"New York, I Love You XOXO" is the series finale of ''
Gossip Girl
''Gossip Girl'' is an American teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series, developed for television by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, ran on The CW network for six sea ...
''. The episode serves as the tenth episode of the
sixth season and the show's 121st episode overall. Written by
Stephanie Savage
Stephanie Savage (born 1969) is a Canadian screenwriter and television producer. Savage is best known for developing The CW's teen drama series ''Gossip Girl (TV series), Gossip Girl'' (2007) from the Gossip Girl (novel series), novel series, and ...
, and directed by Mark Piznarski, the series finale originally aired on
The CW
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
in the United States on December 17, 2012.
''Gossip Girl'' follows the lives of a group of young adults coming from a wealthy background. In this final episode, the death of Bart Bass rushes
Chuck Bass
Charles Bartholomew Bass is a fictional character in the novel and television series '' Gossip Girl''. In the TV series, he is portrayed by English actor Ed Westwick. Although he is a secondary antagonist in the original book series, the TV serie ...
(
Ed Westwick
Edward Jack Peter Westwick (born 27 June 1987) is an English actor and musician best known for his role as Chuck Bass on The CW's ''Gossip Girl'' as well as Vincent Swan in the TV series ''White Gold''. He made his feature film debut in '' Chil ...
) to marry
Blair Waldorf
Blair Cornelia Waldorf (married name Bass) is one of the main characters of ''Gossip Girl'', introduced in the original series of novels and also appearing as the lead in the television adaptation; she also appears in the comic adaptation. Descri ...
(
Leighton Meester
Leighton Marissa Meester (; born April 9, 1986) is an American actress, singer, and model. She is best known for her starring role as the devious socialite Blair Waldorf on ''Gossip Girl'' on The CW (2007–2012). She has also appeared in films ...
) and the identity of Gossip Girl is revealed. A five-year flash forward takes place and shows the wedding of
Dan Humphrey
Daniel Randolph Humphrey is a fictional character in the bestselling Gossip Girl (novel series), ''Gossip Girl'' novel series. He is one of the central male characters in ''Gossip Girl'', where he is portrayed by Penn Badgley. Dan Humphrey is th ...
(
Penn Badgley
Penn Dayton Badgley (born November 1, 1986) is an American actor and musician. He is known for his roles as Dan Humphrey in The CW teen drama series ''Gossip Girl'' (2007–2012) and as Joe Goldberg in the Netflix thriller series '' You'' (2018 ...
) to
Serena van der Woodsen
Serena Celia van der Woodsen is the fictional character and the protagonist in the ''Gossip Girl'' novel series and in its TV adaptation, in which she is portrayed by Blake Lively. Serena is featured on the blog of the series' mysterious narrato ...
(
Blake Lively
Blake Ellender Lively ( Brown; born August 25, 1987) is an American actress. Born in Los Angeles, Lively is the daughter of actor Ernie Lively, and made her professional debut in his directorial project ''Sandman'' (1998). She starred as Brid ...
).
"New York, I Love You XOXO" received favorable reviews from television critics. Upon its initial airing, the finale was viewed in the United States by 1.55 million people and garnered a 0.8/2
Nielsen rating/share in the
18–49 demographic, registering as the season's most-watched episode.
Plot
The series finale picked up where the previous episode left off, where
Chuck Bass
Charles Bartholomew Bass is a fictional character in the novel and television series '' Gossip Girl''. In the TV series, he is portrayed by English actor Ed Westwick. Although he is a secondary antagonist in the original book series, the TV serie ...
(
Ed Westwick
Edward Jack Peter Westwick (born 27 June 1987) is an English actor and musician best known for his role as Chuck Bass on The CW's ''Gossip Girl'' as well as Vincent Swan in the TV series ''White Gold''. He made his feature film debut in '' Chil ...
) and Bart argue on the roof ending with Bart falling off the building. Chuck and
Blair Waldorf
Blair Cornelia Waldorf (married name Bass) is one of the main characters of ''Gossip Girl'', introduced in the original series of novels and also appearing as the lead in the television adaptation; she also appears in the comic adaptation. Descri ...
(
Leighton Meester
Leighton Marissa Meester (; born April 9, 1986) is an American actress, singer, and model. She is best known for her starring role as the devious socialite Blair Waldorf on ''Gossip Girl'' on The CW (2007–2012). She has also appeared in films ...
) leave the scene and hide from the police as Chuck is considered "a person of interest" in the case. Jack Bass (
Desmond Harrington
Desmond Harrington (born October 19, 1976) is an American actor. He has appeared in '' The Hole'' (2001), ''Ghost Ship'' (2002), and '' Wrong Turn'' (2003), Desmond joined the cast of the Showtime series '' Dexter'' in its third season, as D ...
), Chuck's uncle, comes to help him and suggests the two get married since spousal privilege prevents a wife from unwillingly testifying against her husband. Chuck thus proposes to Blair who tearfully accepts.
Serena van der Woodsen
Serena Celia van der Woodsen is the fictional character and the protagonist in the ''Gossip Girl'' novel series and in its TV adaptation, in which she is portrayed by Blake Lively. Serena is featured on the blog of the series' mysterious narrato ...
(
Blake Lively
Blake Ellender Lively ( Brown; born August 25, 1987) is an American actress. Born in Los Angeles, Lively is the daughter of actor Ernie Lively, and made her professional debut in his directorial project ''Sandman'' (1998). She starred as Brid ...
) discovers the alternate chapter about her that
Dan Humphrey
Daniel Randolph Humphrey is a fictional character in the bestselling Gossip Girl (novel series), ''Gossip Girl'' novel series. He is one of the central male characters in ''Gossip Girl'', where he is portrayed by Penn Badgley. Dan Humphrey is th ...
(
Penn Badgley
Penn Dayton Badgley (born November 1, 1986) is an American actor and musician. He is known for his roles as Dan Humphrey in The CW teen drama series ''Gossip Girl'' (2007–2012) and as Joe Goldberg in the Netflix thriller series '' You'' (2018 ...
) wrote and put in her bag before she left for Los Angeles. She reads the chapter and decides to stay in New York to confront Dan. William van der Woodsen (
William Baldwin
William Joseph Baldwin (born February 21, 1963), Note: While birthplace is routinely listed as Massapequa, that town has no hospital, and brother Alec Baldwin was born in nearby Amityville, which does. known also as Billy Baldwin,is an America ...
) shows up to support
Lily Bass (
Kelly Rutherford
Kelly Rutherford (born November 6, 1968) is an American actress. She is known for her television roles as Stephanie "Sam" Whitmore on the NBC daytime soap opera ''Generations'' (1989–1991), as Megan Lewis on the Fox primetime soap opera ''Mel ...
) and tells
Ivy Dickens
Ivy Dickens (former alias: Charlotte "Charlie" Rhodes) is a fictional character who exclusively appears in the Gossip Girl, ''Gossip Girl'' television adaptation, portrayed by Kaylee DeFer. She first appears in "Gossip Girl (season 4), The Kids St ...
(
Kaylee DeFer
Kaylee Anne DeFer (born September 23, 1986) is a former American actress. She was known for her portrayals of Hillary Gold in ''The War at Home (TV series), The War at Home'', and of Ivy Dickens in ''Gossip Girl''.
Early life
DeFer was born in T ...
) that he used her to get back to Lily.
With the death of Bart Bass,
Nate Archibald
Nathaniel "Tiny" Archibald (born September 2, 1948) is an American retired professional basketball player. He spent 14 years playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA), most notably with the Cincinnati Royals/Kansas City–Omaha Kings ...
(
Chace Crawford
Christopher Chace Crawford (born July 18, 1985) is an American actor. He is known for his television portrayals of Nate Archibald on The CW's teen drama series ''Gossip Girl'' (2007–2012), and of The Deep in Amazon Prime Video original series ...
) who is running the newspaper ''The Spectator'', is no longer indebted to him (Bart paid his debts to control him) and he decides to find out for good who Gossip Girl is. Jack and Georgina Sparks (
Michelle Trachtenberg
Michelle Trachtenberg (; born October 11, 1985) is an American actress and model. Trachtenberg began her career at age three, appearing in a number of commercials, films, and television series as a child. Her starring role on the Nickelodeon tel ...
) deal with the arrangements of Chuck and Blair's wedding. Before the ceremony, Serena and Blair have a conversation over why she is still talking to Dan after he published a negative chapter about her a few weeks ago. Overhearing their conversation, Dan leaves and gives to Nate his final chapter, which is about Gossip Girl. Blair and Chuck are married by Cyrus (
Wallace Shawn
Wallace Michael Shawn (born November 12, 1943) is an American actor, playwright, and essayist. His film roles include Wally Shawn (a fictionalized version of himself) in '' My Dinner with Andre'' (1981), Vizzini in ''The Princess Bride'' (1987), ...
) and right after, the police arrive to question them. At the same time, everyone's phones ring: Dan's chapter has been published in ''The Spectator'', in which he reveals that he is Gossip Girl. Various characters react over the Gossip Girl reveal, including Vanessa (
Jessica Szohr
Jessica Karen Szohr (;) is an American actress. She started her screen career appearing on television shows such as ''My Wife and Kids'' (2003), ''Joan of Arcadia'' (2004), '' What About Brian'' (2007) and ''CSI: Miami'' (2007). She gained recogn ...
), Juliet (
Katie Cassidy
Katherine Evelyn Anita Cassidy (formerly Rodgers) (born November 25, 1986) is an American actress. Following several minor television roles, she came to attention as a scream queen after starring in the horror films '' When a Stranger Calls'' ...
), Agnes (
Willa Holland
Willa Holland is an American actress and model. She is known for her roles as Kaitlin Cooper in the Fox teen drama ''The O.C.'', Agnes Andrews in The CW series ''Gossip Girl'', Aqua in ''Kingdom Hearts'', and Thea Queen / Speedy in ''Arrow''.
...
) and Lola (
Ella Rae Peck
Ella Rae Peck is an American actress. She portrayed the roles of Charlotte "Lola" Rhodes in The CW series ''Gossip Girl'' and Mia Bowers in the NBC series '' Deception''.
Life and career
Peck was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and went to scho ...
), as well as Mayor
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author. He is the majority owner, co-founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. He was Mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, and was a ca ...
.
Rachel Bilson
Rachel Sarah Bilson (born August 25, 1981) is an American actress. Born to a Californian show-business family, Bilson made her television debut in 2003, and then landed the role of Summer Roberts on the prime-time drama series ''The O.C.'' Bils ...
, preparing to audition for a role in the adaptation of Dan's book, is told of Gossip Girl's identity by
Kristen Bell
Kristen Anne Bell (born July 18, 1980) is an American actress. Beginning her acting career by starring in stage productions while attending the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, she made her Broadway stage debut as Becky That ...
, who shares a conspiratorial wink with the audience. Dan finally explains why he created Gossip Girl and says Jenny (
Taylor Momsen
Taylor Michel Momsen (born July 26, 1993) is an American musician, singer, model, and former actress. Prior to her retirement from acting, she portrayed the character of Cindy Lou Who in the film '' How the Grinch Stole Christmas'' (2000) and Je ...
) knew it all along.
5 Years Later: It's the day of Dan and Serena's wedding. Chuck and Blair are now parents of a son named Henry. Nate, now a successful businessman with ''The Spectator'' flourishing, is likely to run for Mayor of New York. Ivy has written an autobiography about her career as a con artist in the Upper East Side, which was adapted into a film starring both Lola and Olivia Burke (
Hilary Duff
Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including seven Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, four Teen Choice Awards and two Young Artist Awards. She began her act ...
). Blair and Jenny have become business partners in the fashion world and together they have created a clothing line called "J for Waldorf". Lily and William are back together while Rufus (
Matthew Settle
Jeffrey Matthew Settle (born September 17, 1969) is an American actor. He is known for playing Captain Ronald Speirs on the HBO miniseries '' Band of Brothers'' and Rufus Humphrey on the CW teen drama series ''Gossip Girl''.
Early life
Settl ...
) is in a relationship with
Lisa Loeb
Lisa Loeb (; born March 11, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author and actress. She started her career with the number 1 hit song "Stay (I Missed You)" from the film '' Reality Bites,'' the first number 1 single for an artist ...
. Jack Bass and Georgina have also become a couple. The final scene shows the new generation of high school kids on the Upper East Side, mirroring the elite and the exclusion. The show ends as a new Gossip Girl is teased as "there will always be someone on the outside wanting to get in."
Production
The episode was written by
Stephanie Savage
Stephanie Savage (born 1969) is a Canadian screenwriter and television producer. Savage is best known for developing The CW's teen drama series ''Gossip Girl (TV series), Gossip Girl'' (2007) from the Gossip Girl (novel series), novel series, and ...
, while Mark Piznarski directed it. On October 31, 2012,
TVLine
''TVLine'' is a website devoted to information, news, and spoilers of television programs.
History
In late 2010, ''Entertainment Weekly''s Michael Ausiello announced that he would be leaving ''EW'' after nearly two years in their employ to est ...
revealed the title of the finale would be "New York, I Love You XOXO". Filming of the episode took place in October 2012 in New York. Some scenes were filmed at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
while Blair and Chuck's wedding scene was filmed near the
Bethesda Terrace
Bethesda Terrace and Fountain are two architectural features overlooking the southern shore of the Lake in New York City's Central Park. The fountain, with its ''Angel of the Waters'' statue, is located in the center of the terrace.
Bethesda T ...
. Featured music included
Great Northern Great Northern may refer to:
Transport
* One of a number of railways; see Great Northern Railway (disambiguation).
* Great Northern Railway (U.S.), a defunct American transcontinental railroad and major predecessor of the BNSF Railway.
* Great ...
's cover of "
Bonnie & Clyde
Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (October 1, 1910May 23, 1934) and Clyde Chestnut (Champion) Barrow (March 24, 1909May 23, 1934) were an American criminal couple who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. The c ...
",
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...
's
Pon De Replay
"Pon de Replay" is the debut single of Barbadian singer Rihanna, from her debut studio album ''Music of the Sun'' (2005). It was written and produced by Vada Nobles, Alisha "M'Jestie" Brooks, Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers. The song was released ...
,
Imagine Dragons
Imagine Dragons is an American pop rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, consisting of lead singer Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, bassist Ben McKee and drummer Daniel Platzman. The band first gained exposure with the release of their sing ...
's "
It's Time", Release the Sunbird's cover of
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.[Talkin ...](_blank)
' "
Road to Nowhere
"Road to Nowhere" is a rock song written by David Byrne for the 1985 Talking Heads album ''Little Creatures''. It also appeared on '' Best of Talking Heads'', '' Sand in the Vaseline: Popular Favorites'', the ''Once in a Lifetime'' box set and t ...
",
The Mynabirds
The Mynabirds are an American indie pop band founded by singer-songwriter and pianist Laura Burhenn, who was previously one half of the Washington, D.C. indie duo Georgie James. Burhenn formed The Mynabirds in 2009, and shortly after signed t ...
' "Body of Work",
Florence and the Machine
Florence and the Machine (stylised as Florence + the Machine) are an English indie rock band that formed in London in 2007, consisting of lead vocalist Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, harpist Tom Monger, and ...
's "
You've Got the Love
"You Got the Love" is a song by British songwriting team The Source featuring American singer-songwriter Candi Staton. Originally released in 1986, the song was remixed and re-released in 1991, 1997, and 2006. It reached number three on the UK ...
",
and
The Pretty Reckless
The Pretty Reckless is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 2009. The band consists of Taylor Momsen (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Ben Phillips (lead guitar, backing vocals), Mark Damon (bass), and Jamie Perkins (drums).
The ban ...
' "
Kill Me" as closing song.
On October 5, 2012, executive producers Stephanie Savage and Sara Goodman told the reveal of who was behind Gossip Girl would happen in the sixth and final season. Savage said they didn't plan at first to reveal the identity of Gossip Girl but that they changed their minds because of the fifth season's storyline.
On November 14, 2012, TVLine announced there would be a flashforward in the finale. Savage later told there would also be a flashback.
Costume designer Eric Daman dressed Blair (Meester) with a headband and Chuck (Westwick) with a scarf (in the flashback) as a tribute to previous seasons. Blair wore an
Elie Saab
Elie Saab ( ar, إيلي صعب; born 4 July 1964) is a Lebanese fashion designer.
His main workshop is in Lebanon, with additional workshops in Milan and Paris. He started his business in the early 1980s and specialized in bridal couture (ex ...
dress for her wedding, while Serena (Lively) wore a
Missoni
Missoni is an Italian luxury fashion house based in Varese, and known for its colorful knitwear designs. The company was founded by Ottavio ("Tai") and Rosita Missoni in 1953.
History Early beginnings
The business was founded in 1953, when O ...
dress. Serena's wedding dress was designed by
Georges Chakra. Jenny (Momsen) and Blair both wore
Zuhair Murad
Zuhair Murad ( ar, زهير مراد) (born in July 1971) is a Lebanese fashion designer. He was born in 1971 in Ras Baalbek, Lebanon.
Biography
Zuhair Murad was born to a Melkite Catholic family in Ras Baalbek. Shortly after high school, M ...
dresses to Serena and Dan's wedding while Georgina's dress was designed by Robert Rodriguez.
Casting
Several former cast members returned for the finale.
Desmond Harrington
Desmond Harrington (born October 19, 1976) is an American actor. He has appeared in '' The Hole'' (2001), ''Ghost Ship'' (2002), and '' Wrong Turn'' (2003), Desmond joined the cast of the Showtime series '' Dexter'' in its third season, as D ...
reprised his role as Chuck's uncle, Jack Bass. News of Connor Paolo and Taylor Momsen's returns surfaced on October 16, 2012 when
Kelly Rutherford
Kelly Rutherford (born November 6, 1968) is an American actress. She is known for her television roles as Stephanie "Sam" Whitmore on the NBC daytime soap opera ''Generations'' (1989–1991), as Megan Lewis on the Fox primetime soap opera ''Mel ...
posted on
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
a picture of them on set.
Katie Cassidy
Katherine Evelyn Anita Cassidy (formerly Rodgers) (born November 25, 1986) is an American actress. Following several minor television roles, she came to attention as a scream queen after starring in the horror films '' When a Stranger Calls'' ...
,
Ella Rae Peck
Ella Rae Peck is an American actress. She portrayed the roles of Charlotte "Lola" Rhodes in The CW series ''Gossip Girl'' and Mia Bowers in the NBC series '' Deception''.
Life and career
Peck was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and went to scho ...
,
Jessica Szohr
Jessica Karen Szohr (;) is an American actress. She started her screen career appearing on television shows such as ''My Wife and Kids'' (2003), ''Joan of Arcadia'' (2004), '' What About Brian'' (2007) and ''CSI: Miami'' (2007). She gained recogn ...
, and
Willa Holland
Willa Holland is an American actress and model. She is known for her roles as Kaitlin Cooper in the Fox teen drama ''The O.C.'', Agnes Andrews in The CW series ''Gossip Girl'', Aqua in ''Kingdom Hearts'', and Thea Queen / Speedy in ''Arrow''.
...
also returned for small appearances. Long-time narrator
Kristen Bell
Kristen Anne Bell (born July 18, 1980) is an American actress. Beginning her acting career by starring in stage productions while attending the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, she made her Broadway stage debut as Becky That ...
appeared in the episode as herself reading her lines alongside
Rachel Bilson
Rachel Sarah Bilson (born August 25, 1981) is an American actress. Born to a Californian show-business family, Bilson made her television debut in 2003, and then landed the role of Summer Roberts on the prime-time drama series ''The O.C.'' Bils ...
. On Bell's cameo Savage told: "It was really funny and very, very special to be shooting with her. She's an intimate part of our family but yet we never get to see her. To be able to make her a part of our storytelling just felt like the perfect way to crown her work with us over the years."
She added: "If you’re going to have those two ladies together in a scene then we wanted to have fun and play to their strengths. So
Josh Schwartz
Joshua Ian Schwartz (born August 6, 1976) is an American screenwriter and television producer. Schwartz is best known for creating and executive producing the Fox teen drama series '' The O.C.'' which ran for 4 seasons. Schwartz is also known fo ...
and I came up with the whole idea... To be able to have Kristen onscreen for the finale was great. And to have Rachel do it with her was just the icing on the cake."
The episode also included cameo-appearances by New York City Mayor
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author. He is the majority owner, co-founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. He was Mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, and was a ca ...
and
Lisa Loeb
Lisa Loeb (; born March 11, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author and actress. She started her career with the number 1 hit song "Stay (I Missed You)" from the film '' Reality Bites,'' the first number 1 single for an artist ...
. Loeb, who had previously appeared in the show during the first season, ended up as Rufus' final partner. The writers made this choice so that he would not be alone but with someone from "his world", another musician.
Reception
"New York, I Love You XOXO" was first broadcast on December 17, 2012 in the United States on
The CW
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
. The episode in the United States was watched by 1.55 million people and scored a 0.8/2
Nielsen rating/share in the adults among the
18–49 demographic, making it the most watched episode since April 25, 2011.
Sandra Gonzalez of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' gave a positive review of the final installment, summarizing it as "a perfect balance of nostalgia, mythology, wit, trickery, and closure". Despite calling the choice of Dan being Gossip Girl "edgy, daring and probably dripping in inconsistency," she was satisfied that "it didn’t turn out to be an unknown person or peripheral character. The writers chose Gossip Girl straight from the heart of the gang — and that decision deserves some respect." She also appreciated the flashbacks describing them as "charming" as well as Chuck and Blair's wedding, which she called "gorgeous", and enjoyed the guest-star appearances. Writing for ''
Newsday
''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...
'', Verne Gay thought the reveal of who was behind Gossip Girl was not surprising but was "a nice sort of perverse poetic justice." ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' Philiana Ng wrote the episode "reminded viewers of what ''Gossip Girl'' ultimately is and should be remembered as: a soapy, cheeky guilty pleasure." Rating it 4.8/5, Courtney Morrison of ''TV Fanatic'' described the finale as "epic". She liked Desmond Harrington's return and picked the five-year flash forward as a highlight of the episode. Even if she was surprised that Dan turned out to be Gossip Girl, she found that it "made sense".
However
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
gave the episode a grade F, citing that it was "excruciatingly boring". They also criticised the revelation that Dan was Gossip Girl "so he not only, um, used Gossip Girl as a platform for spreading rumors, denigrating his friends, revealing his sister’s sex life in public and embarrassing ways, and, oh yes, nearly getting himself expelled (that is some ninja double-crossing skill)—he was using it to try to impress a girl that was literally the subject of his stalker-takedown-campaign for at least two years, if not for the run of the entire show."
References
External links
*
"New York, I Love You XOXO"at
The CW.com
{{Gossip Girl
2012 American television episodes
American television series finales
Gossip Girl (season 6) episodes
Michael Bloomberg
Television episodes about weddings