Gilmore Girls

 

 

Dear readers, 

  

“I live in two worlds, one is a world of books.” -Rory Gilmore

You have undoubtedly heard, or seen this quote somewhere before, as it comes from one of the most iconic TV shows made in the early 2000’s, Gilmore Girls. This show, written and directed by Amy Sherman-Palladio is a fun, witty, and classic Comedy TV show. The show follows a young mother and daughter navigating friendship, relationships, and the struggles that come along with having a family so close by. Lorelei, played by actress Lauren Graham is the mother to her teenage, know it all daughter, Rory. When the show begins you see just a preview of what the next 7 seasons will bring. The show takes place in a small town in Connecticut, Stars hollow is filled with strange festivals, celebrations, stores, and people. All of this just makes your want to live in this show even more intense. 

      Rory, who is played by Alexis Bladel, is a high schooler who has lived her whole life in Stars Hollow. When Lorelei was sixteen, she fell pregnant with Rory, and made the decision not to marry Rory’s father. This decision led to her moving out of her mothers home, and finding a cleaning job at a small, local Inn. Lorelei’s relationship with her mother and father is a complicated, and confusing one. On one side, she has her mother and father unwilling to forget about what happened when she was sixteen, on the other she has her daughter who is forming a strong bond with both of her grandparents. In the town, the Gilmore Girls have formed lasting friendships throughout their community,  from want to be rockstars, and a chef who reads havoc  wherever she goes, to a grumpy diner owner, undoubtedly Stars hollow is a place of love and laughter. Throughout the show Rory experiences tough, and conflicting friendships, romance, hard decisions, and the beginning and ending of long time companionships. Lorelei has it no easier than her daughter as she revisits her past romances and friendships, starts new chapters of her life, goes head to head with her parents more times than I could count, and finds what makes her happy. 

      Gilmore Girls originally aired on The WB, and later was added onto larger networks such as Netflix. Gilmore Girls filmed from 2000 - 2007, coming back for a finale special in 2016 including four episodes. In the seven seasons there were a total of 153 episodes, each with a playing time of 35-45 minutes. While the production budget was low for this particular show, you can tell that the set, costumes, and attention to detail were well thought out, planned, and executed. Before Gilmore Girls, the cast was in many different movies, TV shows, and series, varying in popularity, and genres. 

      Kelly Bishop, who plays Emily Gilmore, is widely known for being in dirty dancing, the marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Shrinking and many more. After Gilmore Girls, Emily Bishop continued to write a memoir titled The Third Gilmore girl, which has continued to grow in popularity since being published. When watching Gilmore Girls it is evident just how many relatable scenes were intentionally included in the script, which plays a major part in becoming my personal favorite comfort show. In season 3, episode 22, Rory graduates from her private high school. During the graduation Rory makes a valedictorian speech to her former classmates. In this speech she reflects on the world of music, movies, books, and laughter of which her mother raised her in. My family and I started watching the show during covid, and we are still all hooked. Part of our quality family time was spent watching Rory and Lorelei navigate through real, and plausible scenarios in their own lives. It’s hard to find a TV show that makes it possible for you to laugh, want to punch one of the characters, cringe, and maybe even shed a tear or two all in under 45 minutes, however not impossible; and that show is Gilmore Girls.

 

Sincerely, Cate