I found the reference to film noir in this weeks Gossip Girl fairly obvious but without extending this to my entire assessment of the show as a whole somewhat underwhelming and poorly executed. We had the blurry flashback, the sensual woman with a dark secret that links her and Chuck Bass to an underworld of crime (well, at least prostitution plays a role). Mmh, I found myself unimpressed with the episode. I’ve seen a few episodes of the first season and found it shortlived yet fun. Maybe I just lacked connection to the characters and storylines but I really did not see an entry point for me to get invested. Noir doesn’t necessarily try to present lovable characters but I do believe especially as a teen drama GG wants us to care about the people involved. Blair is mean and self-absorbed – most of the time – but still I remember finding redeeming qualities in her when I initially watched the first few episodes. Here I found myself very detached. Same for Dan and Serena whose, I believe at some point very central, love story was dropped rather unceremoniously at the end of this episode.

I found the article on masculinity in The O.C. very interesting and shared Turnbull’s views. I watched the entire show and that was what initially drew me to GG – I liked Schwartz work on the O.C., even though like Turnbull’s son I found my interest in the show decrease substantially from season 3 on. Reading her article and considering the screening of tonight I found myself comparing the two shows. There are parallels: Like Ryan in the O.C. GG features the Humphreys, a family that is surrounded by wealthy Upper East Siders, who are far less fortunate. Serena mirrors Marissa, as she is, in the larger scope of the show, the poor rich girl who is somewhat troubled and has a complicated relationship with her mother. Also adults, Dan’s Dad and Serena’s mom, play crucial roles on the show, so parents are here represented as full-fledged and quite flawed people, allowing viewers to relate beyond generational boundaries. While the male friendship between Ryan and Seth was central on The O.C., GG focuses on the female friendship between Serena and Blair. The girls friendship seems a lot more complicated than the bromance between the guys. From a feminist perspective – as far as I can take that perspective – one could argue that the friendship between women seems dominated by catfighting and backstabbing. On the other hand I think one could say that their relationship is more complex and able to endure a lot.

Finally in comparing these two shows I have to say that what drew me away and disappointed me about GG was that unlike The O.C. the show contained, for all I’ve seen, no real criticism of the character’s lifestyle but rather indulges in it. The show highlights fashion and has a very glossy look. i missed the implicit critique of superficiaö materialism that Turnbull references as well. Also I feel that men are more objectified on GG and mere Eyecandy: Chuck is wild, Nate is hot and Dan is cute (and really boring). I found the characters on the O.C. more relatable and rounded.

With regards to NYC prep: Well, the show speaks very much for itself (Yikes), but as for the millennial context I have to say – Schwartz did again. His show always shoot of paratexts and echo in popular culture. While O.C. was the inspiration for Laguna Beach, NYC tries to turn GG into a reality show. His shows seem to truly inspire networks executives to try and tell the “true story” – as harrowing as that may be…