I'm sure you've heard of "Gilmore Girls." I've written about the show before, and I'm currently in the midst of binge-watching the show again. It's one that many TV shows different people can relate to. It's hard to pick a favorite character, even for a person who has watched every episode numerous times. Favorites aren't my thing, but I really appreciate certain characters that Amy Sherman-Palladino added into the mix of wonderful that is 'Gilmore Girls'.
Here's why Paris Geller is one of the best characters in the series.
Paris has a lengthy crush on Tristan, and is slightly crushed when she realizes that she and him are not soulmates. In addition, she is hurt--who knows why?--by Rory stepping in as her wingman--er, wingwoman? Either way, she discovers that her first love won't be her last.
The second guy she dates, Jamie, is completely madly in love with her, and she completely misses being asked out--for real, no setups-- for the first time. She reciprocates those feelings for a while, until she meets Asher, her senior citizen lover. That relationship creeped Rory--and me--out a lot. But this is a good example of not really having a handle on adulthood, which most people experience at least once in our lives.
She knows what she wants. But she also doesn't know what she's doing with her life. Everyone can relate to Paris when she attempts to have control over her life, and simultaneously freaking out about not knowing anything that's going on.
Her meltdown on national TV. Okay, maybe that's not quite a popular circumstance, but meltdowns certainly can be. Life can get tough, and when things become too heavy to carry, you've got to let it all out in the open. Venting is a common occurrence, and Paris chose a public platform to become vulnerable as hell. If only some of us had the courage to do that.
Being editor of the Yale Daily News. That was a train-wreck waiting to happen. Paris is driven, but she tends to be controlling, more often than not overwhelmingly so. When more than half the staff quits, she has another meltdown, this time where she believes that she can singlehandedly get a layout of an entire issue of the newspaper ready for the printer. Rory provides a wakeup call with news of Paris being ousted. Paris does not take the news well, and decides to emerge from her shanty-like office and announce her "resignation" to avoid any more humiliation than already experienced. It's a beautifully tragic scene.
During their Yale years, Paris makes a declaration to Rory: "I want to live my life so that I'll be able to read an in-depth biography about myself in later years and not puke." This is something that not everyone thinks about during their life. Possibly people making decisions based on their future outcomes could be comparable, but it is not quite the same. Paris and her obsession with achieving the most, while striving to avoid mistakes, is another reason why she makes a great addition to the show.
"Have I ever been mistaken for a patient person?" Paris' question here empowers people everywhere. We are expected to be patient, and in some situations, it is best, but in no way is it easy for a person to be compliant when they don't have a patient bone in his or her body.
She has lofty goals. Hello pre-med AND pre-law? Even though she can't stand anything medical and can't be in the same room as a procedure. It can't hurt to dream. Well, it can, but that's not stopping Paris, and it shouldn't stop the average Joe or Josephine.
She tends to be a little crazy. Honestly, who isn't at some point in their lives? You've got to live a little. Her and Rory's--and Glenn's--Spring Break trip in their freshman year of Yale explains that perfectly. Rory agrees, with a little convincing, that time away from school and home would be good for both of them. Time to let loose and have the full college experience.
Her outburst: "Who are we kidding? I was not cut out to deal with people!" took the words right out of my mouth, sister. Paris will always have a special place in my heart. I like to think that I learned some habits from her, some good, some bad.
Gilmore Girls for life.
