‘Gossip Girl’ Is Back & So Is the Exquisite Vengeance of Monet de Haan

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Gossip Girl season two. Good morning Upper East Siders. The acclaimed and reprised version of Gossip Girl is back and mixier than ever. In the words of the show’s infamous narrator herself—”did you miss me?” The first half of season two just debuted on HBO Max and the misadventures of the privileged Brady Bunch and their vengeful high school teachers have been amped since we left them. Multiple plot lines that are either controversial or catastrophic meet in the middle and viewers couldn’t—and still won’t—be able to get enough of it. The audience gets a front-row seat to the lives of the elite and influential, knowing that even the richest aren’t exempt from the downpour of cringe, embarrassment, or just easy disaster.

Season one took place in 2021, 14 years since the original series aired in 2007. The reboot kicked off with the resentful faculty of Constance Billard who’ve become tired of being undermined, unseen and discredited by the elites and their privileged children. Thus, the teachers decide to revamp the Gossip Girl blog that began during the original series. Their mission? To teach these teenagers a lesson they won’t learn in the curriculum: shame. This catalyst sparks many twists and turns as the revival of the page collides with many lives, but mostly, Julien Calloway (Jordan Alexander), the pronounced queen of the school and her wealthy Scooby Doo Gang. As Gossip Girl pries on their every move, secrets are exposed (the burgeoning throuple between Aki, Audrey, and Max, and the post-protest make-out session Obie has with Julien even if he’s with her little sister). Feuds reach a crescendo and the finale of the first season implies that there won’t be a happy ending for everyone.

As season two heavily spreads the load of drama, it takes a dive into what it means to be a villain and underscores it with money and wealth—everyone will get a bit ugly. This reprised version of Gossip Girl boils the pot of what defines a hero and the opposing antagonist, as viewers were infringed to believe that Julien would be the rising phoenix to take on the catty legacy of Blair Waldorf. Julien’s the queen of Constance, reigning with influence over beauty and fashion choices. As such, she’s been branded an It Girl to all.

Yet, Monet de Haan is the real snake in the grass. And it’s a thrill to watch a star be born in Savannah Smith, the actor who plays her. To refresh, Monet spent her character introductions in the first season being used as the publicist of Julien. A fairy Godmother if you will, alongside the sharp Luna La (Zion Moreno)—Julien’s other right-hand woman. Monet focused her efforts of superiority on doing the dirty laundry for Julien so the influencer would get to soak in the sunshine without ever worrying about the consequences.

The rivalry between Julien and her younger half-sister, Zoya Lott, mimicked that of Serena van der Woodsen and Blair’s feud—as Zoya held the qualities of ambition, relatability and youthfulness to send her sibling to the guillotine. Nevertheless, Julien would claw the surface of the iniquitous character arc and repress it once it reflected her relationship between her father, her ex-boyfriend Obie and herself. The student was in constant struggle, holding influence driven by nastiness and deceit to float to the top on the one hand or the importance of love, friendship and self-worth on the other. Yet, this type of self-versus, self-conflict continued to clash against the perils of power. As Julien begins to fall from grace, Monet is already brushing off her crown.

Monet is dashing for many reasons. Many of the characters in the show mirror themselves with good intentions to avoid discussing their own wicked behavior. The catalyst of the show was prompted by underpaid teachers who believed invading and shaming their student body would impose gratitude and generational change. It’s a thin disguise used to build their own influence. Monet’s revenge is a breath of truth in many ways. She doesn’t hide from the envy or the manipulation; she refines it. Monet also isn’t afraid to be the villain—a lesson that many of the characters could learn if they stopped lying to themselves. Throughout the second season, she continues to build plans to weaken the armor of Julien’s power so that she may be able to rise.

Barbara Nitke/HBO Max

While everyone else may lie about their individual wants, Monet possesses qualities no one else does. She’s honest, perceptive and passionate. Even through her timeless attempts to overshadow Julien, there’s a deep vulnerability and a characterization that makes her exciting to watch. Monet’s need to be evil is in projection about the emptiness of love. “I want to be loved,” she states in one of the episodes alongside Luna during her Valentine’s Day party. It’s a beautiful moment between the two. Monet’s character represents true struggles that Black women have gone through, as it’s considerably easier to be strong than to ever admit when you can be weak.

Monet is the fine line between Kate Keller, the face behind Gossip Girl, and her mother Camille de Haan. As Kate and Camille are supposed to lay on opposite spectrums, representing the pH balance of good and evil—Monet is the outlier. Camille’s developed storyline as a mother and businesswoman is supposed to vilify her character and, as one of the only Black women in the show propelled in a hierarchy, it weaponizes this against someone like Kate. The joke is that the pair face the same direction in the mirror.

While watching this new season, one thing that changed my mind after watching the trailer is that there are two truths. Monet accepts that she’s the villain, but everyone involved has personified the role of Blair Waldorf in some way. The trailer creates an illusion that the one to watch out for is Monet when in actuality, everyone is a danger to each other. She is the true wild card of the show and Smith’s delivery of the witty teen props her to be someone you just can’t help to root for no matter how difficult it is made for you to prefer otherwise. In the voice of Gossip Girl—you know you love her.

Gossip Girl season 2, part one is available to stream on HBO Max. 

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