Playing for Keeps: The Goss Boss (TGB)
As well as reviewing the parent series and season two web series, Sidelines, I decided to review the season one web series, The Goss Boss (or TGB).
According to the parent series’ Wikipedia page, The Goss (GTB) is a “fictional gossip show that covers the feuds and fashions featured in Playing for Keeps.”
Liz Baldwin, General Manager of Digital at Network Ten, the network that aired the parent series, stated that TGB was a “fun web series that explores the Playing for Keeps storyline in more detail, giving fans of the show the chance to see what it would be like in the real world for the characters on the show.” A new episode of TGB became available shortly after each season one episode of the parent series aired.
As there were eight episodes in the first season of Playing for Keeps, there were also eight episodes of The Goss Boss (TGB).
Episode 1 – New Jets on the Runway
This episode focused on Daniel and Paige’s arrival to Melbourne and the Southern Jets, and questioned whether Paige is cut out for WAG (wives and girlfriends) life, something which was explored in the pilot of the parent series.
Episode 2 – Farshun
This episode focused on the WAGs fashion and how they put their looks together.
Episode 3 – Scandals
This episode focused on scandals, which really turned out to be made up by The Goss Boss.
Episode 4 – Edging
This episode focused on the pre-game ritual of ‘edging’, which was explored in the parent series’ second episode.
Episode 5 – How I Met My
This episode focused on the fictional social media trend “#howimetmy”, a trend that is about how people met other people. Tahlia and Paige talk about how they met Connor and Dan respectively.
Episode 6 – Dirty Little Secrets
This episode focused on the ladies answering questions as part of an ‘ask me everything’ segment of a fictional TV show, Women Who Sport. The ladies answered questions on what their first impression of Tahlia was, what the worst thing is about dating a footballer, what is their secret pre-game ritual, and who is their Southern Jets “hall pass”. Tahlia references a lack of sex with Connor, which references the parent series’ sixth episode where Connor told Tahlia about his affair with Kath.
Episode 7 – Wives Ruining Lives
This episode provided more facts about the ladies, which included Maddy being made partner at her law firm (this happened in the parent series’ pilot) and that she works in family law, Jessie used to play footy and hopes that the Southern Jets establishes a women’s team (Jessie manages to do this herself in the parent series’ second season), and that Tahlia wasn’t popular when she was a child due to going to nine different schools growing up (her childhood was explored in the parent series’ second season).
Episode 8 – Break-ups
The final episode of The Goss Boss (TGB) focused on rumours of Dan and Paige’s break-up, and Tahlia and Connor’s break-up. Both break-ups happened in the parent series’ seventh episode, and Paige moved into Tahlia’s apartment in the eighth episode/season one finale.
Overall I felt like this spin-off web series didn’t deliver on its premise or description. While there was a few things we found out about the main characters and some references to then-current and future episodes, the web series mostly focused on its host, Liv Phyland, and an off-screen camera man interacting with her. In fact the seventh episode of this web series was my favourite, purely as Liv only appeared briefly, and there was no interaction between her and the camera man.
Overall, I honestly didn’t see the need for this web series.
Loveday Writing 