You Ever Notice That The Gossip Girl TV Show is a Lot Like Persuasion?

So welcome back every one! I enjoyed my week off. As we had a lot of free time last month (April) with the quarantine and shelter in place I watched a lot of TV. Some new things, some old comforts or guilty pleasures.

Of course I am always on the lookout for Jane Austen bingos and Jane Austen comparisons. One that recently came to mind was this: you ever notice that Gossip Girl the TV show (not the book series as I have never read it) is a lot like Persuasion?

What are you talking about??

I know what you are thinking, what does a show about the rich and famous Upper East Siders who drink, do drugs, scheme, and intermix their relationships (I think this show had almost every character date another of the main characters) have anything to do with Jane Austen?

Hmm…

The relationship of Lily Van der Woodsen and Rufus Humphrey

Hmm…

So quick summary on both:

Persuasion is a story that spans over several years. When Anne Elliot and Fredrick Wentworth are young they become engaged, and Anne is persuaded to turn him down as he could die, she could be left with nothing, they are young, he is leaving for the Navy, her family won’t approve, etc. He thinks it is solely because she from a rich distinguished family, and he’s a nobody. He becomes angry, takes a lot of chances in the war and increases his wealth and stature. He returns to find Anne unmarried and her family has lost their money, letting their mansion out to Fredrick’s sister and brother-in-law. Anne has never gotten over Fredrick and is shocked to see him enter her life again. Intrigue happens as some women are striving for Frederick’s heart, a woman has a ploy to snag Anne’s father Sir Walter Elliot, and a estranged relative reappears planning to go after his inheritance and cousin. Will the two get their happy ending together? Or has too much time passed?

Anne in the background, Captain Frederick Wentworth in the foreground with Louisa Musgrove.

In Gossip Girl we have the story of Dan and Jenny Humphrey who live in Brooklyn and attend the private school for the rich and famous on scholarship. Dan is a loner who is there to do well and go to college, hopefully achieving his dream of attending Dartmouth or Yale. Jenny strives to be just like the wealthy and rich, being the Queen B: Blair Waldorf’s lackey. Serena Van der Woodsen returns from boarding school and upsets everyone’s life: Blair is displeased at sharing the spotlight, Blair’s boyfriend Nate is in love with Serena, Chuck Bass is just a jerk with problems & lashing out, and for Dan she is his dream girl. Dan and Serena have a relationship but will he be able to handle the lifestyles of the rich and famous? The story spans several years, breakups and makeups, schemes, intrigue, fashion, money, etc.

The parents and adults on this show are just as bad as the children-drugs, drinking, affairs, etc. Lily is Serena’s mother and former roadie and girlfriend to Rufus Humphrey, former aspiring rock star, and Dan’s father. They traveled around but Lily left him for her life on the West Side. They are thrown back together when their kids date, but the flames between them have not quite died out. And almost every move and act is commented and written about on the Gossip Girl blog.

***Spoiler Warning***

So I know this still might not be making total sense to you, but bear with me until the end and comment if you see it or if you think there is no comparison.

I have never read the books and am basing this on the storyline in the TV show. In the TV show Lily was raised on the Upper West Side, is rich, famous, and beautiful, but also not as stuffy or following in the path of her mother-there is a serious disconnect between her and her mother (and her and her father as shown in one episode). She does not follow the plans her mother wanted for her, but instead gets involved with the average, aspiring rock and roll star, Rufus, and they are so adorable together.

How sweet!

Unfortunately, Lily’s mother, Celia Catherine “CeCe” Rhodes, persuades her against staying with Rufus as she threatens to cut Lily off and will her trust fund and inheritance away. That wouldn’t have stopped Lily except that her mother also convinced her that Lily would be unable to handle a regular life, that eventually Rufus would move on (an aspiring rock star can’t be faithful), her parents and family would never see her again or have anything to do with her, and she would end up poor and alone.

This reminded me a lot of what happened with Anne. While Anne was close to her mother, after she died she was left with her father who she shares a similar disconnect and he also has zero involvement in her life (like Lily’s dad). Anne may not be wild like Lily, but she definitely ranks high in his disapproval. Like Lily, she fell in love with someone society deemed “beneath” her, but also fell victim to the persuasion of a family friend, someone she trusted and loved as a second mother, Lady Russell. The social rank doesn’t matter to Anne, like it does to Lady Russell, but like Lily-Anne falls victim to the what ifs-if she had married Frederick she could end up with no family support (or ever seeing them again), no money, a wounded turned alcoholic husband, the life of drudgery, a widow with nothing, etc. (In fact she could end up with the same life of Fanny Price’s mother)

Fanny (left) and Mrs. Price, her mother, and little sister (right).

In Gossip Girl, it has been over 16 years and Rufus and Lily find themselves back together again. Rufus’ initial reaction is very similar to Captain Wentworth, as he is hurt and angry at how he was treated by his love. The two verbally spar with each other, but as they spend time together, they end up falling for each other again. Rufus realizes his feelings for her when his wife he’s been separated from for months (who is cheating on him), returns. Seeing her back with his family, coupled with him meeting her lover, makes him realize that it’s over for them and he really wants to be with Lily. This part reminded me of when Louisa, the girl Captain Frederick has been constantly flirting with, falls and injures herself making it impossible for him to get with Anne as everyone thinks he is engaged to Louisa-this situation cluing him into the fact that he is still in love with Anne and doesn’t want to be with anyone else. Luckily, Louisa is tended to by Captain Benwick and is engage to him, freeing Captain Wentworth and allowing him to chase after his true love.

So in Persuasion, Captain Wentworth needs to let Anne know his feelings and he writes her one of the most romantic letters so that she has concrete proof he cares for her. Rufus is also very romantic and while he doesn’t write Lily a letter he “walks” (as I don’t believe that he really walked the whole way) from Brooklyn to the Upper East Side in the snow with no coat to tell Lily that he loves her, leaving her with a romantic voicemail.

Both Lady Russell (Anne’s godmother) and CeCe Rhodes (Lily’s mother) realize their mistakes as both stories progress. Lady Russell sees that Frederick is a good man and will take care of Anne, along with valuing her. CeCe also realizes her mistake in having separated the two and even encourages them to get together.

But of course the TV series ran for six seasons and LOVED the drama, so every time Rufus and Lily drew close, they broke up or something came to keep them apart. Eventually, they do marry and I really liked them together, but then Lily’s ex-husband was poisoning her to think she had cancer and rely on him and she couldn’t tell Rufus (so that caused issues) and even later her previous husband Bart Bass-who died but somehow miraculously lived, comes back from the grave so her marriage to Rufus is invalid. And then she ends up with her ex-husband who poisoned her, which is one of the dumbest decisions that TV show made, really? Why would she be with him when he was POISONING her?

So it has parallel’s to Persuasion, but unfortunately they don’t get the happy ending Wentworth and Anne do.

So what do you think? Do you see the similarities? Or are these two stories completely different from each other? Comment below!

For more on Persuasion, go to The Jane Austen Book Club (2007)

For more on Gossip Girl, go to Prom Book Dream Come True: Valley Girl, Gossip Girl (2009)

For more Jane Austen meets modern culture, go to Austen Avengers Assemble!

We Will Fandom You

So yes we are back with the fangirl posts! Here we go with another four!

Alias

Alias  was a show that came out in the ’90s, produced by J.J. Abrams and starring Jennifer Garner. Jennifer Garner played Sydney Bristow, college student getting her masters in literature by day; incredible CIA operative by night.

My interest began not with the show but the prequel novels. I reserved a book in the library thinking it was a part of another series I was reading. Well one book got me hooked, and after reading all about Sydney’s adventures in SD-6, finding out that her dad has secretly been a spy as well, etc.; I decided to watch the TV show.

Now the thing that surprised me was that the novels are radically different than the TV show. So the show starts off with Sydney having just become engaged to her boyfriend Danny. When he starts talking about them having children, Sydney decides to tell him the truth. Danny of course freaks out, but later calls Sydney when she is out on a mission and leaves a message that they will make it work.

SD-6 does not want information out and kill Danny. When a heartbroken Sydney starts thinking about quitting, and is almost killed by SD-6; her father drops the true bomb. SD-6 is not the real CIA. The person in charge left the CIA and started SD-6 to undermine it and achieve their own means.

Sydney decides to become a double agent, working for the real CIA to take down SD-6.

So Sydney has a full plate between studies, being a best friend, and keeping all three (school, SD-6, CIA) lives separate from each other. Things get sticky when one of her best friends, played by Bradley Cooper, who is a journalist, starts investigating and is put on the SD-6 radar. She also has a partner that is growing a bit suspicious, and a man who doesn’t like her and wants to take her down.

Oh Sydney and Michael, I ship those two so hard!

But you spend so much of the series unsatisfied as they can’t date and work together sort of thing.  And then he’s with Laura, but eventually they get back together which makes me very happy.

For more on J.J. Abrams, go to I Feel A Great Disturbance in the Force: Star Wars, The Force Awakens

Gossip Girl

So this was something that I struggled with whether or not I should include on this list. I liked it, but at the same time I had quite a few problems with it.

So the show is about the upper East side in New York. The p0werful children of the powerful families, whether old or new money. We follow the lives if Serena Van der Woodson, one of the popular girls at the best prep school, She has been gone for a while, but back and finding it hard to get back into the groove of her old life.

Then there is Nate Vanderbilt, dating Queen Bee Blair Waldorf. He is good guy, who wants people to like him. Only problem is, he likes Serena and even though he is dating Blair he is trying to get with her.

Blair Waldorf is the Queen of the school and has huge goals in mind. She’s happy to have her best gal pal back, until the truth comes out about Nate and Serena, and their past indiscretions. She ends up turning to Chuck Bass and sleeping with him, him later being her partner in crime to secure her queendom and take down Serena.

Charles “Chuck” Bass is the son of Charles Bass, part of the new money group. He has grown up alone with a father that would sooner cry marble than ever show his son love. Chuck spends all his time with booze or girls; or being tall, dark, & brooding. Yep, he’s one of those guys who only needs the love of a good woman to make him want to be the best. He falls for Blair but when she dumps him for Nate again, he goes down a tailspin.

And then we have our wild card, Dan Humphrey. He’s from Brooklyn on scholarship. He has been in love with Serena, but always on the outside looking in. Serena and him start dating and he finds himself brought into the in crowd even though his best friend Vanessa wants him out and Serena’s mom, Lily, wants him away from her daughter.

Then we have Gossip Girl, no one knows her identity but she knows everything about everyone and posts it online.

So I really enjoyed the first season of this show until Georgina came, ugh hate that actress. Once she came in I didn’t like how the dynamics changed, how they seemed to find all kinds of reasons (and really stupid ones) to try to keep all the couples you wanted apart, and how everything was all about the drama (with some real outlandish plots). Like the screenwriters were the same people who wrote the spanish soap opera on Psych.

One of my biggest issues I had with the show was Nate dating 17 year-old Sage Spence. Even though in the state of New York that is legal, how could he do it? How could anyone see that as a good idea, especially someone trying to be a professional. I wouldn’t want to work for someone who is one year above rape. That was a horrible story plot.

Now the main reason I continued  watching sporadically because of four people. First I loved Serena’s mom Lily, and Dan’s dad Rufus having an old romance and trying to get back together. Rufus was so hot and adorable! I loved when they got married but hated that the writers broke them up. Really? Lily would go back to Charles Bass when he was a total jerk and horrible to her? Or in the end remarry her ex-husband William Van der Woodson who was trying to make her think she had cancer just so she would get back with him? After she discovered that lie how could she possibly trust him again? It makes no sense! And the fact that Rufus would side with Charlie AKA conwoman Ivy, rather than his own wife Lily?

And of course the real reason I put through the drama, was for one thing:

Chuck and Blair! I hated how they got them together and they were so awesome, and then the writers broke them apart. But at least they fixed them in the end married with a cute baby boy.

For more Gossip Girl, go to For a Pessimist, I’m Pretty Optimistic

One Tree Hill

I had the same problems with One Tree Hill that I did with Gossip Girl. I liked the first season, but after that my watching became sporadic. Too much drama, relationships that you want together breaking up for the worse reasons, on and on. You know what I’m saying.

So the show revolves around the town of Tree Hill, North Carolina. Nathan Scott is the son of the famous basketball player, Dan Scott. He rules the school with his girlfriend Peyton. Meanwhile on the other side of town, Lucas, Dan’s other son, lives with his mom Karen. Dan got Karen, head cheerleader and high school girlfriend, pregnant but left her for higher things. Shortly after, Dan got his rich college girlfriend pregnant and married her.

Lucas best friend is Haley James, a tutor and waitress at Lucas’ mother’s café. The other light in Lucas’ life is his uncle Keith, who takes care of him like his father should.

Everything changes in Lucas’ life when some ballplayers get suspended and Coach Whitey recruits him for the team. All of a sudden everyone is into him, including head cheerleader Brooke Davis.

Nathan starts attacking Lucas and pranking him to get him to quit. Peyton and Nathan break up when Peyton publishes a comic about Nathan in a bad light, it is under a pseudonym; but Nathan recognizes himself.

Nathan is starting to fail some of her classes, and looks to get Haley to help tutor him. It starts out as a way to get to Lucas, but soon Nathan falls for her and she for him. With the pressures from his dad continuing, Nathan leaves home and befriends his older brother, Lucas.

Things get intense as they have to deal with drugs, drunk driving, school shootings, etc.

So there were a few things I did not like about this series. Number one was Peyton Sawyer.

I thought her character never made sense, how could a punk artist ever desire to be a cheerleader; she isn’t the right type to be super popular, she’s written more as one of the outsiders. I thought her character wasn’t right for Lucas and never bought their relationship as they had no chemistry. I hated how she tried to get with Lucas while he was with Brooke, horrible friend, just horrible.

So who kept me watching? Well Brooke:

I  loved Brooke and how her character changes to be such a strong woman. I really wanted her with Lucas or Mouth, I thought they were better for each other.

Also Nathan and Haley:

I loved how  Haley valued him as a person rather than a ballplayer. I loved how Nathan worked hard to be her dream guy and was willing to wait to have sex with her. I loved how he encouraged and supported her every dream.

I hated when she left with that stupid Chris guy and threw her marriage away. Haley when you married you made a vow that your life wasn’t going to be just about what you wanted but what the both of you wanted. But in the end they stay together!

For more One Tree Hill, go to Move Along

Queen

Queen is a band that needs no introduction. They were created in the 1970s and had so many amazing songs. I just love them, maybe a little too much.

The music and lyrics were just amazing, these artists were true geniuses.

It would be hard to choose one song, all are amazing. My top favorites are: A Kind of Magic, Another One Bites the Dust, Bicycle Race, Bohemian Rhapsody, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Don’t Stop Me Now, Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy, I Want It All, Killer Queen, Radio Ga Ga, Somebody to Love, Under Pressure, We Are the Champions, and We Will Rock You

I haven’t reviewed a Queen song yet, but will.

For more on Queen, go to In Rhapsody Over Clint Eastwood

For the previous post, go to Fan-do or Fan-don’t. There is No Fan-try

And Stay tuned for part 23