When Gilmore Girls appeared on Netflix in its entirety, my wife, a GG mega-fan, asked me to watch the entire show’s run with her. I had seen bits and pieces o’er the years and had a fairly decent grasp of the quaint town of Stars Hollow, but I had never actually watched the entire show in succession from start to finish. Well, that all changed. Here’s 31 things I’ve got to say about GG from the characters to the relationships and everything in between, fresh off a binge watch.
SPOILERS, obviously, for the entire show.
The Characters:
Rory Gilmore – The woman of the hour! The prodigal daughter! See, Kara grew up with Rory. They are the same age, and Rory is my wife’s spirit animal. I like to think that me watching Rory grow up on screen strengthened my marriage somehow.
Lorelai Gilmore – Yes. Just yes. The other stellar half of the show’s powerhouse duo. She is not without her flaws, which make her kind of perfect. She was a fantastic mother, a loyal friend, a smart & determined business woman, and a whimsical delight.
Sookie St. James – Her giggle could cure cancer, world hunger, and inflict lasting world peace. I am solemnly convinced of this. Also, whoever was the chef consultant for this show did a great job.
Paris Gellar – I love, love, love me some Paris Gellar. That’s all that really needs to be said.
Lane Kim – She was there to be a sidekick, and her mother the comic relief. But I enjoyed her story arc. It was interesting to see how she grew up to appreciate her mother, despite growing up in her insanely oppressive household.
Richard & Emily Gilmore – Kelly Bishop dominated this role. I love Emily. She is a richly complicated character who is wholly out of touch with the working class, which includes her daughter & grand-daughter. But she honest to God, wanted the best life for Lorelai. And deep-down, she truly longs for a relationship with her. Kelly Bishop played her part so well, and was in my opinion, the strongest actress throughout the show. Richard was part work-a-holic, part adorably classic granddad. I love the relationship he & Rory slowly developed over the years. He went from feeling out of touch with her to respecting her and being one of her biggest supporters.
Taylor Doosey – Is the absolute worst. He is dishonest, back-stabbing, and abuses his position of unchecked authority countless times to manipulate the system for his benefit and his alone. How exactly did he get back to being the town selectman?
Luke Danes – Is an American hero. I will not bend on this. I will happily rattle off a laundry list of items that make him the best thing in Star’s Hollow. I don’t even care about his never-ending supply of plaid shirts. American hero.
Michel Gerard – Still not sure how he stayed gainfully employed with his sour attitude. Like, you’re in a customer service position and often the first person potential clients deal with. If I was Lorelai I would have fired him DAY ONE.
The relationships: Let’s get deep for a minute you guys.
Rory & Dean – Ah, Dean. Sweet, puppy-love Dean. They were cute. He was what you would expect from a first serious teenage boyfriend. A little jealous & clingy, but ultimately had a big heart for Rory. Unfortunately for FAR longer than he should have. Let’s just not talk about the whole ‘taking-Rory’s-virginity-while-married-to-Lindsay’ thing. B/c that was straight up terrible. Look at me….TERRIBLE.
Rory & Jess – I’m baffled by the “Team Jess” crowd. I don’t care if he’s the Holden Caulfied-esque “rebel without a cause” who just needs to be loved. Women go ga-ga over his James Dean smirk and think “I can fix him”. He was terrible to everyone. Especially those who showed genuine interest in his life. He was rude to Lorelai (big no-no), he was mean to his Uncle Luke (who opened his home to him and gave him the best opportunities he could). Most importantly, he was emotionally abusive to Rory. He only pursued her when she was unavailable. Once he attained her, he ignored her. He didn’t call, he didn’t make good on his word, he tried to force Rory into having sex with him (that’s called rape, folks). And when she refused, he yelled at her and picked a fight with her ex-boyfriend. Classy move, bro. I’m not sure Team Jess fans even watched the same show I did. I could not WAIT until he left Star’s Hollow and squirmed every time he came back. Everything he touched, he left in a worse state. That’s a man without integrity.
Rory & Logan – Those two really hit their stride and worked well together. Logan would never have held Rory back, in fact he often was one of her biggest supporters, and vice-versa. Of course they had their rough patches and they each made impulsive decisions. It’s called being young. But they pushed each other in constructive ways. He helped her shed some of her sheltered naiveté, and she helped him grow up when he needed to start being a man. With no job prospects on the horizon after graduation, Rory could have easily moved to California with him and started a new life there. Someone like her would have been wildly successful no matter where she lived, and Logan would have supported her no matter what. He even defended her against his own family. But hey, career over love right? TV Land says you can’t have both if you’re a woman. I maintain that Palladino would have written a better ending. However, in my mind….Rory still ends up alone after graduation. Also, sidenote Logan didn’t cheat on Rory. Call it a misunderstanding. I feel like a lot of people hold this against him. If he really believed they had split up, then it’s not cheating. It was an honest mistake on his part, and he worked damn hard to win her back.
Sookie & Jackson – C’mon, they were the cutest. They were never NOT the cutest.
Lorelai & Christopher – It started out as trouble, rebooted as trouble, sullied in the middle as trouble, and ended as trouble. Part of me really wanted to pull for these two, even after the ill-advised, impromptu marriage. Christopher did clean up his act, and Lorelai did give him multiple chances, but they just don’t belong together.
Luke & Lorelai – Duh, I was shipping them since day one. Luke’s “all-in” speech on their first date was magnificent. He was the only one other than Rory, who truly loved Lorelai for exactly who she was. And he was a damn saint to Rory. He cared for her like his own daughter. If the finale gave us anything, it gave us this send-off.
This and that:
- Star’s Hollow should exist so that I can relocate my family there.
- Why don’t we have more town troubadours? Is it really a thing? It should be a thing.
- How does Luke make such good coffee for a guy who doesn’t drink coffee?
- I rarely (if ever) saw Lorelai pay for anything from Luke’s.
- The Gilmore house clearly has more than two bedrooms. Trust me, I design houses for a living.
- Can we just forget about that time towards the end of Season 3 when they were trying to set us up for a Jess spin-off?
- Too many times, the wide exterior shots showed the massive California mountains in the background and I catch myself thinking what it’s like filming in the CA heat all bundled up pretending it’s a New England Winter. NOPE.
- We need more Amy Sherman-Palladino created things in our lives.
- Do we have a website dedicated to all the jobs Kirk has had? If not, can someone get on that immediately?
- Seeing Sebastian Bach show up was hysterical. I grew up on rock n’ roll, so seeing the frontman for Skid Row on this quaint show was nothing short of spectacular.
- There were a bevy of strong, smart, independent women throughout this show and it was awesome.
- It wasn’t sugar-coated. Lorelai’s struggles as a single, working Mom are central to the show.
- Rory & Lorelai should have diabetes, high cholesterol, and be morbidly obese. Seriously. No two girls eat like they do, not exercise and stay so stick thin.
- The dialogue is what hooked me on this show. So witty. Oh so very witty. The quirkiness, characters, and writing is what kept my interest long-term.
- I sorta had a crush on Alexis Bledel when I was younger b/c we are the same age. This marathon did not help matters.
- Most of all, I seriously had a TON of fun settling down every evening with my wife by my side. So in the end, totally worth it.
All photos ©Warner Bros Entertainment, Inc.
Ok, so first of all, let me say, I watch this show in its entirety once a year. I start in the fall and usually finish by the end of winter. So, yeah, you could say I’m a fan. I like your observations and have had most of the same ones in the past. You mention Sebastian Bach, and I have to say one of the things I love so much about the show are the cultural allusions, particularly the musical ones. Rory and Lane have impeccable taste. And Lorelai’s is mostly impeccable.
Anyway, I wanna keep it brief, but I feel compelled to make a case for Jess. Rest assured, I am not the kind of girl who would allow myself to be ignored or mistreated by some dreamy, troubled guy. I mean, just look at the thoughtful, respectful feminist of a man I married. But I am Team Jess, and let me tell you why without getting too hung up on specific events, because I think we might have different interpretations of some of them. While in the beginning Jess has some pretty glaring character flaws (rude, disrespectful, destructive, antagonistic, crappy bf, etc.), by the time he’s 19, he’s making a genuine effort to better himself, reconcile with Luke, show his gratitude to those who have tried to help him along the way, and profess his affection for Rory in the only way he knows how at the time. In fact, I’d venture to say the guy has more figured out than I did at his age. Then, in a couple of year’s time, he works hard, starts a small publishing company, writes a book, and seems to become a kind, decent, respectful person, even when Rory kind of uses him to combat her Logan blues. His is a pretty impressive character transition, and I enjoy watching his arc every time. Should Rory have been with him in high school? Probably not. Should she take a chance with present day Jess? I say it’s worth consideration.
I appreciate your willingness to jump in feet first and defend Jess. I also know that my position is an unpopular one. I did (at least in an earlier draft) mention his transformation, but when I think of the whole Team Jess/Dean/Logan debate, I get stuck on what we were presented. Most of Jess’s transition happens off screen, but for the time he was IN Star’s Hollow, man….he just made a big ol’ mess of things and he really hurt my poor Rory (but hey, she pursued the “bad boy” and got burned). I think in the end, I’m team no one, but as for liking Jess….I can say
But seriously, in general, this was a GREAT show. I’m glad I sat down to watch it.
Bahahaha! That meme makes me laugh every time. And deal.