always like doing something their parents didn’t allow to gain more attentions. Because they know what teenager want, their TV show averaged 2.6 million viewers per new episode and about 500,000 are teens. So the “Gossip Girl” is really popular in the teens. Even it is higher than the common high school life, it looks like real. Everyone knows it is just a soap opera. In the real life, do they ever dress like designer-clad sex kittens with school uniform minis just like Queen Blair? NO! Well maybe occasionally on weekends. On a report it said that Gossip Girl series have an effect on females aged between 18 and 25 years on many aspects, such as morality, behavior and fashion and clothing.
At first, the series affects the viewers’ conception of modernity. By modernity, women’s emancipation, breaking ties with social taboos (sex, love, affairs…), and questioning the traditional value of society.
The second is the series affects the audience’s lifestyle. Based on the interviews conducted it seems that Gossip Girl series did affect the behavior and morality. In the TV show, Blair and In other words, Gossip Girl doesn’t have any same with our real life even though it looks like a real life. And we also can through it get that even in Upper East Side nobody can escape from the life and they must face the problem by themselves. Maybe parents and friends sometimes can help you, but in the end you need to do it by yourself. In the “Gossip Girl” we also can see what exactly today’s teens are escaping from. In many ways this soap opera is more interesting than others. On a report it lists three affections of Gossip Gils to viewers. The first on is the series affects the viewers’ conception of modernity. By modernity, women’s emancipation, breaking ties with social taboos (sex, love, affairs…), and questioning the traditional values of the society. The Second is the series affects the audience’s lifestyle. Based on the interviews conducted it seems that Gossip Girl series did affect the behavior and morality of the audience. They became interested in going to fancy places, widen their social network and meet prosperous people. The last one is the series affects the fashion and clothing of audience. Based on the interviews and a study made by Marie Romeo entitled “Television Study: “Gossip Girl” and its effects on viewer’s Fashion”, it seems that the show affects the audience’s fashion choices in many ways.
But during the research I still find some parents worry about their children see the “Gossip Girl” because it covers so many things which parent think is not suitable to their children, such as drugs and sex. A mother said that Gossip Girl is what happens when you take this formula and then put it on steroids with a shot of coke, literally. Of course there were drugs on 90210 and The O.C. There was also sex and eating disorders and kid with drinking problems. The difference is that on 90210, and to a somewhat lesser extent on The O.C., these things were treated as issues that had serious consequences. If someone had a drinking problem it was the focus of an entire episode. In some extreme cases it even took two or three episodes to deal with the problem! She also give out an example to show how the Gossip Girl is different in the getting drunk, using drugs and having sec in high school. They are merely seen as par for the course. In one episode, “good girl” Serena van der Woodsen is tormented because she has a secret that she is keeping from her boyfriend. Her friends press her to tell them what it is and finally she gives in and starts to confess. It started with the night she got wasted and slept with her best friend’s boyfriend. Later after drunkenly going to a hotel with some friends, she tries to avoid having sex with one of them by suggesting he do a few lines of coke. He does and overdoses at which point her other friend convinces her to flee the scene. Later she watches as his dead body is carried out of the hotel. In short, the teenagers getting wasted sleeping with their best friends’ boyfriends, and doing coke are not enough shock value for today’s teen audience. There now must be a dead body, a cover-up, and a secret sex tape gone wrong. So she worried about letting her children see these shows. But there are still some parents think Gossip Girl is ok for the children, and it brings up some really advanced topics for young teens. It is actually a great opportunity for parents to talk to their kind about these is issues. The teens have the different idea about this show. They think Gossip Girl is an amazing show. It’s thrilling and never has a dull moment. So what if it involves drugs, sex, etc…Teens are old enough to make their own decisions. We should not be so concerned about the show and what happens in some episodes. Life in real life is not like Gossip Girl; relax. So the Gossip Girl affects different people in different things.

Personal response: I am a fan of the “Gossip Girl”, so this is the reason why I choose this TV show to write. It also very population in China for it talks about the things happen in Upper East Side and it covers fashion. In this show Queen B is my favorite and the couple which I support is Blair and Chuck though they have break for many times. I still remember that at first I didn’t like Chuck Bass because I think he is so bad. He destroyed Blair’s normal life. But I am not sure when I find I like him even he is still bad. He is so handsome when he says “Because I’m Chuck Bass.” Since now the episode which I memorized is Blair wearing a long beautiful red dress stand in front of the Chuck. She didn’t forgive him but she neither wanted him disappear in her world. So when she got message that Chuck will leave, she refused the date with Prince Louis and run to the station to stop him. I can’t forget the screen that there are tears in Blair’s eyes, and she didn’t let them come down. This is also the reason why I choose Gossip Girl season 4 Episode 2 to summarize. I have watched this segment that they talk to each other for at least 5 times, and now I can recite the dialog between them.
B: Just because you’re dressed poorly doesn’t mean you are not Chuck Bass.
C: Why I would want to be him?
B: You should told me you got shot.
C: I’m surprised you didn’t shoot me yourself.
B: I have. Many times in my dream. The good ones. But if you were really hurt, I would want to know.
C: When I woke up, my I.D was gone. Nobody knew who I was, nobody was coming to look for me. I realized I might be alive, but Chuck Bass didn’t have to be.
B: Changing your name doesn’t change who you are.
C: it is a good start. A chance to live simply, earn people’s respect. Maybe become a person someone could love.
B: Someone did love you. And…you own it to her and anyone else you leaving behind not to run away, which is what you’re doing. And I don’t think that great man you’re talking about wanting to be is a coward. I think he would face up to what he did.
C: I destroyed the only thing I ever loved.
Blair returns back the ring which Chuck didn’t have time to send out.
B: I don’t love you anymore. But it takes more than even you to destroy Blair Waldorf.
C: Your world would be easier if I didn’t come back.
B: That’s true. But it wouldn’t be my world without you in it.

Bailey, Johanna. “Gossip Girl: What’s a Parent to Do” Decoder. 3 Oct, 2008. Web. 26
Feb, 2011.
“Gossip Girl Season 4 Episode 2” TV show
JEUDI. “Gossip Girl”. 9 December, 2010. Blog. 26 Feb, 2011.
Stanley, Alessandra. “What Are Friends For? Power and Pain” The New York Times.
18 May, 2008. Web. 26 Feb, 2011.
Wells, Tina. “Is Gossip Girl What Teens Really Want?” The Huffington Post. 29 July,
2008. Web. 26 Feb, 2011.