My junior year of college I began watching "Gilmore Girls," which became my Netflix addiction. I watched all seven seasons within a couple weeks, which proved that I was procrastinating more often than I should. But this show was well worth the binge-watching because it helped me relieve stress while I was taking six English courses in one semester, which is insane (it is possible, but I don't recommend it because of all the reading and assignments coinciding with each other). "Gilmore Girls" focuses on the lives of a mother and daughter who are best friends, a goal that most women wish for, but never experience. Don't get me wrong, there are some women that do have this kind of relationship with their mothers, but it is an ideal friendship. I think the main aspects that attracted me to the show was the sarcastic humor and college atmosphere that was present for a majority of the series. Rory attends Yale for four seasons, which helped me connect with the show since I was currently attending a university. I was able to connect with the struggles that Rory was facing, and the show helped me realize how to overcome certain stressful situations that arise during the college experience.
1. High School Memories
High school was probably one of the worst times of my life, but it wasn't so bad senior year. Watching the first few seasons of "Gilmore Girls" gives me flashbacks of the days I spent reading in between classes and avoiding groups of loud, obnoxious youths that only find pleasure in teasing others. Rory seems to experience the same kind of torture while attending Chilton. These are the seasons that make me connect with Rory because I was always studying and reading in high school. I didn't have much of a social life, but then again, attending a public high school is enough social experience for me. I think it was enough for Rory as well, but she was reaching for Harvard, which meant that she had to do community service and join clubs.
2. Books and Book References
There are so many references in this show that I'm familiar with, which makes me happy. It helps me feel connected to the characters because of the wide variety of literature that Rory is also reading. A lot of the references I became familiar with in college instead of high school though. It kind of surprised me that her English class was reading "Madame Bovary," which is a painful read. I read it my sophomore year at Wingate for Studies in Fiction. Rory also had an expansive education involving Shakespeare, which I didn't get until college either. Of course we read certain plays in high school, but the extensiveness didn't occur until college. Shakespeare is awesome though!
3. Movie References
I'm a movie connoisseur. I'm very critical of remakes of classics, but Lorelai and Rory are more knowledgeable than myself, especially concerning older movies that even I haven't seen (1960's). They also critique certain movies that I enjoy, but I can't hold that against them because they apply the movie references to real-life (just like myself).
4. Coffee
I love coffee and they love coffee. There's not much to really say here beyond the obvious: coffee is life.
5. Relationships
Both women experience various relationships and the trials and errors that take place. I think the important thing to take away from this particular "Gilmore Girls" topic is that there will be many relationships before the right one is found, which often happens in high school and college. I went through my fair share before finding the one that I had been waiting for, and so did Lorelai and Rory.
6. Humor
What is life without humor? Finding the humor in life is one of the best options because it keeps us optimistic. Sometimes we have to laugh at ourselves when we mess up and take criticism at face value.
7. College
This is where I connected with Rory entirely. I was in college when I began watching this series and I understood exactly what Rory was undertaking during her time at Yale: studying, taking on a full course load, working, relationships, and friendships. It's a lot to take on in a stressful, new environment. The one thing that Rory and I didn't have in common was that she made frequent trips home while I didn't. I barely went home at all, only making the two-hour drive home on holidays. College was a very rewarding experience though and it helped shape me as a person.
8. Graduation
"What are you going to do after graduation?" This was the one question that was constantly brought up during my senior year of college, which I couldn't actually answer because I had no idea what I was going to do. At this point, I know, but it's hard to make it happen because fiction writing is not a for-sure profession and applying for jobs in copy-writing and marketing require a certain level of experience, which is hard to attain unless you do internships during college. Watching the end of season seven of "Gilmore Girls" helped me realize that I didn't have to know exactly what I wanted to do after graduation. Watching Rory struggle with the same concept helped me realize that most college seniors contemplate life after college and that my own questions were normal.
9. Life
Lorelai and Rory really help others understand that life is what you make it: it can be full of fun or it can be sheltered. They make it fun and entertaining, which is what life should be.
10. Ships
There are many, many relationships that could take place in this series, but the ones that I really hoped for were Rory and Logan, as well as Lorelai and Luke. Out of all of Rory's boyfriends, Logan was the one that appealed the most because of the way he and Rory were when they were together. There was a lot of happiness and fun, things that relationships should have. I wish that Rory had said "yes" when Logan proposed at the end of season seven; it was disappointing because I felt that they were so great together. As for Lorelai and Luke, they should have gotten together in the first season because the sexual tension and curiosity was blatantly obvious. When they finally got together made my day. It was the match that every fan was waiting for.
