The Kiss Gossip Girl Erased: Blair Kissed Serena and Never Forgot It
Most viewers know Blair and Serena as best friends who repeatedly become rivals and then find their way back to each other. The original story included another part of their history that never appeared on television.
During a drunken night at the end of tenth grade, Blair and Serena were sitting in a hot tub when Blair kissed Serena on the lips. Serena did not seem to remember it the next morning, but Blair did. When Blair thought about the kiss later, the memory made her feel hot, itchy and uncomfortable. She also felt relieved when Serena left for boarding school because she no longer had to think about it.
The kiss appears as a memory rather than the beginning of a romance. Serena never brings it up, and Blair does not try to kiss her again. However, Blair’s reaction makes it difficult to treat the moment as a meaningless mistake. She remembers it clearly, has a physical response to it and connects Serena’s absence with relief.
Serena’s return already gives Blair enough reasons to feel threatened. Blair had become more popular while Serena was away and enjoyed being the main girl at school. Serena came back and started receiving attention again without making any effort. Blair also learned that Nate had slept with Serena before she left.
The kiss does not replace those reasons. It adds another one.
Blair spends a lot of time comparing herself with Serena. She envies Serena’s beauty, confidence and ability to get what she wants. She also cares deeply about Serena’s opinion and wants to remain the most important person in her life. The kiss suggests that some of Blair’s confusion may have come from attraction as well as jealousy.
Some readers see the scene as proof that Blair was bisexual or had hidden romantic feelings for Serena. The story never confirms either idea. Blair is not given a label, and the kiss does not develop into a relationship. There is not enough evidence to say that Blair was secretly in love with Serena.
There is enough evidence to say that the kiss affected her.
Blair tries to dismiss it as an impulsive moment, but she cannot forget it. The gap between what Blair tells herself and how she reacts is what makes the scene interesting. She wants the kiss to mean nothing because that would be easier for her, yet her own memory does not allow such a simple answer.
The television series removed the kiss and focused on the clearer parts of their conflict. Blair was angry because Serena took attention away from her and had betrayed her with Nate. Their friendship remained intense, but viewers were given no direct reason to read Blair’s feelings as romantic or physical.
Leaving out the kiss made their relationship easier to define. Blair and Serena were friends who loved each other, competed with each other and occasionally treated each other terribly. The original version allowed more uncertainty around Blair’s side of the friendship.
The kiss does not prove that Blair and Serena should have become a couple. It simply shows that Blair’s feelings for Serena may have included more than jealousy.