Just when you think the drama is over, Gossip Girl steps it up for season 3. Most of the group is in college now, with Dan, Vanessa and Blair at NYU, Nate at Columbia, and Chuck and Serena out in the real world. But apparently college and the real world are even more gossipy than high school was, since title character Gossip Girl (voiced by Kristen Bell, whose identity is unknown by the main characters) has even more to reveal this year. And boy, is it juicy!
Anyone who was alive while this season aired probably heard about the controversy surrounding the biggest event: the threesome! Yes, it’s true; there was actually a threesome in this season, inspiring parents to ban their children from watching it and the Parents Television Council to ask television stations to boycott before it ever aired. I, for one, learned a valuable lesson from this whole thing: if you’re in a relationship, the third person is supposed to be a stranger. Thanks for those words of wisdom, Nate.
Speaking of Nate, it seems for the most part that he’s gotten the year off as far as horrible soap opera style issues. Yeah, there’s the whole thing with Serena sleeping with his married cousin who’s running for Congress, but compared to the last two seasons, they really cut him some slack.
Of course, that could be because the main drama is focused in the Humphrey/Van Der Woodsen household. Rufus and Lily finally tie the knot and uniting their families is not as easy as the Brady’s make it look. Jenny (the ever-popular Taylor Momsen) is the new Queen Bee at Constance, and it’s taking all of her effort to hold onto her tiara, or shall we say headband? Meanwhile, she’s bullying Eric at school to maintain her reign, and trying to steal Nate (Chace Crawford) away from Serena (Blake Lively). Did I mention she’s also selling drugs? Luckily, some of the pressure comes off her when Serena and Eric’s dad whisks back into their life, challenging Rufus in an old rivalry for Lily’s love.
While some of the action is over the top and melodramatic, the writers have a surprising amount of sensitivity when covering certain topics. I’m very impressed with the thoughtfulness displayed in the episode “The Debarted,” which focuses on the one year anniversary of Chuck’s father’s death. Likewise, in “The Sixteen Year Old Virgin,” Jenny’s struggle to decide whether to lose her virginity with Damien is addressed with grace and Momsen actually appears to be a human being for once, instead of an ice queen. If she could display that vulnerability all the time, people might actually not hate her. Just a thought.
And what would Gossip Girl be without a dramatic ending? The season finale will have you dying for season 4 to begin. But until the next Gossip Girl blast goes out, you can re-watch all the episodes from this season and refresh your memory, savoring the hope that Jenny Humphrey is finally gone for good.
DVD Bonus Features
Along with a gag reel and unaired scenes, this DVD set has a variety of bonus material. On episode 16, titled “The Empire Strikes Jack,” is “Gossip Girl Mode: Interactive Viewing Experience” which has interviews with the crew and bits of pop-up trivia. There are also music videos to Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance and Plasticines Bitch, as well as “A Gossip Girl Fabulous Affair: Throwing a Party Gossip Girl Style.” Most of these features are nothing special, although the fashion coverage on the Interactive Viewing Experience is kind of enjoyable.
"Gossip Girl: The Complete Third Season" is on sale August 24, 2010 and is not rated. Drama, Television. Directed by Darnell Martin, J Miller Tobin, Jason Ensler, Joe Lazarov, John Stephens, Mark Piznarski, Norman Buckley, Ron Fortunato. Written by Joshua Safran, Amanda Lasher, John Stephens, Leila Gerstein, Jake Coburn, Sara Goodman, Lenn K. Rosenfeld, Robert Hull. Starring Blake Lively, Chace Crawford, Ed Westwick, Jessica Szohr, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, Taylor Momsen.
