Gossip Girl Series Review

The drama may be exaggerated on some levels, but the way that it is presented through the characters' acting just makes it feel so real. Words cannot express how much I've enjoyed this TV show, but I can at least try to give a few great words to each character.

I feel that Penn, Taylor, and Matthew have gone to extraordinary heights in their acting to make their characters believably real just like everyone else in the cast. Every time something tragic or exciting happens, you start to feel for them. I'll admit though that I didn't always feel sorry for Dan as his character went downhill in later seasons.

Now I personally think that Jenny is one of the best characters in this show. She has struggled through a lot since the start, and every time I watch an episode with her in it, I just can't help but feel everything at once. So in retrospect to all the changes that were made in later seasons, I feel that she should have stayed as a series regular.

Rufus' parenting skills are not any more horrible than the next person. And if anybody on this show is proven to be high, mighty, and self-righteous, all signs point to him. He's always stood by what he thought was right, and you can just see for yourself how well that played out for him in later seasons. Life doesn't get easier as your grow older, though. I think that's one lesson that Rufus was forced to learn the hard way.

Blake and Kelly have this genuinely sweet nature that is not only portrayed in the characters they play, but also in themselves as human beings. I can't say that I've met them in person, but I just get this positive vibe from them as I watch them bring their characters to life on Gossip Girl. If this is how they are in real life, then I'd say that they are the definition of graceful and elegant.

Leighton, Ed, and Chace are all brilliant in their own unique ways. Watching their characters get caught up in relationship drama and schemes can either be enjoyable or insufferable, and somehow for me, I have managed to find myself in both of those cases as I continued to watch this show.

Blair's character to say the least is not all together in the head; she's always going from one extreme to the next and has rarely accepted a total defeat. I gotta admit, I admire her fierceness, but at times I just want to yell at her for not knowing when to stop. This can also be said for Chuck's character, but his father is to blame for all the bad habits that he carries. Speaking of which, why don't we just take a moment to think about The Lion King as he and Bart went into a full-on war with each other in the 9th episode of the last season? I must say, that was cleverly written and played out.

The "golden boy", aka Nate Archibald, is basically considered a king on the Upper East Side. I feel as if his family ties are more complicated than what any royal family in this lifetime has to offer. And even though his parents may not be the best role models, I genuinely like the fact that he still cares about them. I also like that he is loyal to his friends, even when he's being put under the toughest circumstances. Not once did he ever out his friends on Gossip Girl's website, and that quality alone is just amazing to see on the show. People like Nate Archibald are so hard to find these days, am I right?

Lastly, I think the some of the other best performances were given by Vanessa, Georgina, Eric and all the other secondary/recurring characters in this series, along with Gossip Girl herself. I'll admit though that I cannot stand Juliet or Ivy's characters. Maybe it's the fact that they kept lying to protect themselves and lead people on. And even though Diana might have been that way as well, at least you got to see both sides of her with no hesitation and she came to her senses in the end.

Let this be known that Gossip Girl is more than just a ritzy, hyped-up drama show that focuses on spoiled brats who only care about themselves. You really HAVE to keep watching to understand the whys and hows. But nonetheless, I'd say that this show deserves 10 stars on my account. :)

Novella #1, Chapter 11: A Sincere Apology

Now that the last weekend of the holiday break is here, Emily was excited to put together her back-to-school outfit. She tried on many different looks but didn't seem content with them, so she decided to go through her dresser drawers and pick out a pair of jeans and a sweater. She then went back into the closet to pick out the newest handbag that her mom had bought her and stuffed her notebooks inside of it. She then laid the bag onto her dresser, but it fell to the floor and everything spilled out.

Emily groaned in annoyance and started picking up her notebooks and loose papers. She opened up one of the folders to stuff them back inside when she noticed an envelope tucked inside that she didn't remember receiving. I guess David stuck this inside here when I wasn't around, she thought to herself. She proceeded to open it up and started to read the letter. Moments later after reading it a wave of shame and guilt had come over her. She then started to cry, and loud enough for her brother to hear her, so he rushed over to her room to see if she was okay.
"What's wrong?" David asked, now standing in the doorway. "Do you want to talk about it?"
She didn't respond right away and was looking down at the floor. He suddenly felt unsure of what to do, so he came up to her and tried to hug her. Emily immediately rejected his attempt and stomped on his foot, pushed him out of her bedroom then slammed the door in his face. This upset him, so he sat in the corner of the hallway, crying and rocking back and forth. Eventually she came out of her bedroom to apologize, but David had not fully recovered from the incident yet and wasn't thinking clearly, so he accidentally slapped Emily in the face.

"Hey, I'm going to take a walk outside," Emily said as she headed towards the door. A few hours had passed by since their fight, so all was forgiven and forgotten. Since coming across that letter, Emily thought it would be best for her to make things right with Hannah. The sooner I get this done, the less guilty I'll feel about this, she thought to herself.

David didn't look up from the counter, but he nodded. "Dinner will be ready around eight o'clock," he said as he rinsed off some carrots to throw into the steamer. "Don't be late."
"I won't," she said.

Once Emily was out the door, she thought about Hannah once more. Guilt and shame was clouding her mind; she really wanted to make things right and apologize for her actions. She only hoped that Hannah would want to listen. 

It took her thirty minutes to get to Hannah's house, and just as she pulled up into the cul-de-sac, she noticed that Gavin's car was in the driveway. Just as I suspected, she thought to herself. The last thing she wanted was to have Gavin hate her as well, so this meant that she would have to pull her best friend away from her boyfriend just for a few minutes. Emily was now standing on the front porch waiting for someone to answer the door. She had knocked and rang the bell twice. Five slow minutes came and went and she was starting to feel nervous. If Hannah wasn't here, then she would have to come back another time, and she wanted to settle this now. Emily knocked on the door once more and tried to peek into the side window. After two more minutes of waiting she headed back towards her car when Gran had answered the door. "Hi Emily," she said in a weary voice. "What brings you here, darling?"

"Is Hannah around?" Emily asked nervously. "I wanted to talk to her about something."

"She's out with Gavin right now. They decided to walk over to the park," Gran said, suddenly feeling weak in the knees. "Please, why don't you come inside? She should be back soon. Would you like something to eat or drink?"

"Oh, no thanks," Emily said, noticing how frail Gran looked. It seems that a lot has happened that she didn't know about. Gran was now sitting on her walker, struggling to not fall asleep in her upright position. Emily laid a hand on her shoulder and said, "My brother is expecting me to be home for dinner, but it was good to see you. Take care of yourself."

"Thank you, dear," Gran said in a weak voice. 

"Here, let me help you get to the couch," she said.
Gran offered a faint smile and held onto Emily's right arm to steady herself. Once she made it to the couch and sat down, Emily returned the walker to where she was sitting then headed out the door.

Perhaps Emily waited at the wrong time to make amends, but she still didn't want to waste any time. She tried calling Hannah's cell phone and didn't get an answer, so she left a voicemail and sat on her bed for thirty minutes. She then decided to check in on her brother, who was sitting in the living room. He had left the TV on just for some background noise while playing a game with a friend online. Emily was chuckling to herself as she watched him speak frantically into the headset and punch the keyboard. Whatever it was David was playing, it seems as if he is enjoying it very much.

Hannah was in the living room reading a book when the doorbell rang. Now who could possibly want to stop by at this hour? she thought to herself as she made note of the time. The clock above the fireplace read eleven forty-five. When she opened the door, her body froze up. "What are you doing here?" she asked in a stunned tone. Hannah had no idea why Emily was standing on her front porch, looking like a puppy who was about to pee on the floor. "I don't mean to be bothersome, but I just want to talk," Emily said. Hannah silently nodded and moved out of the doorway, motioning for her to come inside. They made their way back to the living room couch and sat down in silence for a long moment. Both of them felt a little nervous and unsure of how to start the conversation, but Hannah eventually broke the silence by asking, "So what do you want to talk about?"
"First off, I just want to apologize... for everything," Emily said. "I've been a terrible friend to you. I don't blame you for hating me, but I just feel very guilty right now. The problem is that I wasn't allowing myself to feel that way in the past. Is it possible that you can give me another chance?"

Words couldn't possibly fix this now, Hannah thought to herself. All she could focus on was her own anger and sadness. She could tell that Emily really meant it this time, but she just couldn't get herself to move on. Her head was spinning with memories of their past arguments. "....I'm such a loser," she finally said, feeling ashamed. "Why would I want to be friends with someone like you? Why should I give you another chance? I don't deserve it, and neither do you."
"Stop!" Emily interjected. "I know I messed up, and I don't know... Perhaps you're right about not giving this friendship a second chance, but please... Could you at least forgive me?"
Hannah was starting to choke up and her body was shaking. She looked down at her feet, avoiding all eye contact. "I can't..." she muttered. "You abandoned me."
"But I'm here now. Please, Hannah. Look at me," Emily pleaded.
Hannah wasn't willing to cooperate. She continued to look down and eventually she started to sob. Emily immediately grabbed the pillow from behind her and gave it to Hannah, who fell face first into her lap. While she was crying, Emily gently rubbed her back and kept reassuring her in soft whispers. Being in this position made her think back to their sleepover from two and half years ago. Both girls felt helpless in this moment, and even though she was trying her best to be here, Emily knew that this wouldn't be enough for Hannah. Once she stopped crying, she stood up off the couch and went to search for her phone.
"I suggest that you talk to me before calling your boyfriend," Emily said, automatically knowing where Hannah's mind went.
"I'm sorry, but I just can't," she said. "Thank you for coming over here, though. You should go home now. I'm sure David is getting worried about you."
Emily sighed in defeat and made her way towards the door.

It was now going on one-thirty in the morning and Hannah felt restless. The fact that Emily went out of her way to profusely apologize was just mind-boggling to her. However, she was solid in her decision and didn't want to get hurt again. She could only hope that Emily would understand that. Minutes passed slowly in the night and Hannah couldn't get her mind to shut down, so she reached for her phone and called Gavin. He responded after the first ring and asked how her day was. She briefly told him about her talk with Emily then asked him how his day was. He told her that he had spent time with his brothers and mother at the lake. They stayed there for a couple hours then went to a local seafood shack that serves the best fish 'n chips. Afterwards they went kayaking and sat on the sand dune, watching the sun set. He wished Hannah could have been there to witness that with him. Hearing Gavin say that brought a smile to her face. "It sounds like you all had fun. Perhaps you should let me come with you next time," she said with a half smile on her face.
There was a pause before Gavin spoke. "I love you," he said.
She smiled and responded back, "I love you, too. Will you be at school tomorrow?"
"I plan on it," he said. "Try to go to sleep now, love."
"Alright." Hannah ended the call after that and soon went to sleep. 

Novella #1, Chapter 10: Memories and Recoveries

Gavin, Hannah, and Gran were now sitting in one of the patient rooms at the St. Griswald's Hospital in Lexington, waiting for Doctor Nate to come and get started on the check up. She was laying down in the patient's chair, feeling drowsy and not fully conscious. Nate had asked Gran to not drink or eat anything before coming in, so this made her impatient on top of everything else she was feeling.

The clock was ticking by slowly and just like her grandmother, Hannah wasn't fully awake. She wanted to get some caffeine in her system before coming here, but Gavin insisted on getting checked in and settled before doing anything else. There was a drool stain on the shoulder of his shirt and noticed that Hannah had fallen asleep again. She might as well stay asleep right now since Nate will be here in twenty minutes, he thought to himself. He was starting to feel a little unnerved, but then he smiled as he looked at his girlfriend and kissed her gently on the cheek.

The analogue clock next to the door read 11:00 am. Gavin was starting to get a little hungry, but before he was able to get up, Doctor Nate came into the room and smiled in his direction. "It's nice that you're able to be here for Hannah," he said. "She's had it rough the past few days."
"I know," Gavin said calmly. He gently shook Hannah's shoulder to wake her up. "Nate is here, love," he whispered in her ear. "You might want to get yourself cleaned up."
It took her a minute to adjust to the fluorescent lights in the room, but once Hannah washed her face in the room's provided sink with the doctor's permission, she felt somewhat better and was able to see clearly.
"So I'm going to take your grandmother back to the lab and do some blood tests," Nate said with a reassuring smile. "And after that we're going to perform some X-rays and figure out if there's anything blocking her lungs. I suggest that you guys go back into the waiting room. One of the nurses will let you know once we're done with these procedures."
"Thank you, Nate," Hannah said, feeling slightly relieved. Suddenly her stomach growled and Gavin turned to face her. "I guess the first order of business is to get some food," he said with a smile. "I'm starting to get hungry as well."
They both stood up out of their seats and headed towards the waiting room entrance.
"So what do you want to eat?," Gavin asked Hannah as she made her way to one of the chairs.
"How about a burger with fries?," she said. "Oh, and I'd like extra cheese on the burger and a Sprite."
Gavin smiled and said, "Coming right up! I'll be back in about fifteen minutes."
"Thank you," she responded with a smile. She then reached for her bag and pulled out her cell phone and headphones.

It felt good for Hannah to just sit back and relax for a while. She thought back ten years ago when she and Nate had spent one afternoon in the backyard jumping on his trampoline. He was teaching her how to do backflips. He first did one himself; every backflip that he did seemed so effortless. He then asked her to try it. She was nervous at first, so he held her waist while she sprung herself up into the air.

"You awake, Hannah?," Gavin asked. He had come back with two McDonald's bags in his hands. Once he sat them down on the floor, he sat down and patted the ground, gesturing her to sit with him. Hannah got herself up out the chair, rubbed her eyes, and then sat down on the floor across from her boyfriend. They both ate in silence and enjoyed their time together despite what was going on around them. Once they were done eating and had picked up their trash, they decided to kid around and have fun on the toddler slide.

"Hey!" Hannah exclaimed, kneeling on the floor. "You're hogging the slide. Let me have a turn." Gavin was sitting backwards on the slide, his feet propped up on the seat. He kissed her, grinned at her mischievously, then made her tumble down with him to the ground back first. They laid down in a comfortable hug for a few minutes, but then Gavin reached to tickle Hannah's ribcage. This made her laugh hard enough to snort which amused him very much. The nurse then appeared into the waiting room and called out their names. The two of them stood up, regained their composure, then made their way to see Gran in the patient's room.

Nate was sitting in his chair checking her blood pressure one last time when Gavin and Hannah came inside. "Please sit," he said softly. Hannah felt a smile creeping up onto her face, and when Gavin noticed that, he kissed her on the cheek. He then took her hand into his and Hannah rested her head on his shoulder. For a moment Nate lost his focus and looked at the two of them, smiling like a proud father. He shook out of it though and put his focus back on Gran. He cleared his throat and said, "So after getting back the test results and X-rays, it seems like Helena's physical shape isn't as bad as we thought. However, her backbone is slightly bent and the bones in her arms and legs are fragile. She's not getting any calcium in her system, so I'll be prescribing her some special vitamins that should be able to help with that. As for her backbone, it's possible that she might need surgery to straighten it out." He paused for a moment and looked in Hannah's direction. "Your grandmother is strong, so you have no reason to worry," he said with a reassuring smile.

"What about her breathing problems, Nate?" she eagerly asked.
He looked back on the files he had in his hand. "I didn't see anything wrong when we got back the X-ray results. Perhaps she was just in a panic and her breathing shorted out."
That eased Hannah's mind some, but it was still sad for her to see her grandmother in this position. She inadvertently put her arms around Gavin and buried her face in his chest. She was trying to calm herself down and not over-think the situation.
"It's okay, love," Gavin said in a calm voice. "I need to get up now, though."
She released her grip and he stood up to shake Nate's hand. "Thanks for everything," he said. "Will this be paid for on her own account?"
"Yes. All you have to do is go the check-in desk and reschedule for her to come back in three months." Nate lead them out of the room and towards the desk which was in the middle of the intersecting hallways. A middle-aged woman stood up out of her seat and motioned for Hannah to come towards her.
"Here is your grandmother's appointment card for March 15th," she said as she sat back down and handed her the card. "And also, a word of encouragement: Helena has always come to this hospital whenever she felt something was wrong with her. Nate's a good guy and is great at what he does, so she has always felt safe here." The woman smiled at her for a brief moment and then shifted her focus back to the computer.

One of the male nurses had helped Gran get into a wheelchair so that she wouldn't have to strain herself walking back to the parking lot. The four of them had just gotten off the elevator and while Hannah and Gavin were feeling tired from the long day, the nurse was making small talk with Gran, so they were walking at a slower pace. "So how old is your granddaughter?" he asked in a gentle tone, staring in Hannah's direction. Helena cocked her head to the left so that the nurse could hear her. "She's seventeen and a junior in high school," she said proudly. "She is so bright and smart. I think she would make a fine lawyer or attorney some day. She's definitely got the attitude for it." Gran chuckled after making that comment and the nurse chimed in with her.

Hannah and Gavin were holding hands and walking at double pace towards the car, but they both stopped midway so that the nurse and Gran could catch up to them. Once they made their way up to the car, he helped her get inside and into her seat. The nurse then put his grip on the wheelchair, saluted to Gran, then headed back towards the parking garage exit/entrance. Gavin shut the door behind Gran then got into the driver's seat.
"So what do we want to do for dinner?" he asked before turning the car on. Gran was already fast asleep in the back seat, so Hannah suggested that they just go to the grocery store to pick up a few things then head home.

Novella #1, Chapter 9: Nights Are Good for Anxiety and Jealousy

Hours passed by slowly since Hannah made that phone call. She had no idea if this visitor was going to show up or not. Her body was shaking and anxiety was starting to kick in; she couldn't get herself to stop overthinking everything. Before she had the chance to run upstairs and solemnly sit in her dark bedroom, she heard Gavin wake up and walk towards the guest bathroom.

Once Gavin was finished and he shut the door, he was surprised to see that his girlfriend was still awake. She was sitting by the fireplace, shivering and looking down at the floor. He immediately grabbed the blanket off the floor, wrapped it around her and kissed her on the cheek.
"Is everything okay, Hannah?" he asked, feeling a little nervous.
It looked like she wasn't in the mood to talk, so he just rubbed her shoulders in attempts to calm her down. He kept shushing her every time she talked down on herself.
Gavin was starting to get worried, but he swallowed down his nerves and said, "It's okay, Hannah. Please try to calm down. I love you."

The moment he and Hannah was sharing was interrupted when the doorbell rang. Both he and his girlfriend got up out of their seats and Gavin made his way towards the door. When he opened it, he was dumbfounded and started to stutter. "H-hi. Please, come in..." he said. The guy at the door was at least two feet taller than him and had broad shoulders, and not to mention that he had perfectly groomed hair and eyebrows. He seemed to be in his late or mid-twenties, and even though he probably wouldn't be interested in his girlfriend now, Gavin couldn't help but think otherwise. Who is this guy and why is he here?, he asked himself. Suddenly he was feeling a little inferior, but that feeling faded away when Hannah walked over and stood beside him.
"So how is your grandmother doing?" he asked her as he made his way to Gran's bedroom.
"She's fast asleep now, but I just wanted you to check and make sure there's nothing wrong," Hannah said as she followed him. "I'm just concerned that her health might be at risk."
"I understand," the doctor said calmly. "Please, why don't you stay out in the living room? It seems that your friend could use the company."

Once Hannah was back in his view, Gavin immediately put his arms around her and kissed her. This made her smile and she kissed him back.
"So why is this guy here? Do you know him?" he asked while he massaged his girlfriend's soft hand. The two of them were now sitting on the couch and Hannah had laid her head on her boyfriend's chest. Before she answered his questions, she took his hand and sat up.
"He's an old friend of mine from back in East Hartford," she explained. "Actually, we were neighbors and I used to come to his house every day after school. He would help me with my homework most afternoons."
"So you were close to this guy back then but you don't remember us being neighbors?" Gavin asked with a laugh.
Hannah nudged his elbow and jokingly said, "Come on. I don't even know how far your house was from mine nor did I ever cross paths with you. If we had, I would have remembered."
For a moment she leaned her head on her boyfriend's shoulder then passed out. When the doctor came out of Gran's bedroom half an hour later,  Gavin shook her awake.
"Your grandmother's physical health is starting to catch up to her. Her pulse is below the normal rate and her breathing isn't as steady as it has been," he said as he packed away his supplies and slung the stethoscope over his shoulders. "I'd suggest that you guys visit my office the next day. I'd like to run some other tests on her just for our records. Also Hannah, you should try getting some more sleep. You look like you could use it right now."

Hearing the doctor saying these things about her grandmother made Hannah's heart drop like a ten pound weight being thrown into a river. If Gran were to die in the next few months or so, she'd be without a home or guardian. She'd be put into foster care or an orphanage. Just thinking about these thoughts sent her into panic. Gavin exchanged parting glances with the doctor and then showed him towards the door. He then took Hannah's hand and they both went upstairs. He wanted her to sleep for a solid eight hours, so instead of making her sleep by herself, he got under the covers on the left side of the bed.