It might have taken a while HBO Max‘s gossip girl took a while to find his new Blair Waldorf but she’s finally arrived in Season 2. Monet de Haan (Savannah Smith) has emerged as the new queen of Constance Billiards. And to our endless delight, she’s poised to be more Bloody Mary than benevolent ruler.
It’s a tired trope, though gossip girl has always revolved around women fighting other women. There was certainly drama in the 2007 original that didn’t involve Serena (Blake Lively) or Blair (Leighton Meester). But those schemes and betrayals were secondary to the true draw of this series: Serena vs. Blair. This later became Blair vs. Jenny (Taylor Momsen), then Blair vs. everyone else. To the gossip girl In order to work, you need two powerful queen bees fighting for supremacy. That’s the dynamic Season 1 of Joshua Safran’s sequel tried to recreate by pitting Julian (Jordan Alexander) against her half-sister Zoya (Whitney Peak). It was also a flawed pairing from the start. Julian, with her vast social empire and effortless clout, was never really threatened by a disinterested outsider like Zoya. That’s why it’s so delicious to see Monet step into the fray.
Monet has always been Julian’s rightful enemy. They both come from the same world, socially and economically. They understand the importance of exercising power. And although Julian pretends to be kinder, they’re both ruthless. Add a dash of resentment from Monet after years of being cast as a backup dancer on Julian’s one-woman show, and you’ve got the perfect cocktail for a truly addictive friend-versus-foe battle.
Within minutes of Monet accepting her role as Julian’s new rival, the woman delivers. In the first episode of Season 2, she lays out what will happen to her recruited minions. The plan? Poke and nudge Julian until the current Queen of the Upper East Side strikes back. Once the fight has started, anyone can win, no matter who struck the first blow or who actually wanted to be a part of this brawl.
“If I’m to take Julian’s place, I need Gossip Girl to publicize my rise. The guillotine was placed in the town square for a reason. You didn’t just kill your enemy. You instilled fear in everyone else, too,” Monet enthuses. “On Sunday Julian’s head will roll and the crown she never respected will finally be all mine.”
Do you hear the? This is a war cry. It is the sound of a new order rising from the ashes of the follies of the old. It’s a glorious declaration that highlights everything that makes this series so deliciously twisted.
There’s another reason Julian’s newfound and finally befitting enemy is so exciting. gossip girl has always been a show dominated by power couples: Blair and Nate. Blair and Chuck. Jenny and Nate. Serena and the prince she met this week – you get the point. Although Julian started out with Obie (Eli Brown), she’s not really someone to play the power couple game. But Monet is. That means we’re about to see Monet embark on one of the status madman’s most interesting escapades. If you’re already at the top of the upper ranks, how do you find a worthy partner?
This was already hinted at in the first episode of Season 2 thanks to Monet’s unconventional debutante escort. But can you imagine? Monet, with her exacting standards and unwavering determination to rule when reading the apps? Hearts don’t get broken. They are ripped from chests and eaten in public as a warning never to mess with the de Haan family. Even the most die-hard Monet and Luna (Zión Moreno) mailers can’t possibly be prepared for Monet in their chaos era.
War can only take place between two equal enemies. Otherwise it is a complete annihilation. That’s exactly what Monet offers us in this second season, a fight so brutal and nefarious that it captures the attention of Gossip Girl. To paraphrase our new queen, now is not the time for abdication – only for execution. And friends? It’s going to be fabulous.
New episodes of gossip girl Season 2 premieres on HBO Max weekly on Thursdays.