Pilot (Gossip Girl)
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| “Pilot” | |||||||
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| Gossip Girl episode | |||||||
 Serena and Dan meet for the first time. |
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| Episode no. | Season 1 (2007-) Episode 1 |
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| Written by | Josh Schwartz Stephanie Savage |
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| Directed by | Mark Piznarski | ||||||
| Guest stars | Matthew Settle (Rufus Humphrey) Kelly Rutherford (Lily van der Woodsen) |
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| Production no. | 100 | ||||||
| Original airdate | September 18, 2007 (CTV) September 19, 2007 (The CW) |
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"Pilot" is the first episode of the CW television series, Gossip Girl.[1] The episode was written by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage and directed by Mark Piznarski. It originally aired on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 on CTV and Wednesday, September 19, 2007 on the CW.
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[edit] Plot
Serena van der Woodsen's mysterious return to Manhattan after a year-long stint at a boarding school becomes the talk of the town when the news of her homecoming is posted on a popular blog site published by an unknown character by the screen name of "Gossip Girl". Serena's best friend, Blair Waldorf, however, is less than thrilled to see her again, especially when her plans of losing her virginity to her boyfriend, Nate Archibald, are interrupted when Serena arrives unexpectedly at a party.
In spite of their heart-to-heart talk together, Serena and Blair's re-ignited friendship is short-lived when Nate confesses to her that he and Serena shared a romantic evening together the night before she left, and although Blair forgives Nate, she refuses to forgive Serena.
Outsider Dan Humphrey becomes smitten with Serena as soon as he learns that she has arrived back in town and, after trying to return Serena's phone to her, she asks him out on a date simply as an excuse not to go to Blair's "Kiss on the Lips" party. Dan takes Serena to his dad's band's concert, but they are forced to leave when his younger sister Jenny sends him a text message from Blair's party asking for help. Dan and Serena turn heads as they burst in on the party and search frantically for Jenny. They find her on the roof, where an egotistical sex-addicted Chuck Bass is attempting to take advantage of her. Dan punches Chuck and he and Serena leave in disgust, hand-in-hand with Jenny tagging along.
The apparent reason for Serena's abrupt return is revealed to be her younger brother Eric, who unsuccessfully tried to commit suicide but is now living in a psychiatric institution. Fortunately, not even "Gossip Girl" is aware of this.
In addition, the past affair between Dan and Jenny's father Rufus and Serena and Eric's mother is brought to light when Lily asks Rufus whether he is using son to get close to her again.
[edit] Reception
"Pilot" was the first television pilot of the fall 2007 season to be picked up by its network.[2] "Pilot" had mediocre ratings overall, but performed well in key demographics and is one of the most buzzed about new shows on the internet. Its digital video recorder ratings were high, increasing the shows profitability. The show has also been in the top five of iTunes sales.[3] Scott D. Pierce of the Deseret Morning News noted that Gossip Girl is milder than a lot of what's shown on MTV, but still warned parents of several scenes in the pilot. He said it includes "among other things, a teenage girl climbing on top of a boy and removing his clothes; drunken teens having sex; teens smoking pot; teens drinking in bars, in a limo and at a party; a teen boy getting amorous with a girl who fights him off; and that same teen boy essentially attempting to rape a freshman girl who is supposed to be, what, 14?"[4]
[edit] Trivia
- Kristen Bell provides the voice-over work for Gossip Girl but is not listed in the credits list.
- The premiere episode debuted as a free download available on ITunes on September 14, 2007, five days before the series' initial broadcast.
- In the pilot, Blair's mother is portrayed by Florencia Lozano, but she was recast with Margaret Colin from episode 2 onward.
[edit] References
- ^ Gossip Girl Episode Listings http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch.aspx?id=gossip_girl&view=listings
- ^ Television Travel: Lie, Cheat and Steal With "Gossip Girl". Retrieved on 2007-10-18.
- ^ The CW Gives 'Gossip Girl' a Full-Season Order. Retrieved on 2007-10-18.
- ^ Parents, pay attention to the content of 'Gossip Girl'. Deseret Morning News. Retrieved on 2007-10-18.
