Blair (Leighton Meester) and Serena (Blake Lively). When you think of the original Gossip Girl, those two characters and their incredibly complex friendship is the first thing to come to mind. When creating the reboot, how to create a friendship and rivalry as deep was something the writers chose to not only explore among themselves but also introduced this thread into the series as something the new Gossip Girl — teachers Kate (Tavi Gevinson), Jordan (Adam Chanler-Berat), and Wendy (Megan Ferguson) — had to consider. They had their It Girl and Queen of Constance, Julien (Jordan Alexander), but who would be on the opposite side of things? Their choice, Zoya (Whitney Peak), was clearly unfit for rival status and the first season suffered because of it. However, the second season has begun with Monet (Savannah Lee Smith) declaring war on her frenemy Julien, proving herself a much better rival in just two episodes and finally bringing the series to life because of it.
Zoya and Julien’s Rivalry Just Didn’t Work
In the pilot episode, the rivalry between Julien and her long-lost sister Zoya (Whitney Peak) begins, thanks to some dirty manipulation by Gossip Girl. Kept apart by their vengeful fathers Davis (Luke Kirby) and Nick (Johnathan Fernandez), neither of whom let go of their feelings over the girls’ mother leaving Davis for Nick and the horrors that transpired after she died giving birth to Zoya, the girls are finally given the chance to meet and become real sisters after Zoya transfers to Constance to begin high school under a scholarship. With their tense family history, Kate and Jordan decide that pitting these sisters against one another would be their best chance to build their new Instagram platform and get people invested again. It worked, of course, but at what cost? What did the series lose from the original to reboot because of it?
The answer is simple: Julien and Zoya didn’t have an interesting rivalry, and definitely not worthy of following in the footsteps of Blair and Serena. Because they hadn’t ever really known each other, Julien and Zoya weren’t willing to stoop to the lows that are required to make the relationship appropriate for the harsh spotlight. They couldn’t go too far without risking that one would lose the other forever, which almost happened on the rare occasion Julien would fully embrace her influencer lifestyle and let Monet and Luna (Zión Moreno) help to knock Zoya down a few Met steps. There was way too much darkness between them. Zoya also wasn’t on Julien’s level as a new arrival to New York lacking the same connections to get things done. Most of the time, Julien completely pulled her punches because the simple attacks she unleashed on Zoya were enough to destroy whatever resembled sisterhood between them.
The harshest attacks came from Monet and Luna, which proves that they are better people for Julien to be facing off against than her unsuspecting little sister. Zoya was too innocent and trying to force her to become Julien’s rival ultimately failed because Zoya didn’t have it in her to go too far (which is a good thing). Plus, their fighting over Obie (Eli Brown), a man most undeserving of dating both of these lovely ladies, as he bounced between them was incredibly lame and didn’t show anyone in the best light. Putting this relationship and conflict in the spotlight for much of the first season felt as if the original had replaced Blair and Serena with Vanessa (Jessica Szohr) and Jenny (Taylor Momsen) fighting over Nate (Chace Crawford). Nobody wanted to see that. (And, Nate is a much better man than Obie, so at least that fighting was somewhat justified.)
Monet Is the Perfect Blair to Julien's Serena
Monet, on the other hand, is already a much better rival for Julien after just a few episodes of Gossip Girl Season 2. This conflict has been brewing since the moment we met Monet in the series premiere, as she was clearly already tired of Julien. Monet has devoted much of her life to advancing Julien’s influencer career, making connections and using those to put Julien in the spotlight. She’s spent countless hours making sure Julien’s image is perfect, doing whatever she can to spin things when necessary, and working with Luna to cultivate Julien’s brand. But, it becomes clear early on that Monet feels undervalued and overlooked by Julien. By season’s end, Monet is ready to take the crown for herself and become the new Queen of Constance that she feels Julien never deserved to be, especially after letting Zoya walk all over her last season.
Monet is much more like Blair Waldorf by nature, while Julien has more of Serena’s “innocent but bad” girl energy. Like their predecessors, they were friends first, but Monet harbors a Blair-like resentment toward Julien. As such, Monet isn’t willing to pull her punches. She will do whatever it takes to come out on top, stepping on anyone in her path. It’s eerie how similar her attitude and behavior is to that of Blair’s in the early seasons of the original, but becoming more modernized as well. With Monet coming at her full force, Julien can finally stop pulling her punches like she was with Zoya. She still holds back, but this time it’s simply because Julien doesn’t want to be that person. She’s taking the high road, as Serena tried many times before her. This brilliant new dynamic is highlighted in the season premiere’s debutante ball, as Monet sneakily invites Julien’s disgraced father (whom she wants nothing to do with) to accompany her at the ball. It’s a low blow, which leaves Julien reeling. Because they have known each other for so long and have a well-established relationship, they each know how to get under each other’s skin better than just about anyone else — well, except maybe Luna and Monet’s mother Camille de Haan (Amanda Warren).
Then, in the second episode of the new season, Monet and Julien are subtly fighting each other as they vie for a profile in the Spectator. Julien plans a night to remember and humiliate Monet, hoping to put this needless conflict behind them and move on with their respective lives. Unfortunately for her, Monet has spent so long living in Julien Calloway’s mindset that her plan backfires and Monet uses it to fuel the war between them. It’s a skillful, calculated move that hasn’t been seen since Blair Waldorf herself ruled New York but also showcases the depths of this relationship. Monet is ready to battle, and she’s forcing Julien into fighting back by using her wealth of knowledge about her frenemy, so they can decide once and for all who should be on top. While the two of them have seemingly laid down their torches by the end of the third episode, anyone who watched the original knows it doesn’t take long for gasoline to ignite the fire once more.