Premiere Watch '09: Gossip Girl

Gossip Girl:
"Reversals of Fortune"

Tonight I was probably the least excited I've ever been for a new episode of Gossip Girl, which was especially shocking considering this episode was the first new episode of a new season. There were certainly several reasons I felt this way, including the fact that new TV shows are a sign that summer is ending and I don't want that to happen and that I'm a bit drama-ed out from the U.S. Open. The predominate reason, however, was that GG and I didn't part on the best of terms last season (the Season 2 finale didn't impress me much at all and I resorted to quoting Lulu in jest...it wasn't pretty).

Still, when the first vestiges of GG popped up on my television screen (in it's new time slot at 9 p.m. instead of 8 p.m., which annoys me to no end since that's now when Greek and The Big Bang Theory (9:30) air as well), I hoped for the best. I wanted this episode of GG to smack me over the head with its awesomeness and remind me once and for all why I love this show. Unfortunately, what I got was an episode that was iffy at best.

From what I could tell, there wasn't an engaging plotline to be had in this episode. I mean, what we were supposed to like here? Dippy Nate picks up Joanna Garcia's equally dippy character? (She's realized her mistake when her cousin got stood up at the alter? That's it?) Barely-tolerable Vanessa gets picked up by the most boring secret half-brother known to man? Blair has Chuck pick up other girls to keep their relationship "interesting"? (Seriously? Being Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf on a daily basis isn't interesting enough?) Longer-haired Dan does nothing but get chastised by Vanessa while trying--again--to solve Serena's secret problems for her? Rufus "struggles to hold it together" while living Lily's charmed life without her? Eric and Jenny hang out and chat while somehow miraculously ignoring how awful Jenny's hair is? The part that came the closest to being interesting to me was when scummy Carter suddenly turned sweet, asking Serena who her dad was to not want her. But then she left him partially-clothed in the woods. Yeah...okay.

Even when GG's plotlines go astray, the show can usually be counted on for some entertaining dialogue and snappy one liners, but there wasn't even much of that in this episode. Even Gossip Girl sounded bored and subdued. Let's hope that the beginning of college will give this show the shot in the arm that it needs, because I don't know how many more episodes like this I can take.

Observations and "highlights":

• The blonde Chuck picked up looks like Serena, but shorter.
• The Hamptons isn't treating Jenny's hair well.
• Dan: "I just highly doubt she can keep her mouth shut for a whole month."
• From Vanessa to Joanna Garcia: definitely an upgrade for Nate.
• They've met before and they don't recognize each other? They don't know what other people in powerful political families look like? I mean, I know Nate's clueless, but I expected more from Joanna.
• Blair: "Now take your American Girl hair and your poreless skin and get out!"
• I'm on the fence about whether I love or hate Dan's longer hair.
• Eew, Jenny's hair looks even worse down.
• How is Chuck not dying from heat exhaustion in that suit in NYC in late summer?
• Chuck: "Sleeping with the enemy is hot. Why do you think I had the whole Ivanka thing?"
• Nate's hair, however, is definitely looking hot.
• How tall are Blair's shoes? She's taller than Serena.
• Nate and V went traveling in Europe and they just hooked up "one night" in Prague? That does not sound like the Nate that I know.
• Of course V got suckered in by the secret half-brother. She falls for all the liars.
• Jenny: "Everyone's topless on Valentino's yacht, Dad."
• Rufus: "What about the one where Prince Harry's doing shots off her--"
• Carter's looking cuter too.
• I wouldn't say the word "Dior" to Vanessa either when she's wearing that crappy outfit. It's like telling a starving person about the four-star meal you just ate.
• When was the "last time" Serena went off the deep-end? There have been so many times that I can't keep them straight anymore.
• What?! Why is Serena making it Dan's job to keep Carter away from her? Just leave poor Dan alone!
• Dan/Blair is not really an "unlikely alliance"--they band together for some reason or other at least once every couple of months.
• Apparently the correct outfit to wear to a polo match is a maxi dress.
• Nate's grandfather doesn't know who Bree Buckley is either?
• I guess Blair didn't get the maxi dress memo. But Vanessa did.
• Did Serena marry Carter in Europe too? LOL.
• Ha ha, is Serena seriously riding a horse away from the polo match? This is ridiculous.
• Aww, all of a sudden, Carter's kind of sweet: "Who is he not to want you?"
• Ugh, Vanessa, just take your lectures and go far, far away. Somebody lend Vanessa a horse so she can get out of here faster.
• Chuck: "We could never be boring."
• Um, this Vanessa/secret half-brother scene is painful. It's so bad, it's veering into Mischa/pool boy territory.
• Ok, Chuck and Blair are role playing about waiters now? Has it come to this?
• Why did Rufus buy the pics of Serena riding the horse? Borrowing a horse at a polo match is not exactly the most scandalous thing ever.

Premiere Rating: 6.0/10

(photo: cwtv.com)

Premiere Watch '08: Privileged

Privileged: "Pilot"

After seeing some very sub-par clips from Privileged on the CW's YouTube account over the summer, to say my expectations were low for this pilot is an understatement. Fortunately, parts of the pilot were re-shot, rewritten, re-edited, or something, because I was pleasantly surprised by the final product that aired after 90210 on Tuesday night.

I think the best news to come out of the Privileged pilot is that Michael Cassidy is still all kinds of adorable. Unfortunately, his character here (Charlie) seems to be more like The O.C.'s Zach than Hidden Palms' Cliff. I'll take Michael Cassidy any way I can get him though.

Also being fairly adorable in this episode was JoAnna Garcia as Megan. I've been a fan of JoAnna's since seeing her in Reba, and I think it's fun to see her playing someone so different than Cheyanne (which is the nice way of saying that Cheyenne was dumb). I'm not really sure, however, why they made JoAnna dye her hair brown for this role (I'm assuming she did that for the show and not just because she felt like it). Can blondes not be smart, CW?

Highlights and other observations:

• Charlie: "Megan, you're sounding newscastery again."
• Any job Megan gets in journalism (at least at this stage of her career) isn't going to allow her to rake in the dough, as they were implying she would be doing if she got the writing job.
• Megan: "Everybody loves Lucille Ball, but nobody ever does anything about it."
• Debi Mazar is awesome.
• At least Megan was able to dye her hair back to brown quickly.
• They really seemed to be pushing Megan as "quirky." She's not that quirky.
• I had numerous problems with that taser scene, which was my least favorite part of the episode. First of all, I don't find someone getting tasered to be all that funny, and secondly, the whole scene didn't make a lot of sense: Megan has to go introduce herself to the girls while they're asleep? That huge house and the two spoiled girls share a room? Sage sleeps with a taser in her hand?
• Hmm, so Megan's from this area. And doesn't want her family to know she's back. That's kind of interesting.
• I thought that Charlie was supposed to be Megan's boyfriend, but I guess not.
• Megan (in response to Sage's suggestion that Jay Gatsby was gay): "Interesting theory. The man does own a lot of shirts." (Between this reference and Greek's Gatsby-themed episode, The Great Gatsby is getting a lot of play lately in the teen soap genre.)
• Why is Megan so surprised that Charlie has moves? How could Michael Cassidy not have moves?
• Megan: "But with great power comes great responsibility--shout out to Uncle Ben."
• Hey, just when you think that everything's about to be wrapped up in a nice bow, Lilly appears. That's a nice dramatic touch.
• Megan: "Is there any other Annie worth mentioning?" (Not the one on 90210, that's for sure.)
• Sage inviting Lilly to the party was definitely a Blair Waldorf move.
• The soundtrack was pretty good with Kate Nash, Ingrid Michaelson, The Bird and the Bee, and Nellie McKay, among others. No "Time to Pretend" though, which is a bummer, because it's not living up to my prediction of it being the "Young Folks" of the 2008 pilot season.

All in all, the show was enjoyable, but I wouldn't say that I was left with an overwhelming desire to see more. Also, the episode seemed like a long hour of TV, which probably isn't a good sign.

More importantly, if anyone knows any rich people who need tutors for their granddaughters, I'm totally up for the job.

Premiere Rating: 6.0/10

(photo: cwtv.com)