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Serena van der Woodsen

"Gossip Girl is going down!"

The IT girl of the Upper West Side. Cheerful and carefree, fun and spirited. When the show starts she returns to Manhattan after spending time at a boarding school.

• Absolute Cleavage
• Apologises a Lot
• Beauty Mark
• Bottle Fairy
• Cool Big Sis
• Distressed Damsel: The fact that being in a car crash thanks to wolves roaming New York, being conned by her boyfriend, and her mother having her arrested for stealing a bracelet are not the best examples of why she fits this trope should tell you something.
• Dumb Blonde
• Easily Forgiven: Slightly subverted. She took Blair's boyfriend's virginity, then moved to Vermont without telling Blair she was leaving, then ignored Blair's calls, texts and e-mails for a year even though she knew Blair's parents were getting a divorce (due to Blair's father leaving her mother for another man) and Blair's father was moving away to France. Blair did give her hell and humiliated her in public, but then forgave her after a few episodes. Not for the last time, either.
  • Played straight throughout most of the rest of the series to ridiculous levels.
• Fan Service: Many fans consider her breasts to be characters in their own right.
• The Fashionista
• Gag Boobs
• Good Bad Girl
• Hair of Gold
• Heterosexual Life Partners: With Blair.
• Hormone-Addled Teenager
• Horrible Judge of Character: Serena decides whether a person is good or bad by the following criteria: They like me - they're good. They don't like me - they're bad.
• In Love With Love: Season three and onward.
• In-Series Nickname: S.
• Late for School: Basically a trademark in the books. Carries over to the show every once in a while.
• Mistaken for Pregnant: After she ends up on Gossip Girl while buying pregnancy tests for Blair in season one.
• Ms. Fanservice: Once in a blue moon Blake Lively appears in something that actually covers her legs and/or her boobs.
• One Born Every Minute: Gets conned by her boyfriend in late season two.
• Parental Abandonment
• Parental Issues
• Pretty in Mink: Wore a white fur stole for the would-be photo shoot in "Kids Stay In the Picture".
• Really Gets Around
• Romantic Two-Girl Friendship: With Blair.
• Serial Romeo: From season two and onward.
• She's Got Legs: Hell to the yes.
• Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Dan in season one.
• Statuesque Stunner
• Teacher-Student Romance: With Colin Forrester in season four.

Princess Blair Waldorf

Leighton Meester as Blair

"I am not a stop along the way. I am a destination."

Serena's BFF (and occasional rival). The preppy queen of Constance Billard, always with a crew of minions around her. Ruthless and elitist yet very much a loving friend and girlfriend. Although if you ask Dan Humphrey she's a 95-pound, doe-eyed, bonmot-tossing, label-whoring package of girly evil.

• Alpha Bitch: In season one.
• Always Someone Better: Blair is always upstaged by Serena. Often without Serena even trying.
• Belligerent Sexual Tension: Chuck and Blair.
• The B Grade: Gets a B in season two and goes after the teacher who gave her the grade. She needs straight As to get into Yale.
• Better As Friends: She and Nate.
• Brainy Brunette
• Daddy's Girl: Even though her father moved to another continent with his new lover.
• Deadpan Snarker
• Death Glare
• Fallen Princess: When rumors about her being pregnant by either Nate or Chuck hit Gossip Girl.
• Fan Service: Often appears wearing sexy lingerie.
• The Fashionista
• Fish Out of Water: At NYU.
• Hello Nurse
• Heterosexual Life Partners: With Serena.
• Hormone-Addled Teenager
• In-Series Nickname: Queen B, or just B.
• Just Friends: From what used to be a Crack Ship, in Season 4 they have started to develop a snarky, She Is Not My Girlfriend, Belligerent Sexual Tension styled version of this with Dan.
• Living Emotional Crutch: To Chuck.
• Lovable Alpha Bitch
• Love Martyr: For Chuck Bass. Then in late season three she realises it's not healthy to love someone so much that you'd prostitute yourself for them and breaks up with him.
• Madden Into Misanthropy: When Yale kicked her out.
• Mama Bear: For the members of the Non-Judging Breakfast Club.
  • Also, Eric fairly often and Jenny in the past.
• Mistaken for Pregnant: Brings about her social downfall in season one.
• Odd Friendship: With Dan
• Older Sidekick: Dorota, her Polish maid.
• One-Hour Work Week: Most people who go to college actually attend classes.
• Parental Abandonment
• Parental Issues
• Plucky Girl
• Preppy Name: Blair herself and her actress, Leighton Meester.
• Princess in Rags: Occasionally.
• Ready for Lovemaking: Once for Nate and at least three times for Chuck.
• Rich Bitch
• Romantic Two-Girl Friendship: With Serena.
• Seemingly Wholesome Fifties Girl
• Smart People Play Chess: Blair plays chess with Dorota.
• Team Mom
• Tsundere
• The Unfavorite: Blair's mother prefers Serena.
• Will They or Won't They?: With Chuck.

Chuck Bass

"Dude. I’m Chuck Bass. Even Europeans must know what that means."

Serena's brother (through adoption) and Blair's main love interest. The richest character on the show and also the most ruthless. Spends most of his time brooding in fancy suits while sipping scotch and plotting somebody's downfall.

• Anti-Hero
• Attempted Rape: Twice in the pilot episode, no less.
• Belligerent Sexual Tension: Chuck and Blair.
• Bigger Is Better in Bed: The show likes to hint at this being the case with Chuck.
• Byronic Hero: If he wasn't before, season 4 is turning him into one of these.
• Billionaire Playboy
• Breakout Character
• Butt Monkey: Most characters (including his family) treat him like crap and never feel bad about it.
• Catch Phrase: "I'm Chuck Bass."
• The Chessmaster
• Crazy Jealous Guy: He's even lampshaded it himself.
• Cultured Badass
• Deadpan Snarker
• Death Glare
• Determinator
• Draco in Leather Pants
• Drowning My Sorrows
• Morality Pet: Monkey.
• Mr. Fanservice
• Even the Guys Want Him
• Fake American: Played by British Ed Westwick.
• Fatal Flaw: Mention the magic words, "Bart would(n't) be proud" and Chuck will do anything to get back to where he thinks his father would want him to be.
• Happily Adopted
• Harem Seeker
• The Hedonist: When he's not with Blair.
• Hormone-Addled Teenager
• Hot Guys Are Bastards
• Jerk With a Heart of Gold
• Karma Houdini: Oh God, where to start... He is far too often Easily Forgiven, considering he nearly raped Jenny, sold Blair to his uncle, abused her mentally then assaulted her.... Only the future will tell us if he manages to be remain it, especially when taking into count the last arc.
• Ladykiller in Love
• Madden Into Misanthropy: When he lost Blair in late season three.
• Odd Friendship: With Nate.
  • And Dan. At least until he figures out Dan sent the video about Blair declaring her love for Chuck.
• Parental Abandonment
• Parental Issues
• Quick Nip
• Really Gets Around
• Real Men Wear Both Pink And Purple
• Scarf of Asskicking
• Sharp Dressed Man: In season one his wardrobe was rather varied... to say the least. It got more subdued in season two, and by season three he only ever wears suits outside his penthouse.
• Stalking Is Love: Re: Blair.
• Token Evil Teammate
• Upper Class Wit
• "Well Done, Son" Guy
• Will They or Won't They?: With Blair.

Nate Archibald

"Affairs with married people, love triangles... Just so happens everyone's problems are within my area of expertise."

The fourth member of the show's core four (aka the Non-Judging Breakfast Club). Chuck's best friend, Blair's former boyfriend and Serena's occasional love interest. Comes with a large dose of family drama, a fair dose of stupidity and dashing manbangs.

• Better As Friends: Him and Blair.
• Big Man On Campus
• Big Screwed-Up Family: His mother's family, the Vanderbilts.
• Chick Magnet
• Chronic Hero Syndrome: Nate loves coming to the rescue of damsells in distress.
• Dating Catwoman: Bree Buckley, his girlfriend in early season three.
• The Drag Along: Nate usually has to be forced or talked into joining the NJBC adventures.
• Mr. Fanservice
• Fan Nickname: Manbangs.
• Fan Service: Often struts around shirtless.
• Hair of Gold
• Hormone-Addled Teenager
• In Love With Love
• Likes Older Women
• May-December Romance: With Lady Catherine.
• Nice Guy: He's probably the nicest character on the series. And when compared to Chuck and Blair, he could practically run for Jesus.
• Odd Friendship: With Chuck.
• One-Hour Work Week: Never seems to attend classes (which was lampshaded by Blair in season three)
• Parental Abandonment
• Parental Issues
• Perpetual Expression: Extreme confusion. Dubbed Natefusion by the fans.
• Preppy Name: Nathaniel Archibald. Played by Chace Crawford.
• Prince Charming
• Really Gets Around
• Serial Romeo
• Took a Level In Dumbass: He was never the brightest bulb on the Christmas Tree but even his actor has started to complain about how stupid Nate has become.
• With Friends Like These: Treats his best friend Chuck like crap most of the time.

Dan Humphrey

"We don’t have any servants here so if you see anybody else in the loft besides me, call the police. It’s not the chef."

Dan is the Brooklyn boy who falls in love with IT girl Serena van der Woodsen, only to find he doesn't exactly fit well in her world. By and by he becomes more adjusted, but he still thinks the world of the Upper East Side crowd is highly immoral. Dan is an aspiring writer who in the books writes delightfully awful poetry but in the TV series prefers short stories.

• Beware the Nice Ones: Starting the end of season 3, but more notably in season 4

"They have peace treaties!"

• Butt Monkey: If someone is on the receiving end of a biting, horrible insult, You can bet its going to be Dan.
• Cool Loser
• Deadpan Snarker
• Fan Service: Likes being shirtless.
• Fish Out of Water
• Friends With Benefits: Attempts this with Vanessa in season three.
• Her Codename Was Mary Sue: The stories Dan writes about the Upper East Side.
• Hormone-Addled Teenager
• I Cant Believe A Girl Like You Would Notice Me: Dan dreamed of Serena from afar for years before she finally noticed him in the pilot episode.
• Informed Ability: We're told he's a really good writer and he managed to get published in the New Yorker. But when we actually get to see anything he's written it's merely okay. And the Charlie Trout thing was just narmy.
• In-Series Nickname: Lonely Boy.
• In With the In Crowd
• Just Friends: With Vanessa.
  • In Season Four himself and Blair have started to develop a snarky, She Is Not My Girlfriend, Beligerent Sexual Tension styled version of this.
• Most Writers Are Writers
• Odd Friendship: With Blair
• One-Hour Work Week: Hardly ever seen at NYU.
• Only Sane Man
• Tall, Dark and Handsome
• Teacher-Student Romance: With Rachel Carr during senior year of high school.

Jenny Humphrey

"Don't you read Gossip Girl? Extortion is what I do, all day."

Dan's younger sister who starts off idolizing Serena and wanting Blair's respect. Her innocence vanishes more and more each season and by now she could probably out-bitch Blair if she wanted to. Jenny's got a talent for designing and loves to make her own clothes.

Hardly ever seen in season four, and with Taylor Momsen dropped from the regular cast (and her subsequent announcement she was quitting acting in favour of music) likely to not appear at all in season five.

• Adaptation Dye Job: She was a brunette in the books but on the show she's a blonde.
• Aesop Amnesia: Has to learn the "not letting the cool kids change who I am" lesson every couple of episodes.
• Annoying Younger Sibling: Not at first, but more and more each season.
• Backstabbing the Alpha Bitch
• Becoming the Mask
• Big Bra to Fill: Jenny in the books had double-D breasts.
• Daddy's Girl: Arguable case. While Jenny usually goes against everything Rufus says she seems to be a Daddy's Girl at heart.
• Emo Teen
• Fag Hag: To Eric.
• Fan Girl:It's been mentioned several times that she's a huge Twilight fangirl. She even once tried to explain the concept to Lily.
• The Fashionista
• Hormone-Addled Teenager
• Improbable Age: At fifteen years old Jenny is a mini-couturier who is able to rival most professional designers during New York's fashion week.
• Informed Ability: Despite her success at fashion week none of her clothes have been anything out of the ordinary.
• In-Series Nickname: Little J.
• Love Makes You Crazy: Regarding Nate in season three.
• Parental Issues
• Peer Pressure Makes You Evil
• Playing the Victim Card: A favorite of hers.
• Put On a Bus: Season 4 had her moving upstate with her mother, a character only seen briefly in season 1 and mostly unreferenced throughout most of the series. She returns briefly but is likely gone for good.
• Real Life Writes the Plot - The change of Jenny's personality & personal style were all because of Taylor Momsen's sudden change in personal style. She was also writen off the first time to pursue her musical career then permanently so when she continued to clash with production.
• The Runaway: Twice.
• Shipper On Deck: She used to be a Darena shipper.
• Single Girl Seeks Most Popular Guy
• Yandere: For Nate.

Lily van der Woodsen/Bass/Humphrey

"If Serena's indiscretions were as PG as Jenny's, I wouldn't have needed the botox."

Biological mother to Serena and Eric, adoptive mother to Chuck, stepmother to Dan and Jenny. Lily was much like her daughter Serena when she was younger, trying to break free from her strict mother's demands. As an adult she has been spending most of her time getting married and getting divorced. She can be very caring and loving when she wants to, but most of the time she's an absent parent.

• Beta Couple: With Rufus.
• Breakout Character
• The Fashionista
• Former Teen Rebel
• Full Name Ultimatum: Subverted. She calls her adopted son Charles at all times, except for when she's referring do his deviant side.
• Generation Xerox
• Hands-Off Parenting: To say the very least.
• Hot Mom
• Long-Lost Relative: Scott, the son she had with Rufus and gave up for adoption.
• Parental Issues
• Parenting the Husband: Seems to have to do this with Rufus.
• Socialite
• Wedding Day: Twice.

Rufus Humphrey

"I promise to eat caviar without spitting it out in my napkin when we go to dinner at Mayor Bloomberg’s. As long as he knows when he comes to our house he’s eating my chili."

Dan and Jenny's father, and stepfather to Eric, Serena and Chuck. A former rock star (or at least pseudo-star) who had a love affair with Lily in his youth. Years later his son falls in love with Lily's daughter and eventually he and Lily find their way back to one another. Rufus is probably the most attentive parent on the show, although lately it seems he doesn't do much during the day.

• Beta Couple: With Lily.
• Breakout Character
• Flanderization: He used to be a cool rocker-type dad. Now he's just some boring guy who sits at home all day and/or follows Lily around. With her coat in season 4.
  • Directly referenced by him in season 5.
• House Husband
• Long-Lost Relative: Scott, the son Lily gave birth to and gave up for adoption (without telling Rufus about it).
• One-Note Cook: Actually he can make chili, bolognese and waffles. Especially waffles. But his cooking skills end there.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Waffles.
• Twitchy Eye

Vanessa Abrams

"My parents are artists, my sister’s a musician. Just like going to an Ivy is your family’s way, not going to college is mine."

Dan's bohemian BFF and on-and-off crush. Vanessa is a documentary film maker and aspiring script writer who frowns on everything regarding the Upper East Side.

• Brainy Brunette
• Distaff Counterpart: To Dan.
• Enter Stage Window
• Friends With Benefits: Attempts this with Dan in season three.
• Granola Girl
• Hormone-Addled Teenager
• Informed Ability: She's a good enough writer to get accepted at Tisch but we've never gotten to see anything she's written. She's also supposed to have a great talent for documentary film making but she seems to just walk around randomly with a camera...
• Just Friends: With Dan.
• Mandatory Line
• Moment Killer: When Dan and Serena try to have sex.
• One-Hour Work Week: Goes to NYU but never seems to have classes.
• Parental Abandonment
• Parental Issues
• Put On a Bus: Put on a plane, actually, in the season four finale.
• Unlimited Wardrobe: Given that she claims to barely be able to afford food she sure has a large wardrobe. With a lot of expensive designer outfits in it.

Eric van der Woodsen

"Jenny, your sweet potatoes are bland."

Serena's little brother, who is often the sole voice of reason. Gone from the show in season five.

• Ascended Extra
• All Gays Are Promiscuous: Subverted.
• Coming Out Story: A season one episode reveals that he is gay.
• Driven to Suicide: The reason why Serena returns in the pilot is because Eric tried to kill himself.
• Lonely Rich Kid: When Serena left for boarding school.
• Only Sane Man: Most of the time. Recently, less so. Definitely in the context of his own family, however.
• Parental Abandonment
• Parental Issues
• Took a Level In Jerkass: In seasons one, two and three he was the only through-and-through decent character. In season four he plots to take Chuck and Blair down and hates on Chuck in favor of Jenny, even though Chuck has always treated Eric well and Jenny has thrown Eric under the bus countless times.
• What Happened to The Mouse? : As far as season 5 goes, he completly disappeared from the radar without any explanation.
  • There was a throw away line about him starting college in one of the episode at the beginning of the season.

Gossip Girl

"And who am I? That's one secret I'll never tell."

The girl (guy?) who runs the blog the whole series is built around.

• Alliterative Name
• Big Brother Is Watching
• Catch Phrase: "You know you love me. XO XO - Gossip Girl."
• Character Blog
• Character Title
• Fauxlosophic Narration: Every now and then.
• He/She Who Must Not Be Seen
• Interactive Narrator
• School Newspaper Newshound: Of the modern technology variety.
• Title Drop: See Catch Phrase.

Dorota Kishlovsky

"KGB can't get me to talk. Chuck Bass has no chance."

Blair's nanny/maid/sidekick. Dorota is actually a Polish duchess but she moved to America to escape an unhappy marriage and began to work for the Waldorfs. In many ways the real mother figure in Blair's life and the person who does most of Blair's legwork for her.

• Ascended Extra: Started out as a background character but evolved into Blair's eternal sidekick. Dorota got a backstory in the webisodes "Chasing Dorota" and had an entire episode revolve around her wedding day.
• Beta Couple: She and Vanya (Chuck's doorman). Chuck actually helped Vanya win Dorota's heart, and he threw their wedding.
• Cool Old Lady
• Happiness in Slavery: Pretty much a modern example.
• Long-Lost Relative: Her estranged husband shows up in Chasing Dorota.
• Mama Bear: Towards Blair.
• Older Sidekick: Blair's a teenager and while we haven't been given Dorota's exact age her actress is in her thirties. And Cyrus has confirmed that she practically raised Blair, meaning she ought to be at least ten years Blair's senior.
• Parental Substitute: As noted above she practically raised Blair.
• Servile Snarker: Though mostly the facial expressions she makes when Blair says or does something she deems snark-worthy. Dubbed Dorota's WTF face by the fans.
• Shipper On Deck: She always wants what is best for Blair, and seems pretty convinced that Chuck is the person Blair is meant to be with.
  • At least, at first. Now, she's more persistant about Dan.
• Smart People Play Chess
• Undying Loyalty: She is always on Blair's side, no matter what.

Georgina Sparks

"You can tell "Jesus", the bitch is back"

A former friend of Serena van der Woodsen and sworn enemy of Blair Waldorf, she is the series' most recurring antagonist. As it turns out during season 5 (major spoiler), she usurped Gossip Girl's identity.

• Actor Allusion: She is once referred as a vampire by Blair. Georgina is played by Michelle Trachtenberg.
• Arch Enemy: To both Serena and Blair.
• Ascended Extra
• The Baby Trap: To Dan.
• Batman Gambit: In season 3's The Lost Boy, where she sends Blair a fake invitation to an elite society and uses a contact who works for someone Chuck is trying to impress in order to send the pair after the same photograph, thus bringing out both Blair and Chuck's competitive, self-serving sides and attempting to drive a wedge between the pair.
• Blackmail: She blackmails Serena in season one; she uses her knowledge of Serena sort of, but not actually, killing a man to control her.
• Blondes Are Evil: In season 4.
• Brief Accent Imitation
• The Dreaded: Serena is terrified of her, and even the others have Oh Crap moments with her on the loose.
• Evil Counterpart: She started out as what Serena could have become. In later seasons she seems to have become more of an Evil Counterpart to Blair around about the same time Blair became her main enemy.
• Mean Character, Nice Actor: Georgina is a Rich Bitch Magnificent Bitch bar none. Michelle Trachtenberg is a completely Adorkable Nice Girl.
• Oh Crap: “You can tell Jesus that the bitch is back”. Cue epic Oh Crap look from Blair.
• Put On a Bus: For almost a full season after she is sent to reform school in the season one finale. In fact, although she's a reccuring antagonist, she often appears only once in a while in each season for some episodes, and disappear as quickly as she arrived (after wreaking some havoc). Kind of a Zigzag Bus.
• Reformed but Rejected: In late season 2.
  • Especially prevalant in the season 4 penultimate episode, where she is yearning to get in on the dirt but is being snubbed.
• The Reveal: Averted. It looks like she's Gossip Girl, but it's revealed that she's just usurping her identity.
• We Used to Be Friends: To Serena.
• Yandere: For Dan.