“Life's short. Talk fast,” is the life motto of Lorelai Gilmore. Life is short, so why not have an impromptu wedding? After 157 episodes of watching each other go through other relationships - even get married to other people - we finally see Lorelai and Luke together, for good. Known as the ‘impromptu wedding’, Lorelai and Luke were meant to get married the next day, but Lorelai’s wild nature led her to her decision. After all, “It's bingo night…and reverend Steven is up later on bingo night.”
Though it was surprising for viewers to see energetic Lorelai and grouchy Luke together, I think it was foreseen (especially since the film still was, after all, a picture of Lorelai holding hands with Luke). I also recognised the song playing, “Reflecting Light” by Sam Phillips, as the song playing at Liz and Tj's wedding (Luke’s sister and brother-in-law). That was when Luke and Lorelai danced together for the first time when their relationship started to blossom into more than a friendship. It was a flashback to when it all started, which was genius on the director and the editor’s part. “It’s Luke, Lorelai and Rory. And that made it intimate and gave it more feeling,” Palladino says, and she sure was right. ‘Gilmore Girls’ is one of the most memorable film series I have ever seen.
‘Gilmore Girls’ is a comedy-drama series set in the small town of Stars Hollow, revolving around the lives of the fast-talking, quick-thinking, mother and daughter: Lorelai and Rory Gilmore. Along with witty dialogue and an effective mix of humour and drama, directors Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino have created one of the most unforgettable film series of all time. The series consists of 7 seasons and a total of 153 episodes filmed from 2000 - 2007, along with a revival miniseries of 4 episodes that was filmed in 2016. Warning: this review will contain spoilers.
‘Gilmore Girls’ is a journey about relationships, between mother and daughter, family, friends, boyfriends and girlfriends. These relationships that form throughout the series are something that the audience connects with, as we develop our own individual thoughts and opinions. ‘Gilmore Girls’ is also a journey of change, in characters, relationships, costume, filming, and also in viewers' personal opinions.
“I find nothing exciting before 11,” me too Rory, me too. The writing of ‘Gilmore Girls’ is one of its greatest strengths, thanks to Palladino’s excellent sense of humour. Comedic moments have sharpness, wit and are hilarious, especially with Lorelai and Rory’s unique way of describing and explaining things, “I'm attracted to pie, it doesn’t mean I feel the need to date pie,” or a personal fave, “did anyone ever think that maybe Sylvia Plath wasn’t crazy, she was just cold?” These esoteric references to TV, film, theatre, literature, music, politics, and society, which results in some fast-talking conversations that are delivered with artful ease, always bring a smile to my face, although most of these references are obscure to me. Lorelai's quote “I hate when I’m an idiot and don’t know it. I like being aware of my idiocy,” pretty much sums up how I feel about their language superiority. What the writing also delivers is a lot of insight about growing up and dealing with the complications of life without being preachy. It is a television show that doesn't shy away from difficult issues but approaches them in ways that are both relatable and empowering to young women. A great example of an inspiring and very relatable quote is, “if you’re frustrated with someone, just push him into a lake.”
Another fan favourite is the catchy theme song, “Where You Lead” by Carole King, which introduces each episode in the title sequence. Its lyrics brilliantly sums up what 'Gilmore Girls' is all about. “Where you lead, I will follow,” is a part of the lyrics that can be related to Lorelai and Rory’s once-in-a-lifetime-special bond. In the revival series, the title sequence was taken away, much to my misery. Perhaps Palladino wanted to illustrate how things have changed and wanted a more modern approach to the revival. But without the familiar title sequence, it just didn’t feel like ‘Gilmore Girls’ anymore.
Lorelai Gilmore once said “The world changes when it snows,” which may be a way that Palladino illustrates the changes happening as the seasons (pun intended) come and go. We watch as fashion styles change, from low waisted jeans to high waisted jeans, or from vintage tees to flowy ‘mum’ shirts. Character-wise, relationships between different characters changed (for future ‘Gilmore Girls’ fans, look out, especially for Lorelai and Emily Gilmore’s relationship). Everyone also went through many things, all of which the audience has been through with them so, in the end, it felt as if we were a part of the film. We also see technological advancements, from flip phones to touch screen iPhones, the introduction of the internet and google (which was fascinating for the characters, and also a reminder to be grateful for the many things we have). Most clearly, the differences in the clarity of the film quality as better film cameras were introduced. Aside from the fact that Palladino was able to incorporate the fast-paced advancement and innovation of technology and ideas in society into the series, I did not like it. Frankly, I loved the first few seasons because of its simplicity and antiquity. It was like a break from reality! And as Lorelai Gilmore likes to say, “Reality has no place in our world!”
Reality or not, I still love the series because of the compelling and unexpected changes for every character. In the beautiful small town of Stars Hollow, these characters were able to grow with each other and each one of them has an interesting history. But because of limited time and word count, I will unfortunately only be able to dig into one character. Fortunately, it is Rory Gilmore, the star of Stars Hollow.
Rory, played by Alexis Bedel, is the seemingly-perfect daughter of Lorelai. She is dedicated, hardworking, and an aspiring journalist. Rory started off as the perfect girl, adored by everyone in Stars Hollow, but especially by her cool, loving mum, Lorelai. Rory got into Chilton High School at 16 years old, and by the end of her high school years she was on the school's newspaper team, student council, was top in class, valedictorian, and was preparing for her glorious future at yale.
Surprisingly, people may describe Rory as having “peaked in high school.” After high school, Rory cheated on Dean with Jess, and then later on she cheated on Jess with Dean, then Dean with Logan, then on Paul with Logan; yes, quite a scandal for the lovely Rory. Academically, Rory couldn’t handle her classes and work and was clearly less motivated. During season 5, Rory did the unthinkable and dropped out of Yale after being criticised for her journalism skills, by one man. Not to mention the fact that Rory also stole a yacht and went to jail around the same time. Aside from the comedic intentions and light-heartedness of these situations, it also showed the change of Rory - good and bad.
By the revival miniseries, she was the epitome of a faltering millennial. Rory always had dreams, she wanted to become a journalist. However, Rory was impatient and decided to go out into the world too fast and was confident that she would be able to do it, because she was never told she could fail, leaving her jobless, homeless, carless, and broke. In a mental breakdown, Rory admitted that “My whole life I have never been in an abyss, I've always known exactly where I'm going.” Definitely not the ending audience expected or wanted.
Even so, Rory was able to find something that felt “right”. The series ended with Rory writing her own book, “The Gilmore Girls,” about her relationship with Lorelai and reflecting on their lives. Although Lorelai rejected this idea at first, she eventually agrees knowing this would be a good step in Rory’s future. Lorelai confirms she is supportive of Rory, but with one advice, “drop the ‘the’, just Gilmore Girls, it's cleaner.”
Every movie or film series has an Iconic ending line. In ‘Gilmore Girls’ it ends with ‘The Last 4 Words’, which has gotten all Gilmore fans talking since the release of “Autumn” in the revival series. For many viewers, it was emotionally manipulative and has left everyone on a cliffhanger. As if the story is brought full circle, Rory repeats the pattern that her mum started, which is scary (knowing Lorelai's past) but also beautiful because it signifies the deep connection - mentally and physically - between the mother and daughter. It’s a new beginning for both.
After everything and all 157 episodes, I was definitely left hanging, and I speak for all ‘Gilmore Girls’ fans. The ending was not necessarily a happy one, although the music and atmosphere certainly brightened it up. Additionally, there is definitely a long list of unanswered questions. Whether it was a mistake by Palladino or a marketing strategy to keep fans talking (which definitely worked), we may never get the answers.
Despite the changes in technology, Rory’s unexpected ending, the many questions left answered, and Palladino’s ability to entirely numb you of emotion… seeing the lives of the characters from behind a screen is still unbearable. We all want to become Lorelai's daughter, Rory’s best friend, Chilton’s valedictorian, wander in Stars Hollow, and have a cup of coffee at Luke’s Diner.
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