8, Vanessa finally has a story! Vanessa drifted along during Gossip Girl Season One - she would make an occasional guest appearance and was more or less on par with Katy and Isabel in terms of story line up right up until the end. Finally, the writers gave her something to do. She had a brief fling with Nate, sparred with Blair and helped take Georgina down. What’s on tap for next season? I can’t wait to find out!

Nate kisses Vanessa.

Wha-huh? He kisses who?

Yep, Vanessa sees something in Nate that she didn’t see before, having chalked him up to being quite shallow. She puts her feelings for Dan aside and enjoys a fun evening with Nate.

Nate, clearly tired of the world that he’s been living in, is drawn to Vanessa’s quirky view of life. He enjoys his time hanging out with her - and repays her kindness by convincing her to show up for the SATs.

A romance for the ages? Likely not. They broke up at the end of Season One. But are they done?

–

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We’ve all known for awhile that Vanessa has never gotten over Dan… and in the event that we were in danger of forgetting, we had Blair to remind us.

They were the best friends that grew up together. It was only natural that they would fall for each other. Only, the attraction was rarely mutual at the same time - kind of a flaw in a relationship.

Vanessa breezed back into town at the beginning of the season with her sights on Dan. By this time, however, Dan was smitten with Serena and was growing quite accustomed to his new life/social standing. Vanessa remained on the outside.

But now that Dan has seen what really goes on inside those ivory towers, is he ready to go back to his old life? The writers would have us think so. But is a Dan and Vanessa romance really in the cards?

Um, no.

I predict a short-lived fling. Dan will grow to feel comfortable with Vanessa again but ultimately, she’s not what he wants. She is the token girl best friend. Her role is to pine and think about what could have been…

The producers have purposefully pitted Vanessa and Serena as polar opposites. Rich, poor. Blonde, brunette. Fashionable, bo-ho chic. Bad girl turned good, good girl.

It seems to fall on Dan to make a choice about what (or who) is most important to him. The thing is, the finale made it feel like Serena wasn’t important to him. The *almost* having sex with Georgina, a girl that he knew to be a liar? Serena believing that Dan was such a good person that he could never understand the worst in her? It doesn’t make for such a flattering portrait of their relationship.

And all the while, Vanessa is his best girl pal, waiting in the wings.

Hmm. Will he be thrown back together with Serena? Or will Serena find happiness with Nate?

In November, most of you thought that Serena deserved to date Dan. Has that changed?

(Image: Newscom)

Nate and Vanessa are one of those pairings that felt forced when the writers first put them together - much like the Dan and “Sarah” story line. You got the feeling, very much so, that it was all in spite to punish Blair. After all, what could be worse for an Upper East Sider than to lose your ex - not to another member of the elite - but to a girl who doesn’t have money and (gasps) appears to work for a living? Vanessa had previously one-upped Blair… How very convenient to get revenge by stealing her man?

But - and you’re going to hate me for this - I kind of like where the story line is going.

Yes, it feels forced. I agree that the writers kind of bounced Vanessa all around as villain and poor girl just trying to make good and frenemy to Serena… I think they’ve finally settled down and I like who Vanessa is becoming. Now that Vanessa has more of a presence in the show, the relationship is a bit more organic - rather than just throwing two people together and seeing what happens. We understand more where each of Vanessa and Nate are coming from.

I like that she has her own moral compass which is very different from that of Serena or Blair. I like that she sees past money and privilege. I like that she calls a spade a spade. I like her maturity - as cute as Taylor Momsen is, a Nate/Jenny relationship would have been a disaster; Nate needs someone who has knows her way around the world a bit more.

And I think Nate needs someone a little more grounded. After all, he more than most of his friends, understands that too much privilege can be a bad thing. He has learned that money can’t buy everything. He knows that remaining in a relationship for the sake of appearance isn’t good for anyone.

So I like where this is going. The “wrong side of the tracks” thing is working for me in this relationship. I think it opens up a whole other world for the writers to explore. Are Vanessa and Nate meant to be together? Will Nate realize that he still loves Blair? Or has he never gotten over Serena? Has Vanessa really been in love with Dan all of these years - or is it more the idea of Dan? The possibilities are endless.

Don’t get me wrong. In real life, I don’t think a Vanessa and Nate relationship would last. There is far too much baggage there… And Dan isn’t so far out of the privileged world that he is a complete outsider but Vanessa? Way, way out. There’s no sameness at all, none. And that is really difficult in a relationship. Nonetheless, I like that they’re giving it a whirl.

What do you think?

(Image: Newscom)

Wow, Blair’s claws are out!

And Vanessa, dear, do something about that thing in your hair. You soooo can’t carry it off.

Who is the most fashionable Gossip Girl?

Is it:

Preppy Blair

Carefree Serena

Quirky Jenny

Boho Vanessa

Power Sidekick Katy

Uptown Chic Isabel

Classic Lily

Vote in the sidebar for your favorite and leave your comments below!

Dear GGRR:

It seems that things are heating up on the GG set these days. The role V has finally been cast - and she’s not the dark drama queen that we thought. She’s rather cute and quirky - a little competition for B? And what will D do? Hmm. Things are getting interesting.

- GGR

Vanessa is not one of the privileged few on Gossip Girl. In the book series, she is actually written as almost the anti-Serena: dark and dramatic.

She meets film director Ken Mogul and lands a job working on his movie, Breakfast at Fred’s, starring in book three. Just as Serena is finding her confidence, Vanessa loses hers - and ultimately her job. Luckily, she manages to parlay that loss into an even better summer outing… but I don’t want to give too much away.

Quite a bit has been said about the casting of Lindsey Broad as Vanessa. Artsy and alternative, yes. But is she dark enough to play Vanessa? In the books, Vanessa was often portrayed as edgy - and a little bit Goth. Is Lindsey too cute to play Vanessa?