One of the most loved TV series not only in the US but here, as well in the PH, is Gilmore Girls. It tells of a story about a one-of-a-kind mother-daughter relationship including their adventures in a lovely small town in Connecticut, USA. From the year 2000 to 2007, it had a successful 6-season run.
(Credits to Netflix for all the images in this post.)
Then, in 2016, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, with only four episodes, did it again. Even then, fans were left clamoring for more! I have watched it sporadically in college on Studio 23 (channel). First few years of work met my expense to purchase a collection of DVDs and I completed the entire show. A few years later, its revival was what triggered me to get a one-month free trial from Netflix. And the rest of the tons of shows I was able to binge watch, as they say, is history.
With a lot of time on my plate, I decided to revisit Stars Hollow again, and this time, I have noticed the show’s inconsistencies, flaws, glitches and fails, yet still, I love it!
When Emily Gilmore is actually a Gilmore girl herself
Exceptionally played by Kelly Bishop, Emily Gilmore is the matriarch of the Gilmores. She has always been antagonistic to her daughter, Lorelai, played by Lauren Graham. They maintained a love-hate relationship throughout the series. And though the show’s press release was always about the blue-eyed mother and daughter (Lorelai and Rory), the show never failed to touch points with mother Emily and daughter Lorelai’s relationship. Apparently, Lorelai got her blue eyes from her dad, Richard, played by Edward Herrman, before she passed it on to her daughter, Rory (Alexis Bledel).
Most of Emily and Lorelai’s scenes portrayed sarcasm and bickering towards one another, which is why it was poignant when they had those rare tender moments. In Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, Emily was finally acknowledged. It was released to be a story about the 3 generations of the Gilmore Girls, their triumphs and struggles as they faced life, together and apart.
When and How Kirk is working all over town
What made the show lovable and endearing is its quirks. Well, half of the quirks are taken care of by Kirk Gleason, a Stars Hollow local played by Sean Gunn. He is ubiquitous! (Yes, GG used very big words in its script.) Hardworking and dedicated, his character is the only one who appeared as much as the Gilmore Girls themselves, maybe even more! Though he still lives with his mother, it is good that he was also depicted to be rich. This is possible since he worked at almost all of the town’s establishment.
When Lorelai’s relationships were always left hanging
The main men in Lorelai’s life were Christopher Hayden (David Sutcliffe), who is Rory’s father; Max Medina (Scott Cohen), who is Rory’s teacher; and Luke Danes (Scott Patterson), who is the Diner owner. A common denominator among these men was their lingering relationship with Lorelai. For me, their breakups, at least the first of each shown in the show, were never clearly established, thus the need for “seconds.” I guess this paints a picture of Lorelai more vividly for us, so we are always on the edge of our seats, whether she would or would not get back with whom.
Whatever happened to the coffee enthusiast Alex Lesman (Billy Burke)?
When Luke agreed to leave Stars Hollow if ever he breaks up with Lorelai, but he did not
It was one of the most amusing episodes, for me, when Luke and Lorelai’s getting together was included in the town hall meeting. Luke, himself, wasn’t able to take it, which pushed him to make a promise he wasn’t able to keep.
Oh well, we wouldn’t want to him to keep it anyway. The first major fight was cute with the blue and pink ribbons all over town, but THE fight involving an eloping offer and an ultimatum was just too heart-breaking, maybe even the writers forgot about Luke’s promise.
When and How Rory made very bad decisions
Now, let’s go to the younger Lorelai, Rory. I feel a bit indignant at how she turned out. Sleeping with a married man and an engaged man? I am compelled to ask where she got that from. Older Lorelai never did that. From the earliest episodes, we were made to believe she is the one who makes good, or at least better decisions compared to her mother. But I guess, she was head-strong and heart-weak. She has to have her own share of flaws just like her mother, or else there is no story to tell, and no series to watch right?
What’s more, if she had been so smart through and through, how else would we all fall in love with Jess Mariano? Played by Milo Ventimiglia, that modulated voice, calm nature and oozing-with-coolness-and bad-boy-image vibe served as Rory’s guardian angel! He was always there when she was lost. I am crossing my fingers that he would be still be included in the full circle, later. But I am sure it would not hurt if Dean Forester (Jared Padalecki) and Logan Huntzberger (Matt Czuchry) are there as well!
I cannot help but mention, AYITL’s ending was an explosion! I was secretly waiting for those last words, back when Rory was 16 but they weren’t uttered. But then, the writers decided to include it in the script this time. And it made us praying for a Season 2.
When the Gilmore Girls gained weight after all
Lorelai obviously gained weight in the comeback; Rory, a little here and there. This only tells us that the characters were real. The moral lesson of the story is to eat healthy and stay fit. To be honest, it was the one thing that did not sit well with me about the show early on: like how they were portrayed as bingers and yet they remain thin and healthy. I kept on thinking, life’s unfair, but then I kept on watching!
When Miss Patty’s dramatic weight loss was ignored
Miss Patty, played by Liz Torres, was hardly recognizable in the reboot. While Lorelai hinted her slight weight gain with a body shaming skit towards Luke, Miss Patty’s significant weight drop was not addressed, not even with a mention. But then again, the show’s attitude of treating both a slight or massive body change, as just another ordinary day seems okay. Sookie St. James, played by Melissa McCarthy also lost weight and had the same treatment, meaning no treatment.
When Lorelai is the writer, and not Rory in real life
Here is a treat for GG fans. I would never have guessed that it was Lauren Graham who was actually writing in real life! She has three books, all New York Times Best Seller, under her belt! Wow! In case, you want to look them up, you can here: Someday, Someday, Maybe (a novel) 2013; Talking As Fast As I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, 2016; and In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It, 2018.
I have read a bit from Kindle and it’s as if it was Lorelai Gilmore who is talking. I can hear her tone, pace and wit. Really. I am seriously considering to get them, or maybe just one. What do you think?
When Jackson was voted the Town Selectman, then back to Taylor Doose sans bridging scenes
Jackson Belleville, played by Jackson Douglas, was not able to take Taylor Doose’s (Michael Winters) style of leadership anymore. He ran for office, but even before winning in the elections, he had a change of heart. We know that he does not want to be the Town Selectman. I’m not sure if I “Doosed” off myself, missing the part where Jackson must have quit and handed the office back to Taylor.
Well, I always felt Jackson and Sookie’s scenes were a bit skimped. And this brings us to the last “When” of my list.
When Sookie St. James only did a cameo in the reboot
We all knew that Melissa McCarthy have been very busy after the original series. Yup, we all saw her here and there, mostly in the Silver Screen. I was, actually, excited to see her! But Sookie only made the cake, er cakes. She was not even in the pre-wedding wedding! According to cinemablend.com, she was not, initially, asked. When she was, she got busy. Anyway, her very short cameo is a tear jerker! It was one of my favorite scenes in the revival.
My rewatch took just about 2 weeks. Between the few hours of my job, house work and homeschool, I looked forward to my free time, each time, when I can continue watching. I must say, I appreciated it better this time. The new writer in me wanted to write about the positives as I usually do. To challenge myself, I aimed to jump on the other side of the fence, but as you have already read, I went right back. And I believe, I sent it home. I love the series so much to write bad things about it. So here I am wishing for another run. The skies opened and autofreak.com seemed like a falling star. They say, it is most likely to happen.
Thank you, to the Palladinos, Daniel and Amy! And come on, we can do this!
Another great girl I have reviewed is Taylor Swift. Because it is Never Too Late to be a Swiftie!
