Like one of the many dedicated fans, I spent "Black Friday" inside, avoiding malls at all cost, and curled up on the couch watching Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life (spoilers ahead). The original Gilmore Girls was something of a masterpiece, managing to somehow strike a chord with women and girls everywhere as it delved into a show not just about romantic love, but about the uniquely fascinating, sometimes infuriating, but (almost) always genuine love between a mother and daughter. It captured the pressures of growing up and striving to find your place in the world while throwing in hundreds of bizarre pop culture references at a million miles a minute. As I sat counting down the days until the revival, I couldn't help but feel nervous, wondering what they would do to the show I had come to love. What I could stomach of the final two seasons seemed to stray away from the show I'd grown close to, messing with important relationships and changing the person I saw Rory as. If the revival was anything like the final two seasons, I wasn't sure there was any redemption to be found.

However, I find myself oddly surprised. The four episodes I was given didn't necessarily make me happy so much as they felt, well, finished, unlike the original. As a fan, I'd always been amazed at how put together Rory (Alexis Bledel) seemed, at least until seasons five through seven. she knew what she wanted and she worked hard to achieve it, getting into Yale and ending the series following Barack Obama on the presidential campaign trail. Yet a mere eight years later, she seems so unsure of herself and is unmarried, essentially "homeless," and, eventually, jobless. Perhaps for many these years of wandering, especially in her thirties, seem irresponsible or even wayward, but I think it was one of the most refreshing takes on post-college life, and I'm actually thrilled that she comes crawling back to her (fairly obvious) path towards becoming a published author. Although I'm still in college, I often find myself doubting what I want to do, if I'm good enough, or where I'm supposed to end up after this step in my life and to see Rory struggle with these same questions nearly a decade after college felt more relatable to me than perhaps anything else in the show, and that's what keeps drawing me back in after all these years.

Yet as refreshing as Rory's indecision leaves me, the most brilliant acting of the series comes from Kelly Bishop and Lauren Graham as Rory's grandmother and mother respectively. Their struggle to cope with the death of Richard, Rory's grandfather, is not dealt with in one episode but instead is grieved throughout the miniseries, leaving me awed at how real both of their reactions are, each feeling helpless in their own way. However unlikely it may seem that Emily Gilmore (Kelly Bishop) completely changes her way of life and controlling demeanor is looked over, and instead we watch her grieve and bond with a new maid who brings life into the house and Emily herself ends up finding peace beside the water at last. I was impressed by their portrayals and the depth to which they demonstrated the pain they both felt, Lorelai (Lauren Graham) in her desire for long-term commitment, and Emily in her lack thereof. Their acting was astounding, nearly enough to make me want more, but the flaws within the plot left satisfied enough to stick with what I was given.

Firstly, Summer. This episode, written and directed by Daniel Palladino, was not only out of tone with the rest of the mini-series but poorly written and out of touch with who the characters were. The large musical episode went on for ten, maybe fifteen minutes, not only terribly unfunny but completely pointless to the rest of the plot and instead of acting as entertainment, proves irritating and wastes valuable time which could have been used to further emotional development. Characters such as Jess or Luke deserved far meatier roles, both possessing the capabilities to act on better scripts, but instead Luke is used as a comedic device and Jess only makes very brief, yet important appearances.

Additionally, this extra time could have been used to provide more explanation into the Logan and Rory storyline, such as more background into what Logan has been up to after this time, how he met Odette, how he and Rory ended up in this terribly infuriating situation, etc. Overall, the summer episode devotes large chunks of valuable time to Lorelai and Rory being fanned at the pool, Rory acting as Editor-In-Chief for the Stars Hollow Gazette (which will later be forgotten), and constant appearances of the Thirty-Something Gang who are supposed to mock adults who move back in with their parents, but just manage to alienate, and even annoy, the audience further.

However, the most debatable part of the entire four episode series comes down to the final four words:

Rory: "Mom?"

Lorelai: "Yeah?"

Rory: "I'm pregnant."

As a fan, I'd waited years to hear what the final four words were supposed to be. Somehow I'd expected them to be something sentimental along the lines of how much Rory loved her Lorelai or to say thank you for all she had done, yet at the end of the episode, I was left with my mouth hanging open and my stomach churning. I cannot say I love the final four words, or even that they make me happy, because they absolutely do not. Lorelai has given everything to get Rory to where she is now, sending her to a private high school, then Yale, and supporting her dreams along with her own the whole way. Rory, too, has striven to be less like her mother, not out of shame, but from a desire to do big things and see the world, so to end the series with her pregnant, presumably with Logan's baby, seems like a sick joke. Had not learned from her time with Dean that being the mistress to an involved man was only going to end with everyone heartbroken? I'm devastated not for the show, but for Rory and Lorelai and all their hard work. As a fan, I watched their relationship hit snags when she slept with Dean or when she stole a yacht and lived with her grandparents, yet I was hoping that after all this time, Rory would take all the lessons she's learned and support she's gained in her darkest moments and rise to the occasion, and to me, those final four words tarnished that dream.

I am not the Palladinos and do not have any insight into their thoughts or plans for the Gilmore girls. As a fan however, I write this a bit melancholy, but satisfied. The acting was phenomenal, as was Rory's journey, but the uneven addition of Summer and the final four words reminded me that four episodes was enough. I would not have chosen this ending for a show I loved so much, but as it was not my show to end, I can only say thank you for all the memories, laughs, and tears the show has brought me. I can honestly say I do not want to know what happens to the Gilmores from this point on because that should be left to the minds of the fans. We each had our own idea how we wanted this to end. Each of us had a different man we wanted Rory to end up with, or perhaps no man at all, and a completely different plan for how Rory and Lorelai's careers would plan out. However, with what I have been given I am satisfied. I have reruns to enjoy and can let the Gilmore girls live their life from this point out, however the Palladinos see fit, enjoying the idea that at least I have a chance to control my own life, remembering that even when there are bad moments, just like Rory, I'll get through it with a support system of my own. That's what being a Gilmore was always about.