Gilmore Girls, the series/Gilmore Girls: a Year in the Life

Gilmore Girls, the series

When the Gilmore Girls debuted in 2000, I didn’t watch it.  Not for any reason other than it slipped under my radar.  Several years ago I caught season one in syndication and was hooked, seriously hooked.  Not only did I watch the entire seven seasons, I bought the entire DVD set and have watched it more than a few times.

Yes, I’m a total Gilmore fangirl.  And my friends – I’m not alone.

Here’s a brief synopsis of the storyline:

Set in Star’s Hollow, a fictional, picturesque New England small-town its both charming and loaded with lovable, quirky and colorful characters.

The central characters, Lorelai and Rory Gilmore are a spirited young mother and daughter. Fiercely independent, Lorelai had Rory at 16 and raised her as single mom. Rory is an incredibly bright 16 year old bookworm with a life-long goal of attending an ivy-league college. They’re closer than any mother and daughter you’ll see on-screen.

Lorelai’s best friend, Sookie, played by the adorable young Melissa McCarthy, is a gifted but klutzy chef at the inn Lorelai manages and later at an inn they buy to run together.

Luke, owner of Luke’s Diner, is rugged and a bit grumpy but is the guy who repeatedly drops everything for Rory and Lorelai.  Luke and Lorelai explore other relationships over the seven seasons but are always drawn to each other…..

There’s way more to the series that this “glimpse”.  I can only say if you haven’t watched the show you can binge-watch it right now on Netflix – and I hope you will.  Right now, when our country is divided and full of turmoil, the sweetness of the characters, the town and the story provide a lovely place where you can escape and immerse yourself.

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life

For those die-hard fans of the Gilmore Girls, there has been an groundswell of enthusiasm for a reunion since it ended in 2007.  Speaking as one of those fans, every nugget that hinted that it might happen renewed my hopes.  In 2016, it was confirmed that nearly a decade after it ended, the reunion was filmed for Netflix in four 90 minute segments – Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall.

It was released on November 25, 2016, a date marked on my calendar. I was chomping at the bit to watch it.  But there was one wrinkle…..

Spence enjoyed the show but had caught syndicated episodes infrequently.  I wanted to share “The Year in the Life” with him but insisted we watch the seven seasons in their entirety first.  And he agreed! That took several weeks of binging. As we finished, he was needed to help his best friend, post-surgery and has been in Florida for the last few weeks.  And with an uncertain return date, I could no longer wait.

Picking up nine years later, it feels as though we’re reuniting with old friends we’ve missed.  Written by the Gilmore Girls creators, Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, this was like a gift. Every character from the show (major or minor) showed up in meaningful ways and the trademark, fast-paced witty dialogue was back in spades. For super fans like myself, there were many nuances that nodded to the original series and warmed my Gilmore-loving heart.

The last two episodes were my favorites. There were several stunningly beautiful scenes that I watched with tears in my eyes.  In short, this was a successful sequel and a love letter from the show’s creators to those of us who longed to know what had happened to our beloved characters.

With a surprise at the end, I’m not alone in seeing an opening to another reunion in the future…fingers crossed!

And when Spence returns from Florida, I’ll be watching it once again and likely not for the last time.