For more than five years, viewers have watched as GOSSIP GIRL’s Serena, Blair, Chuck, Nate, and Dan bonded, fought, loved, hated, broken up, made up, and heck, grew up, but that journey is now coming to an end — The CW series kicks off its final season tonight. To find out a little about what’s to come in the sixth and final season, I chatted with executive producer Sara Goodman about bring the series to a close…
How are you feeling as GOSSIP GIRL gets closer to the end? Sara Goodman: You know, it’s sad. It’s not just sad, it’s also really exciting for us, because at the beginning of this season, we knew we had exactly 10 episodes, and we knew what we wanted to do. So the challenge is, you want to bring everything to its rightful conclusion and be true to the show, and we’re going to miss them. We’ve been with these characters for a long time.
Is there a main goal you guys had when shaping the final season that you can share? SG: I think the main goal — of course, I can’t really say [Laughs] — I think we wanted to be true to the show, so we wanted to be irreverent and we wanted to tell our twisty, delicious stories, and we also really wanted to go back to the fundamentals of the show, which are our core characters, which are the core relationships, which are the multi-generational families that live on the Upper East Side. And who’s going to last here and who’s not. Who’s going to turn into their parents and who’s not. [Laughs]
I’ve seen the premiere, and it also feels like the characters are often together more than they have been in a bit, too. SG: We really wanted to bring back that BREAKFAST CLUB, working together, non-judging, I think is what one of the fans called it…the non-judging BREAKFAST CLUB kind of feeling, where no matter what they’ve been through together, when push came to shove, they were there. They are family, they are there for each other. That being said, those things are going to drive the season. Who’s going to be together, who’s not going to be together, including Blair and Serena, which is another of the primary relationships that we went back to this season.
Did you come into the season knowing for sure where all these relationships would end up, whether they were romantic or platonic? SG: Yes. Because we had the 10 [episodes] and because we knew we were ending this forever, we really sat there and decided where we felt the characters should go.
Well, Chuck and Blair have been off-on-off-on-off-on so many times over the years, and this year they manage to be simultaneously off and on… SG: [Laughs] We never thought we could merge those things!
What can you tease about their journey this season? SG: I think we’re straightforward, shockingly enough, in the season opener for them. They need to achieve certain things before they commit their lives to each other. They need to make their lives what they want them to be. I think it’s a very mature way — maybe because we thought it up [Laughs] — I actually think it’s a mature way of looking at things; they both know what their relationship has done to them, positively and negatively. And I think neither one of them wants to risk the relationship or either one of their goals. So I think what we’re rooting for this season is for the world to help them, or for them to really succeed in their individual pursuits, so that they can eventually be together. And hopefully in that time — and I say hopefully, so you know where I stand — but hopefully during that time, the challenges that they’ll face won’t tear that apart.
Very interesting. And Serena has a new love interest (played by Barry Watson) this season. What does his energy — especially as someone not used to the antics of the group — bring to the show? SG: He has no interest [in the antics]. In fact, when we were talking about what we’re going to do with the season, is everyone going to turn into their parents, and who are these kids we met in high school going to be as adults, really, we brought Barry Watson in and that character really is Serena’s first adult relationship. He does not play games, he’s not interested in that, and he’s his own, confident, very different energy than we’ve ever had her with. And is she ready for that? And is that what she wants? I think we’ll have to find out.
Given there are only a handful of episodes remaining and Serena does seem happy with this new relationship, are Dan and Nate out of contention for her heart when all is said and done? SG: I will say no one is out of contention. But Steven is really good for her.
What can you say about the Bart/Lily/Rufus/Ivy storyline? SG: Lily chose Bart at the end of last season. And if you really think about that, that’s keeping with her character when we met her. Not that she hasn’t gone by the wayside before. But I do think in season 5, Rufus took Ivy’s side against Lily, and they had those moments earlier. And I guess I’ll see when Rufus finds out — or maybe he won’t find out — what Ivy’s agenda is, where he’ll fall.
Looking ahead, will there be any major time jumps this season? SG: No, we don’t do that. I mean, I can’t talk about what’s at the very [end], but story-wise, we’re telling the stories in the same way we’ve always told them.
Was there anything you really wanted to get back for the final season you weren’t able to, whether it was characters or homages, etc.? SG: We got everything we wanted. It’s unbelievable, but it’s true.
Should fans be expecting some familiar faces popping back in? SG: There’s definitely going to be some old faces. Of course I can’t tell you who. There definitely will…we have some old faces coming back. I feel like we’re telling the stories about our characters. I think they’re what people want to see at the end. I think they’re about who is going to be with who and who these people are growing into, without ever dismissing where they’ve been. I think we really tried to build on the mistakes they’ve made, though those will come back to haunt them, too. All of that stuff will make them a grown-up and take them to the end.
And should we be bracing for any major character deaths before the series ends? SG: I can’t answer that! [Laughs] You never know.
There is a slight whiff of finality in the CW’s GOSSIP GIRL season premiere, “Gone Maybe Gone.” Even Gossip Girl herself (Kristen Bell) admits that this fall will be her last season. But she also promises that the best is yet to come, and considering how messed up just about every character’s life is right now, there is still a lot that needs to happen between now and the last episode.
Dan (Penn Badgley) is the most surprising. He has fled to Rome with Georgina (Michelle Trachtenberg) where he is writing a tell-all book about his “friends” on the Upper East Side. Dan has always been a good guy, and even if his first book, written with pseudonyms, caused some people harm, it wasn’t mean-spirited. Now, he has tossed out his scruples, teamed up with a psycho, and is intent on doing as much damage as he can.
Will Dan really be able to go through with this? Yes, Blair (Leighton Meester) dumping him did leave things for him to work through, especially when, from what he can see, she isn’t even with Chuck (Ed Westwick). And Serena (Blake Lively) is exposed in his eyes now as a manipulative shrew. But Nate (Chace Crawford) never did anything to Dan. Bottom line, I don’t believe Dan has it in him to actually burn all of his bridges because he just isn’t that mean. Sadly, Georgina’s involvement may mean that the decision will not be left up to him.
Does this mean that Dan isn’t destined to end up with either Serena or Blair? Drawn into their world, and having had meaningful relationships with both, it has always appeared that he’ll get one of them in the end. But if this book sees the light of day, it could be years before anyone forgives him, creating a major obstacle to a romantic happy ending for Dan. Unless there is a significant time jump.
Most disappointing is Rufus (Matthew Settle). It is one thing for him to take Ivy (Kaylee Defer) in. It’s quite another for him to sleep with her. Even if, as she points out, she is not a kid, and he is not married, this hook up is as disturbing for viewers as it is for Dan. She is way too young for him. Rufus should know better. It tarnishes his image badly.
It’s too bad Ivy is just using Rufus for some nefarious, unknown purpose that is somehow connected to Lola (Ella Rae Peck). Both Ivy and Lola seemed like good girls. Ivy lied to everyone, but she came to care about them, and tried really hard to prove her attachments were real. She is lonely, and wants someone to care about. Lola doesn’t want anything to do with the slimy world of the rich. Yet, they have targeted Rufus, one of the more upstanding citizens in GOSSIP GIRL. Why?
One of the couples that should be together in the end is Rufus and Lily (Kelly Rutherford). They’ve been through a lot, and since the beginning of the show, many fans have rooted for them to make it work. I blame Lily for most of the problems last spring that preceded their split. She has fully embraced the ugly side of her world, no longer allowing Rufus to positively rub off on her, much as her daughter has, which is what similarly turned Dan against Serena. But now that Rufus is sexually involved with Ivy, this complicates matters even more. Can Rufus and Lily both be redeemed?
When last season ended, Serena is on drugs in a train. Considering that she is found passed out with blood running out of her nose, it seems far-fetched that no one is contacted about her. Surely she was taken to a hospital and next of kin would be notified?
Yet, this can be overlooked when one sees her new life with Steven (Barry Watson, Samantha Who?, 7th Heaven). She alone has escaped Manhattan and all of the bad parts of her life that are rooted there. She has moved past the games, and gotten away, finally ready to start over the way she should.
Or has she? By lying to Steven about who she is, is she really doing any better than before? And with her return to New York at the end of “Gone Maybe Gone” it seems likely that she will fall back into old habits, no matter how much she wants to avoid that. Can Steven be a ticket to happiness for her, or is he a temporary stop before she returns to her old life?
Blair and Chuck’s arrangement is almost as surprising as Serena’s fate. At first, Dan’s perspective seems correct, that they are just making excuses to not be together. Then there’s that so-sweet limo scene, where Chuck lays out exactly what his feelings are, and why he has to do what he’s doing. Even if it requires a sacrifice on Blair’s part, his reasons are noble, and by his attitude, it’s certain that they will truly be together soon. Are we done with the drama between them, finally settled down as a couple? That would actually be welcome, this close to the end.
In fact, in “Gone Maybe Gone” a trend that has been growing stronger over the last couple of years is pretty obvious. No matter what their issues may be, this group of young people, the main characters of GOSSIP GIRL, have formed strong, adult friendships. Even if Serena hides, or Dan considers exposing dirty secrets, they do still all care about each other. The group crashing of the wedding, besides being a great, fun scene, proves that. They have grown up enough not to declare war the way that they used to, and it looks like that GOSSIP GIRL will end with them all on a united front.
United for what? To bring down Gossip Girl? Who is Gossip Girl? She has to be someone we’ve seen before, but pretty much all the main characters have been ruled out, especially Nate, Serena, and Georgina. Does Nate have to honor their deal, considering that she played him again? Will GOSSIP GIRL ever expose who Gossip Girl is? And assuming there is a big reveal, what kind of shift will that cause in the way we view the series as a whole? Lots of reasons to watch this final season.
GOSSIP GIRL airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on the CW.
Сообщение отредактировал Bronze - Понедельник, 08.10.2012, 20:37
10 weeks from tonight, all your burning Gossip Girl questions will be answered. But before the show wraps up its scandalous six season run, there are plenty of twists, turns and reveals lying in wait! That's why TheInsider.com sat down with Gossip Girl executive producer Sara Goodman!
I not only hoped to get some fun teasers about what's to come, but have a frank conversation about the show's most controversial and polarizing storyline: the fight for Blair's heart! And whether you're Team Chair of Team Dair, you'll want to read on because it sounds like the best -- and worst -- is still to come!
TheInsider.com: Coming into this final season, what was the focus of the writers room? Sara Goodman: Honestly, it was really important to go back to those primary relationships the show is built upon: our characters and the primary themes. There was a line in the pilot between Nate and Chuck where they wonder if they're just going to turn into their parents. This year, it was really important to address that with all the characters. We really focused on our characters and bringing everybody into the adult world.
Insider.com: If it's about focusing on the primary characters, why did you bring in two seemingly major new characters in Barry Watson (who plays Steven, Serena's love interest) and Sofia Black-D'Elia (who plays Sage, Nate's love interest)? Sara: In terms of Serena, we wanted to give her a love interest that was not someone we had seen with her yet. [Steven] is an adult and the question becomes, is Serena ready to become an adult herself? As for Sage, Nate is just better with a love interest. He's sexy and I'm excited for that relationship to play out. Plus, we needed a little bit of stirring it up. We can't have a sexless season!
Insider.com: Promos for the season premiere also show Chuck and Blair getting it on. I'm sure you know the Chuck/Blair/Dan love triangle became a sensitive subject for fans last year. First, are you Team Chair or Team Dair? Sara: If I answer that question, do you know how much hate mail I'm going to get? [laughs] OK, I'm a Chair fan, but I was a big proponent of Dair because I actually feel that if Blair and Serena are our main characters, then Chuck and Dan are two sides of Blair. So the question becomes, which side is she going to be? Ultimately that's one of her mythological questions. I love Dan, he's one of my favorite characters, and I think you'll be very happy with his journey this season.
Insider.com: Your co-EP, Stephanie Savage, told me at The CW's Upfront in May, "Blair loves Chuck." Should Dair fans take that as a sign it's the end of that storyline? Sara: I'm not sure it’s done on all three of their accounts. Blair and Chuck have made this decision, but there are openings for Dan … or at least Dan thinks there might be! We'll see if he's really over [her]. The great thing about that is they know where their hearts lie, but as in real life, that sometimes makes things more difficult to have faith in.
Insider.com: Dan is also writing a new book this season inspired by his friends. Is Dan trying to burn bridges after this breakup? Sara: He doesn't want to use pseudonyms this time. He wanted revenge, but what Dan starts to understand with this book is the power he actually has in this world, which he's never had before. And by using real names, he's taking control of it. That's why you’ll like Dan this season.
Insider.com: Blair also seemingly needs to mend her relationship with Serena. Although, they not only do terrible things to one another, but they also seem to bring out the worst in each other. Did you guys spend any time thinking about whether or not Serena and Blair should actually try to repair their friendship? Sara: I will say that we discussed all those possibilities and really look at that this season. With every single relationship on the show, we looked at it and said: "Would these people really be friends? Would they really be in a relationship?" Making it all the way from high school to adults, most of those friendships fall away. Serena and Blair's friendship is a separate arc that goes through this whole season.
Insider.com: What else are you excited for people to see this season? Sara: I really do feel like when we sat down to talk about this season, for the writers, it was very clear what had brought all the characters to where they are and what we wanted to do in order to take them where they were going. Even though this season is short, we still have a lot of twists and turns. But unlike other years, those twists and turns are within our characters, so I think that we tried not to go back and undo the things that we had built, we tried to build on them.
Insider.com: Lastly, you and Stephenie revealed that Gossip Girl will be unmasked this year. Will she be played by Kristen Bell? Sara: Kristen Bell is Gossip Girl's voice, but you'll have to wait and see what we did. Or what we didn't do. Last season we shifted people in trying to find her or taking over her site. Gossip Girl the person has really grown and changed with Gossip Girl the show and this year, she is as much a character as she has ever been. Gossip Girl airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on The CW
"I think all the characters are going to end where we feel like they belong," executive producer Sara Goodman tells THR of the series ender.
It's time to say goodbye to your favorite Upper East Siders.
The final season of The CW's Gossip Girl begins Monday and if the teasers are any indication, trouble will be brewing in the Big Apple -- moreso than ever before. When the sixth season kicks off, viewers will see some major changes for the core group: Serena (Blake Lively) has moved on to a new boytoy (guest star Barry Watson), Blair (Leighton Meester) and Chuck's (Ed Westwick) relationship remains in the gray, Dan (Penn Badgley) is ready to take on "Manhattan's elite" with a new book and Nate (Chace Crawford) is on his own with The Spectator.
As executive producer Sara Goodman tells it, the final 10 episodes of the series will end on a high note -- which now includes the identity of the anonymous blogger. “How we end Gossip Girl will be satisfying. I think everyone will be happy," the series' showrunner tells The Hollywood Reporter.
Goodman, who co-wrote the first of the two-part series finale, offers hints in a chat with THR about the drama's final run, where the characters ultimately end up ("where they belong," Goodman teases), the never-ending Blair-Chuck dilemma and the one word that best describes Gossip Girl's swan song. [Warning: Some spoilers ahead.]
The Hollywood Reporter: The biggest question revolves around Blair and Chuck, and whether or not they get their happy ending. Sara Goodman: What we tried to do for this season – we knew we only had 10 episodes – is bring the characters where we felt they should be and where their hearts would take them, along with their minds. In the first episode, you know Blair and Chuck made a pact. They’re going to try and keep that pact. They love each other – they’ve said they love each other – and they’re going to try to be together. What we all hope and what we all tune in for, is that the world – whatever happens within that – doesn’t screw it up for them.
THR: How would you describe their journey in the final 10 episodes? Goodman: If they can each win their individual battles, then they can be together forever.
THR: In the perfect world, if everything worked out, that would be their ultimate ending? Goodman: In the perfect world, if Chuck can beat his father and Blair can take over her mother’s mother and if they both can be the people they want to be, then they can be those people together for the rest of their lives.
THR: As the series has gone on, Dan has laid everything out there. Can you expand on whether that becomes more apparent and what this “new” Dan may be like? Goodman: He absolutely has. He always has been the voice of reason and kind of been the voice of truth. He’s going to realize that there’s power in this world in that. With this [new] book, in knowing that he’s using real names, I think that’s really going to change the amount of power that he has in this world and what he’s going to do with it.
THR: You’ve described Steven (Barry Watson) as a much more grown-up match for Serena. Does he represent the type of man she should be with? Goodman: We really wanted her to be in an adult relationship. We wanted her to have that change. I guess we’ll see if she’s ready for it or not, or if this is who she belongs with. But he absolutely is the most viable love interest than we’ve ever had for her – in a long-term way.
THR: How much of what Serena was up to in the summer be revealed? Goodman: We’re more moving forward. We’ll just take it at face value [from what is said during the premiere].
THR: Were there key moments from the past that you wanted to revisit or pay homage to this season? Goodman: Yes, absolutely. It was important to us to go back to those character origins and make sure we go back and honor those. We definitely have some good callbacks, not just in terms of old faces coming back but in terms of old episodes or old scenes. Even thematically, that scene with Chuck and Nate in the pilot where they said, “Are we just going to turn into our parents?” We definitely paid a lot of attention to what we have built.
THR: Can you tease a specific moment this season that is a callback? Goodman: That moment [between Chuck and Nate] is a key moment this season.
THR: Will we see different pairings in the core group of Serena, Nate, Blair, Chuck and Dan? Goodman: We really tried to focus mainly on our core characters and their core relationships – even Blair and Serena – and tried to deal with them in a final way.
THR: What was the inspiration for this final season? Were there things you knew you had to include? Goodman: We wanted to see who these kids we met in high school would become as adults. Would they become their parents? Who belongs on the Upper East Side? Who doesn’t belong here at all? Who can survive? What does power mean? Who belongs with who? Where haven’t we been in the city? What event do we want to come back to? We do cotillion again this year. What are those moments that we’re building to for five years?
THR: Are there still places that you haven’t taken the story that you wish you could if there were more episodes, or have you exhausted every possible idea? Goodman: Interestingly enough this year, since we only had the 10, it’s such a tight container, all kinds of new things started to occur to us especially now that our characters are adults. There are a lot of other places we could go. But I feel like it’s always really satisfying to take your characters to where they belong.
THR: So by the time the finale comes, every character will have ended their story where they should have ended up? Goodman: Where the writers believe. The thing that I love about the way that we did it is that we never stopped being Gossip Girl about it. Even in the finale, there are crazy twists and turns, there are surprises, there’s more fashion this season than ever – with Blair’s fashion stuff – and I think all the characters are going to end where we feel like they belong. Some people will agree with us and I hope that the fans are happy about it.
THR: Happy endings for everybody? Goodman: You know, it’s Gossip Girl. [Laughs] My answer is: It’s Gossip Girl.
THR: How did you prepare for the final episodes and scenes? Goodman: When we sat down at the beginning of the season, we knew where we were going and I feel like we knew where we were going for a long time. We definitely knew where we wanted to get.
THR: How would you describe the series finale? Goodman: Delicious.
ostorojno, spoiler pro limo scenu, ia vsioje ne viderjala i prachitala
Hollywood.com here. Your one and only source truly obsessed with the scandalous lives of Manhattan’s elite. This evening marks the very last season premiere of Gossip Girl and while many fans are dreading the beginning of the end, we at Hollywood.com are absolutely thrilled. No, we’re not excited to say goodbye to our favorite Upper East-Siders. It’s just that we’ve seen the premiere and there is only one way to describe it: OMFG.
To get you intrigued for all the sexy scenes, party-crashing plans, and unbelievable hookups, we’ve compiled a list of the top 5 things you need to know for tonight’s season premiere “Gone Maybe Gone.” Here goes:
ALT
Chuck, Blair, and Something Sparkly: Chair fans will be happy, and I mean very happy when the episode begins. The first word that comes to mind? Sexy. When we see our favorite scheme-loving couple, Chuck (Ed Westwick) and Blair (Leighton Meester) are getting hot and heavy in a Monaco hotel room. But when you fast-forward four months later, we were surprised to see that the newly rekindled duo has actually spent their summer apart! Not to worry Chair fans — this power couple is making sure that they take care of their individual needs before ending up together for good.“Blair, I love you will all my heart.” Chuck reassures her in the back of his limo. Swoon! As for that sparkly part? Let’s just say that it’s a miracle that Blair can stand up straight with that large (and absolutely gorgeous) rock weighing her down. But shh! That last part’s a secret!
Gossip Girl Begins Her Final Bow: After last season’s debacle with Serena (Blake Lively), it’s safe to assume that Gossip Girl wants absolutely nothing to do with the “legs for days” blonde. In fact, while everyone was panicking about Serena’s whereabouts, the mystery blogger coolly explains, “From all over the world, our favorite upper east siders are asking the same question. But I couldn’t care less. Serena van der Woodsen is dead. At least to me.” Yikes! But fans really begin to sense that the end is near when the know-it-all of the Upper East Side says, “Call me superstitious, but I believes this fall could be my last season.” Of course we all know that Nate (Chace Crawford) still has that tape of her…
ALT
The Quest for “Sabrina”: Serena is currently MIA (again) and Chuck, Blair, Nate, Dan, and, yes, even Georgina are on a mission to bring her back. While some assume she’s back on drugs like we saw in last year’s finale (Who was that creepy guy?!), Georgina (Michelle Trachtenberg) is hoping Ms. van der Woodsen is hauled up in some looney bin so Dan can have an exciting ending to his new book. So where oh where is Serena? You can just ask her new alter ego, Sabrina from Wisconsin. It seems that Serena/Sabrina’s new man is not the brightest bulb in the box if he actually believes that this former queen bee would actually hail from Wisconsin. The fearless fivesome do eventually track down their old friend at a wedding, and you won’t believe who’s wearing white!
Rufus Has Got a New Roomie: In Lily’s (Kelly Rutherford) panic to find Serena, she visits the closest thing to a father figure that her daughter has ever had: our beloved Rufus (Matthew Settle). But her visit is quickly cut short when she is baffled to see that her ex-husband’s new housemate is… Ivy! We soon learn that Ivy has got some secrets hidden in that stringy lifeless hair of hers and it looks like she’s going to use the sweetest guy in Brooklyn as the newest pawn in her games. Do not make her waffles, Rufus! It’s a trap!
Dan’s Naming Names: At the encouragement of Georgina (and by “encouragement,” we mean snarky and sarcastic teasing), Dan (Penn Badgley) is finally getting over his writer's block while hiding out in the countryside of Italy. Georgina is determined for Dan to have the best tell-all book of all-time saying, “Real names this time. No holding back. Everyone gets exposed.” And speaking of exposed, all you Dair fans will be pleased to know that Dan does indeed confront Blair for all of her wrong-doings. After all, why would she give up “unconditional love” if she isn’t actually, technically, with Chuck at the moment? Hmm… good point Lonely Boy.
How are you feeling about tonight’s last premiere Gossip Girl fans? Are you Team Chair or Team Dair? What are you hoping to see in this final season for your favorite characters? Give us the dirt in the comments below!
Сообщение отредактировал inga_1977 - Вторник, 09.10.2012, 02:09
