Lola Rhodes
Charlotte "Lola" Rhodes | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Fictional character |
| Known for | Gossip Girl TV series |
Charlotte "Lola" Rhodes is a character who appears recurrently solely in the Gossip Girl TV series adaptation, developed by showrunner Joshua Safran and played by Ella Rae Peck. The role initially introduced as Charlotte "Charlie" Rhodes in season four was later unveiled to be Ivy Dickens, an actress hired to impersonate Lola so that her mother, Carol Rhodes, could access Lola's trust fund. The character of Lola was portrayed by Ella Rae Peck starting in season five. Lola is both the cousin and biologically three-quarters sister of Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively), a result of William van der Woodsen's (William Baldwin) extramarital relationship with Carol Rhodes (Sheila Kelley).
Season 5
Lola makes her first appearance in the episode "The End Of The Affair?" after an unexpected encounter with Rufus Humphrey and Lily Humphrey. She later takes on a catering role at Blair Waldorf's wedding to Louis Grimaldi, where she meets Nate Archibald. Although Nate expresses romantic interest, Lola chooses to decline. While working at Nate’s party for The Spectator, she comes face-to-face with Ivy Dickens, who has been masquerading as her for a year. Nate inadvertently exposes Ivy’s false identity as Charlie Rhodes, prompting Lola to investigate further and uncover the truth.
Intent on understanding Ivy’s reasons, Lola confronts her mother and family members at the hospital, discovering that Carol paid Ivy to impersonate her. In the season finale, Lola transfers her share of Cece's inheritance to Ivy, with one condition: Ivy must seek revenge on Lily for Carol’s incarceration and manipulation.
Season 6
During season 6, Lola concentrates on building her acting career while ensuring Ivy continues to undermine Lily. Five years later, Lola stars in a movie adapted from Ivy’s autobiography; during production, she receives a mass text revealing Gossip Girl’s real identity, which she finds difficult to accept.
Reception
Reviews of Lola have been mixed overall, though critics have commended her relationship with Nate. Some negative opinions, including from Television Without Pity’s Jacob Clifton, described their relationship as founded on deceit.