The rebooted Gossip Girl is receiving mostly positive reactions — except for one major, time-sucking flaw. Fans are getting vocal on social media about the triad of Max Wolfe (Thomas Doherty), Audrey Hope (Emily Alyn Lind), and Aki Menzies (Evan Mock).
The reactions aren’t awful, but the temperature is rising as the new take on Gossip Girl progresses. An idea as daring as a romantic triad should be exciting, shouldn’t it? But fans think there’s a different coupling for Max that might bring a jolt of energy to the sagging relationship plots this season.
‘Gossip Girl’ fans think Max and Luna have great chemistry
Max’s main storyline for season two is his under-the-table relationship with Audrey and Aki. The status-conscious pair are publicly together, but their romance with Max is kept under wraps out of fear of a poor reaction from their peers. This being Gossip Girl, there’s no straightforward resolution in the cards.
They insist that Max should keep up with his playboy ways. It’s a storyline that many fans are criticizing on Reddit, in large part because they think Max — and Doherty — have far better chemistry with another character. And many of them would like to see a friends-to-lovers storyline emerge.
“Throughout this series, there have been a lot of cringe acting moments,” one fan wrote. “However, Max and Luna have been the stars of this series by adding authenticity to their portrayals of their characters.”
Luna La (Zion Moreno) had great moments with Max from the start of season two, according to Vulture. Despite her connection to the domineering Monet de Haan (Savannah Smith), Luna has always been her own person. And most importantly, actors Wolfe and Moreno really do have an easygoing rapport on-screen when the show treats viewers with scenes between just the two of them.
What do fans think about Max’s ‘triad’ with Audrey and Aki?
Luna gets lots of love on social media among Gossip Girl fans. So does Max — but lately, the complaints are a bit backhanded. One Reddit user complimented Doherty’s turn as Max while dismissing the main storyline for the character this season. For such a prominent plot, it’s telling how negative the reaction is so far.
“Max Aki & Audrey treat Max so bad and I feel like they just make his character boring. I’m already so over their storyline,” they wrote. And the many replies all fall in line with a similar sentiment. It’s a sign that even with a full season under its belt, this Gossip Girl soft reboot still needs a little more time to figure out what modern fans are interested in seeing.
Should Max get paired with a different partner?
Max is clearly a fan-favorite character. So is Luna; should fans get what they want and have these two compelling characters paired this early on?
Given that this season is described by the creators as “messier” than the first, the time might not be right. The triad still needs to have a dramatic payoff. And having a noted “playboy” like Max quickly move toward a Luna romance might not be the best next step.
But still, the showrunners might benefit from taking a hint from these vocal online fans. Keeping Doherty and Moreno’s orbits close as the show progresses is probably the right way to go. Let fans speculate, let the relationships grow. And hopefully, if (when?) the pair make it official, it lands in the most emotionally resonant manner possible.