An Ode To Gilmore Girls

JesiDwarte Temmuz 13, 2021

Amazing news came last night via Timeline that a limited-series revival of beloved show Gilmore Girls has been confirmed and will appear on Netflix with most of the original cast so far on board. Hurrah!!

I was a late-comer to the show as I very mistakenly originally thought it was a Seventh Heaven type of schmaltzy American dross. Oh, how wrong I was. When I had to spend a lengthy period of time in hospital, it was Gilmore Girls that helped get me through. I recall a doctor one day asking me what I was watching and after he then asked me what it was about (having never seen it himself), I struggled. How do you even describe a show this multi-facetedly awesome??

So although I couldn't give an adequate enough reason as to why I loved it so much then, I'll make up for it now:

Firstly it's HILARIOUS. One of the wittiest and most well-written tv shows I've ever seen, it's clever but not pretentious. There are plenty of genuine laugh out loud moments, in-jokes and long running gags. Oh and if you don't find Kirk funny then there's nothing I can do for you.

It's comforting. Ideal for when you're not feeling well, or homesick, or when your mood is a bit low. Really it's akin to a big warm hug and a mug of hot chocolate (or coffee..when in Rome!) The characters are loveable and relatable. The show itself is visually beautiful (more on that later) and the story lines are all pretty mild; no one is murdered, life is generally all very pleasant- but- and this is important- it's never sickeningly sweet.

At its heart it's about relationships and who has a better relationship than Lorelai and Rory? Their mother-daughter bond was a pleasure to watch; two smart, funny women who loved coffee and pop culture and from them, the relationships they have with those around them. It's also a strongly feminist show- Lorelai was more than capable of having a baby on her own and building a career from nothing. She brings Rory up to be a well-rounded, intelligent and decent human being and did so without any help. G'wan Lorelai!

The secondary characters in the show are all amazing. I've already mentioned Kirk but what about Michel, Sookie (the wonderful Melissa McCarthy), Paris, Lane, Miss Patty and Richard and Emily Bishop, Lorelai's somewhat estranged parents? All well-developed, individual characters that added so much to the show.

The Gilmores live in Stars Hollow, a small town in Connecticut. This means we get to see beautiful Autumnal hues of jewel coloured leaves filling up the town square in Autumn and snow (Lorelai's favourite) covering all the Christmas decorations in Winter. Having recently been to Connecticut, I can happily tell you that it heavily resembles the show- the diners all look like Luke's, the Bed and Breakfasts all feel like The Dragonfly Inn and the town centres all have that cute, quaint feel to them that you get from Stars Hollow.

The love stories are addictive. Lookit, I may have been all for each of Rory's different boyfriends at the time but I will always be firmly Team Logan. If they can nab Matt Czuchry back from The Good Wife for the new episodes I'll be only thrilled. No Dean, please. Never Dean. Obviously, I always wanted Lorelai and Luke to get together..that was a long auld road, wha'?

It's a small thing but I loved the Gilmore coffee addiction, something I can definitely relate to although perhaps not on quite this level:

Lastly and unsurprisingly, I loved Rory's book obsession. I could most definitely relate to her love of reading although it is sightly depressing how many more books she's read in comparison to myself! I wrote a blog post about the Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge before HERE. I'm slowly working my way through it!