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From the tradition of sitting on the Met steps to cotillion balls to brunch at Sarabeth’s, “Gossip Girl” shaped the 2000s understanding of what it meant to be an elite teenager growing up in New York City. Described as “every parent’s worst nightmare” by the Parents Television Council when it first aired, the series touched on several controversial topics and glamorized bad behavior from every character. However, as a piece of fiction, “Gossip Girl” is a television masterpiece that gave us some of the most quoted one-liners from TV, from the series’ opening sequence — “And who am I? That's one secret I'll never tell. You know you love me. XOXO, GossipGirl” — to Blair Waldorf’s iconic “three words, eight letters. Say it and I'm yours.” Although most millennials fall on a spectrum from “I transferred to Columbia so I could be like Blair and Serena” to “I never understood the hype,” it would be difficult to find someone whose childhood was not influenced by this show in some way. Warning: Major spoilers ahead.

5. “Last Tango, Then Paris” (Season 3, Episode 22)

The third season ended on the biggest cliffhanger of the entire series, which is only part of what makes this episode so dramatic. Blair is finally ready to meet Chuck on the top of the Empire State Building, but she cannot make it in time because Dorota goes into labor and they rush to the hospital. Chuck then sleeps with Jenny because they are both lonely, only to realize that Blair intended to meet him all along. As Chuck begins to propose to Blair, Dan punches him, having learned what happened with Jenny, and Blair is distraught at the news. She jets to Paris with Serena for the summer (as one does). The last scene shows Chuck mugged and left for dead in Prague, as he refused to give up the ring that was supposed to be Blair’s.

4. “You’ve Got Yale!” (Season 2, Episode 16)

Watch this episode when you’re preparing for college decisions madness. Dan, Serena, and Blair all want to get into Yale, but only Dan and Serena are accepted. Serena lies about getting in because Blair was waitlisted and she’s tormented because she figured out she actually doesn’t want to go to Yale. Ah, first world problems. From lying and backstabbing to hazing a teacher, this episode has it all. Don’t get in Blair Waldorf’s way when she wants something.

3. “The Treasure of Serena Madre” (Season 3, Episode 11)

The Thanksgiving episodes are iconic. This “treasure” of an episode is abound with lies, lies, and more lies. Blair believes her mother is pregnant and hilarity ensues as she tries to out her. Meanwhile, Serena is forced to endure dinner with the man she is sleeping with (who happens to be the brother of one of her best friends) and his wife. One of the best scenes of the entire series occurs at the Thanksgiving table while “Watcha Say” by Jason Derulo plays, as everything comes out at once and each character storms away from the table in succession. The ensemble of characters should probably “keep it in the family,” but most of them aren’t even related.

2. “Blair Waldorf Must Pie” (Season 1, Episode 9)

Another Thanksgiving episode? These annual holiday episodes are too iconic to leave out, and season one’s drama-filled rendition will always take the cake. If you hated Blair before, you felt for her after this episode which reveals her struggles with an eating disorder. Intermixed with flashbacks from the Thanksgiving before, this episode also revealed how Dan and Serena first met, contrasting Dan’s past pining after his dream girl with their present relationship. The bathtub water-fight flashback is also adorable, while subtly foreshadowing Nate cheating on Blair with Serena. The episode ends with a brief respite from the drama as each separate family forgives and bonds with each other, marking one of the only times in the series where all is well.

1. “Hi, Society” (Season 1, Episode 10)

From the glamour of cotillion to finding out that grandma doesn’t always know best, this episode marked the epitome of Upper East Side glamour and scandal. It gave us the inside look into debutante balls and elite society that many of us would never have been able to experience. It also highlighted the toxicity of that world, as we see little Jenny lie to and berate her poor mother, corrupted by the need to fit in. Meanwhile, Dan stands up to CeCe. He and Serena leave the ball together blissfully happy, while Rufus learns why Lily left him all those years ago and we see the blossoming of their newfound love. Also, Nate and Blair finally sleep together to the score of Timbaland’s rendition of “Apologize” — an iconic early 2000s bop — while Chuck watches, and we get a sense that beneath his cold exterior lies an actual human heart. From the soundtrack to the sparkles, this episode was a whirlwind thrill from start to end.

—Staff writer Sienna R. Santer can be reached at sienna.santer@thecrimson.com.