DVD Reviews

Gossip Girl: The Complete Third Season – DVD Review

By June L. Sep 13, 2010, 15:08 GMT

Spotted: Our beloved Upper East Siders, all grown up. Though high school may be behind most of them, you can be sure a future of love, scandal and, of course, secrets awaits. Based on the best-selling series of young-adult novels by Cecily von Ziegesar, this drama is told through the eyes of an all-knowing blogger -- Gossip Girl -- who, via constant, avidly read text messages, is determined to uncover ...more

Leaving high school behind doesn’t change much for the Upper East Side young people, except perhaps to make life and love even more complicated.

As the summer is ending, viewers catch up with the activities of all their favorites in the first episode of Season 3 which initiates stories as full of fashion and sizzle as anyone could wish.

With Serena (Blake Lively) returning from Europe more mysterious than ever, Chuck (Ed Westwick) and Blair (Leighton Meester) a solid couple again, and the Humphrey family enjoying the good life in the Hamptons, there is a fleeting thought that things will finally go as the characters plan.

This is Gossip Girl, however, and things always get twisted, shaken up and changed. Adding to the action this season are guest appearances by Hilary Duff, Tyra Banks, Joanna Garcia, Gina Torres, and Michelle Tractenberg.

These ladies are given great names (try saying them out loud and see if they don’t conjure glamour or evil) and even more fun roles. Hilary Duff plays Olivia Burke, a famous movie star who has the wish for a normal college experience, hah, when is ANY college experience NORMAL, and well she has fallen in with the Upper East Side Crowd.

Tyra Banks is the demanding diva Ursula Nyquest who is in Olivia’s movie and has Serena working as her publicist. Joanna Garcia plays Bree Buckley, who has Nate in thrall but her plans really don’t focus on him.

Michelle Tractenber is the conniving Georgina Sparks who does her best to ruin Blair’s social standing at college and Gina Torres plays Vanessa’s mother Gabriela Abrams.

The music this year is enhanced by performances from cast member Leighton Meester whose duet with Cobra Starship “Good Girls Go Bad” is in the episode called The Freshman. Her song “Your Love is a Drug” is also featured in the episode The Unblairable Lightness of Being.

More musical excitement in this season was in performances by the group Sonic Youth and by pop star Lady Gaga (who also made a cameo appearance.) Themed shows for the holidays of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas gave writers and cast members a chance to play with drama both old and new.

Chuck’s Christmas visit from the ghost of his father Burt gave the series a Dickensian feel.

Gossip Girl: The Complete Third Season is presented on five discs containing all 22 episodes and a variety of specials in a bookcase container with slipcase. A 12 page color booklet is included, illustrated with stills from the season and containing production notes and a brief synopsis for each episode.

The special features include unaired scenes for many of the episodes, “Gossip Girl Mode: An Interactive Viewing Experience on Episode 16 The Empire Strikes Jack. Want to give a party Gossip Girl style? Watch the featurette “A Gossip Girl Fabulous Affair to gather tips on how to make a party sparkle.

Lady Gaga has a music video “Bad Romance” and the Plasticines present “Bitch.” The specials are rounded out with a gag reel, which demonstrates that these are normal kids having a grand time with the over the top roles given to them.