You/Gossip Girl Parallels: 10 Fan Theories That Will Blow Your Mind

Recently fans have been going crazy over the idea that Joe Goldberg and Dan Humphrey are essentially the same people. Not only do they have insane similarities, but their worlds are also very similar. They live in the same city, with the same types of people, and have similar routines.

Is it possible that Joe is Dan, just ten years later? Is Beck’s character based off of Serena’s character? Is You a sequel to Gossip Girl? Keep reading to find out the ten fan theories about the shows’ connections. Warning: Spoilers Ahead.

10 Dan Is Already Joe During Gossip Girl

Some fans have noticed that Dan actually shows quite a few Joe-like tendencies during his Gossip Girl days. For instance, Dan has been using technology to be manipulative for years, long before Joe did. Dan, who turned out to be Gossip Girl, used the gossip blog to stalk his loved ones and get what he wanted.

Dan also pretentiously considered himself to be an outsider who loves books and doesn’t have many friends, long before Joe showed up on the scene. The evidence stacks up; Dan truly seems to be Joe, 1.0.

9 You And Gossip Girl Are In The Same Universe

PopBuzz points out the theory that You and Gossip Girl are set in the same universe, and this actually makes a whole lot of sense. Both series are set in New York, where there is a high concentration on the social scene, and Dan/Joe has extreme contempt for it.

In Gossip Girl, Dan wants to fit in but also get Serena out. He believes her friends are toxic, and he works hard to save her from them. This is the exact same situation that Joe is in, in You season one, except this time he’s no longer interested in fitting in.

8 Beck Is Serena

In season one of You, fans meet Beck. A somewhat unattainable and very social blonde who cares deeply about what others think of her. Joe makes assumptions about her from afar, falls in love with her and is determined to fix her and live happily ever after. Sound familiar? It should because this is the same dynamic as Dan and Serena in Gossip Girl.

The only difference seems to be that Serena and friends made it out alive while Beck and her friends weren’t so lucky.

7 Peach Is Blair

This is another eye-opening parallel. Peach is Beck’s over-bearing best friend in You, who isn’t exactly Joe’s biggest fan. She seems to see straight through him right away, and Joe hates that. Peach frequently tells Beck to drop Joe since she thinks he’s sketchy. Of course, Joe sees her as an obstacle in his path to Beck, and well, you know what happens to Peach.

It’s the exact same situation in Gossip Girl, except Peach is Blair. Blair is Serena’s best friend, who always hated Dan and saw him as an outsider who wasn’t good enough for her blonde bestie. Again, at least Blair made it out alive.

6 You Is A Sequel To Gossip Girl

Imagine the gap between Gossip Girl and You. Gossip Girl ended and Dan never really had any real consequences to his inappropriate actions as Gossip Girl. He manipulated and hurt so many people, but since it was “all of for love,” everyone accepted it and moved on.

This taught Dan that it’s okay to do unthinkable things as long as it’s out of love, so Joe was born, and You picks up where Dan left off. Hopefully, Rufus will step in during season three and set him straight.

5 Benji Is Chuck

To be honest, both Benji and Chuck are problematic, and their problems are very comparable. Both are wealthy, entitled, and toxic characters. Dan and Joe each feel superior to both of them while also despising them for having what they have.

While it seems like Gossip Girl fans were supposed to learn to love Chuck, it’s hard to forget about the terrible things he has done in the past. Just like Chuck, Benji has his own set of demons, and both characters get taught a lesson from Joe/Dan at one time or another.

4 Joe Is Dan 10 Years Later

Another fan theory is that Joe is literally Dan, just ten years later. He is still his typical sensitive, obsessed, and slightly arrogant self, but now he’s had to time to really let all of his resentments toward the world build-up. Dan/Joe has become jaded and darker. He’s learned that his nice guy schtick works, and he’s taken it to a whole new level.

He continues to use technology to his advantage now that he knows he can get away with it, and he’s going to see how far he can take it to get what he wants.

3 Ellie Is Jenny

This character comparison is pretty spot on. In both You and Gossip Girl, Joe/Dan has a younger sibling of sorts that he cares deeply about. In Gossip Girl this character is Jenny, and in You season two, this character is Ellie. Both girls are strong-willed and do as they please while Joe/Dan works hard to protect them.

For instance, Joe protects Ellie from Henderson, and Dan protects Jenny from Chuck. While he does these things with good intentions, he is over-bearing with both girls and handles things inappropriately at times.

2 Joe Is The Real Dan

Many fans think that the Joe we are seeing in You is who Dan really was all throughout Gossip Girl. Dan always wanted to act on his contempt for the social scene and was willing to take down anyone who got in his way. However, it just didn’t come to that during Gossip Girl.

Dan had always been dark and had homicidal tendencies, but he hid it well. He was able to get away with it because he did all his manipulative Gossip Girl things “out of love.” This was all socially acceptable for the time since he never physically hurt anyone.

1 Joe Would Kill Dan If They Ever Met

Finally, Penn Badgley himself has a theory. PopBuzz shares that Badgley believes Joe would kill Dan if they ever met. It seems they’re too similar, and Dan would probably just get in Joe’s way. Both characters think they know best, feel sorry for themselves, and manipulate the heck out of their loved ones.

The world definitely isn’t ready for Joe and Dan to coexist; it would be far too exhausting to even watch. For now, fans can just keep the worlds separate by binge-watching each respective show on Netflix.

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