Why Dan Owned 'Gossip Girl' - EXCLUSIVE

While the concluding chapter of Gossip Girl's story may have made fans eternally dubious of Dan Humphrey (I still have yet to find a person who thinks he makes a sound Gossip Girl), there's no denying that much of my affection for the show stemmed from Penn Badgley's performance.

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Charming and disarming in equal measure, Badgley's incarnation of the Brooklyn-boy gone bad was always a comedic and emotional highlight -- plus, the kid ain't tough on the ole peepers.

In one of the many bonus features included on Gossip Girl: The Complete Series box Set, series executive producer (and, some have argued, series ruiner) Stephanie Savage explains why Penn was so important to the success of Dan.

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"As he is the outsider, he's somebody who when he's pointing out what's absurd about the world, you have to believe he's smart enough to get it," she says, adding, "and also deliver it in a way that you find it kind of amusing and not just critical or judgmental."

Check out ETonline's exclusive sneak peek off Gossip Girl: The Complete Series, which hits DVD on February 12, click here to pre-order!