Season 4 of Gossip Girl opens with a dramatic change of scenery, splitting its time between the romantic backdrop of Paris and the familiar, treacherous streets of the Upper East Side. After the explosive Season 3 finale, which saw Serena van der Woodsen accidentally "kill" a man (Tripp's uncle, William Vanderbilt) in a car accident while fleeing a wedding with a married Tripp, and Chuck Bass shot by his own deranged father, Bart's doppelgänger, the characters seek fresh starts. However, old habits—and old schemes—die hard. The season begins in the City of Light. Blair Waldorf, having decided to spend her summer interning for a chic fashion designer, is determined to have a sophisticated, drama-free European adventure. Meanwhile, Serena has followed a mysterious new love interest, the brooding and artistic Colin Forrester, to Paris to escape her legal and emotional troubles back home.
However, the second half of the season, while introducing the charming Prince Louis, was criticized for dragging out the Blair-Chuck-Dan love triangle and making Serena's storylines increasingly repetitive (another older man, another scandal). The finale's "Blair chooses the prince" twist was polarizing—some praised it as a bold, realistic character choice, while others were frustrated by yet another obstacle placed in front of the fan-favorite "Chair" pairing. Gossip Girl - Season 4
Serena, adrift after the Juliet attack, begins a highly publicized romance with the older, powerful —who, in a convoluted twist, is the brother of the real villain (Juliet) and was wrongly imprisoned due to a lie Serena told years ago. Their relationship is built on guilt and redemption, but it fizzles as Serena’s old patterns re-emerge. Part Four: The Royal Wedding That Wasn't (Episodes 17-22) The final stretch of the season barrels toward a royal wedding. Prince Louis proposes to Blair, and she accepts, seeing it as her ultimate fairy-tale ending. The entire season builds to the grand wedding in the finale (Episode 22, "The Wrong Goodbye"). Season 4 of Gossip Girl opens with a
Meanwhile, Dan Humphrey publishes his first piece of serious fiction, a scathing short story called "The Serena," which thinly veils the secrets of the Upper East Side. It becomes a sensation, leading to a book deal. He begins a secret romance with Blair’s former handmaiden, , a woman with a kind heart whom Chuck once wronged. This storyline allows Dan to evolve from "lonely boy" to a cynical observer and manipulator of the very world he claims to hate. The season begins in the City of Light