A somewhat late addition to the first season of Gossip Girl, fans aren't super endeared to Vanessa Abrams from the start. She enters into a world where relationships between the characters have already been established and fans see her as "interrupting" those, so she has an uphill battle to be likable.
Despite this, there are times in the show where fans feel bad for her. But as she becomes more and more entrenched in the world of the Upper East Side, there are also a lot of times where she can be as bad as the show's worst villains and fans, understandably, hate her in those moments.
Felt Bad: When Dan Was In Love With Serena
When Vanessa shows up, it's clear that she and Dan have some sort of romantic history, even if she didn't reciprocate at the time. She returns quite ready to confess her feelings for her friend, and assumes he'll still feel the same way. It's hard not to feel bad for her when she's greeted by a conventionally beautiful, rich blonde who has stolen Dan's heart and left absolutely no room for Vanessa.
Hated Her: When She Wouldn't Give Serena A Chance
Serena does make an effort to get to know Vanessa, and opinions shift when Vanessa isn't particularly receptive to it at times. She's down on the relationship between Serena and Dan, and not always supportive.
This is totally unfair of her. Even if she doesn't think Dan and Serena are suited, she should be supportive of her friend and just be there for him if or when they break up. She seems incapable of separating previous romantic feelings for Dan, and resents him for not waiting on her even though she rejected him in the past.
Felt Bad: When Chuck Was Manipulating Her
Blair persuades Chuck to help her get revenge on Vanessa by pretending he wants to work with her and help her. Getting caught in a game between Blair and Chuck is never a good thing, and Vanessa ends up hurt when Blair tells her to her face that it's all been a game and Chuck doesn't actually care about her. It's hard to watch when Chuck is dragged over to back her up and Vanessa is mortified.
Hated Her: When She Tried To Split Up Dan And Olivia
Dan meets a girl named Olivia who happens to be a huge Hollywood actress and they begin to date.
Unfortunately, ex-fling Georgina Sparks isn't happy about this and blackmails Vanessa into splitting them up. Vanessa tries her best and puts herself in a bad situation when she tries to split them up. Even though she's being blackmailed, she's trying to cause Dan unhappiness and have him get with someone super manipulative to save her own skin.
Felt Bad: When Nate Lied To Her
In a twist of events, Vanessa ends up dating Nate Archibald. It's a bit of a twisted relationship, since he's sleeping with an older woman who's providing his family money, and he ends up lying to Vanessa repeatedly. Vanessa ends up stuck in the whole situation when she lets him go because she doesn't want his family to lose their money, and Nate ends up hating her for it.
Hated Her: Plotting Against Serena
Towards the end of the series, Vanessa plots with Juliet and Jenny to get revenge on Serena and "teach her a lesson".
It becomes very twisted when it comes to light that Juliet is willing to go much further than any normal person. She ends up drugging Serena, and even her brother Ben is shocked by her actions. Vanessa may not have known this about her, but she should never have teamed up with Juliet in the first place.
Felt Bad: Dan Being So Harsh On Her
It's a bit of a time of mixed feelings. Dan has forgiven people for much worse, especially as Vanessa didn't know what she was doing — he even forgives Chuck for assaulting his own sister — and yet, he casts Vanessa out. Vanessa has it pointed out to her that she's not part of this world, and therefore, she'll never be forgiven like the rest of them would be.
Seems that holds true.
Hated Her: Expecting To Be Forgiven
Yet, at the same time, it seems like she expects to be part of this world when she just expects forgiveness and keeps contacting Dan to ask for it. After all, Serena did end up drugged, and she should probably give Dan some space. Instead, she hounds him, and is surprised when he snaps.
Felt Bad: When She Fell For Georgina's Lies
At NYU, Georgina asks for a second chance and pretends to have changed. Initially, Dan doesn't want to give her one, but Vanessa is the one to approach her and offer to be friends. Fans know that Vanessa is being naive at this point and there's simply no way Georgina has completely changed, but it's still a little sad to see Vanessa fall for it.
Hated Her: Turning Into One Of Them
Ultimately, Vanessa turns into one of the people she hates so very much. She ends up causing as much damage as anyone on the Upper East Side, despite her appeal being that she's from a very normal background and doesn't have the influences and corruption they do. Fans wanted her to stay the same and stay true to her roots, but does anyone on this show?