#Gossip Girl Season 1 Episode 6 Review: Parentsite

The new iteration of Gossip Girl is finally finding its footing, but the teachers dragged an otherwise solid episode down.

Gossip Girl (2021) Season 1 Episode 6 — the midseason finale — was filled with drama. It had so much, but much of that drama was centered around Jordan, Kate, Wendy, and Rafa.

If there’s one thing the reboot has done wrong, it’s giving these teachers so much screentime and influence.

Kate went from insufferable to irredeemable during “Parentsite,” and the weak writing for her characters is to blame.

Her tenacity to turn Gossip Girl into what I can only describe as a cultural reset makes her seem a little bit too psycho for me.

Making folders of her brainstormed ideas for the account was utterly ridiculous, quite frankly. Why would she want a paper trail leading right to the teachers?

It was ludicrous, and I’m also not a fan of her relationship with Nick. Thank god Jordan brought that to a close, even if he had an ulterior motive for it.

Jordan very clearly holds a torch for Kate, but she doesn’t reciprocate those feelings. It’s sad for him, but getting in a relationship would cause more problems in the long run.

Julien: I can’t believe he hasn’t told her.

Zoya: And lied about it. He knew she was coming for weeks.

Julien: You’re going to that dinner, right?

Zoya: No, I think I’ve crashed enough for one day.

Kate also needs to stay away from Nick and Zoya because she’s getting too close to them for this to not blow up in her face.

I really, really, really want Nick to unmask Gossip Girl, and given how observant he’s being with the account, maybe it will be as simple as Kate saying something in a similar tone to the account, which will pique his interest for answers.

The show isn’t giving Nick much to do beyond his relationship with Kate, and I’m still on the fence about whether the character deserves more screentime.

Through six episodes, it’s clear the show doesn’t know what it wants to do with him. His obsession with quoting references from the Gossip Girl account might put him in the frame for spearheading the account.

With Jordan’s IT skills, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility to point the account to one of Nick’s devices, and he would probably do it just to spite Kate.

The Rafa of it all was far more concerning. Kate made a deal with the devil by allowing him into the account, and now that he knows they’ve probably viewed the sex tape with Max, things are going to get gnarly all around.

It’s hard to believe the account is not being flagged in some capacity for having a video of a teacher having sex with one of his students.

Rafa has already proven to be a loose cannon, and his actions throughout this episode painted him as a stalker as well as an abuser.

Greetings, followers. Gossip Girl here. Your one and only, period. There are obvious upsides to being the children of the world’s most influential people.
Gossip Girl

Rafa will be able to lord it over Kate, Wendy, and Jordan that if they expose him, he can expose them for having the account.

He’s a worrisome individual, and it’s scary to imagine what he will do to get the power back. He was livid at the way Max was treating him, but Max had every right.

He lured Max into a false sense of security, making him believe their relationship was unique, but in reality, Rafa gets off on messing with his students. He likes to be in control.

I’m just glad Max was strong enough to realize what Rafa was up to, and hey, it helped him bond with his estranged father again. That’s the only good thing about this scenario.

Audrey outing Aki came out of nowhere, and while it was horrible, she was clearly struggling with what was going on with her mother.

She was showing up to school without her usual glam and struggling to keep it together. It was sad, sure, but Aki didn’t seem too concerned with her betrayal of trust.

Aki is probably the most easy-going character on TV, and I love how Evan Mock is getting more comfortable in the role by the episode.

The threesome was hardly a surprise. It’s like the show has been building toward it all season long, but it seems the show will be embracing Audrey, Aki, and Max as a throuple in the back half of the season.

Aki: Mom: Maybe just light instead, it gets chilly in hospitals.

Aki: I think I know my girlfriend, mom.

Aki’s Mom: Of course you do, it’s just a suggestion.

Will the trio be able to navigate this new dynamic, or will jealousy drag them apart? Time will tell.

Speaking of Aki, his father being a Rupert Murdoch-esque character was a bit of a surprise, but him using his son’s sexuality as a way to earn points with the public left my jaw firmly on the floor.

He was a wicked man who thought he could do whatever he wanted and get away with it. A part of me thought the scene of him on the private jet would be his last and that Aki would get a phone call saying the plane had disappeared or something.

Lyne Renée was the perfect pick as Helena, Obie’s mother. She had an icy personality that was perfectly synonymous with the series, and I love how the show has set up Obie to go against his parents.

Julien: This is a business.

Davis: It hasn’t been so far.

Julien: It could be. I just haven’t sought out endorsements because I haven’t had to worry about money, thanks to you.

These rich people only care about the bottom line and not about the people who will be affected by the housing crisis. This was the first episode I genuinely cared about Obie as a character and seeing his distinctly different views from his mother play out on-screen worked very well.

Pairing Obie with Zoya so early on was detrimental to his character development. His connection with Julien is so much stronger, and I appreciated how the show actually acknowledged why their relationship failed on so many levels.

Julien was self-absorbed, only caring about her brand. Now that Obie sees this other side to her, he’s beginning to understand that Julien does care about these people, even if she doesn’t show it.

The former lovers making out amid the riot was a surprise, but they have much better chemistry than Obie and Zoya.

It’s a shame Zoya is going to be so cut up about this, but what does she expect? She pretty much stole her sister’s boyfriend and is now on this high horse about it.

What also landed well was the deep dive into Julien’s career. Her father made some valid points about retirement packages for influencers.

When these people get canceled, they can lose everything, so how do they bounce back?

I wasn’t fond of Julien as an influencer, but to bring Gossip Girl into 2021, it really does need to shine a light on them.

Looks like Noble O may not be so noble after all.
Gossip Girl

“Parentsite” would have been so much better if all the teacher scenes were removed. The creative team needs to realize this group of characters is detracting from the focus of the show.

The new parents helped amp up the drama, and if the show continues to give us more of them, then this iteration could blossom into something very different from the original.

What are your thoughts on the hookups?

Are you as tired of the teachers as I am?

Hit the comments below.

Gossip Girl returns in the fall.

Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.