'Gossip Girl'Part 2 Premiere Review: Teen drama deals with more important issues

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The premiere of the second part of 'Gossip Girl' saw Thanksgiving being celebrated. The seventh episode began on a sexy note as Julien (Jordan Alexander), Audrey (Emily Alyn Lind), Aki (Evan Mock) and Max (Thomas Doherty) recollect their sexual adventures. The midseason finale left us with Obie (Eli Brown) and Julien sharing a kiss, with the premiere confirming that they slept with each other. The unfinished business between the lovers saw Zoya (Whitney Peak) getting hurt and denouncing her half-sister. Max may see some interesting developments as he unexpectedly develops feelings after having a threesome with Aki and Audrey. Meanwhile, the two who have been experimenting come to the conclusion that an open relationship is just not for them. Max doesn't like to see this and we can expect his emotions to bubble up and cause trouble.

Julien, the queen bee at Constance Billard sees the most action as her father gets accused of sexual assault with her finding incriminating texts as well. Looks like this daddy's girl may not like him anymore. The show brought up the important issue of sexual assault and how survivors experience fear of speaking up. This also saw Zoya and Julien put aside their differences with Zoya looking out for her sister who slept with her boyfriend.

Kate (Tavi Gevinson), the original creator of the Gossip Girl account also saw repercussions to her having a heart and starting to care about the students. Her group of teachers kicks her out and takes over the account, also blocking her on Instagram. Looks like Gossip Girl may just have slipped out of her hands. The ninth episode ends with Julien being wrongfully painted as trying to silence the victim who wants to come out against her dad.

The new episodes of the second installation didn't disappoint and successfully incorporated real issues into an otherwise shallow teen drama. From sexual assault, the concept of 'boys will be boys', to gaslighting and the power men have in society, it covered quite a bit in three episodes. The show also artistically name-dropped personalities like Lea Michele and Ellen when it came to scandals while also playing songs by Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa and Olivia Rodrigo in appropriate settings, which was fun to experience. A solid start that promises more drama and issues to crop up, the premiere of the second part of 'Gossip Girl' will leave you satisfied. 

'Gossip Girl' Part 2 is now streaming on HBO Max with new episodes to drop next week.