Even though the series has long been over, fans are still reeling over the fact that Dan Humphrey is, indeed, Gossip Girl.
Gossip girl has been over for 6 years and I’m still shook that Dan was gossip girl
HOWEVER, upon rewatch of the pilot — and, let's face it, the rest of the series — I realized that they've hinted at Dan being Gossip Girl since the VERY beginning.
Dan's really only wanted one thing: to be with Serena. BUT, with his status at the beginning of the show, — a nobody from Brooklyn — he didn't ~quite~ fit into her circle. So, he had to find a way to break into the world of the scandalous lives of Manhattan's elite. The only way to do that, and get Serena, was to become Gossip Girl.
Despite some plot holes that happened along the way, here are all the ways they hinted at Dan being Gossip Girl in the pilot:
1. For starters, a Gossip Girl source was the one who spotted Serena at Grand Central Station. YET, Gossip Girl reported that Lonely Boy, AKA Dan, was seen gazing at Serena, his long lost crush. Yet, there was no source to turn THAT tidbit into Gossip Girl. The only one there was DAN who WROTE IT HIMSELF AS GOSSIP GIRL.
2. THE SCREEN LITERALLY PANS TO DAN WHEN GOSSIP GIRL IS TALKING ABOUT HERSELF.
3. Dan is the master of deflection. He's quick to say he doesn't "read Gossip Girl" and that "it's for chicks" to throw the scent off his trail. Methinks the man doth protest too much.
4. Speaking of computers, Dan is THE ONLY person who reads Gossip Girl on his computer. Everyone else is on their phones. Maybe because it's easier to read a notification on your phone, but a computer is needed when one is running a scandalous blog, hmm?
5. Look at him, as he eavesdrops on Chuck and Nate's conversation. Always ready for the tea.
6. The ONLY person who hasn't been written about on Gossip Girl — up until this point — is Jenny, Dan's sister. Which makes sense...like, why would he shade his own blood?
7. Aaannd, how was it that Gossip Girl got the tip that Serena crashed the Kiss On The Lips party so fast? When Dan was the only one who knew she was crashing? Maybe cuz Gossip Girl and Dan are one in the same, HMM?
8. Like, when you really think about it, Dan had the most to gain — popularity, notoriety, a seat at the table, Serena — and the least to lose — um, nothing — in becoming Gossip Girl. So it really makes senses that it was him all along.
So, hats off to you, Dan Humphrey, for pulling off the most applaudable long con of all time. Play on, playa.
