Season Analysis

Gossip Girl

Season 5 Analysis

Season Woke Score

3.4

out of 10

Season Overview

The season began in Los Angeles when a re-energized Chuck and Nate decided to pay Serena a visit. Chuck has a newfound philosophy and says "yes" to everything, even death defying stunts. Serena continues to work on the movie set, and is offered a full-time job at the end of the episode. Nate begins an affair with an older woman, Diana Payne, who may have an ulterior motive for being with Nate. Back in New York, Dan learns that Vanessa has published one chapter of his novel, and Blair continues to plan her wedding to Louis, and she also learns she is pregnant. After realizing she still had feelings for Chuck, Blair and Chuck decide to go away together, but their car crashes. As a result of the crash Blair loses her baby, Chuck nearly dies, and Blair eventually marries Louis. The season also focuses on Nate running an online gossip site NYSpectator, Blair and Dan's friendship turning into a relationship, Chuck's quest to find his real parents which leads him to discover that his father, Bart, is still alive, and the effects of CeCe's death on Lily and her marriage to Rufus. At the end of the season, Blair makes a choice between Dan and Chuck, and Lily makes a choice between Rufus and Bart. Serena is seen leaving town while Dan decides to write a new book about the Upper East Side, with the help of Georgina.

Season Review

Season 5 of Gossip Girl maintains its focus on the lives of the Manhattan elite, prioritizing high-society drama, class status, and romantic entanglements over modern social justice narratives. The season centers on Blair's royal wedding, a tragic pregnancy, and the return of the Bass family patriarch, keeping the plot anchored in traditional soap opera tropes. While the characters are often morally compromised, the show remains largely disinterested in lecturing the audience on privilege or systemic issues, opting instead to glamorize the very structures of wealth and hierarchy that modern 'woke' media often seeks to deconstruct. The season is notable for its inclusion of religious themes through Blair’s spiritual pact and its rejection of typical 'girl boss' invincibility in favor of more traditional emotional vulnerability.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics2/10

The narrative focuses almost exclusively on the lives of the wealthy elite and their social hierarchies. Characters are judged by their status, loyalty, and schemes rather than their race or intersectional identity. There is no vilification of 'whiteness' or lectures on systemic oppression.

Oikophobia2/10

The characters are deeply invested in preserving their family legacies and the institutions of the Upper East Side. They show a profound attachment to their heritage, social rituals, and the history of their class, viewing their world as exclusive and desirable rather than corrupt.

Feminism4/10

Blair Waldorf pursues high-status positions but is primarily driven by her desire for marriage, motherhood, and romantic validation. The loss of her unborn child is portrayed as a profound tragedy, and the female leads are often shown as vulnerable and dependent on their relationships with men.

LGBTQ+5/10

Same-sex relationships are present and treated as a standard part of the social landscape, but they are not the central focus of the season's politics. The show maintains a focus on traditional romantic triangles and does not engage in gender theory or the deconstruction of the family unit.

Anti-Theism4/10

The show incorporates traditional religious elements through Blair’s sincere turn to the Catholic Church during a personal crisis. She seeks guidance from a priest and treats her pact with God as a serious, life-altering commitment, acknowledging a power higher than her own social influence.