My Thoughts on Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life
WARNING: There are spoilers throughout this post. Proceed with caution if you haven’t finished the show!
The Gilmore Girls first entered my life in middle school. When I came home from school in 2007, the show would be playing repeats at 3:00 p.m. Little did I know that this show ended production the same year I started watching bits and pieces of it.
It wasn’t until Netflix released all seven seasons that I became fully immersed in the Stars Hallow community. I was addicted. Hooked. Immediately drawn to the relationship between mother and daughter. As a daughter I could see my own relationship with my mother in some episodes, too. Yet the bond between Lorelai and Rory is simply extraordinary. They know each other better than anyone else and share more than just a love for Poptarts and the Godfather. The two women, so close in age, grew up together throughout the series. It wasn’t until 2016 that their relationship would be brought back to life.
When I first found out about the revival, I was so surprised! I kept thinking, “How can they get all the actors together at the same time?” Somehow they did it. I stalked all of the entertainment websites for fresh updates on which cast members announced their returns. When Lauren Graham tweeted the confirmation I needed to know about a show in the works in January, I freaked out.
Since January I have been waiting for November 25th. I read all the magazine interviews, Instagram posts, and Tumblr gifs to prepare me for the occasion. I gathered my Gilmore necessities, coffee and Poptarts, and plopped on my couch for a few hours to watch the show fill in 10 years of missing facts. I have character evaluations for the lead roles:
Lorelai Gilmore: She finally married Luke. Thank you, Amy. This was so important because after she went on her “Wild” adventure she realized she needed to marry him. I didn’t really think the two of them discussing having a baby was too necessary because they each have a wonderful daughter, but it was a nice segway into Paris’s role in the show. When she calls Emily from the mountain top and tells her about her favorite memory of Richard, I teared up so much! I could just imagine her being in that beautiful, serene place and missing him. I am so happy that the Inn is still very successful and that she doesn’t need Luke for financial reasons at all. I can see how she got upset over Rory’s book idea-I probably wouldn’t want someone else writing about my private life either! But she gets over it because that’s what she does and because she knows Rory would write an amazing story.
Rory Gilmore: Ok, so Rory is definitely a mess. She starts off dating some random guy named Paul who she claims has met her family before but no one remembers him. Then it’s apparent that when she flies to London every few days it seems she’s with Logan who is ENGAGED to some other woman! Rory, you were already “the other woman” to Dean, remember?! Don’t get me wrong because I love Logan #TeamLogan but this is just not fair. She went to flipping Yale and she tries to work some famous Brit to write a biography about her life but that falls through. When she eventually becomes editor of the Stars Hallow Gazette, I was like, okay this can work. Jess (also #TeamJess on the side) helps her come up with the brilliant idea to write a book about her relationship with her mother which is genius. I need another season to finally feel happy though because those four last words happened…
Emily Gilmore: She is hands down the hightlight of this whole shebang. After losing Richard, she feels totally lost. Heck, she’s sleeping in until noon! Who is this new Emily? She hires help and KEEPS the help (and her family!), she tells off the ladies of the DAR (and says Bullshit like 4 times!), and she wants to see her house and move to Nantucket with a new boy toy (well, friend of Richard’s). Emily is a total badass. She is queen. She is everything I could have wanted for her in this revival. Yes, Richard’s death was a huge adjustment. Now she is finally her own person. She even has a JOB working at a whale museum. She has certainly come a very long way from her housewife duties. I am so proud of her character development and I hope if there are more seasons she becomes even more independent and free-spirited.
Richard Gilmore: He was not forgotten at all throughout the four parts, and I am thankful for this. He was one of the most beloved characters on the show. He loved Emily, Lorelai, and Rory with his huge heart and even left room for Luke. The fact that he left money for Luke to franchise his diner was a sweet moment to watch. Yes, you can argue he wanted to make sure Lorelai would be taken care of but I like to see it as an acknowledgement of Luke’s potential. His huge mural in the Gilmore estate cracked me up and his funeral made me well-up.
The Boys:
The Logan situation bothered me because he is engaged which is not cool but he has to continue the “dynasty” which I get because he’s from a wealthy family. Yep he is still as charming as ever and is the main guy Rory calls when she is scared and when The Life and Death Brigade show up it was amazing. Dean’s part was nice. He has a big family with kids now and a wife. Rory’s kind words about portraying him as the perfect first boyfriend was a great way to end their talk. Oh, and Jess. He is still in love with Rory! The last scene in Fall when he looks at her through the window…I do believe Jess is to Rory as Luke is to Lorelai.