When Gossip Lady first premiered over a decade in the past, Dan and Serena have been a likable ship. Because the sequence went on, followers flip-flopped somewhat. Followers of Dair and Serenate weren’t on the Derena ship, however you continue to had some individuals crusing alongside fortunately.
Then on Gossip Girl Season 6 Episode Episode 10, it was revealed that Dan had been Gossip Lady all alongside. All of a sudden, the couple wasn’t so shippable.
Dan Humphrey went from moony teen heartthrob to the scum of the earth. Dude was a creepy stalker, to not point out a manipulative sociopath. He was mainly Joe Goldberg; we simply did not realize it. Serena could not have been the fan-favorite, however did not she deserve higher than that?
Funnily sufficient, whereas Derena shippers have been thrown for a loop by Gossip Lady’s true id, Dair followers have been nonetheless die-hard shippers.
There may be simply as a lot noise about how Dan and Blair ought to have ended up collectively, as there may be noise about Dan being poisonous, and the way he should not have been Gossip Lady.
Once I first binged Gossip Lady this previous 12 months, I went in realizing all of the spoilers. I knew from the beginning that Dan was Gossip Lady, and I knew who would find yourself with who.
I stored asking myself how it might all make sense at that finish; how would the writers make it okay for Dan to finish up with anybody as a substitute of stranding him on a floating iceberg in the course of the arctic?
Actually, I discovered watching this present about horrible individuals draining and miserable.
The one character worse than Dan was Chuck, and each of them get glad endings. Serena, Blair, and Jenny weren’t precisely angels both. Even Vanessa went darkish.
How do you salvage a present the place it’s close to not possible to root for and even just like the characters? How are you going to be okay with an individual like Dan, “profitable?”
As I completed up the sequence, I noticed that the present was truly very poetic.
The purpose of the present was that these have been horrible individuals who might mainly get away with homicide. It’s a cautionary story that holds a mirror as much as the worst of society. Nicely, possibly not the worst-worst, however nonetheless fairly dangerous, ?
So that is the present, however what concerning the endgames? I am not touching Chair, however when the sequence ended, Derena truly made excellent sense to me.
When you perceive Serena and Dan, you understand that they might by no means be pleased with anybody however one another. So let’s get to grasp them.
Earlier than we try this, although, I need to handle the Dair elephant within the room.
I absolutely anticipated to ship Dair getting into primarily based on numerous Youtube movies I might seen of them mixed with my damaging opinion of Chuck Bass.
If the creators had not made Dan Gossip Lady, had gone with Eric or Nate as they advised Vulture they thought of earlier within the sequence, then Dan and Blair would have made an honest couple and a suitable endgame.
Nevertheless, in a world the place Dan was not solely Gossip Lady all alongside however grew to become Gossip Lady as a result of of Serena.
I simply do not see Blair forgiving that. It wasn’t in her character.
It was in Serena’s character, although.
After we meet Serena on Gossip Girl Season 1 Episode 1, she looks as if a form but flawed one who is making an attempt to face her issues and higher herself.
She is fashionable, the “it” lady, however she would not relish the standing. She simply needs to do proper by her brother and her finest good friend. She needs to show her life round.
Had Serena efficiently turned her life round and have become the well-rounded, variety, assured, unbiased individual she was seemingly making an attempt to be on Gossip Girl Season 1, she wouldn’t have match with the actual Dan Humphrey.
She would have match with the Dan we thought we met on Gossip Lady Season 1. However that wasn’t who both of them actually was.
Serena Van Der Woodsen got here from an upper-class household in Manhattan. She was privileged financially. She was additionally lovely and charming. However the place it mattered most, Serena was ignored.
Her mom was frequently marrying the most recent love of her life and beginning a brand new household whereas neglecting her youngsters.
Serena’s father left when she was younger, and he or she by no means obtained over the abandonment and rejection. So Serena had mommy points and even greater daddy points.
She wished to be observed by somebody who would make the sting of her mother or father’s rejection appear unimportant.
Whereas her mom’s neglect mattered, Serena’s points along with her father’s absence have been distinguished in her relationship with each man she ever knew.
All through the sequence, each man Serena dated thought the solar rose and set along with her.
It was a universally acknowledged fact {that a} single man was in need of Serena Van Der Woodsen.
Serena dated some frogs, however she additionally dated a number of nice guys who would have finished something for her. So what makes Dan so particular?
To know that, we’ve to grasp what Dan did for Serena, or relatively, what Gossip Lady did for Serena.
Within the early seasons, Serena bemoaned being Gossip Lady’s “it lady.”
She at all times stated how she hated that the web site was continually speaking about her and her pals and being imply about them. Nevertheless, that was confirmed to be a number of speak.
On Gossip Girl Season 5, Serena briefly positive aspects management of the Gossip Lady website, and whereas initially, she thinks she will be able to take the highlight off herself, she finds that when it’s gone, she misses it.
At this level, Serena is feeling very alone as a result of Dan is with Blair.
Blair was the star of Dan’s e book, and Serena was the joke starter girlfriend. How telling is it that at this level Serena needs to be the star of Gossip Lady once more?
We do not hear rather a lot concerning the lifetime of Serena and pals pre-Gossip Lady weblog, however it was clear that the existence of Gossip Lady modified all their lives and none greater than Serena’s.
On Gossip Girl Season 5 Episode 19, Blair encourages Serena to discover a new “it lady” for Gossip Lady to speak about.
She tells Serena, “You did not actually develop into Serena Van Der Woodsen till you bought bare on that plane service … the picture landed on Gossip Lady, and that was it. It is going to take a second like that to create the subsequent Serena Van Der Woodsen.”
Let’s look at what that assertion means.
Earlier than Gossip Lady, Serena was little doubt well-liked. She was was fairly, and he or she was wealthy.
Then once more, so was nearly all people at Constance Billard Faculty for Women (minus the occasional Humphrey anomaly).
Everyone in Serena’s social circle was fairly and had cash. Serena was no extra particular than any of them. Till, as Dan put it, she was “talked about.”
Serena was on the lookout for consideration, and as a substitute of showering her together with his personal, Dan gave Serena a world of worshipers.
They could have judged her and hated her half the time, however in addition they envied her and cherished to find out about her. She had the identical standing as somebody who would present up on the quilt of Folks Journal.
Dan turned Serena from one other wealthy lady with daddy points into an icon. He immortalized her and gave her precisely what she wished most; consideration. Not his personal however the complete upper-east facet.
He had extra energy over her and the individuals in her life than anybody. For a lady with daddy points, that form of energy and management is extremely engaging.
Whereas Serena was making an attempt to show her life round, one thing she continually claimed to try however by no means truly did, Dan would have been the unsuitable type of boy for her. He was simply as dangerous as the fellows she did know. He was worse.
However Serena by no means actually wished to show her life round. She preferred being the “it lady.” She wished somebody who would have the ability to give her all the eye she craved however who, on the similar time, might be equal.
Different guys who worshipped the bottom Serena walked on might by no means be equal to Serena.
They have been making an attempt so arduous to please her and be excellent for her that they’d by no means cross over to the darkish facet the place she lived. Serena used boys, she drank, did medication, she cheated and lied, and he or she utilized Gossip Lady to inform tales on her pals.
On Gossip Girl Season 5 Episode 8, Serena finds proof of hundreds of ideas she emailed to Gossip Lady through the years.
Blair, Serena’s finest good friend, and favourite individual on the planet despatched twice as a lot. Everybody Serena actually cared about (besides Nate) despatched messages to Gossip Lady.
That is precisely why a pleasant man like Nate might by no means find yourself with Serena.
She would by no means actually respect him, and admittedly, he deserved higher. Dude did not lack choices, and he wished to develop into his personal individual. His objectives have been even noble typically, if somewhat naive, and that wasn’t Serena and Dan.
Dan wrote horrible issues about Serena and knew all of her darkest secrets and techniques earlier than they even met.
But he nonetheless wished her, realizing precisely who and what she was. His complete life, his objectives, his relationships, every part centered round Serena and her world.
A lot as they each bemoaned it all through the sequence, each of them wished to be upper-east siders.
They wished to be talked about. They wished the glamour, and so they wished the darkish facet. They wished to do deplorable issues and have the ability to get away with it. They usually wished the world to know their names.
Might Derena be a duo of supervillains? Certain. No one stated this was a love story between a pleasant boy and lady.
However they’re effectively suited. In the long run, Serena noticed Dan as somebody she might respect as a result of he gained management of a world she by no means might, and he made her right into a god. They make excellent sense in a darkish, twisted type of means.
Do you agree with my evaluation of why Dan and Serena make sense for one another? Let me know within the feedback.
Leora W is a workers author for TV Fanatic..