Probably only about three of y’all watch it, if that, but what did you think of the 80s flashback episode of Gossip Girl this week? Valley Girls (aka “obvious backdoor pilot for spin-off series”) wasn’t half bad, I thought: the present day stuff was relatively promising, after more than a few weeks of some real drek; and although the 80s stuff felt like it had been grafted on and had minimal relevance to the present day plot, “all this has happened before and will happen again; your parents were young once, and one day you’ll be parents, too,” was quite a fun point to make for younger viewers.
I’m not sure how well 80s Gossip Girl might stand up as a show, though. While the presence of ANDREW McCARTHY in a show set in the 80s was a stroke of genius and possibly worth the admission fee alone, none of the other characters felt that interesting, despite its obvious attempt to be The Breakfast Club. It’s basically backstory that was more interesting when mentioned in passing than writ large. And unlike Cold Case, Mad Men, and other shows with flashbacks, this felt more amazed by the decade it was recreating, overdosing on just about everything 80s in just a few seconds: quick – shoulderpads, leotards, MTV, old VHS players, more, more! But for a show aimed at a generation who never even saw a single year of the 80s, that’s probably excusable.
Loved the soundtrack though and a No Doubt reunion where they sing Adam Ant’s ‘Stand and Deliver’ is almost as appealing as ANDREW McCARTHY. Almost.
As a series, it’s not yet a cert and I can see why; the Melrose Place remake is apparently a shoo-in, however. Here’s the promo for it and you can probably catch it (if you’re quick) by visiting YouTube.
