The Finest Half Of Gossip Woman Was Michelle Trachtenberg

This text incorporates a dialogue of habit.

Based mostly (very loosely) on Cecily von Ziegesar’s e book collection, “Gossip Woman” began its run on The CW in 2007 and, within the fingers of Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, allow us to into the unique world of a bunch of uber-wealthy Manhattan youngsters, all of whom had been performed by lovely twenty-somethings. The entire story begins with the return of the troubled however lovely socialite Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Vigorous), who ran away to boarding faculty in Connecticut after some form of traumatizing life expertise earlier than the present’s narrative started — and when she does come again to New York, she tries to begin contemporary. Sadly for her, that is not an choice thanks to at least one conniving, unhinged troublemaker: Georgina Sparks, performed to perfection by Michelle Trachtenberg.

When information broke that Trachtenberg handed away on February 26 on the age of 39, I considered her starring position in “Harriet the Spy” — after which, simply as shortly, I considered Georgina Sparks. I do not love “Gossip Woman” as a result of it is a good or well-made present; by any vital metric, it’s neither of these issues. What it is, although, is enjoyable, silly, and over-the-top, and admittedly, that form of factor has advantage of its personal. Trachtenberg’s Georgina wasn’t a part of the principle solid — that means the group comprised of Serena, Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester), Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick), Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford), and Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley) — however her position on “Gossip Woman” was to create utter catastrophe, which saved your entire enterprise working. Every time the present wanted to steer into a fully batsh** loopy skid, Georgina was there to smirk, seize a glass of champagne, and trigger some form of dramatic wreck, which is why she was all the time the beating coronary heart of “Gossip Woman,” one of the best worst present to ever air on tv.

In case you are unfamiliar with Michelle Trachtenberg’s multiple-season arc on “Gossip Woman” as Georgina Sparks (and if you’re, please go repair that!) or simply want a refresher, this is all the mess this character causes on “Gossip Woman.” Within the present’s first season, Georgina taunts Serena by sending her instances of champagne and extra … inappropriate presents (medicine) in a deranged try and rekindle their friendship, solely to power Serena into confessing that the 2 of them had been current when their buddy and highschool classmate Pete Fairman (performed by Elan Moss-Bachrach, brother to “The Bear” star Ebon) overdosed and died in entrance of them in a resort room. Blair in the end runs Georgina out of city on Serena’s behalf, however she resurfaces on the finish of the present’s second season having lately transformed to Christianity to atone for her sins; as a result of that is “Gossip Woman,” Blair instantly ruins Georgina’s rehabilitation by getting her concerned in an infinite scheme, giving us one among Trachtenberg’s all-time greatest line readings when she tells Blair, “you may inform Jesus that the b**** is again.”

The third season of “Gossip Woman” finds Georgina attending New York College with Blair and Dan, secretly requesting to be roommates with the previous (to Blair’s utter horror) and emotionally tormenting her. Throughout all of that, she by some means finds the time to crash the marriage of Dan’s father Rufus (Matthew Settle) and Serena’s mom Lily (Kelly Rutherford) and inform everybody in regards to the love baby they as soon as deserted. In that season’s finale, Georgina reveals as much as inform Dan she’s pregnant along with his baby, and all through the primary a part of season 4, she principally makes use of him as a patsy to get him to care for a toddler that’s, notably, not his. 

Season 5 sees Georgina married to a rich however boring man and anxious to wreak havoc, so she does all the things in her energy to screw up Blair’s fairytale wedding ceremony to Prince Louis Grimaldi of Monaco (Hugo Becker). She additionally, at this level, is briefly the mysterious and titular Gossip Woman. By the present’s last season, Georgina is utilizing her evil powers for good (sort of) by serving to Blair and Chuck evade the regulation after Chuck perhaps by accident kills his father. Oh, additionally, she’s been working as Dan’s casual e book agent for some time at this level whereas he sells “Inside,” a scandalous tome primarily based on his buddies. (I instructed you this present was nuts.)

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Out of all the unique solid members from “Gossip Woman,” just one appeared within the (admittedly dreadful) reboot that aired on Max from 2021 to 2023 … and that will be Georgina Sparks. (Technically, Kristen Bell returns because the voice of the title blogger Gossip Woman, however I am not likely counting that.) The child Georgina as soon as handed off as Dan’s love baby, Milo, is all grown up within the reboot (performed by Azhy Robertson), and within the present’s fourth-ever episode, “Hearth Stroll With Z,” Milo approaches the collection’ resident doe-eyed, naïve newcomer Zoya Lott, performed by Whitney Peak. When he invitations Zoya to his home, we instantly see footage of Georgina, giving followers a little bit Easter egg about her destiny after the unique present’s collection finale. We ultimately meet up with Georgina in particular person within the season 2 episode “How one can Bury a Millionaire,” and he or she hasn’t modified in any respect, fortunately.

As soon as Georgina realizes {that a} trainer — particularly, Tavi Gevinson’s Kate Keller — on the unique Constance Billard prep faculty is the one working the fashionable Gossip Woman account, she springs into motion, blackmailing Kate in order that they need to work collectively to torture the varsity’s devious college students. Her position within the reboot would not final for lengthy — and the present was canceled after two seasons anyway — however Georgina’s mere presence made your entire enterprise rather more bearable than normal.

All of this context is to say that Georgina Sparks, regardless of not being on each episode of the present, represents all the things it is about in a approach that principally no different character can (although, to be honest, Blair Waldorf routinely offers her a run for her cash). Georgina exemplifies the strangest and most bonkers instincts of “Gossip Woman,” a present that is all the time at its greatest when it takes completely nothing significantly. Keep in mind after I talked about that, within the present’s fifth and penultimate season, Blair marries a prince? I did not point out that he later seems to be evil or that Georgina clothes up like a priest on the wedding ceremony with the intention to smash all of it, however that is precisely how foolish this present turns into because it attracts to an in depth. 

Each time Georgina reveals up, a love baby is revealed, a marriage is halted, a large secret is revealed — or all three of these issues occur, which is simply a fully pleasure to behold. Once more, “Gossip Woman” isn’t purported to be “good,” per se. (Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage may disagree with my evaluation, however they’ll come speak to me about it in the event that they so please.) “Gossip Woman” is a present the place lovely, rich folks enroll in school however by no means attend it, get impulsively married in Spain (to Armie Hammer, no much less), purchase inns earlier than they flip 21, get into automotive accidents and discover God, and uncover scammers who infiltrate their ranks with the intention to deliver them down. 

Amidst everybody that Blair, Serena, Nate, Chuck, and Dan destroy for petty crimes, Georgina is the one one who persists to create chaos yet again given the following accessible alternative. As a personality pushed solely by an insatiable thirst for catastrophe and drama, Michelle Trachtenberg’s efficiency as Georgina is the distillation of what makes “Gossip Woman” nice: She’s all the time ridiculous, cocking an eyebrow, clutching a champagne glass, and ready for the sh** to hit the fan. Georgina is one of the best factor about “Gossip Woman,” and if you wish to watch all of her pitch-perfect appearances on the present, it is streaming on Max now.