Gossip Girl: 10 Times The Parents’ Storylines Were Better Than The Teens’

There is no teen drama that doesn’t include the interference of the parents. The OC had Sandy and Kirsten, while Riverdale had Alice Cooper and FP Jones. These parents have their hands in the drama and, at times, can have better stories.

Gossip Girl always teetered on insane storylines, but there were a few gems that truly had heart. Even when their children overshadowed them at times, the parents tended to have more grounded and realistic stories to tell.

10 Lily Marries Bart

Marriage matters on the Upper East Side and Lily’s marriage to Bart Bass was no different. Their courtship began as a secret at the start of the show and then developed into a union that blended two households. But Lily’s relationship with Bart wasn’t based on love – this match was a pragmatic one.

Lily’s ultimate decision to marry Bart was complicated by her affair with Rufus Humphrey. Lily admitted to Rufus that even though she loves him, she chose to marry Bart. It was a heartbreaking choice but at the time, was the right thing for everyone involved.

9 The Captain’s Attempted Suicide

There were many things The Captain was guilty of. He pushed Nate to be with Blair because it would help his business deal with Eleanor Waldorf. He let Nate take the fall for his drug problem. But his main crime was embezzling money from his company.

The most tragic element of this was how his relationship with his wife deteriorated. On Thanksgiving, The Captain took a large number of pills, seemingly coming to terms with the fact that he was going to prison. Anne didn’t want to hear his cry for help and took no responsibility for the problems in their marriage. This episode took the issues at hand seriously, something that was not always done with the teens.

8 Rufus And Allison Break Up

From the beginning, Rufus and Allison had been on the rocks. An extramarital affair was the main wedge in their relationship. But even so, Jenny brought her mother back to Brooklyn to work things out with Rufus.

They attempted to reconcile, but both of them had other priorities. Rufus still loved Lily, while Allison wanted to be with her neighbor Alex. Their divorce was one of the rare examples where a teen show portrayed an adult break up as civil and understanding.

7 Lily Is A Valley Girl

One of the tragedies of Gossip Girl was the Lily Rhodes show not being picked up. In season two, the episode ‘Valley Girls’ was intended as a backdoor pilot for a spin-off. The show would have centered around Lily van der Woodsen in her youth in California. This took place during the prom episode, but the best scenes in it belonged to Lily.

Lily was portrayed by Brittany Snow, while her sister was played by Kristen Ritter. It was a travesty that the pilot was never picked up and its use of 80s songs and trends would have resulted in an amazing show.

6 Rufus And Lily Get Married

Rufus and Lily are arguably one of the best-known couples in the show. Although they did not end up together like the uncomfortable marriage of Dan and Serena, it didn’t take away from the fact that Rufus and Lily were the better love story.

Their marriage episode forced them to confront their differences. Even though they acknowledged that Lily was Upper East Side and Rufus would always have humble origins in Brooklyn, they still loved each other and could reach a compromise with the help of their quickly forgotten love child.

5 Eleanor And Harold Turn A Corner

The parental storylines had the advantage of not needing to depend on dramatic cliffhangers and romantic trauma. Eleanor and Harold were a divorced couple that found a way to co-parent. Even though Harold left Eleanor for a 31-year-old model, eventually they found a way to make amends.

Harold realized that Blair had been holding a grudge against him for leaving their family. Eleanor understood the trials of raising a teenage daughter. She educated Harold on how to connect with their daughter and found a way to forgive him for his faults.

4 Lily Sends Ben Donovan To Prison

Lily’s love for Serena went a long way, including accusing an innocent man of statutory rape. All in an attempt to get Serena back into Constance, Lily assumed that Serena had been sleeping with her teacher and signed an affidavit attesting to that.

There was no question this was one of the most convoluted storylines in the series, but what brought it together was the devotion Lily had to her daughter, no matter how misplaced it was. Lily was worried about her daughter’s future and acted only as a mother would. There was no excuse for this, but it was in character for Lily to behave like this.

3 Russell Blames Bart For His Wife’s Death

A seed planted in season two, Dan discovered that Bart covered up that someone died in one of his buildings due to a fire. At the time, Dan was led to believe that it was a security guard. Seasons later, this story was brought back.

Bart’s former business partner Russell Thorpe came to New York intent on destroying Chuck. It wasn’t evident why until the end of season four. Bart had fallen in love with Russell’s wife, but she died in a fire in one of his buildings. Russell blamed Bart for her infidelity. This was one of the rare instances where Bart was shown to not be the villain.

2 Bart’s Funeral

There was more than one time that Bart died on Gossip Girl, but the first time was the best. Bart’s initial death was a tragedy on the Upper East Side and the show used the story as a focal point to bring many storylines together.

Bart’s death threw Chuck into a tailspin, but its real effect rested on Lily. She dealt with the fact that her husband died, as well as her decision to leave Bart for Rufus. It was one of Gossip Girl’s more realistic stories and the most heart-wrenching.

1 Eleanor Marries Cyrus

The true love stories in Gossip Girl center around the Waldorf women. Blair had the most intense relationship on the show, but it was her mother that found long-lasting love. After getting divorced from Harold, it took Eleanor some time to find love again and she found it in the most unlikely of places.

Cyrus was an entertainment lawyer and not as elegant as Blair had foreseen in a stepfather. But Cyrus was loving and went above and beyond for the family. After Bart’s funeral, Eleanor and Cyrus decided to get married and became one of the most beloved couples on the show.

About The Author

Carolyn Jenkins
(109 Articles Published)

Carolyn Jenkins is a voracious consumer of film and television. She graduated from Long Island University with an MFA in Screenwriting and Producing where she learned the art of character, plot, and structure. The best teacher is absorbing media and she spends her time reading about different worlds from teen angst to the universe of Stephen King.

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