It’s safe to say that television has become one of the primary entertainment components of contemporary society. People all over the world are so emotionally invested in some TV shows that they will literally abandon all responsibilities for a day or two just to binge watch a show (guilty.) Speaking of being emotionally invested in TV shows, there is one show in particular that sent viewers on an emotional roller coaster nearly every episode, and left people gaping and screaming—for a plethora of reasons—at the series finale. This show is "Gossip Girl."

"Gossip Girl" had a six-season, 120-episode life span, following the actions of a group of over-privileged high school students on the fancy schmancy Upper East Side of New York City. It also remained in the Top 100 Most Watched Shows all six seasons that it was on the air according to IMDB, and can now be found in its completion on Netflix. But for those individuals who were not enveloped and faithfully watching the show, the presence still floated around, whether it was in school gossip, or the social media, or you ran into an episode of it while surfing through the channels. Do NOT lie to me gentlemen, your girlfriend expects you to be Chuck Bass, and you 100% know who Chuck Bass is, so that excuse won’t work either.

"Gossip Girl" provided us with many things besides just a guilty pleasure, for example: unrealistic expectations of pretty much EVERYTHING. Allow me to elaborate, the majority of the main characters on the show—with the exception of Dan (Penn Badgley) and Jenny Humphrey (Taylor Momsen)—are filthy stinking rich. Serena Vander Woodsen (Blake Lively) and her family live in the penthouse of a luxury hotel, while their multi-million dollar mansion is being renovated and Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) has a bedroom that is equally the size of the entire first floor almost any middle class citizens house, and occasionally flies to Paris just to grab some of her favorite macaroons from a French bakery. Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick) is deliciously handsome and probably the wealthiest, although his demons and vices are a bit of an issue—but women are attracted to that, you know? And last but not least, Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford), with slaying good looks (note his gorgeous blue eyes), and his naturally political charisma which pretty much makes him the character with the most actual potential, despite his daddy issues. Then, there are the Humphreys. The only non-rolling-in-stupid-amounts-of-money characters, they live with their father in Brooklyn and struggle to pay the ridiculous tuition for their private high school that brings them into the story of "Gossip Girl."

Although the personalities and some of the familial issues faced by the characters of "Gossip Girl" are relatable to many young adults, most of the other aspects of the show that portrayed the characters’ enchanted lives are completely unrealistic for those of us humble middle-class individuals. Full summers in the Hamptons and quick weekend European getaways aren’t the reality for those of us facing hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans. Not to mention that when the characters are in high school they are being served at bars with no question, I don’t care how hot you are Nate, you do NOT look 21.

In addition to making us think that residing in the penthouse at The Plaza is realistic, "Gossip Girl" also set an expectation for something that is already a volatile institution: love. Serena and Dan managed to get it together after being together in the very beginning of the series, but separate for the rest of the seasons, ultimately resulting in their marriage, shown in a flash-forward during the series finale. Then there is Chuck and Blair, probably one of the most famous television romances of our time. After essentially playing cat and mouse for six seasons, surviving countless infidelities, a near-fatal car accident, and so much emotional baggage that it would drive anybody to drink, they managed to tie the knot in the series finale.

But here is the big whopper: throughout the entire series the question is: WHO IS GOSSIP GIRL? Who is this sadistic blogger that knows every detail about everyone’s lives and publicly puts them on blast and ruins them on multiple occasions? The answer to this question awoke trust in issues in nearly every high school friendship all across the country, the end of the series revealed that "Gossip Girl" is actually, wait for it—Dan Humphrey, one of the six main characters of the show. Dan repeatedly proved that he was one of the most honorable characters, always seeming to have the best intentions in mind, when it reality it was him behind the computer screen screwing up everybody’s lives—including his own, which doesn’t really make sense. Now if that doesn’t make you question every friendship you’ve ever had you are a stronger person than I am because I was ready to cut all my friends loose and go stag through life when I found that out.

So although "Gossip Girl" raised our expectations in too many areas, it really did a number on us when it came to friendship, one of the core concepts of the show. The mixed emotions were VERY real. It’s important to love and trust your friends, but also to be smart about what comes out of your mouth, not everybody is as they seem, just ask Dan Humphrey. But more importantly, if you really love somebody, you can overcome anything, you can ask Chuck and Blair about that one.

Until next time.

XOXO

Gossip Girl