Ah, Gilmore Girls. What a cozy, cozy show for a post-Thanksgiving treat. What a perfect four episodes for snuggling up on the couch with a brunch spread, complete with hot chocolate and tea selections, snow falling outside. Sadly, I personally was missing the hot chocolate and snow. (My sister doesn't like chocolate — and yo what the heck, Michigan?! How do you fail me now with no snow?) Nonetheless, my experience with the new Gilmore Girls was certainly the bow atop the holiday gift of Thanksgiving break.
I'm not a diehard Gilmore Girls fan. I'll admit, I haven't even watched every single episode of the original (it's hard to genuinely binge-watch, OK?). I have my qualms with the characters, and honestly, I don't think they're all that perfect. I know Rory is supposed to be all that, as is Lorelai, but seriously, their actions were pretty questionable at times. Before I move forward and delve slightly more deeply into Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, be warned: Spoilers lurk ahead.
The 'WTF' moments
I don’t think the characters grew very much, to be honest (except maybe Lorelai, by the end; more on that later). Rory is still making questionable personal life decisions — I mean, really, Logan, again?! How? She has a forgettable boyfriend of two years that she keeps forgetting to break up with (also how?), and she's hooking up with a guy who's engaged. And whom she couldn't stay with for a reason.
This is the reason I could never truly love Rory as a character. She's sweet, she's smart, she's sharp — but how can she make these decisions, and not face the consequences for them? I couldn't help but keep thinking about when she slept with Dean while he was married. And she couldn't understand why Lorelai was so furious with her. Does morality just fly out the window when it comes to men? It frustrates me to no end that someone as accomplished and supposedly strong as Rory just sets aside basic principles for smarmy guys like Logan. (I know I may be slightly more strongly opinioned about this because I just don't like Logan, but even just objectively, we know it's bad to have relations with committed individuals.)
Also, Rory’s future is a scary glimpse into a possible future for any one of us, and even scarier still is that she’s armed with a Yale degree to boot. Though, to be honest, I think that may have been one of the strong suits of the show, as it did not pander to Rory's alleged intelligence and talent; even the shiny and high-potential-ed can fall.
As for Lorelai, it seems like she's back to the same old same old with her mom, huh? It's been, what, 10 years or so since the season seven finale, and somehow the same issues arise?
Small (and big) triumphs
1. But, by show's end, it appears Lorelai has opened up to her mother at last, even if it took forever to get there. We always like to think by the end their issues are behind them, and who knows? Maybe this time they really are.
2. And of course, the one (I like to think) everyone roots for: Luke & Lorelai!! YES, they did it at last.
3. Rory doesn’t end up with any guy in the end. (I know not everyone will agree with me on this, but I HATE her taste in men. She needs to work on that.)
4. Those pop culture references just keep coming, one pow after another. That rapid-fire repartee just never gets old.
5. Sookie returns! Thank god.
(6. The wardrobe department was on point.)
The ending?
*facepalm*
In my opinion, it seemed kind of like a copout, with the whole full circle idea. It just seems to easy, you know? At the same time, yes, it was Amy Sherman-Palladino's intention from season seven to end with those legendary "four words" (I actually wasn't aware of this, thank goodness, so I couldn't be disappointed to that legendary degree). I can't totally articulate why, but somehow I just can't get on board with what some might claim to be a "beautiful" ending to a beautiful series.
On another note, how do they all look the same? I want to know how they age so well so I can take notes for my future. Seriously, if I can look like Rory at 32, that's #goals.
