gg vs. the oc

Ok ladies, everyone knows about Gossip Girl, the hottest show on earth. Well, it is produced by the same person as that great once popular show the OC, which started out as a riveting story about rich California teens getting in trouble, somewhat in the vain of 90210, but more glamorous, and finally dwindled to going off the air. It was also the model for reality television gone wild shows like Laguna Beach and the Hills.

Well, rich teens are back, but this time we can watch them on the Upper East Side which is great because they can wear winter clothes! They also wear uniforms to school, but unlike the drab plaid typical uniforms that we wore in Catholic school, these outfits are hip, with girls wearing designer versions of kilts and Alexander Mcqueen jackets and ties. I wouldn't be surprised if Catholic School started to inspire the runways next year.

While the settings are slightly different, the shows are pretty much the same. We have the same characters, with similar problems and plots, which is all a mere showcase for the glamour of life as an overprivieldged teen. Since the OC, Gossip Girl has upped the ante a bit, with more conspicuous consumption, gratuitous sex, and of course less actual school (while the OC at least showed the kids in class once in a while, Gossip Girl rarely even makes it into the halls of the prestiguous academies that these kids supposedly attend). America, why do we love these shows, is it because they provide a real window into the life of the rich and sexy, or is it because we want to reminisce about out own lost teen years, or is it merely because we love to see children making out? Well whatever the reason, hats off to you Gossip Girl, for giving us some great eye candy for another season.

Here is a brief analysis of some of the overarching themes and characters in both shows.

The wayward blonde
This character is the bread and butter of the show. It takes the form of a rich blonde girl who is brooding and sentimental. Also, she is hot. Without this character, no one would watch.
OC - Marrisa Cooper
Gossip Girl - Serena Van der Woodson

The poor kid, the outcast
The wayward blonde is always dating a poor outcast. This is because she wants to rebel against her parents. If this guy were not dating the wayward blonde, he wouldn't be in the show. The show chronicles the development of the relationship. Parents dissaproval, girl's rebelliousness, and finally parents realizing that the 'bad guy' is actually a 'good guy.' This can take up at least an entire season of episodes, which is great because the writers don't have to come up with a plot. Just substitute the characters, and voila, a script.
OC - Ryan Atwood
Gossip Girl - Dan Humphrey, oooh Humphrey, hardly a name oozing 'money'. Which is why Dan's sister is always saying 'We're Humpreys' as in we're not good enough for the Upper East Side.

The wayward blonde's brunette sidekick
This character is typically a princess who is best friends with the wayward blonde. She starts out as a bitch, but then turns nice. She is always looking out for the blonde girl, who tends to get into trouble until everyone hugs. Yay.
OC - Summer Roberts
Gossip Girl - Blair Waldorf

The good looking guy
This guy is a pretty looking American looking guy who usually looks like an Abercromie or American Eagle model. He is either dating or in love with the wayward blonde. He doesn't factor in that much. He usually starts off as a jerk, but evolves into a real sensitive poetic soul. He usually has some family problems. In the OC, his father comes out as gay. In Gossip Girl, his dad is a cocaine addict. The plot thickens. Also important, this guy usually starts out as blond, but when he becomes sensitive his hair is brown.
OC - Luke I can't remember his last name
Gossip Girl - Nate, almost forgot his last name but then remembered it is Archibald

The quirky guy
This character is another main character of the show. While the OC gave more airtime to this guy, the producers probably realized that viewers don't want to see quirky. They want to see glamourous, they want to see money. That's why in Gossip Girl, the quirky guy gets to be an ass hole with lots and lots of money. In fact he is the richest guy in the show.
OC - Seth Cohen
Gossip Girl - Chuck Bass. This guy is so rich that he can merely say the words, 'I'm Chuck Bass,' to either indicate he is an ass hole, or get what he wants, or both. This is my favorite line in the show because he says it with humor and irony.

Ok, well that is the main part of the show. But of course no show about rich kids would work without a view of their seriously disturbed parents. They add some more drama to the show, and of course, more incest. They are always hanging out together, thrown together to save their kids, fast friends who can't help but hang out when their kids are.

The milf
Ok the hot mom. No glamorous show would be complete without this character. She is always marrying an extremely rich older man who basically owns the town. She is also the wayward blonde's mom, which makes sense because the hot girl should have a hot mom. She usually starts off as an overbearing mother who puts one of her kids in an institution. In the OC it is wayward blonde herself who goes to a hospital for rich kids, in Gossip Girl, it is wayward blonde's brother.
OC - Julie Cooper
Gossip Girl - Lily Van der Woodson

Rich Older Man
He doesn't see much airtime, but makes an appearance every so often to say hi to the milf he married. He is also related to quirky guy, which makes sense because in order to be quirky on tv you must also be filthy rich.
OC- Caleb Nichol, grandfather of quirky guy
Gossip Girl, Bart Bass, father of quirky guy

True love
This guy is the true love of the milf's youth. The milf is in love with this guy, but has to marry the rich older man because of the benefits of money, the main point of the show.
OC - Jimmy Cooper, wayward blonde's dad
Gossip Girl - Rufus Humphrey, poor guy's dad
This guy usually connects the parents in some incestuous way. In the OC, he was quirky guy's mom's high school sweetheart. In Gossip Girl, he is wayward blonde's boyfriend's dad, or poor guy's dad. This makes the show more incestuous, which is another reason we like to watch.

Dad who embezzles money and runs away from the law
Since no rich man could possibly earn his money, he must steal from his friends and clients. This is great for us average Americans. It makes us feel better about our own pathetic lives, because in order to be rich, you must also be a crook. This makes us glad to be poor because if we were rich, we might be going to jail. But of course, this doesn't happen because the guy usually escapes on some form of non traditional transportation.
OC -Jimmy Cooper, escapes on a yacht
Gossip Girl - Captain Archibald, escapes on a G5 private plane

Mom who comes from money
Since a woman could never earn money, she must inherit her wealth. She always marries a man who works in a corporate job that her dad helped him get. This causes some tension in the marriage because the man feels less manly when married to a woman with her own money.
OC - Kirsten Cohen, daughter of rich older man
Gossip Girl - Don't know her name, daughter of I don't know, married to Captain Archibald, dad who embezzles money and runs away from the law, mother of Nate Archibald, good looking guy

Peripheral parent who has a secret
This was mentioned earlier. In the OC it is looking guy's dad who is gay and in Gossip Girl it is good looking guy's dad who is in rehab. Of course Gossip Girl is not without it's parent that turns gay. Brunette sidekick's dad comes out of the closet and runs off with a man. This shows that rich people are not perfect like we think, but instead are usually sexually confused. And of course, the OC has to also have a parent who battles substance abuse. This is quirky guy's mom who is an alcoholic and goes to a glamorous rehab center that is kind of like a spa with counseling.

We could have an overlapping category here.
Parent in rehab
This is the parent who has a drug or alcohol abuse problem. This shows that rich people are always on drugs.
OC - Kirsten Cohen, quirky guy's mom
Gossip Girl - Captain Archibald, good looking guy's dad who is also embezzling money, which makes sense because thieves are also drug addicts. Oh if only he were also gay.

Gay Parent
This is clearly the parent who comes out as gay. It is always the dad because if it were the mom, rather than being tragic, it would be hot.
OC - Good looking guy's dad
Gossip Girl - Brunette sidekick's dad

One more plot twist. In Gossip Girl, wayward blonde's brother comes out as gay. This is because we are more tolerant of gays. It is also because we want to capture the gay audience, who are also watching for the clothes. Since there are better clothes in Gossip Girl, more gays are watching.

Perfect parent
Well with all these whacked out parents, there has to be one who keeps his head on straight and saves the day. It is someone's dad. Of course it has to be a man, because men are grounded and women are usually off marrying rich older men or checked into rehab. This guy is also a flaming liberal with an unconventional past. Basically the show is saying that the best kinds of parents are the 'cool' dads.
OC- Sandy Cohen, quirky guy's dad, former liberal protester
Gossip Girl - Rufus Humphrey, poor guy's dad, former b-list rock musician

There you have it. Rich people's lives revealed. Kids with problems, parents with more problems.

Well, this is a basic overview of the show. Two shows, two coasts. One plot with a few key differences. The East Coast is of course full of old money, with names like Van der Woodson, and Waldorf. Who are these people? While the West Coast tolerates new money, and even a Jewish character. Chrismakuh anyone? Other than this, we are basically watching the same show. Which is great because I really miss the OC.

I hope this information helps you watch the show and understand everything that is going on. Without this analysis you might have been confused. Happy viewing.