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Pilot (Gossip Girl)
Encyclopedia
"Pilot" is the first episode of the CW
television series, Gossip Girl
. The episode was written by Josh Schwartz
and Stephanie Savage
and directed by Mark Piznarski
. The episode debuted as a free download available on ITunes
on September 14, 2007, five days before the series' initial broadcast. It originally aired on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 on CTV
and Wednesday, September 19, 2007 on the CW
.
's (Blake Lively
) mysterious return to Manhattan
after a year-long stint at a boarding school becomes the talk of the town when the news of her homecoming is posted on a popular blog site published by an unknown character by the screen name of "Gossip Girl" (voiced by Kristen Bell
). Serena's best friend, Blair Waldorf
(Leighton Meester
), however, is less than thrilled to see her again, especially when her plans of losing her virginity to her boyfriend, Nate Archibald
(Chace Crawford
), are interrupted when Serena arrives unexpectedly at a party.
In spite of their heart-to-heart talk together, Serena and Blair's re-ignited friendship is short-lived when Nate confesses to her that he and Serena slept together the night before she left, and although Blair forgives Nate, she refuses to forgive Serena.
Outsider Dan Humphrey
(Penn Badgley
) becomes smitten with Serena as soon as he learns that she has arrived back in town and, after trying to return Serena's phone to her, she asks him out on a date simply as an excuse not to go to Blair's "Kiss on the Lips" party. Dan takes Serena to his dad's band's concert, but they are forced to leave when his younger sister Jenny
(Taylor Momsen
) sends him a text message from Blair's party asking for help. Dan and Serena turn heads as they burst in on the party and search frantically for Jenny. They find her on the roof, where an egotistical sex-addicted Chuck Bass
(Ed Westwick
) is attempting to take advantage of her. Dan punches Chuck and he and Serena leave in disgust, hand-in-hand with Jenny tagging along.
The apparent reason for Serena's abrupt return is revealed to be her younger brother Eric (Connor Paolo
), who unsuccessfully tried to commit suicide but is now living in a psychiatric institution. Fortunately, not even "Gossip Girl" is aware of this.
In addition, the past affair between Dan and Jenny's father Rufus (Matthew Settle
) and Serena and Eric's mother is brought to light when Lily (Kelly Rutherford
) asks Rufus whether he is using his son to get close to her again.
were assembled from February to April 2007. Blake Lively and Leighton Meester were the first two actresses to be chosen in February for the lead roles of Serena van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf respectively. Penn Badgley, Taylor Momsen, Chace Crawford, Kelly Rutherford, Connor Paolo and Florencia Lozano
also auditioned successfully and landed roles in the series in March
. Actors for the roles of Chuck Bass and Rufus Humphrey were found in April when Ed Westwick
and Matthew Settle
were cast. As rumors swirled about the impending cancellation of Veronica Mars
, it was revealed at The CW's 2007 Upfronts on May 17, 2007 that Kristen Bell
had narrated the pilot, thus making her the title character of another show on the network.
's Meeta Agrawal places Blake Lively's Serena van der Woodsen amongst the wearers of the 20 Knockout Dresses of the '00s. Her Tory Burch
designed dress that she wore while she waited for Dan at The New York Palace Hotel
marble staircase earned her the 2nd spot on the list.
of the fall 2007 season to be picked up by its network. "Pilot" had mediocre ratings overall, but performed well in key demographics and is one of the most buzzed about new shows on the internet. Its digital video recorder
ratings were high, increasing the show's profitability. The show has also been in the top five of iTunes sales. Scott D. Pierce of the Deseret Morning News noted that Gossip Girl is milder than a lot of what's shown on MTV
, but still warned parents of several scenes in the pilot. He said it includes "among other things, a teenage girl climbing on top of a boy and removing his clothes; drunken teens having sex; teens smoking pot; teens drinking in bars, in a limo and at a party; a teen boy getting amorous with a girl who fights him off; and that same teen boy essentially attempting to rape a freshman girl who is supposed to be, what, 14?". In the United Kingdom
Gossip GIrl scored an average of 520,000 viewers on itv2
.
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
television series, Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl (TV series)
Gossip Girl is an American teen drama television series based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series was created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, and premiered on The CW on September 19, 2007...
. The episode was written by Josh Schwartz
Josh Schwartz
-Film school at USC:In 1995, Schwartz realized his boyhood dream of attending film school to study screen and television writing at the University of Southern California...
and Stephanie Savage
Stephanie Savage
Stephanie Savage is a Canadian screenwriter and television producer. Savage is best known for developing The CW's teen drama series, Gossip Girl from the novel series, and being an executive producer of the Fox series The O.C....
and directed by Mark Piznarski
Mark Piznarski
Mark Piznarski is an American director and producer of film and television.He has directed episodes from a number of television series, including, amongst others, Veronica Mars, The Lying Game, Gossip Girl, 90210, NYPD Blue, Friday Night Lights, Everwood, My So-Called Life, Relativity and To Love...
. The episode debuted as a free download available on ITunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on September 14, 2007, five days before the series' initial broadcast. It originally aired on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 on CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
and Wednesday, September 19, 2007 on the CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
.
Plot
Serena van der WoodsenSerena van der Woodsen
Serena Celia van der Woodsen is a fictional character in the young adult novel series Gossip Girl and its television adaptation. Serena is featured on the blog of the novel series' mysterious "Gossip Girl" narrator...
's (Blake Lively
Blake Lively
Blake Christina Lively is an American actress and model who stars as Serena van der Woodsen in the television teen drama series Gossip Girl...
) mysterious return to Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
after a year-long stint at a boarding school becomes the talk of the town when the news of her homecoming is posted on a popular blog site published by an unknown character by the screen name of "Gossip Girl" (voiced by Kristen Bell
Kristen Bell
Kristen Anne Bell is an American actress. Although her first film role was an uncredited appearance in Polish Wedding, Bell previously acted in stage and musical productions. In 2001, she made her Broadway debut as Becky Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer...
). Serena's best friend, Blair Waldorf
Blair Waldorf
Blair Cornelia Waldorf is the main character of Gossip Girl, introduced in the original series of novels and also appearing in their television and manga adaptations. Described as "a girl of extremes" by creator Cecily von Ziegesar, she is a comical overachiever who possesses both snobbish and...
(Leighton Meester
Leighton Meester
Leighton Marissa Meester is an American actress and singer. Meester first garnered attention for playing Blair Waldorf in the CW television series Gossip Girl...
), however, is less than thrilled to see her again, especially when her plans of losing her virginity to her boyfriend, Nate Archibald
Nate Archibald (Gossip Girl)
Nathaniel Fitzwilliam "Nate" Archibald is a character in the best selling Gossip Girl book series. He is portrayed by Chace Crawford in the television series of the same name...
(Chace Crawford
Chace Crawford
Christopher Chace Crawford , better known as Chace Crawford, is an American actor. He currently portrays Nate Archibald on the CW television drama Gossip Girl.-Early life:...
), are interrupted when Serena arrives unexpectedly at a party.
In spite of their heart-to-heart talk together, Serena and Blair's re-ignited friendship is short-lived when Nate confesses to her that he and Serena slept together the night before she left, and although Blair forgives Nate, she refuses to forgive Serena.
Outsider Dan Humphrey
Dan Humphrey
Daniel Randolph "Dan" Humphrey is a fictional character in the best selling Gossip Girl book series. He is the main male character in the television series of the same name and is portrayed by Penn Badgley. Daniel Humphrey is the son of Rufus Humphrey and has a younger sister, Jenny Humphrey. His...
(Penn Badgley
Penn Badgley
Penn Dayton Badgley is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Dan Humphrey on the CW television series Gossip Girl. He has also starred in the movies John Tucker Must Die, The Stepfather, and Easy A....
) becomes smitten with Serena as soon as he learns that she has arrived back in town and, after trying to return Serena's phone to her, she asks him out on a date simply as an excuse not to go to Blair's "Kiss on the Lips" party. Dan takes Serena to his dad's band's concert, but they are forced to leave when his younger sister Jenny
Jenny Humphrey
Jennifer Tallulah "Jenny" Humphrey is one of the characters in both the Gossip Girl and The It Girl series of novels by Cecily von Ziegesar...
(Taylor Momsen
Taylor Momsen
Taylor Michel Momsen is an American actress, musician and model who portrays the character of Jenny Humphrey on the CW television series Gossip Girl and portrayed the role of Cindy Lou Who in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and fronts the rock band The Pretty Reckless.-Early life and career:Taylor...
) sends him a text message from Blair's party asking for help. Dan and Serena turn heads as they burst in on the party and search frantically for Jenny. They find her on the roof, where an egotistical sex-addicted Chuck Bass
Chuck Bass
Charles Bartholomew "Chuck" Bass is a fictional character in the Gossip Girl series of teen novels and the television series of the same name. He is portrayed by English actor Ed Westwick. Although he is a secondary, antagonistic character in the original book series, in the television series Chuck...
(Ed Westwick
Ed Westwick
Edward Jack P. "Ed" Westwick is an English actor and musician, best known for his role as Chuck Bass in the main cast on the American television series Gossip Girl.-Early life and career:...
) is attempting to take advantage of her. Dan punches Chuck and he and Serena leave in disgust, hand-in-hand with Jenny tagging along.
The apparent reason for Serena's abrupt return is revealed to be her younger brother Eric (Connor Paolo
Connor Paolo
Connor Paolo is an American actor best known of his role as Eric van der Woodsen in The CW young-adult series Gossip Girl since 2007-2011.He became part of the two Oliver Stone films, World Trade Center and Alexander where he bagged his biggest break in Hollywood.He is currently playing Declan...
), who unsuccessfully tried to commit suicide but is now living in a psychiatric institution. Fortunately, not even "Gossip Girl" is aware of this.
In addition, the past affair between Dan and Jenny's father Rufus (Matthew Settle
Matthew Settle
Jeffrey Matthew Settle is an American actor best known for playing Captain Ronald Speirs on the HBO show Band of Brothers and Rufus Humphrey on Gossip Girl.-Career:...
) and Serena and Eric's mother is brought to light when Lily (Kelly Rutherford
Kelly Rutherford
Kelly Danne Melissa Rutherford is an American actress known for her roles of Stephanie "Sam" Whitmore on Generations, Megan Lewis on Melrose Place from 1996 to 1999 and currently as Lily van der Woodsen on Gossip Girl...
) asks Rufus whether he is using his son to get close to her again.
Casting
Featuring nine regular speaking roles, the majority of the ensemble castEnsemble cast
An ensemble cast is made up of cast members in which the principal actors and performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance and screen time in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows flexibility for writers to focus on...
were assembled from February to April 2007. Blake Lively and Leighton Meester were the first two actresses to be chosen in February for the lead roles of Serena van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf respectively. Penn Badgley, Taylor Momsen, Chace Crawford, Kelly Rutherford, Connor Paolo and Florencia Lozano
Florencia Lozano
Florencia Lozano is an American actress. She has starred as character Téa Delgado on the daytime series One Life to Live, often receiving praise for the portrayal, as the character emerged as one of the genre's most prominent....
also auditioned successfully and landed roles in the series in March
March 2007
March 2007 was the third month of that year. It began on a Thursday, and ended 31 days later on a Saturday.-International holidays:* March 1 – St Davids Day United Kingdom* March 4 – Purim * March 10 – Arba'een...
. Actors for the roles of Chuck Bass and Rufus Humphrey were found in April when Ed Westwick
Ed Westwick
Edward Jack P. "Ed" Westwick is an English actor and musician, best known for his role as Chuck Bass in the main cast on the American television series Gossip Girl.-Early life and career:...
and Matthew Settle
Matthew Settle
Jeffrey Matthew Settle is an American actor best known for playing Captain Ronald Speirs on the HBO show Band of Brothers and Rufus Humphrey on Gossip Girl.-Career:...
were cast. As rumors swirled about the impending cancellation of Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during television network UPN's final two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network. Veronica Mars was produced by Warner Bros...
, it was revealed at The CW's 2007 Upfronts on May 17, 2007 that Kristen Bell
Kristen Bell
Kristen Anne Bell is an American actress. Although her first film role was an uncredited appearance in Polish Wedding, Bell previously acted in stage and musical productions. In 2001, she made her Broadway debut as Becky Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer...
had narrated the pilot, thus making her the title character of another show on the network.
Costume and Design
With the premiere of the fourth season, New York Magazine interviewed Gossip Girl costume designer Eric Daman, who cited Serena's French striped t-shirt, leather jacket, and attire in the Pilot opening as one of Serena's most iconic outfits and one his of eleven favorite looks from the series. Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
's Meeta Agrawal places Blake Lively's Serena van der Woodsen amongst the wearers of the 20 Knockout Dresses of the '00s. Her Tory Burch
Tory Burch
Tory Burch is an American fashion designer, business woman and philanthropist who was born, raised and educated in the Philadelphia metropolitan area....
designed dress that she wore while she waited for Dan at The New York Palace Hotel
The New York Palace Hotel
The New York Palace blends the historic landmark Villard Mansion with a modern 55-story tower. Located at the center of Manhattan in Midtown at the corner of 50th Street and Madison Avenue, it is directly across the street from St Patrick's Cathedral, and a short walk from Rockefeller Center and...
marble staircase earned her the 2nd spot on the list.
Cultural Allusions
- Chuck suggests that Nate uses his father's viagra.
- Serena reminds Blair that they used to dance on tables at Bungalow 8Bungalow 8Bungalow 8 was a nightclub in New York City, created in 2001., and was located on Chelsea's 27th Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues.-Background:...
. - During Serena's attempt to rebuild her friendship with Blair, the two are seen drinking at Gilt, the hotel bar of the New York PalaceThe New York Palace HotelThe New York Palace blends the historic landmark Villard Mansion with a modern 55-story tower. Located at the center of Manhattan in Midtown at the corner of 50th Street and Madison Avenue, it is directly across the street from St Patrick's Cathedral, and a short walk from Rockefeller Center and...
. - A flashback shows Serena and Nate having sex on the bar of the empty Campbell ApartmentCampbell ApartmentThe Campbell Apartment is a public bar and cocktail lounge located in a corner of Grand Central Terminal in New York City. It faces Vanderbilt Avenue. Contrary to its name, the space was never an apartment, but was once the office of American financier John W...
.
Reception
"Pilot" was the first television pilotTelevision pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
of the fall 2007 season to be picked up by its network. "Pilot" had mediocre ratings overall, but performed well in key demographics and is one of the most buzzed about new shows on the internet. Its digital video recorder
Digital video recorder
A digital video recorder , sometimes referred to by the merchandising term personal video recorder , is a consumer electronics device or application software that records video in a digital format to a disk drive, USB flash drive, SD memory card or other local or networked mass storage device...
ratings were high, increasing the show's profitability. The show has also been in the top five of iTunes sales. Scott D. Pierce of the Deseret Morning News noted that Gossip Girl is milder than a lot of what's shown on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, but still warned parents of several scenes in the pilot. He said it includes "among other things, a teenage girl climbing on top of a boy and removing his clothes; drunken teens having sex; teens smoking pot; teens drinking in bars, in a limo and at a party; a teen boy getting amorous with a girl who fights him off; and that same teen boy essentially attempting to rape a freshman girl who is supposed to be, what, 14?". In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Gossip GIrl scored an average of 520,000 viewers on itv2
ITV2
ITV2 is a 24 hour, free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television via satellite, cable, IPTV and terrestrial platforms. The channel has the...
.