Serena van der Woodsen
Encyclopedia
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. Serena is Blair Waldorf's best friend, and is a character that appears to easily get whatever she wants because of her good looks, energy, and charisma.
shipping firm his great-great-grandfather founded in the 18th century, and her mother, Lillian van der Woodsen, is a socialite. Her parents are on the boards of all major charities and art organizations in the city. The van der Woodsens reside at 994 Fifth Avenue, a ritzy, white-gloved doorman building directly across the street from The Met and Central Park
. Serena and her family own half the top floor in a 14 room penthouse.
Serena is often seen as a threat to the other girls as she is mysterious and beautiful. Serena has a nail-biting habit and also cuts her split ends off herself, mainly during her classes at Constance Billard. Though exposed and aware of the on-goings in the fashion world, Serena, unlike Blair, is not as meticulous about her fashion choices and wardrobe. She is described to have an effortless way about her. Serena is charismatic, charming, talented, funny, kind, care free and laid back. These attributes help Serena to thrive and often attract men.
Despite all these attributes, Janet Malcolm of The New Yorker
considers her "incandescently beautiful, exceptionally kind, and, in the end, it has to be said, somewhat boring."
In the first novel of the series, Serena returns to Manhattan
where she used to live at the exclusive Constance Billard School for Girls. Before leaving she was best friends with Blair Waldorf
. When she returns, Nate confesses to Blair that he and Serena lost their virginity to each other the summer after tenth grade when they were sixteen. This conjures up Blair's wrath, and Serena becomes the target of Blair's hatred as she constantly and usually inadvertently ends up stealing the spotlight from Blair. During the series, Serena becomes briefly involved with Dan Humphrey
and Blair's stepbrother Aaron Rose. Contrary to popular belief from her classmates, Serena is not a promiscuous girl. While she doesn't mind kissing lots of guys, she doesn't sleep with them. At the end of the novel series (not including the Epilogue book,) Serena has only slept with Nate, and once with another guy on her nineteenth birthday (due to sadness over Nate confessing his love to Blair.)
's original it-girl creation, Marissa Cooper
, stating that Serena "seems to have it all, but in addition to a party girl reputation, dark family secrets and a disregard for high society, Serena one-ups the sulky Coop with a history of BFF betrayal." Jason Gay of Rolling Stone
describes Serena as "the bad girl gone good(ish) who serves as Gossip Girl's wobbly moral compass." He added praise while describing her early strained relationship with Blair, stating, "Lively's Serena is a former queen bee who mysteriously disappeared from campus, only to return and find her spiteful ex-best friend, Blair (Meester), in charge." With regards to her character's direction in the show, actress Blake Lively commented on her character's adventurous storylines during an interview with NYLON
saying "I feel ridiculous at times with her, because I'm, you know, killing someone or marrying someone, but I look like me. I'm like, 'Oh, this is absurd.' " Vogue
magazine considers Lively's upbringing to be advantageous to her character background and finds her "dazzling and worldly and optimistic". Her mother, a former model from Georgia would dress her differently and her differing fashion choices drew the attention of her classmates from the L.A. private school she enrolled in. "It was the only school where people were just downright mean to me," Lively stated. "They would make fun of my clothes because I dressed differently than the other kids."
, who attempted suicide and is considered unwelcome by most of her peers, especially her best friend, Blair, who sees her return as a threat to her Queen Bee status. After Serena successfully reconciles old rivalries with Blair, Chuck reveals to Serena that he knows the details of Serena's absence, where the audience sees a flash back of a drunk Serena taking Nate's virginity
during a wedding, and Chuck attempts to rape her. Serena manages to escape and runs into Dan, a St. Jude's student from Brooklyn
, who often expresses cynicism about the lifestyle his wealthier classmates lead. Serena also finds a friend in Jenny Humphrey
, Dan's younger sister. Nate eventually reveals his tryst with Serena to Blair and Serena is ostracized in the first few episodes of the show. Blair and Serena consistently fight and reconcile throughout the show's subsequent episodes, often dealing with Serena's tendency to overshadow Blair. Serena and Blair reconcile after a heartfelt confrontation that prompted Serena to admit her mistake with Nate and leaving Blair in her time of need.
Serena encounters a myriad of problems as her mother becomes engaged to Bart Bass who forces her family to adjust living with Chuck, discovering her mother's relationship with Dan's father, Rufus Humphrey, and the complications of embarking on a relationship with Dan that are met with disapproval of her mother and her peers. Her relationship with Dan further reaches complications with the arrival of Georgina Sparks
, a longtime friend who slowly reveals to viewers the real reason why Serena left Manhattan. Georgina drives her to commit the same mistakes she did before leaving Manhattan ranging from partying excessively to drinking heavily, causing Serena to miss the SATs. Serena confronts Georgina, only to draw her anger, prompting Georgina to destroy her relationship with Dan and blackmail her with knowledge of a particular event in the past: she accidentally killed a man. Serena's constant lying in order to keep Dan from discovering her past eventually takes its toll on their relationship and Dan breaks up with her.
Blair eventually retaliates against Georgina with the help of Chuck and Nate and the intervention of Vanessa, successfully driving Georgina out of Manhattan. Serena finally tells Dan the truth only to discover during Lily's wedding, that he wants to end their relationship. A disappointed Serena attempts to move on throughout the summer.
, attempting to move on from her failed relationship with Dan. During a dramatic party, she and Dan briefly reconcile their relationship and return to New York. Their relationship becomes public again but ends sooner than expected during a blackout as both are unable to move past the problems that previously ruined their relationship. Serena's break up causes Blair's clique to sympathize with her, reestablishing her as Queen Bee and reigniting her rivalry with Blair. She has Dan ostracized throughout the school. Exposing herself to New York's high society, she meets Poppy Lifton, a socialite, and further strains her relationship during Eleanor Waldorf's fashion show when she and Poppy participate in it. Serena and Blair eventually reconcile during a trip to Yale.
An exhibit in Rufus' gallery has Serena finding new love with a childhood friend and artist, Aaron Rose. She eventually reconciles with Dan but their friendship soon threatens her new love with Aaron, prompting him to escort her to a ball where Serena receives news from her mother of Bart's death. During Bart's funeral, Aaron notices her continually drawn towards Dan and invites her to come with him to Argentina
, which she accepts. Upon their return, Serena breaks up with Aron and she is free to pursue a relationship with Dan. The two reunite only to face the awkward discovery that they share a sibling. Dan and Serena's relationship further suffers when she realizes their diverging college choices, her continuous mistrust in him, and Dan's affair with a teacher that drives her to prematurely end their relationship.
After throwing a disastrous party for Jenny, Serena retreats to Spain
with Poppy and Poppy's boyfriend, Gabriel Edwards. She returns to New York pursued by Gabriel after he broke-up with Poppy and finds herself in a new relationship. During a party held by her mother, Serena discovers that Gabriel and Poppy have conned her mother's guests and calls on Blair's aid to obtain their stolen money, breaking up with Gabriel as she pursues Poppy. Blair reluctantly schemes with Chuck and a reformed Georgina but their plan fails as Poppy escapes and Serena is arrested.
Serena's arrest was a result of her mother's continuous effort to keep her from embarrassing the family. A stubborn Serena chose to stay in prison until Dan bails her out and the two go to prom together. Her arrest soon adds to her fame as she becomes a local celebrity. On the day of graduation, Gossip Girl sends a blast that further ruins Serena and her friends' reputations. Declaring war on Gossip Girl, Serena finds herself the center of blame when Gossip Girl sends another blast that divides her and her friends. Sending a text to Gossip Girl, Serena calls a bluff that she knows Gossip Girl's identity, only for Gossip Girl to escape and warning everyone that she'll be pursuing them in college. Serena spends the summer leaving New York with Carter in pursuit of her father.
but defers from entering, preferring to stay in the city and find herself. During Lily's wedding, she discovers Carter's previous transgressions and she loses him when he chooses to make amends for his mistakes, breaking her heart in the process.
Serena eventually makes her time in New York useful by taking a job as a publicist, one that is short-lived as her relationships with both her friends and her family begin to erode. Her friendship with Blair and Nate crumble due to her job but finds even more trouble when she falls for Nate's married congressman cousin, Tripp Vanderbilt (Aaron Tveit
). Her relationship with him is tumultuous as both Nate and Blair fail in persuading her from continuing the affair. The affair ends when an offer to become a mistress from Tripp's wife makes her come to her senses. As Serena and Tripp return to New York, their car crashes, leaving her hospitalized. She survives and Nate proves his love for her and the two begin a relationship.
When Chuck's mother returns, Serena's resolve to find her father is reignited. Her decision slowly damages her relationship with Nate as she reconnects with Carter who is back to his old habits. Knowing that he has information regarding her father, the two work together to find him but is no longer interested in a relationship with Carter. Jenny's growing feelings for Nate also threaten her relationship with him when she makes every effort to steal Nate from her. During Dorota's wedding, Serena leaves with Carter and bids Jenny a message telling Nate that she has found her father. Serena soon finds out that Carter has been delaying her in an attempt to get close to her and leaves him, flies alone. Upon arriving, she is shocked to find her mother answering the hotel door, assuming that she had been in Canyon Ranch
the entire time.
William van der Woodsen (William Baldwin
) returns, making Serena happy but is unknowingly dragged into her father's plot to win back his ex-wife. The plot nearly works until Jenny, Blair, Nate and Chuck scheme against William, who had been trying to frame Rufus for adultery and intentionally misdiagnosing Lily, and William leaves. Her father's departure leads to Dan comforting her and reignites her feelings for him. Serena sleeps over at Dan's and wake up to find themselves in a compromising position, one that Jenny photographs and sends to Gossip Girl. As the photo spreads, Nate and Serena temporarily end their relationship and Serena joins Blair for a summer in Paris.
), a girl with a personal vendetta against Serena.
Serena's enrollment in Columbia has her face Juliet's many attempts at getting rid of her ranging from excluding her from an exclusive society along with driving Blair against her, exposing her relationship with her professor, Colin Forrester (Sam Page
), who happens to be Juliet's cousin to get her kicked out, and spreading various rumors about Serena, who manages to evade these attempts. Juliet then recruits Jenny and Vanessa and succeed in gaslighting
her into toying with Dan and Nate's feelings, attempting to take a foundation position from Blair, and returning to her old partying habits. Serena is rehabilitated while Dan and Blair subsequently discover Juliet's reasons for ruining Serena. Serena was supposedly in a relationship with Juliet's half brother and Serena's high school English teacher, Ben Donovan (David Call
) and was arrested when Lily forged an affidavit that falsely accused Ben of statutory rape, out of concern for Serena.
The holidays has Serena trying to figure out how to release Ben from prison and her relationship with Lily is yet again strained. Serena and Dan put a possible return to their relationship on hold, knowing that they might not have the same chance of loving and trusting each other. Meanwhile, Ben's release from prison reignites Serena's feelings for him and they pursue a loving yet troubled relationship. Serena's relationship with Ben slowly erodes when she receives news from Vanessa that he is responsible for hurting Nate's father in prison and Ben's mother, Cynthia raises Ben's personal troubles while at the same time seeking to exonerate him and Serena's realization of having a relationship with him. Serena becomes proud of her mother when Lily decides to face the consequences of sending an innocent Ben to prison. Serena and Ben's relationship eventually ends due to family complications.
Serena's cousin, Charlie Rhodes, comes to stay with Serena's family for a while. Charlie helps Serena find out that Dan and Blair have had a secret romance, causing a fight between Serena and Blair. Serena continues to use Charlie as a spy until noticing that Charlie is starting to act exactly as Serena and steals Serena's dress. In the season finale, Serena gets Charlie help with a medical condition, though it is later revealed that Charlie is really Ivy, and Ivy is just acting. While walking, Serena gets offered a job in Hollywood where she decides to move to.
' 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 in the pilot earning the 2nd spot on the list. People magazine references an issue of NYLON, reporting that even the actress herself admits to liking her character's style and wardrobe and InStyle' s Joyann King praises "Serena’s vixen-like style and Lively’s smoldering off-screen choices". In an interview for Vanity Fair
, costume designers Eric Daman and Meredith Markworth-Pollack considered fashion model Kate Moss
and New York socialites Tinsley Mortimer
and Arden Wohl as a muse when dressing Lively and when asked if they were influenced by New York socialites, respectively.
Blake Lively had been nominated a Teen Choice Award in 2009 for her performance as Serena van der Woodsen under the category of Choice TV Actress: Drama. However, this award was given to her co-star, Leighton Meester
, who portrays Blair Waldorf
.
Vanity Fair
considered Serena's murder storyline to be "unrealistic" and "an obvious ratings ploy." further compared it to a dramatic scene in The O.C. where Marissa shot Ryan's brother, stating that the show may have possibly jumped the shark.
Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl is an American young adult novel series written by Cecily von Ziegesar and published by Little, Brown and Company, a subsidiary of the Hachette Group. The series revolves around the lives and romances of the privileged teenagers at the Constance Billard School for Girls, an elite...
and its television adaptation
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...
. Serena is featured on the blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
of the novel series' mysterious "Gossip Girl" narrator. Serena is Blair Waldorf's best friend, and is a character that appears to easily get whatever she wants because of her good looks, energy, and charisma.
Novel series
Serena is tall and blonde. Many of the girls at Constance Billard accuse her of using her good looks as a means to secure that everything goes her way. She is not particularly academically skilled, but she is often told that she is not meeting her full potential. Her father runs the same DutchNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
shipping firm his great-great-grandfather founded in the 18th century, and her mother, Lillian van der Woodsen, is a socialite. Her parents are on the boards of all major charities and art organizations in the city. The van der Woodsens reside at 994 Fifth Avenue, a ritzy, white-gloved doorman building directly across the street from The Met and Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
. Serena and her family own half the top floor in a 14 room penthouse.
Serena is often seen as a threat to the other girls as she is mysterious and beautiful. Serena has a nail-biting habit and also cuts her split ends off herself, mainly during her classes at Constance Billard. Though exposed and aware of the on-goings in the fashion world, Serena, unlike Blair, is not as meticulous about her fashion choices and wardrobe. She is described to have an effortless way about her. Serena is charismatic, charming, talented, funny, kind, care free and laid back. These attributes help Serena to thrive and often attract men.
Despite all these attributes, Janet Malcolm of The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
considers her "incandescently beautiful, exceptionally kind, and, in the end, it has to be said, somewhat boring."
In the first novel of the series, Serena returns 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...
where she used to live at the exclusive Constance Billard School for Girls. Before leaving she was best friends with 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...
. When she returns, Nate confesses to Blair that he and Serena lost their virginity to each other the summer after tenth grade when they were sixteen. This conjures up Blair's wrath, and Serena becomes the target of Blair's hatred as she constantly and usually inadvertently ends up stealing the spotlight from Blair. During the series, Serena becomes briefly involved with 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...
and Blair's stepbrother Aaron Rose. Contrary to popular belief from her classmates, Serena is not a promiscuous girl. While she doesn't mind kissing lots of guys, she doesn't sleep with them. At the end of the novel series (not including the Epilogue book,) Serena has only slept with Nate, and once with another guy on her nineteenth birthday (due to sadness over Nate confessing his love to Blair.)
Characterization
People compare her character with Josh SchwartzJosh 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...
's original it-girl creation, Marissa Cooper
Marissa Cooper
Marissa Cooper is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Mischa Barton. Marissa was among the original "core four" characters on The O.C. until her death in the season three finale, "The Graduates."...
, stating that Serena "seems to have it all, but in addition to a party girl reputation, dark family secrets and a disregard for high society, Serena one-ups the sulky Coop with a history of BFF betrayal." Jason Gay of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
describes Serena as "the bad girl gone good(ish) who serves as Gossip Girl's wobbly moral compass." He added praise while describing her early strained relationship with Blair, stating, "Lively's Serena is a former queen bee who mysteriously disappeared from campus, only to return and find her spiteful ex-best friend, Blair (Meester), in charge." With regards to her character's direction in the show, actress Blake Lively commented on her character's adventurous storylines during an interview with NYLON
NYLON
The portmanteau NYLON, also spelled NYLon or, less often, NY-Lon, starts with the concept of New York City and London, England as twin cities — the financial and cultural capitals of the Anglo-American 'world' — and takes the concept a step further, treating the two cities as "a single city...
saying "I feel ridiculous at times with her, because I'm, you know, killing someone or marrying someone, but I look like me. I'm like, 'Oh, this is absurd.' " Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
magazine considers Lively's upbringing to be advantageous to her character background and finds her "dazzling and worldly and optimistic". Her mother, a former model from Georgia would dress her differently and her differing fashion choices drew the attention of her classmates from the L.A. private school she enrolled in. "It was the only school where people were just downright mean to me," Lively stated. "They would make fun of my clothes because I dressed differently than the other kids."
Season 1
The first season introduces Serena as the beautiful, wealthy daughter of divorced parents who returns from boarding school. Her return sparks her old rivalry with her best friend, Blair. Serena's return is sparked by her brother, Eric van der WoodsenEric van der Woodsen
Eric van der Woodsen is a fictional character from the book series Gossip Girl and the television series of the same name. The television character is portrayed by Connor Paolo.-Novel series:...
, who attempted suicide and is considered unwelcome by most of her peers, especially her best friend, Blair, who sees her return as a threat to her Queen Bee status. After Serena successfully reconciles old rivalries with Blair, Chuck reveals to Serena that he knows the details of Serena's absence, where the audience sees a flash back of a drunk Serena taking Nate's virginity
Virginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
during a wedding, and Chuck attempts to rape her. Serena manages to escape and runs into Dan, a St. Jude's student from Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, who often expresses cynicism about the lifestyle his wealthier classmates lead. Serena also finds a friend in Jenny Humphrey
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...
, Dan's younger sister. Nate eventually reveals his tryst with Serena to Blair and Serena is ostracized in the first few episodes of the show. Blair and Serena consistently fight and reconcile throughout the show's subsequent episodes, often dealing with Serena's tendency to overshadow Blair. Serena and Blair reconcile after a heartfelt confrontation that prompted Serena to admit her mistake with Nate and leaving Blair in her time of need.
Serena encounters a myriad of problems as her mother becomes engaged to Bart Bass who forces her family to adjust living with Chuck, discovering her mother's relationship with Dan's father, Rufus Humphrey, and the complications of embarking on a relationship with Dan that are met with disapproval of her mother and her peers. Her relationship with Dan further reaches complications with the arrival of Georgina Sparks
Georgina Sparks
Georgina Sparks is a fictional character in the Gossip Girl novel series and a recurring character on the television series Gossip Girl. She is portrayed by actress Michelle Trachtenberg on the show...
, a longtime friend who slowly reveals to viewers the real reason why Serena left Manhattan. Georgina drives her to commit the same mistakes she did before leaving Manhattan ranging from partying excessively to drinking heavily, causing Serena to miss the SATs. Serena confronts Georgina, only to draw her anger, prompting Georgina to destroy her relationship with Dan and blackmail her with knowledge of a particular event in the past: she accidentally killed a man. Serena's constant lying in order to keep Dan from discovering her past eventually takes its toll on their relationship and Dan breaks up with her.
Blair eventually retaliates against Georgina with the help of Chuck and Nate and the intervention of Vanessa, successfully driving Georgina out of Manhattan. Serena finally tells Dan the truth only to discover during Lily's wedding, that he wants to end their relationship. A disappointed Serena attempts to move on throughout the summer.
Season 2
The second season shows Serena spending the summer with her family and Blair in the HamptonsHamptons
The Hamptons may refer to several villages and hamlets in the towns of Southampton and East Hampton on the far east end of Suffolk County in Long Island, New York. These townships occupy the South Fork of Long Island, stretching into the Atlantic Ocean. The Hamptons form a popular seaside resort,...
, attempting to move on from her failed relationship with Dan. During a dramatic party, she and Dan briefly reconcile their relationship and return to New York. Their relationship becomes public again but ends sooner than expected during a blackout as both are unable to move past the problems that previously ruined their relationship. Serena's break up causes Blair's clique to sympathize with her, reestablishing her as Queen Bee and reigniting her rivalry with Blair. She has Dan ostracized throughout the school. Exposing herself to New York's high society, she meets Poppy Lifton, a socialite, and further strains her relationship during Eleanor Waldorf's fashion show when she and Poppy participate in it. Serena and Blair eventually reconcile during a trip to Yale.
An exhibit in Rufus' gallery has Serena finding new love with a childhood friend and artist, Aaron Rose. She eventually reconciles with Dan but their friendship soon threatens her new love with Aaron, prompting him to escort her to a ball where Serena receives news from her mother of Bart's death. During Bart's funeral, Aaron notices her continually drawn towards Dan and invites her to come with him to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, which she accepts. Upon their return, Serena breaks up with Aron and she is free to pursue a relationship with Dan. The two reunite only to face the awkward discovery that they share a sibling. Dan and Serena's relationship further suffers when she realizes their diverging college choices, her continuous mistrust in him, and Dan's affair with a teacher that drives her to prematurely end their relationship.
After throwing a disastrous party for Jenny, Serena retreats to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
with Poppy and Poppy's boyfriend, Gabriel Edwards. She returns to New York pursued by Gabriel after he broke-up with Poppy and finds herself in a new relationship. During a party held by her mother, Serena discovers that Gabriel and Poppy have conned her mother's guests and calls on Blair's aid to obtain their stolen money, breaking up with Gabriel as she pursues Poppy. Blair reluctantly schemes with Chuck and a reformed Georgina but their plan fails as Poppy escapes and Serena is arrested.
Serena's arrest was a result of her mother's continuous effort to keep her from embarrassing the family. A stubborn Serena chose to stay in prison until Dan bails her out and the two go to prom together. Her arrest soon adds to her fame as she becomes a local celebrity. On the day of graduation, Gossip Girl sends a blast that further ruins Serena and her friends' reputations. Declaring war on Gossip Girl, Serena finds herself the center of blame when Gossip Girl sends another blast that divides her and her friends. Sending a text to Gossip Girl, Serena calls a bluff that she knows Gossip Girl's identity, only for Gossip Girl to escape and warning everyone that she'll be pursuing them in college. Serena spends the summer leaving New York with Carter in pursuit of her father.
Season 3
Serena returns from her European adventure and a complicated relationship with Carter that indicates a possible romance. The Los Angeles Times noted her character's penchant for secrecy but stated "It initially seems as though Bad Serena is back, but we all know her highway of crazy behavior is always paved with good intentions." Serena's relationship with Carter earns the disapproval of her peers but discovers redeeming qualities in him. Lily first assumes that she's preparing to go to BrownBrown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
but defers from entering, preferring to stay in the city and find herself. During Lily's wedding, she discovers Carter's previous transgressions and she loses him when he chooses to make amends for his mistakes, breaking her heart in the process.
Serena eventually makes her time in New York useful by taking a job as a publicist, one that is short-lived as her relationships with both her friends and her family begin to erode. Her friendship with Blair and Nate crumble due to her job but finds even more trouble when she falls for Nate's married congressman cousin, Tripp Vanderbilt (Aaron Tveit
Aaron Tveit
Aaron Kyle Tveit is an American theatre and film actor originally from Middletown, New York. He is known for originating the roles of Gabe in Next to Normal and Frank Abagnale Jr...
). Her relationship with him is tumultuous as both Nate and Blair fail in persuading her from continuing the affair. The affair ends when an offer to become a mistress from Tripp's wife makes her come to her senses. As Serena and Tripp return to New York, their car crashes, leaving her hospitalized. She survives and Nate proves his love for her and the two begin a relationship.
When Chuck's mother returns, Serena's resolve to find her father is reignited. Her decision slowly damages her relationship with Nate as she reconnects with Carter who is back to his old habits. Knowing that he has information regarding her father, the two work together to find him but is no longer interested in a relationship with Carter. Jenny's growing feelings for Nate also threaten her relationship with him when she makes every effort to steal Nate from her. During Dorota's wedding, Serena leaves with Carter and bids Jenny a message telling Nate that she has found her father. Serena soon finds out that Carter has been delaying her in an attempt to get close to her and leaves him, flies alone. Upon arriving, she is shocked to find her mother answering the hotel door, assuming that she had been in Canyon Ranch
Canyon Ranch
Canyon Ranch operates two destination health spa resorts in the United States. Canyon Ranch resorts are located in Tucson, Arizona, and Lenox, Massachusetts. Canyon Ranch also operates Canyon Ranch Hotel & Spa in Miami Beach, Florida, as well as SpaClub locations with primarily day spa facilities...
the entire time.
William van der Woodsen (William Baldwin
William Baldwin
William Joseph "Billy" Baldwin is an American actor, producer, and writer, known for his starring roles in such films as Flatliners , Backdraft , Sliver , Fair Game , Virus , Double Bang , as Johnny 13 in Danny Phantom , Art Heist , The Squid and the Whale , as himself...
) returns, making Serena happy but is unknowingly dragged into her father's plot to win back his ex-wife. The plot nearly works until Jenny, Blair, Nate and Chuck scheme against William, who had been trying to frame Rufus for adultery and intentionally misdiagnosing Lily, and William leaves. Her father's departure leads to Dan comforting her and reignites her feelings for him. Serena sleeps over at Dan's and wake up to find themselves in a compromising position, one that Jenny photographs and sends to Gossip Girl. As the photo spreads, Nate and Serena temporarily end their relationship and Serena joins Blair for a summer in Paris.
Season 4
Serena is seen spending her summer in Paris with Blair, reluctant to tell Blair that she has enrolled in Columbia, something that Blair fears will have them return to their high school pettiness and receives news that Chuck might be dead. After a disastrous double date involving a handsome royal, Blair eventually forgives her. Chuck's arrival and a visit to a Parisian morgue confirms that he is alive but Serena pursues him in hopes of convincing him to return to New York when he tries to run away to London. She returns to New York having made her decision between Dan and Nate but her decision becomes irrelevant when she sees them with their new respective significant others, Vanessa and Juliet Sharp (Katie CassidyKatie Cassidy
Katherine Evelyn Anita "Katie" Cassidy is an American actress who has performed in The CW TV series Melrose Place, Supernatural, Harper's Island, and Gossip Girl, and on the films When a Stranger Calls, Black Christmas, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Taken, Monte Carlo, and has roles in the upcoming...
), a girl with a personal vendetta against Serena.
Serena's enrollment in Columbia has her face Juliet's many attempts at getting rid of her ranging from excluding her from an exclusive society along with driving Blair against her, exposing her relationship with her professor, Colin Forrester (Sam Page
Sam Page
Sam Page is an American physician and politician serving his third term in the Missouri House of Representatives. On June 5, 2007, Page announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Missouri from his hometown of Van Buren, Missouri.- Political career :Page was...
), who happens to be Juliet's cousin to get her kicked out, and spreading various rumors about Serena, who manages to evade these attempts. Juliet then recruits Jenny and Vanessa and succeed in gaslighting
Gaslighting
Gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse in which false information is presented with the intent of making a victim doubt his or her own memory and perception...
her into toying with Dan and Nate's feelings, attempting to take a foundation position from Blair, and returning to her old partying habits. Serena is rehabilitated while Dan and Blair subsequently discover Juliet's reasons for ruining Serena. Serena was supposedly in a relationship with Juliet's half brother and Serena's high school English teacher, Ben Donovan (David Call
David Call
David Steven Call , is an American film and television actor- Personal life :He is a graduate student of NYU Tisch School of the Arts and the Atlantic Theater Company Acting School.- Acting career :...
) and was arrested when Lily forged an affidavit that falsely accused Ben of statutory rape, out of concern for Serena.
The holidays has Serena trying to figure out how to release Ben from prison and her relationship with Lily is yet again strained. Serena and Dan put a possible return to their relationship on hold, knowing that they might not have the same chance of loving and trusting each other. Meanwhile, Ben's release from prison reignites Serena's feelings for him and they pursue a loving yet troubled relationship. Serena's relationship with Ben slowly erodes when she receives news from Vanessa that he is responsible for hurting Nate's father in prison and Ben's mother, Cynthia raises Ben's personal troubles while at the same time seeking to exonerate him and Serena's realization of having a relationship with him. Serena becomes proud of her mother when Lily decides to face the consequences of sending an innocent Ben to prison. Serena and Ben's relationship eventually ends due to family complications.
Serena's cousin, Charlie Rhodes, comes to stay with Serena's family for a while. Charlie helps Serena find out that Dan and Blair have had a secret romance, causing a fight between Serena and Blair. Serena continues to use Charlie as a spy until noticing that Charlie is starting to act exactly as Serena and steals Serena's dress. In the season finale, Serena gets Charlie help with a medical condition, though it is later revealed that Charlie is really Ivy, and Ivy is just acting. While walking, Serena gets offered a job in Hollywood where she decides to move to.
Reception
Serena's style has earned noteworthy praise from periodicals such as InStyle and NYLON. EWEntertainment 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...
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 in the pilot earning the 2nd spot on the list. People magazine references an issue of NYLON, reporting that even the actress herself admits to liking her character's style and wardrobe and InStyle
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
, costume designers Eric Daman and Meredith Markworth-Pollack considered fashion model Kate Moss
Kate Moss
Kate Moss is an English model. Moss is known for her waifish figure and popularising the heroin chic look in the 1990s. She is also known for her controversial private life, high profile relationships, party lifestyle, and drug use. Moss changed the look of modelling and started a global debate on...
and New York socialites Tinsley Mortimer
Tinsley Mortimer
-Early life:Mortimer was born in Virginia. and grew up in Richmond, VA. Her father is George Riley Mercer Jr., a real-estate investor, and her mother is Dale Mercer , an interior designer. Her paternal grandfather, George Riley Mercer Sr., founded Mercer Rug Cleansing in 1936...
and Arden Wohl as a muse when dressing Lively and when asked if they were influenced by New York socialites, respectively.
Blake Lively had been nominated a Teen Choice Award in 2009 for her performance as Serena van der Woodsen under the category of Choice TV Actress: Drama. However, this award was given to her co-star, 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...
, who portrays 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...
.
Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
considered Serena's murder storyline to be "unrealistic" and "an obvious ratings ploy." further compared it to a dramatic scene in The O.C. where Marissa shot Ryan's brother, stating that the show may have possibly jumped the shark.