Life’s short, talk fast: A review of Netflix’s Gilmore Girls revival

One man’s take on a cult classic brought back to life

Image by: Auston Chhor
Joe snuggles up on the couch to watch Gilmore Girls.

Warning: This article contains spoilers. 

As the younger brother of my family, I started watching Gilmore Girls with my older sister who always ended up with the remote.  

We would always end up back in Stars Hollow following Lorelai and Rory Gilmore in a fast-talking, coffee-swilling, pop culture-spieling marathon.

When A Year in the Life was announced in January, my girlfriend barely had to pull my leg to re-watch the series in preparation for Amy Sherman-Palladino’s final four words.

Now older, I was able to keep up with the quick dialogue and become personally invested in who Rory would end up with.

I became a Gilmore guy.

So, when the revival finally came out on Nov. 25, I was reminded of the greatness of the old mixed in with the new. While most revivals miss the integral ingredients of the show, A Year in the Life was spot on.

In the first chapter, “Winter”, I got caught up with what happened over the last 10 years and not a lot has changed in Stars Hollow.

While the first episode is picture perfect as we are reintroduced to life in idyllic-to-the-point-of-ridicule Stars Hollow, the following chapters of “Spring” and “Summer” are less typical. Other than Jess helping Rory with the Gilmore girls book idea, they seem irrelevant. And that’s for one main reason — all three Gilmore girls are lost.

For once, the Gilmore girls were truly as unsure of what the future would bring as I was. 

The most glaring fault of the middle two episodes was the Stars Hollow musical. I hated it. For me, the musical added nothing to the developing plot of the show, and while understandably it was used to display how unique the people of Stars Hollow are, the writers could’ve used the time more effectively.

One of the main focuses of the TV show was always Rory’s love life. While we all believed we’d finally find out who Rory would end up with, I realized that the reality is the Netflix special isn’t about that. 

Yes, she is in an inappropriate relationship with Logan, but it’s missing something. 

While she finally has a healthy relationship with Jess — the one who understands her best — his character is barely developed in the revival. And for Dean, there was no chance anyways. 

The revival isn’t focused on Rory’s love life, it’s about how each Gilmore girl comes to terms with their situation, finding themselves among the conflicting ties of family, career, loss and marriage. 

In the final episode “Fall”, the loose strings came together. 

The Life and Death Brigade returns to take Rory on one last night out during her time as the Stars Hollow Gazette editor. Even though the scene, featuring randomly lit neon signs, slow-motion running and a tango routine, might be a bit over the top, it was exactly what you would expect from Yale’s most exclusive club. 

If that’s the last time we are going to see them, they had to go out in style.

Saying a final goodbye to Logan, Rory is ready to move on and write “Gilmore Girls.”

It might’ve taken a failed hiking adventure, but Lorelai finds closure in telling her mother a positive memory about her and her late father, thereby saving their relationship.  

Other than the larger-than-life painting of him beside the martini bar cart, that’s the Richard Gilmore we’ll remember too.  

And Emily Gilmore becoming a whaling expert. Although it doesn’t seem plausible — because we will always remember the Emily from the D.A.R. — it’s the fresh start she needs. By moving to Nantucket, Emily has moved on and is ready to start a new life.

One part of the show that stands out to me is Rory walking through her grandparent’s home. Although its a shell of what it used to be, the house is haunted by memories as Rory sees scenes from the TV show — from their famous Friday night dinners and Richard working in his study.

Throughout the show, we came to learn the high aspirations Richard had for his grand daughter. In the end, it was only fitting for Rory to find her feet again in her grandfather’s chair. 

And for those last four words. I won’t spoil it. If you want to know what happens next — some things come full circle. 

Tags

gilmore girls, Lifestyle, Review, Television

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