MAJOR SPOILER ALERT: Everyone around town is talking about the big news from the premiere (and it’s not that Chuck’s alive). Has the Gossip Girl blogger/micro-blogger who’s been tormenting the Upper East Side actually been revealed to viewers? Most think Katie Cassidy (Juliet) is just a stalker, leaving hope that Kristen Bell will one day make an appearance. Either way here are five reasons why the premiere was impressive.

1. BlackBerry : Do you know how many times I’ve had conversations with friends, wondering why Serena and Blair aren’t BBMing? Nelly Yuki received her Yale acceptance on a Berry last season and FINALLY Blair and Serena are rockin’ with RIM. Verizon has had a long partnership with the show and they’re finally not pushing the random phones that we all know Upper East Siders would never dream of buying. When the term “BBMing” becomes part of the writers’ go-to millennial lingo, I’ll be even more impressed.

2. Surviving the college transition : Too many teen-dramas have jumped-the-shark during the college years. Saved By The Bell’s College Years are nothing compared to episodes like Jessie’s overdose . Dawson’s Creek created a fake college in Boston to keep the cast together (#fail) and The O.C. never even made it to the college years (way to die Marissa). One Tree Hill smartly took the Desperate Housewives path and jumped ahead five years avoiding college. Gossip Girl has done something different that’s impressive and working. They recognized that fact that many native Upper East Siders (I happen to be one) end up trekking miles and miles to NYU or Columbia. Blair, Serena and Nate are at Columbia. Dan and Vanessa are at NYU. It’s believable and it makes sense based on their personalities (while Columbia kids will often pretend to venture downtown, they secretly love pretending they’re better and on a college campus by staying on the Upper Upper West Side).

3. Dan is not boring anymore : Anytime Dan came on the screen last season, I had to seriously pull my hand back from the fast-forward on the DVR. The problems he’s had were silly and the whole “I’m so upset Vanessa got into Tisch but I didn’t” A) wasn’t believable B) wasn’t that great a conflict. Finally, Dan has some baby-mama-drama with our favorite Eurotripper, Michelle Trachtenberg’s Georgina Sparks.

4. The Chuck drama is a lot better than expected : I think everyone thought we’d be have a classic “Blair’s going to be sitting by his bedside awaiting him to come out of a coma” situation, but instead we’re faced with the question: does Chuck really not remember who he is? Why was Lily told his body washed up? How long is he going to have that weird limp? And, how long will it take for Blair and Chuck to reunite?

5. No Jenny in the premiere! : Jenny was pretty damn annoying last season . Taylor Momsen’s acting got better at the end, but I seriously wish the show would focus on her high school drama instead of her sexcapades with Chuck. What Skins has done so beautifully is transition to now a third cast, instead of trying to follow older characters into the future. Gossip Girl should invest in some talent in case Blake peaces for higher stardom and we actually have to focus on Jenny.