Gossip Girl Season 2 Review: Like She Never Left, The Reboot Maintains Its Season 1 Momentum

It might seem like we're taking the same ride we did in season 1, but season 2 of HBO Max's "Gossip Girl" reboot doubles down on the things it does well and expands on those strengths to bolster its mean-girl vibe to new heights. It's just as fun and flirts as much with rebellion and status as it ever was and did — even during the original 2007 series — and it effectively raises the stakes this season, which is really as much as you can ask of a show that is the epitome of entertainment for the sake of being entertained. In the early days at least, the original series was looked at as just that type of product and nothing more. 

The "Gossip Girl" of today, however, always has a lot to say about societal issues its characters benefit from and contribute to — but it has yet to lose the salacious spark that made the world salivate for the original. With higher stakes and a whole new set of exciting problems for everyone involved, season 2 of "Gossip Girl" reminds the world that sometimes reboots can do all the right things to maintain the momentum, and even if they're just your guilty pleasure, they can still be good. 

Season 2 of "Gossip Girl" charts the rise of Monet De Haan (Savannah Lee Smith) at Constance Billard School and, subsequently, the rise of every villain-esque character the show has given us who has legs and the wherewithal to make a move. This, naturally, forces our leading lady Julian Calloway (Jordan Alexander) — who is on a personal quest to change everything about her brand and, thus, herself — to collaborate with the show's motley crew cast of characters to assemble like prep school Power Rangers to assert and maintain dominance. At the same time, Kate (Tavi Gevinson) and her alliance of teachers are trying to keep the identity of Gossip Girl under wraps, which is naturally a complicated prospect. Not all fights are created equal, but no matter what, everyone suffers this season.

One of the most standout aspects of season 2 of "Gossip Girl" is how it integrates its new characters into the fold. Zoya's new BFF Shan (Grace Duah) and Obie's new goodie-two-shoes girlfriend Grace (Anna van Patten) add fun new touches of drama and emotional intrigue that blossom this season after what they could bring to the table was hinted at in the latter episodes of season 1. Similarly, Camille de Haan (Amanda Warren) has also become a key player in this arc, and she really is just a spectacular villain. It seems to be a joint effort, as a lot of things are on this show: Warren's effectively menacing acting paired with skilled and focused writing.

On the flip side, Kate's new love interest — a teacher who returned to Constance Billard after a sabbatical named Scott (Edmund Donovan) — isn't exciting at all. Not that Nick Lott was exciting as her original love interest, but still. Lott is not a bad character by any means, he's just a very subdued guy, and Johnathan Fernandez plays him perfectly for that archetype. In an opportunity to switch things up for Kate, it would make sense to give her someone less nice and harder to get, things that Donovan's character certainly is. But there's nothing to endear us to him as a person to be invested in. His role in things is interesting—again, how these people are brought into the narrative is pretty well done this year—but as a character, he doesn't give us much else. Generally speaking, though, the adult characters in this show are really well-rounded, and I enjoy watching their antics and emotional breakdowns as much as the kids. It's a great balance that continues through into the second season.

The snarky, fast-paced tone of the show from season 1 has persisted — with the same sometimes-cringey but still Gen-Z-accurate dialogue — but what is fun about this season of the show is that, with Monet taking a place of hierarchy, the show is starting to feel a bit more like the original. She's very much a surrogate Blair, but she takes the character's familiar nastiness a step further and cements her as a true villain. It's a good nod to the original series that feels fresh, something the show has been good at doing thus far. The reboot's greatest asset has been the way it relates itself to the original series in both subtle and obvious doses, no doubt a side effect of having the original creative team at the executive producer and showrunner helm here.

Our continued cast of characters is mostly just as good ... or not-so-good as they've been since the show started. The sustained momentum this season brings is mostly riding on the fact that these performances are mostly equal to their season 1 showings. Smith's Monet De Haan gets a great spotlight this season, especially considering the focus on her character's systemic rise at Constance Billard. She really takes up all the space in frame in a way that is enticing and engrossing, much like Leighton Meester's Blair before her. It's great to see this character start to take center stage, because it certainly complicates things for Julian which, usually in turn, screws up things for everyone else. But I also would be remiss if I didn't give credit to a supporting character you'd never expect. 

Adam Chandler-Berat, who plays computer science teacher Jordan, really kicks it up a notch this season, and it's really fun seeing him take his character to a dysfunctionally hilarious new height. He even takes a pretty major issue head-on during the season in a way that makes him a really admirable, think-on-your-feet kind of partner in crime. He's one of those characters you don't think of initially when you think of the show, but that you can't forget you enjoy once you start watching. It's great to see him — and Smith, of course, as well —continue to build a supporting role into something increasingly memorable.

"Gossip Girl" is written and directed by a slew of different folks, but it still manages to have a really cohesive feel, something the show has also been good at doing thus far. The first season had a similar sense of unity throughout, which is the sign of a really well-oiled writers' room as well as a tight directorial vision that several like-minded directors could sink their teeth into with results that mesh. 

While it can be fun to see a bunch of different takes on one story, it's equally as thrilling when a bunch of creatives can come together as a true unit in service of a story. Cohesiveness is key in a show like this, with a central, nearly omnipresent villain who narrates the misfortunes of those it oversees like a cruel cosmic horror being. "Gossip Girl" has that collaborative spirit down pat, and it really does bolster the experience the show is looking to give its audience.

/Film Rating: 7 out of 10