Gossip Girl’s Penn Badgley recalls the worst thing that Dan Humphrey ever did. Premiering on The CW in 2007, Gossip Girl focused on the lives of privileged upper-class teens living on Manhattan’s Upper East Side and was based on the books by Cecily von Ziegesar. The show became a quick sensation, helping to catapult the career of Badgley and other cast members. Although the teen drama ended its run in 2012, with a reboot currently streaming on HBO Max, the original series is still remembered for its outlandish storylines and occasionally bizarre twists.
One of the most bizarre moments occurred in the finale of Gossip Girl, when it was revealed that Dan was behind the titular “gossip girl” blog that kept tabs on the residents of the Upper East Side. It was a strange development as the blog had no qualms about revealing the secrets of those that were closest to Dan. At the time, even after six seasons of utterly unexpected developments, fans conceded that the finale reveal regarding Dan was the most befuddling. Badgley, who portrayed Dan, seems to agree.
As part of a feature for Esquire, Badgley reflected on some of his most memorable roles. And, when it came to Dan, the actor was asked about the worst thing that his Gossip Girl character ever did. In his response, perfectly surmising the absurdity of the twist, Badgley pointed to one moment over all the others. “Didn’t he… he outed his sister losing her virginity?” Badgley recalled. “These storylines are twisted. This is villainous.”
Badgley is certainly correct in referring to the storylines as twisted. In one notable example, Gossip Girl featured Blair (Leighton Meester) essentially being traded for a hotel. But what’s different, and perhaps even more egregious about Dan, is that he was largely presented as an ideal romantic partner. Despite some glaring flaws, the show generally positioned him as a good guy that’s the right fit for the protagonist Serena (Blake Lively). With the twist of the finale, the teen drama essentially undoes all of that.
The men of Gossip Girl, as Jon Hamm points out, were certainly problematic. But even looking beyond that aspect, it hardly makes sense for Dan to be the titular blogger. There are several scenes where the blog posted live, ongoing updates that Dan wouldn’t have been able to type up himself. In the years since the show ended, the writers of the series have said that there were other options considered for the big reveal. Then again, it’s possible that those options wouldn’t have made the finale so uniquely memorable.
Source: Esquire