“The Dan and Blair connection is something that’s been there from the earliest episodes. Their relationship to Serena, as well as the degree to which they’re polar opposites and represent everything that the other hates, makes their dynamic really charged."

- Stephanie Savage on Dan and Blair

Will they or won't they? That's the burning question Gossip Girl fans have asked - and debated - since the bond between Dan and Blair strengthened in "The Townie."

When the show returns January 24, will they become more than friends?

"They are the most book-smart characters. They share a lot of the same interests. And as much as they might want to hate each other, there are a lot of reasons for them to like each other. It’s a really fun dynamic to write,” says executive producer Savage.

A large segment of the show’s viewership (more than half, according to our survey below) would prefer for Dan and Blair remain at odds, which is not lost on Stephanie.

“Fans are struggling with exactly the same issues they’ll see Dan and Blair struggling with,” she says. “There’s a lot of ambivalence and even revulsion on their part.”

Embarking on such a polarizing storyline is “definitely nerve-racking,” Savage says.

"But it’s also exciting, and that’s kind of the tightrope of working on a show like Gossip Girl where fans are so passionate. On the one hand, you want to keep people happy all the time, but if you don’t try new things, people will get bored.”

Going forward, that shouldn't be a problem.

In addition to the Dan/Blair arc (which involves the pair working together at a fashion magazine), Serena and Ben will attempt to make a go of a romance. Amazing.

Meanwhile, Lily will begin the long journey back from the doghouse she has found herself in (with a little help from her returning ex-husband, Billy Baldwin), Nate will adjust to having his divorced former jailbird father as his quasi-roommate.

Two new characters - the Donald and Ivanka Trump-esque father/daughter team of Russell and Raina Thorpe - will shake up Chuck’s personal and professional worlds.

As for the always-controversial Little J?

Taylor Momsen’s role on the show is “something we’re figuring out as we go along,” says Savage. “I liked how in the first half of the season people didn’t know when she was coming back. I think that helps the storytelling.”

So, ambiguous as always. Works for us.

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Steve Marsi is the Managing Editor of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Google+ or email him here.