It’s funny how, when it comes to a TV show you love, it doesn’t matter how many times you rewatch it, you always manage to notice something new.
It’s even more amusing when you realise that a plot point you were so vehemently opposed to the first time you saw it unfold onscreen — and I mean, teenage-hormone-fuelled-screaming ‘opposed’ — was actually a really great thing.
Case in point? Dan Humphrey and Blair Waldorf were actually the best couple on Gossip Girl. There, I said it.
Don’t @ me, I have proof.
Before I present it, I beseech you to briefly forget however you felt about their union when you were a wee young ‘un watching the show in the mid-2000s to the early 2010s.
Good? Good. Alright, allow me to redirect your attention to exhibit A for why Dan and Blair had the best relationship on Gossip Girl:
1. Dan And Blair Were Intellectual Equals Who Worked Hard And Had Shared Interests And Values
Honestly, Serena could never. Alright, she wasn’t a complete fool, but to use Queen B’s words:
“You’re not that smart. You lack focus and discipline. Charm is all well and good but in the real world, knowledge is power.“
Dan and Blair were on the same intellectual wave-length. They cared about about working hard and getting into good schools and making something of their lives.
Sure, Blair may have had giraffe’s leg up in the financial department and flurry of minions to help her, but she was always determined to prove her worth through her work, whether it was her hectic course load at Columbia, or working at a magazine full-time while also being a full-time student.
In any case, their similar interests and intelligence meant they could exchange witty repartee and not have to translate their references because they just got it.
Both of them had a passion for literature, art and film, and could indulge in debate about concepts and ideas, as opposed to just, well, gossip (yes, I see the irony).
Now, I know, I know, you’re probably thinking: “Alright, but Chuck wasn’t exactly stupid. He loved a lot of the same things Blair did, and they even played Russian literature role-play sex games together.”
I hear you. So, let me present exhibit B (or ‘2’… whatever).
2. Dan And Blair Didn’t Play Mind Games
Sure, back then, we were somehow able to get past Chuck and Blair’s toxic vortex of mutual torture (how??). However, if we’re really honest with ourselves, we know that Chuck brought out the worst in Blair for most of their relationship.
Similarly, being with Serena brought out Dan’s ‘saviour complex’, perhaps because all he felt he could offer the golden girl from a ‘different world’ was a life raft when she needed one. Sigh.
3. They Brought Out The Best In Each Other
Even with Blair’s jabs at Dan for being ‘poor’ and from Brooklyn while he dated Serena (which actually turned into more of a friendly/flirty banter situation, later on), they really brought out the best in each other because they really got each other (again, exhibit A/1).
He praised her tenacity, and called her “fiercely strong. Independent. Outspoken, beautiful… capable of anything”. She encouraged him to pursue an opportunity to go to Rome and follow his writing dreams.
And let’s not forget, Dan wrote Prince Louis’ wedding vows, which made an unsure Blair, who sneakily read them before the wedding, feel confident about marrying Louis (not knowing she actually wanted Dan). Aww.
4. Blair and Dan’s Relationship Actually Evolved Over Time And Wasn’t Solely Bound By Sexual Attraction
These two had about four or five seasons to see each other as people, then friends and then partners.
When it comes to Lonely Boy and a certain perfectly coiffed blonde, their relationship was perpetually stuck in the high school phase of their lives, and they experienced very little growth together. Sure, they had plenty of physical chemistry, but that didn’t really help their case.
Similarly, Blair and Chuck were always off-and-on and repeatedly failed because of the same issues, in spite of having the kind of chemistry that emanates from every fibre of your being.
And yet, somehow, these two couples had their shit magically sorted out by that extremely questionable series finale?
Dan and Blair evolved as people, and then evolved together. No, they were not perfect people, and even their relationship had its faults, but they still had the healthiest one in the whole show.
And even though it didn’t work out for them, let’s be real, theirs is the relationship any of us would want for ourselves in the real world. Periodt.
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