Gossip Girl Critique Gossip Girl is a modern day teen soap opera that aired from September 19th,

, 2007 to December 17th, 2012, that follows through a gossip site called Gossip Girl (voiced by Kristen Bell) the drama filled lives of it girl Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively), queen bee Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester), bad boy Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick), golden boy Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford), sensitive Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley) and good girl turned bad Jenny Humphrey (Taylor Momsen) who all attend elite private schools Constance Billard School for Girls and St. Jude's Preparatory School for Boys. It utilizes soap opera conventions to target woman from 18 to 34 years of age and to represent the theme of the upper class and the values of loyalty, deceit and allegiance. Gossip Girl is set in the Upper East Side of New York, New York, with the social trap of a group of school friends/frienamies who are members of the very enclosed world of the new generation aristocracy. The social hierarchy is very clear in the Gossip Girl neighbourhood, complete with a queen bee, her underlings and the outsiders. There is no subtly in this system, even going so far as to have outright arguments such as season 2, episode 5 The Serena Also Rises where Blair accuses Serena of stealing her followers. Each episode begins with the opening sequence where the Gossip Girl website home page from the pilot episode is displayed. A recap of applicable events for that episode is then shown, which again ends with the home page of the website, only with a picture and information from recent events connected with the episode. The episode continues with switching stories that stem from developments and intersections from previous episodes, which involve everything from murder (season 1, episode 16, Ending Blair/Serena), to drugs (same episode), to sex scandals (every other episode), to pregnancies (season 5, episode 1, Yes Then Zero), to embezzlement (season 6, episode 9, The Revengers).Most of the drama though, comes from the romantic relationships the characters have with one another. Each episode leads up to an event, where most of the problems come together for the climax, and either get solved or expanded. Gossip Girl utilises symbolic codes to give the show a shiny, new and expensive feel. The props used are all colour co-ordinated, symmetrical and strategically placed with no personal litterings in the Upper East Side (where the majority of wealthy characters live) which suggests a prosperous and plastic lifestyle, where in Brooklyn (where less privileged Dan and Jenny live) the props are more organic and less placed, with personal items littered everywhere which suggests a more lived in and honest existence. The acting style also differs according to character. Blair Waldorf, for example, has a very fast, rehearsed speaking voice, using classic references and big words, suggesting shes had a well rounded and high-born education. Where Dan Humphreys performance is more natural, suggesting his education and lifestyle is similar to the general public. This helps the audience connect to the soap opera, giving them something to relate to. The technical codes are also very typical of a modern day soap opera.

XOXO Jacinta Taylor