On the Upper East Side, it was a rich-eat-rich world. Gossip Girl was full of schemers and social climbers who might have seemed mature thanks to no-limit credit cards and never being questioned by authority. In reality, the teens of Gossip Girl had a severe lack of impulse control - and everyone wanted to feel like they were the center of the universe.
Over the course of the series, some characters learned to better control themselves, some learned about the reality of consequences for their actions, but others stagnated in high school. The glitz and glamour of the Gossip Girl universe didn’t always allow for opportunities for growth.
Grew: Jenny Humphrey
Some would argue that Jenny Humphrey didn’t have to grow up since she left town, but that’s actually progress for someone targeted by Upper East Side royalty.
Little J made a powerful enemy in Blair Waldorf, and though she tried to scheme and social climb herself, it didn’t work. Jenny made the, surprisingly, mature decision to leave her life behind and pursue a career in fashion. She got away from the Gossip Girl influencers, developed her own sense of style, and became her own person. That’s true growth.
Did Not: Eric Van Der Woodsen
Eric’s lack of growth wasn’t really his fault. It’s more the fault of the writers pushing his character aside to focus on the drama of his big sister and her friends. The Eric that fans met at the start of the series wasn’t entirely happy in his life, as is evident from him being hospitalized for attempting to take his own life.
Despite Eric’s wise-beyond-his-years attitude for most of his time on the show, he always fell back into self destructive behavior and arguments with his sister, showcasing that same unhappiness. Eric was just as petulant as Serena, he just didn’t get as much time in the spotlight for fans to see it.
Grew: Rufus Humphrey
A former aspiring rock star holding out hope that his wife would come home at the start of the series, Rufus saw his growth occur in fits and starts. He regressed a bit when he and Lily Van Der Woodsen reconnected, welcoming the same affection and material trappings of a relationship he had when he was in high school.
By the end of the series, however, he truly moved on with his life. Rufus allowed his kids to grow up instead of being a part of their social circle, and he had a new woman in his life who wasn’t connected to that same social circle either. That was some huge progress for him.
Did Not: Nate Archibald
There was this perception when Gossip Girl began that Nate was boring compared to his scandalous friends. The truth was that he just hid his scandal well.
Nate started the series as someone who wanted to appear perfect, so he kept his back to his skeleton filled closet. Those skeletons included things like his affair with his girlfriend’s best friend. He only became a more exaggerated version of that character as the series went on, having affairs with women in positions of power who could further his social standing or career.
Grew: Dorota Kishlovsky
Dorota became one of the most beloved characters of the series, but she also grew a lot over the course of the show. She began her time on the series as a meek household employee of the Waldorfs.
As she spent more and more time with Blair, however, Dorota grew a backbone. Yes, she maintained a staunch loyalty to Blair, but she was also willing to stand up for herself and not take orders blindly by the time the series ended.
Did Not: Lily Van Der Woodsen
We’d all like to think that Lily learned her lessons as she moved her way from one doomed relationship to the next, preserving her wealthy lifestyle as she did. The truth is, however, that Lily never really seemed to learn anything.
Lily claimed to care about the welfare of her children, but she never really seemed to know what was going on with them. She made the same mistakes in her relationships with them over and over again. Lily also made the same mistakes in her romantic relationships repeatedly, trying to buy affection and lying to preserve her social status. Lily began and ended the series in much the same way.
Grew: Dan Humphrey
When the writers decided to make Dan Gossip Girl, he became more than just a know-it-all; he became a bit of a psychopath. Who spends their teen years spying on everyone around them, pretending to be friends with people they then expose online, and publicly shame literally every woman they supposedly care about? Dan Humphrey.
That being said, Dan’s decision in the finale to come clean about everything he’d done to the people closest to him, giving up being Gossip Girl, did show growth. He explained everything he could in the short amount of time the scene afforded him, admitting what he could to the people he’d hurt most.
Did Not: Chuck Bass
Fans of the relationship between Chuck and Blair will argue that by the end of the series Chuck became a better person, but that’s largely because we all want him to have earned his happy ending with Blair. The truth is, Chuck didn’t really grow as a person; he just became more inventive with his schemes.
Fans were introduced to Chuck when he discussed popping pills with Nate and then tried to take advantage of Jenny Humphrey. By the end of the series, he was still manipulating people - especially women - around him. Chuck and Blair even literally made the decision to marry on the spot so she wouldn’t be forced to testify against him. He only became connected to more and more criminal activity as the show went on.
Grew: Blair Waldorf
Despite winding up with Chuck in the end, Blair did genuinely grow throughout the series. She began her time on the show obsessed with being the prettiest and most popular girl in school. Blair dreamed of being a princess. She was all about status and flash.
When she actually had the chance to become a princess, however, Blair realized how unhappy her life would be. She began to seriously consider what she wanted out of life, not just what she wanted her life to look like to the outside world. A lot of fans might not have loved her relationship with Dan Humphrey in the later seasons of the show, but it’s that relationship that really gave us a look into Blair’s character development as she became interested in more than just being the queen bee on campus.
Did Not: Serena Van Der Woodsen
By contrast, Blair’s best frenemy did not experience the same growth. Serena frequently claimed to have learned her lessons, and she judged her friends for bad behavior. The minute something didn’t turn out exactly how she wanted it to, however, she reverted to her own bad behavior.
Serena was just as much of a schemer as Chuck was, though she always seemed to believe she had the high ground in any situation. Despite her claims that she had risen above her childish need for attention, she continued to go out of her way to place herself at the center of everyone’s drama. She even married the person who was most obsessed with her!
