Every Gossip Girl fan knows that the one and only Blair Waldorf is the Queen B of scheming. With a new cast of characters, viewers didn't know what to expect in the way of classic Gossip Girl drama; on the OG series, it was normal to have a scheme, a double-cross, and a reveal all happening in the same episode.
With word that the reboot would be a milder and more self-aware ordeal, scheming was potentially off the table, plot-wise. But, Blair would be delighted to know that there was more than enough scheming on the new show, and some of them had that Waldorf touch.
Max Makes Mr. Caparros Jealous
Knowing the whereabouts and daily routines of teachers and faculty is already a trademarked Blair Waldorf move. She prides herself on being the eyes and ears of the Upper East Side. Stalking someone through their daily routine? Also very Blair. She even had a special "spy" outfit, complete with black beret.
While Blair would be above the cliché nature of a student-teacher romance, she's definitely employed an unsuspecting third party to make someone (usually Chuck Bass) jealous. She'd even grab hold of either Nate or Prince Louis when Chuck would walk into a room for an eye-catching makeout session - not unlike Max and Aki.
Julien's Ticket Trick On Davis
Catching someone in a lie and making a show of it is very high on the list of Blair Waldorf's favorite things. When Julien discovers that her dad is hiding a girlfriend in a secret apartment (Blair would love that Julien calls it a "pied-á-ffaire"), she writes a fake note from her dad inviting Lola to the play that Julien and her dad are going to together.
When Lola shows up to a very surprised and uncomfortable-looking Davis, Julien is up above to watch her plan come together. Not only is Davis forced to go public with Lola, but he has to come clean to Julien after he finds out that she orchestrated the whole thing.
A Classic Phone Swap
Monet de Hann may be more of a Georgina than a Blair, but the way she bumps into Zoya and switches their phones to send a faux text from her number at the fashion show is a classic Blair Waldorf move. No one can frame like Blair can, but she would give credit where credit is due.
Sometimes the best schemes are the most simple ones, although there would probably be a penalty for going against Queen Julien's wishes - a good minion always listens to the ruling monarch.
Julien And Zoya's Fake Fight
The Waldorfs are particularly good at publicity stunts. With so many years of having her mother as an example (and being married into a royal family for a brief period), Blair can navigate rumors, tabloids, and Gossip Girl, and Julien's high social status gives her that same power.
A fake feud, complete with a rehearsed tantrum outside of an after-party, is something that Blair would put together for Serena and herself - although there would probably be a little more attention to detail. If things had gone according to plan, it would have been a PR masterpiece.
Kate Makes Reema Take the Fall
There's nothing as sneaky and schemey as having a fall guy (or girl). Blair's done her fair share of having others take the blame for her. Sometimes she's been remorseful, other times not so much. Katie, one of the show's least likable characters, and the other teachers managing GG's account are under a lot of heat from Constance and make the decision to set up Reema to take the fall and get the school off their trail.
They trick her into posting to Gossip Girl after they remove the firewall, and the school officials catch her. Setting up a lure and a trap is something Blair's done many times. She wouldn't have much respect for the Constance staff meddling in teenage drama, but she would approve of the game plan.
Max Reveals His Dad's Infidelity
Just like with Julien, Max's plan has meddling and a big and dramatic reveal that is very akin to something Blair would set up. When he catches his dad on a dating app, he asks Aki to pose as a catfish version of Mr. Caparros to chat him up.
Then, Max invites Mr. Caparros to the theater, sits him right next to both his dads, and waits for the implosion. After finding out he wasn't really talking to Mr. Caparros, Max's dad is forced to come clean to both his son and husband, and Max tragically finds out how unhappy his dads' marriage is.
A Partnership With A Sparks
Blair was never Georgina Sparks' biggest fan. She even had her effectively removed from the Upper East Side, citing, in Blair's own words, "Haven't you heard? I'm the crazy b**** around here." But, Blair wasn't above seeking professional down-and-dirty scheming help when she needed it from Georgina, and that's exactly what Zoya does.
The only difference in the reboot is that Zoya pairs up with Georgina's incredibly cunning (and a little bit scary) son, Milo. With Milo's Twitter deep-diving help, Zoya is able to add a devious touch to her scheme that Blair would admire, and dig up dirt on Julien.
Mr. Caparros Threatens Aki
When she's holding all of the cards and can hush a savage and descriptive threat under her breath, Blair is in her element. That's exactly the position that Mr. Caparros was in when Aki confronted him about Max at the bar.
Not only did Mr. Caparros set the scene and cover all of his bases by loudly pretending that Aki had tried to come onto him and that his ID should be checked, but he hit Aki with truth that Max knowing Aki tried to intervene would ruin their friendship, a Blair one-two hit.
Zoya's Dark Past Revealed
Blair's specialty is uncovering dirt on people and using it against them for her own agenda. Monet and Luna definitely got the message when they dug up the video evidence of why Zoya left her previous school. Julien was all in on the plan to showcase the video to her party until she saw the traumatizing finale.
Blair would have done things a little differently: she would have watched the entire video before hand, not just a snippet like Julien, and she would have had a much colder reaction to the content. Yes, Blair's conscience can definitely get to her about hurting a non-target, but for someone she's got her sights set on, all's fair. Although, her cruel tactics that erred on the side of bullying wouldn't be very tolerated today.
Costume Party Scheme
Julien and Zoya's scheme to settle the score at the costume party would have had Blair Waldorf jumping for joy. Not only was it a clever way to make sure that no one knew the pair's costumes had been copied by almost everyone in attendance (Blair's - and any Queen B's - worst nightmare), but they also got to put the snooty Bianca and Pippa in their place.
Blair would have also been beaming at the idea of the high schoolers dressing up as Serena, Chuck, Dan, and herself. As an added bonus, the sanctity of the inner circle was protected by smoking out the spy in the form of Monet. No one double-crosses the Queen, and Julien made sure of it.