It’s entirely possible that Serena van der Woodsen was the worst character on Gossip Girl and also in the history of television. While Blair Waldorf was spirit animal worthy with her endless scheming and headband collection, Serena was always riding the hot mess express (sometimes quite literally, like when she accidentally overdosed and no one noticed that she was missing for months on end).
When Gossip Girl started, it seemed like Chuck would be the worst character — after all, in the first episode he proves that he’s the Upper East Side’s biggest creep, and that’s a difficult feat. Then, Dan went rogue, proving himself to be a failure of a human being, which made him the perfect partner for Serena, who maintained her place as the show’s worst character throughout six seasons of murder, intrigue, and sex scandals.
4. That time she boned her best friend’s boyfriend
Yes, Blair eventually had her revenge when she did the dirty with Dan Humphrey, but Serena slept with her best friend’s one true love. Sure, she never ended up in bed with Chuck, but if the show had gone on for one more season it would’ve probably happened. While Serena and Nate were both equally brainless and beautiful, it still broke Blair’s heart.
3. That time she accidentally killed a dude
Remember that time Serena accidentally killed someone before she even turned 18? Girlfriend couldn’t even legally drink yet and she was involved in some seriously sketchy stuff, from sex tapes to murder.
2. That time her daddy issues got the best of her
Her entire personality revolved around whoever she happened to be dating, whether it was Nate/Dan/a new professor/a struggling artist that was part of Blair’s family but never mentioned again/Nate again/Dan again/a drug dealer/an old professor/the entirety of the UES and part of Brooklyn. Ruphus was shocked when he saw Lily’s sex list, but Serena’s would’ve made Lindsay Lohan’s list look tame (in fact, they probably had some overlap).
1. That time she took Dan back after discovering that he had been secretly stalking her for years
Dan attempted to ruin Serena’s life as Gossip Girl, time and time again. Instead of heading for the hills and issuing a restraining order, she married him. She was obviously heavily influenced by her mother, who married the man that gave her fake cancer and dated her fake niece. While you shouldn’t hold a grudge for forever, a season or two will do. Usually when you discover that someone has been tracking your every move and writing nasty things about you on the internet you tell them to stop trolling, but she put a ring on it.
