(Image c/o Netflix)
Psst! DON’T READ THIS UNLESS YOU’VE FINISHED THE REVIVAL! Spoilers are EVERYWHERE.
It’s only been a few days since Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life launched on Netflix and while I’d love to wait til everyone has a chance to catch up, I need to unload all these GG thoughts and I have an inkling a few of you need to debrief, too.
This is basically a brain dump, so don’t expect anything of that fancy stuff like flow, good grammar, and correct punctuation. This is basically just a look inside my messy brain that is messier still after being Gilmored all last weekend.
Did I Like It?
Yes. A strong yes. I found all four episodes downright delightful. It was so nice to get the FEEL of Stars Hollow and the original series pre-season 7 when all the fun fell out of the show. Kirk has a pig! Taylor’s still up to his old OCD tricks! Luke’s diner is still Luke’s diner—but now man buns are added to the list of forbidden items! It was really everything I dreamed it would be.
I honestly don’t love either Gilmore Girl. But I adore anything with lovable townspeople (Cranford, Larkrise to Candleford, Home Fires) and so GG fits the bill and there was plenty of Star Hollows best in the new season.
What I Hated
Rory and Logan. Not how they were written, just WHO THEY ARE. Logan has been a smug, privileged rake since the dawn of time, no surprise there. I was slightly surprised that Rory would still be romantically involved with him, until I remembered how much I don’t like Rory and that this IS typical Rory. She has no self-awareness. She considers herself to be an independent, down-to-earth, together kinda girl but she’s allowing herself to be strung along by an engaged man while living off his money and connections. Is this feminism? If so, I’m confused about what feminism is.
Why is Rory so entitled and selfish? She really is the worst.
But I think it does follow from the original seasons. I’ve been watching season 2 (probably my favorite) to prep for AYITL and remember that whole situation with Rory dropping her friendship bracelet that Dean made her and Jess hiding it for awhile so she thought it was lost? Lorelai is FREAKING OUT about this bracelet. LET ME CHECK EVERYWHERE FOR YOU, RORY. THIS IS A HUGE DEAL. POOR RORY! I mean, c’mon. Either she’ll find the ol’ bracelet or she won’t. And maybe she’d learn a lesson in keeping better track of her things? It’s just not the end of the world or anything that a parent should lose their mind over.
I digress, but what I’m trying to say is that everyone has dropped everything for Rory and made her the center of their universe. Are we surprised that she struggles to take responsibility for her life and consider how her actions affect other people……Logan’s FIANCEE for instance?! (And really, didn’t she learn her lesson when she ruined Dean’s marriage? Grow up, Rory.)
What Did I Love?
Emily. Emily Gilmore. I loved her story arch. Her character developed SO MUCH during these four episodes. She completely fell apart which is so NOT an Emily Gilmore thing to do. (The Konmari scene?! I die!) And she became less superficial and far more compassionate. Berta? A maid that stays employed month after month? Who seems to have brought her entire extended family to stay with Emily? Emily loves her and seems to care about her. Progress.
And she finally gives the DAR the boot and sees all that nonsense for what it is: artificial garbage. She does something no one expects her to do (buying a house in Nantucket and becoming a volunteer at the Whaling Museum) and loves it. Emily is fantastic in this episode. She’s become the person I wish she’d been all along, and I think the person Lorelai wishes she’d been, too. I think there’s a lot of hope for Emily and Lorelai’s messy mother-daughter relationship from the final episode: Fall.
Speaking of Lorelai…
I actually really liked Lorelai’s story arch, too. She doesn’t have faithful Sookie to boss around and have at her side at all times (don’t get me wrong, I ADORE Sookie, I just don’t think Lorelei treats her very well all the time or deserves Sookie’s devotion). Michel is leaving. Rory has been living away from Stars Hollow and Richard has died. Lorelai can’t keep it together.
But instead of doing something really horrible and rash like breaking up with Luke (as she would have done in the past) she does something just kinda stupid and rash that doesn’t hurt anyone else—travels to hike the Pacific Coastal Trail or whatever it’s called. OF COURSE she doesn’t even make it on the trail (but huge props for putting Parenthood co-stars in for a cameo as the park rangers) but she lets herself take some time to think and realize that it’s her father’s death that is really throwing her for a loop. She reaches out to Emily. That’s huge!
While I can only imagine how frustrating it would be to grow up as Emily Gilmore’s daughter, Lorelai has been downright CRUEL to her so many times. I love this resolution of the phone call from CA. As if to not only make right what she royally screwed up after Richard’s funeral, but to show Emily that she saw value in how her parents raised her. That sometimes they did things RIGHT and that she treasures those moments. I really think that while things will always be difficult between Emily and Lorelai’s strong personalities, they have a chance to heal.
And then that scene in the kitchen when Lorelai gets back and Luke thinks she’s leaving him? It was over the top and sappy but I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT. Go, Luke for laying it all out of the table and going after the woman he loves. Go, Lorelei for wising up and knowing what she should have known from the first day of the series: she and Luke need to be man and wife like yesterday. Luke is the best!!! And I actually really liked the trippy-night-before-the-wedding wedding.
C’mon, People! We Need More Jess!
Now while Rory totally doesn’t deserve him, it was great to have a few scenes with Jess. He’s got his isn together now and is all grown up (unlike Logan for whom time seems to have stood still—not just because his perfect smug face hasn’t aged an iota, but because he has not grown or developed on bit in 10 years). Jess is funny and brilliant and super handsome. WHO CAN THINK ABOUT LOGAN WHEN JESS IS AROUND?! Rory, you idiot. He knows Rory so well, giving her the idea for her book. It reminded me of Jo March and Mr. Bhaer. So thank you for the Jess, AYINTL, please send more Jess.
SOOOOOKIE!
I get why Sookie needed to be out of Lorelai’s life for awhile in order for Lorelai’s story arch to get where it needed to go. But wow, The Dragonfly is a dull place without her! Sookie is my favorite GG character. I wish she was my sister. Or a young aunt. Somehow related to me so that we had to be friends forever and every family gathering would involve her gusto and her food. She continues to be THE BEST.
Almost No Dean Was Perfect.
Oh Dean. You tall, dumb man. Thank goodness we only had to deal with 2 minutes of you in Doose’s market. 2 pleasant minutes, even! He’s got kids, he seems pretty happy. La de da. So glad he’s not with Rory and that she’s not ruining whatever happiness he’s gained since the last time she torpedoed into his life.
Why the Fat Shaming?
I really could have done without the fat shaming at the beginning of Summer at the pool. Was that really necessary? Unless the purpose of the scene was to remind everyone who horrible Rory and Lorelai are, then that was a fail.
The Town Musical!
Ok, so I’ve heard a lot of people are down on the town musical. I happened to LOVE IT. But that’s because I have a background in musical theatre, and I love Sutton Foster (and Bunheads). And I can’t get “We’re working on building (working on building) Stars (Stars!) Hollow!” out of my head.
The Last Four Words
This was on my radar since I’d heard a few people guess (like Tsh on the GG episode of The Simple Show) that the last four words would be “I’m pregnant.” “Me, too.” (Wouldn’t that have been a riot?) But I kinda forgot about it since that didn’t SEEM to be where the plot line was going.
I didn’t even realize when Rory went to see Christopher that HER pregnancy was what she was needing advice about. I think the last four words actually offer a little hope for Rory (despite the fact that Logan’s the father. You’re garbage, Logan).
Welcome to adulthood, Rory! Now there’s someone in your life more important than you and your desires. Congrats! But seriously, I think this baby will help Rory gain compassion, selflessness, and maturity. And I’m glad all the lovable townspeople will be along for the ride. I’m just wondering if there’s any hope for Jess in the picture….because really what the show needs is just a lot more Jess.
What did you think?
I’ve been waiting for your thoughts! Spot on! Also for some reason I felt like Alexis Bledel forgot how to be Rory! I just didn’t think the nuance of her personality and expression was there? And her voice sounded off! Maybe it was just me! or that she has aged 10 years:) But i loved this brain dump! Thanks for sharing!
Her voice WAS so different. Like higher, maybe? That was weird.
I actually thought that Melissa McCarthy’s voice was a lot higher than it had been. I wondered if her dramatic weight loss had affected her voice in some way.
I thought Sookie sounded lower than I remembered! Not quite right anyways.
Yes, even in the TV interviews she did she sounded so “valley girl.” And in the very beginning Rory and Lorilei sounded like Laverne and Shirley.
I agree with all of the above, but also thought that there were many boring and unnecessary plot lines…like Naomi! With all of the pomp and circumstance around Rory’s education, she has only a handful of notable articles to her name, and no grown-up relationships after 9 years? Such a let-down.
This is so funny, I JUST hit publish on my GG dish too! Ha. I took a different angle (why GG is still getting it wrong about sex and marriage), but I did feel almost exactly the same as you about everything!
But Emily- okay I liked the change too, of course- but it smells a little bit of the GG misplaced feminism, doesn’t it? That Emily became a likable human being only after Richard died? I don’t know, I was happy and mad about it at the same time.
Why why why do all the shows I watch lately portray babies as THINGS to get vs gifts? I was so super annoyed with the surrogacy angle and the Michel too. Babies are gifts. Period.
YES! The surrogacy thing, ugh. As if the only options are surrogacy and goinf across the world. There was SUCH an opportunity for a foster care thread to be woven into the storyline. So many kids whose parental rights have been terminated, who are languishing in foster care. But no. Go the big bucks, glamour, designer baby route. Ugh.
I don’t think it’s misplaced feminism. My grandmother lost her husband of 40+ years in 2009, and sometimes I think she STILL feels lost, because her entire world revolved around him and his agenda. So going through a journey of figuring out who SHE is now that her life has changed so drastically, was very believable to me. Unlike my grandmother, Emily is a very strong personality, which I think help drived her to actually find some resolution, where more passive women might not. It’s not feminism, merely personality.
OK, I was a little weirded out by the surrogacy thing too. But wasn’t Luke’s persistent ignorance of the whole process is just perfect?? With his simple question, “Am I supposed to have sex with that woman?” he rejects the modern gnostic, mind-over-body, I-am-God mentality in favor of a more natural, commonsense understanding of where babies comes from. His disgust was humorous because he’s so, so right. And I think Lorelei got it too eventually (at least, I hope so), and I’m glad they opted against surrogacy, and I hope the subject doesn’t come up again!
Yesssssss!!! To all the above. And I agree that the baby is going to make Rory finally grow up. Hopefully, she’ll learn from her mom and marry Jess and not Logan. Poor baby needs a real father!
Haley, you know I deeply value your opinion on all things literature and binge-watch-able. So I was way psyched to see your list. I see your mass hatred for Logan in OBVIOUS in this article. And I can’t say whether this is you or not but I think a lot of people are team Jess because he’s bookish and smart and Rory’s match seemingly – but he treats her like crap again and again and again in the show. (This post nicely laid out his crappiness in their relationship). Even when he encourages her to go back to Yale he’s being a jerk – not that Logan isn’t too. I just Logan is what he is and he owns it. He tells Rory who he is from the beginning when he doesn’t commit to her.
Personally I find myself waffling between Team Logan and Team Jess. I think Logan is insanely romantic and brings Rory out of her shell a la Life and Death Brigade and adventures. I also think he is entitled and shallow. Jess is complicated and a hot mess and doesn’t seem to be a real grown up until maybe the last time we see him in the OS.
And Rory isn’t a grown up yet in this series. I found myself not enjoying her that much. Just so little direction. No heart. Floating and drifting.
And honestly I’m glad there wasn’t more Jess considering how Rory’s life was going. It would have been an unnecessary “love” triangle and would have probably given us angsty and restless Jess again.
But the LOOK. That look killed. And that to me was the moment I became team Jess full on.
I also missed the Christopher dynamic, thinking it was research for her book.
Anyways, this probably made no sense. But there ya go
We have similar conversations in our house about how both Logan and Jess are pompous and often don’t treat Rory as she deserves, but atleast Logan realizes it.
I really felt Rory’s character was less mature than 10 years a go. Her arc bothered me and did not seem true to the original character.
It also really bothered me that they never explained why Rory and Logan were not together together. Was this Rory’s decision, Logan’s, mutual? Why?
All in all, I knew it was never about the story for me, it was about going back to Stars Hollow to make new memories with old friends. I secretly wish there was no romantic plot and it was all Emily, Luke, Kirk, Babette, Patty, Taylor, Hep Alien, and Liz and TJ.
Chewy from her one night stand could also be the father, right??? I loved your perspective but I disagree and think the town play was tortute. I wanted every 1.5 hour segment to be packed full and it seemed like they were running the clock out! Maybe there will be more to come….one can hope.
The timeline doesn’t work. That was several months prior. So unless she’s like 5 months pregnant (which her svelte figure demonstrate to be a no), then it was from the last time with Logan. But I did wonder about that at first!
Or IS Logan the father? It could be the Wookie guy from the one night stand. (Also- totally agree with you about the fat-shaming scenes- that made me cringe, & not in the way they intended to make me cringe).
See my above comment to Emily, Cari! I don’t think the timeline works for the Wookiee 🙂
I think you hit the Rory is The Worst nail on the head. It made her implosion pretty realistic; she’s always been told she’s wonderful, etc. but ends up with nothing to show for it. What was her big journalism career anyway? One New Yorker article, I guess?
I thought Lorelai Wild-ing was sort of out of character, not the bolting aspect of it necessarily, but the unironic embrace of Cheryl Strayed’s whole thing. The resolution with Emily made it worth it though.
Agreed. At first I was like, “Lorelai would NEVER actually go on a crazy hike like this.” So I was relieved when….she didn’t actually ever got on the trail, lol.
Yeah, THAT was true Lorelai, hehe.
Oh my gracious — this is what I’ve been saying all week!! When the last episode ended I literally yelled at the screen, “But what about Jess?!?!” I loved everyone’s story arch except for Rory’s — she just kept making stupid choices. But I also think that those choices were kinda out of character. When she started dating Logan back at Yale she gives him this whole talk about how she’s a relationship kind-of girl, that she doesn’t want to be in an open relationship or share him, etc, etc. …. and now she has a random boyfriend who she’d cheating on with Logan, who has a fiancee, and then has a random hook up as well?? Not only did she not learn her lesson from the Dean fiasco, she also seems to have changed her whole relationship philosophy. Is it just me, or did she become the kind of girl she would have made fun of in her younger years? But to end on a positive note — I also loved the Luke and Jess scenes! They’re relationship really developed well into adulthood. 🙂
Spot. On. I’m a high school theology teacher and so, of course, my girls and I have discussed it all at length, but they didn’t like it. They keep complaining that the girls can’t get their lives together no matter how old they are, but I’m trying to explain to them that age doesn’t make you an adult, choices do. Some people will never grow up and it’s beautiful that they are giving Rory a chance to with the pregnancy.
“Age doesn’t make you an adult, choices do.”
On point.
I was really hoping AYITL would redeem Rory for me and I was so sad that it didn’t. I always want to like her because she’s bookish and quirky and loves all the good things. But she’s still spoiled and entitled just like she always was. Sad.
I love that she is writing Gilmore Girls and that I makes the whole story “full circle” which was a theme for both girls in the reboot.
Definitely team Jess here. I wished there was more there! He inspired her to write what she knows and I was hoping that him challenging her and calling out the best in her would develop more!
I loved the musical bit! LOVED IT. I really liked how Taylor shoots down Carole King singing I Feel the Earth Move. I laughed a lot.
Just a few of my thoughts!
I was able to watch all 4 episodes last Friday with my sisters.
The musical numbers dragged on and left us wondering what drugs the people who wrote it were on while they wrote it. The play was so long…. we actually fast forwarded a bit of it because it was just down right painful.
Never have been a fan of Jess. I just don’t get why anyone likes him. I always liked Logan’s f romantic grand gestures….but only that part of him. He is too awful and selfish.
Something else I noticed was the newer sets, ones not copied from the original show, were lacking depth and didn’t look as complete or finished as sets before. I didn’t think I would really notice, but it made a difference.
Rory’s conversation with Christopher pretty much solidified my theory on the last 4 words. Unfortunately at 1:30 AM my sisters were all too tired to discuss it much.
Peter Krause from Parenthood (park ranger) is also Lauren Graham’s real-life partner.
Whaaaat? That makes her attempts at getting him to let her go on the trail by pointing out her figure all the more hilarious.
Yes to all of this! Also, I was super annoyed at how Michel was retconned to be gay…in the OS, he says over and over again that he’s all about the ladies. That seemed like an attempt to make the show more relevant to 2016 (“Hey! We have an out gay character, so no one can say we’re homophobic!”) rather than consistent with that character.
I also wanted more Lane!
Also, loved loved LOVED the Secret Bar! So fun!
Agreed!
Yes, I was so confused, I thought I remember him considering himself quite the ladies’ man.
I heard that the creators originally wanted to Lorelai to end up with Sookie, but the network wouldn’t go for a gay main character back in 2003. It looked like they were having fun gaying it up in the revival, now that having a token gay character is pretty much the norm. I don’t remember actually seeing Michel with any women other than his mother, so I didn’t find that storyline hard to swallow. I’m glad they left Taylor ambiguous though. After all, it IS possible to be celibate and straight.
Also really wanted more Lane! Is she home with the kids? Working with her mom? Is she happy with where her life is going? I’m glad Hep Alien still exists, but are they doing shows, recording albums, or just jamming for the fun of it? It sucked that Dean got a basic life update and Lane didn’t!
Yes! I’m so glad that you posted this because no one in my life has finished it yet and I needed to talk about it.
Lorelei = Love, I’m so glad that she did what she always needed to do and didn’t leave Luke or sleep with someone else again. She grew up! I also loved her wedding before the wedding.
Rory = Well, what do you expect is going to happen when you are constantly sleeping around. Just be glad you aren’t having a wookie baby! She has always been praised as head strong and brilliant and with everyone singing her praises she never has had any real responsibility or cared about others feeling. And then when everything falls through, she does what she always does and and freaks out and runs away. The pregnancy is finally something that she can’t run away from. Time to grow up Rory.
Lane = Thank you GG for showing that a marriage in a small town with a couple of kids is a normal happy thing and not the end of the world. They still get to be who they want to be while raising a family. And I loved that the whole band was still there.
Emily = MY FAVORITE! She had to figure out who she was as a widower. And her final seen was my favorite of the whole show.
Paris = she just gets better every season.
I guess I’ve always been team Logan because I think they are perfect for eachother. They are both selfish and crave adventure. They have money to fall back on when things get tough and neither one of them cares about other peoples feelings. I like Jess, I really do, but I think Rory is too selfish for him. She’d just drag him around for years while raising another man’s baby. And then once she finally grew up after a whole bunch of dramatic and unnecessary romantic relationships she’d mature enough to realize that Jess has been there the whole time. Oh wait, I feel like we’ve seen that one before. 😉
“You tall, dumb man.” Haha. Pretty sure that’s a line from Jess if ever I heard one.
Now I have Stars Hollow musical numbers stuck in my head. *sigh*
Totally agree about Rory and Logan. What on earth? #teamjess
Great review! However, I do need to argue a few points 🙂 Haha
As a member of team Logan, I think RORY is the one who messed that up. I think she should have just accepted his proposal in the first place. He would have been loyal and faithful to her and she could have had a really fulfilled and happy life with him. But, no, Rory in her normal self-destructive way, did not accept that as happiness. So, poor Logan became the DEAN of the AYITL because he wasn’t over Rory but forced himself to move on with his French fiance. Obviously, they were both in the wrong for having the affair, but, seriously, Rory is the worst!
And… so that is Logan’s baby. If she tells him, he’ll totally drop the fiance and do the right thing. But if she doesn’t tell him and, instead, pursues Jess or some other sorry bloke, that would be awful. I, honestly, hope this is the end of GG because I will not be able to handle the drama of Rory and her whiny-ness as she tries to grow up.
Sadly, I really did not enjoy the musical- it was just over the top and after hearing Amy Sherman-Palladino talk about how there wasn’t enough time to fit all of the dialogue in, I felt like it was a waste of time.
And, Sookie… oh Sookie. Where was SOOKIE? I mean, yes, Melissa McCarthy came back, but she wasn’t quiet Sookie, was she? It was sad. I almost wish they had left her out so that I can just remember her as she was on the show.
EMILY was by far the BEST! I loved every single scene that she was in. Kirk was great, as well. Luke, Miss Patty, Babette, Gypsy, Cesar, and Taylor were able to jump right back into character without missing a beat.
But WHY did Paris and Doyle need to break up and ruin their family? What was the point to that? That made me sad 🙁
Anyway… Those are a few of my thoughts. 🙂
100% agree with your take on Sookie. I think I would’ve preferred the series without that “reunion” scene. The chemistry between Sookie and Lorelai seemed so off, and that scene just fell flat for me. *sigh
I agree on Sookie & Lorelai too. They needed to fight it out to resolve Sookie’s absence and there wasn’t time for it 🙁 I understand that Melissa McCartney’s schedule had more to do with it than the creators’ plans, but a few one-sided phone conversations (a la Liz & TJ) might have helped.
Though I gotta say, Sookie literally sniffing out the competition made me glad McCartney squeezed it in! Soooo funny! I saw the real Sookie there even if she seemed weird and stilted before hand.
I agree about Sookie/Melissa McCarthy. I felt like I was watching her in Ghostbusters or Spy, not GG. I was so looking forward to her getting back into the Sookie role since now she’s typecast as that goofy, often vulgar character, not the sweet Sookie that we once knew. Also, her voice is different too.
I agree Sookie wasn’t “Sookie” . Melissa McCarthy seemed to have forgotten how to be “Sookie” …^^ and yes chemistry was off
And I also agree 100% about Logan…. (stupid Rory) , Paris and Doyle?! Why…
Rory’s character was flat and superficial for me. Wish they would’ve spent more time on her character development instead of the musical …..
Totally missed that that was why she went to see Christopher. D’oh.
Haley, thanks for writing this post. You managed to verbalize most of my feelings with regards to the mini-series with way less swearing and way more coherence. I especially appreciate your point that Rory doesn’t deserve Jess. (Honestly, I’d love to see way more written about that topic.)
I may be reading too far into the story, but I’ve always felt the show was about the parallels between Lorelei and Rory and the Logan storyline so perfectly matched that of Lorelei and Christopher (even the fact that she got pregnant with a rich, connected, proper man who she wouldn’t let do right by her, even if he wanted to). I also found it interesting that it happened when Rory was the MOST like Lorelei. Before she had been so school and career focused, but it was when she was struggling and not liking the path before her (like Lorelei) that it happened. And the Jess and Rory relationship basically parallels Lorelei and Luke. She doesn’t deserve him, he adores her, but he’s grouchy and obstinate and so just helps her where he can without actually admitting his feelings. You can hope that at some point Rory will be like Lorelei and wake up and realize that he’s always there for her, even when he’s acting all difficult.
As for me, I had a hard time with the miniseries. It felt gimmicky and stilted to me and lost it’s rhythm. Maybe I would feel differently if I hadn’t watched the original seasons so recently and had always been a fan.
As for Emily, I loved her storyline too, but she’s always been my favorite character in the series.
Yes to this. I completely agree that it felt gimmicky without the normal energy that made Gilmore Girls so great. I also have always felt there was a parallel between Logan and Chris. However, I was so proud of Logan when he quit her at graduation, so I thought it was completely out of character for him to be in an affair with her. That was just out of step with a guy who stood up to her and walked away from uncertainty when she refused him at graduation. I watched season 7 right before Year in the Life and I think it actually set me up for disappointment even though season 7 was one of my least favorites. Le sigh.
Oh man. The whole affair made me want to shake her so hard! Has she learned nothing in 10 more years of living?!?!
That was a really disgusting plot line that made me think she really is the worst and any redeeming qualities Logan had gained over the years evaporated with his willingness to cheat with her – even though she stormed off when he slept with someone else while they were broken up.
Also, I think they’re going to flashback to a night with Rory and Jess if they do another season and then it’ll be all dramatic about who the father is, until, at last! It’s discovered it’s Jess’ baby and oh aren’t they just meant to be. Bleh. I still maintain he’s too good for her.
Overall, enjoyed the episodes. Loved the various Parenthood actor cameos! And Carole King! ?
And did anyone catch the line “I feel as if this moment should have calliope music” (or something to that affect) and feel as if you’ve thought the same thing a thousand times in your head a time home!
I was disappointed overall. I felt like Lorelai & Rory both hadn’t moved in their lives in 9 years. Why weren’t Luke and Lorelai married yet? Why has Rory done nothing with her life in 9 years? The Logan/Rory storyline was a letdown. Did she learn nothing from her relationship with Dean in the past?! Does she enjoy being “the other woman “? Jess is too good for her now.
The musical took up way too much of the storyline. 10,minutes when we could have been moving characters along. The Sookie/Lorelai reunion felt stilted. The wedding was sweet, but where was Lorelai’s mom & Sookie?! After all Lorelai & her mom had been thru you would think she would have been at this secret wedding.
All in all, I enjoyed watching it, but the anticipation was a lot more fun than the outcome. The writers tried cramming way too much into 6 hours of television.
Yes! Let’s all talk about it!
I really don’t buy this whole “full circle” argument, just because they both get pregnant out of wedlock. Lorelei makes a very youthful and fairly understandable mistake. She chooses not to marry the father because she has no interest in the life he represents. The pregnancy gives her the final impetus to leave and begin a new life on her own terms. She works (at a terrible and unglamorous job) in order to support her decision and by the age of 32 she has worked her way up to success. She puts herself through business school in order to become an entrepreneur. She isn’t always a good person, but she kind of recognizes that fact and in the end of this series we get a sense that she’s actually found herself as person. Rory gets pregnant at the age of 32, with a man who is engaged to be married – a man whom she had previously rejected because she too wanted to lead her own kind of life – except that she’s had nearly ten years to do so and still isn’t actually doing it. Who is paying for all these plane trips back and forth to England, if she’s so broke? She is wiling to live off of other people, and isn’t willing to “lower” herself to other jobs (teaching) while she tries to work towards her dream.
However, I don’t think all of this was inevitable for Rory, I think it’s the product of a writer who wanted a certain ending despite what such an ending would mean for her characters. I’ve read that this is the ending the writer originally wanted – and it would have made a LOT more sense if it had happened ten years ago. She would have been fresh out of college, she would have been pregnant with a guy who she was in a committed, serious relationship with but who represented a commitment to a compromised life (we can still talk about the ridiculous selfishness of the Gilmore sentimentality of their search for their ‘perfect’ life). She rejects the compromise and then sets out to raise the baby while still pursuing her own life. That’s the way it could have been, but while she can still pursue a life at 32, I don’t see a baby forcing her to grow up – I see a baby giving her the excuse to endlessly live off others. There is no one to run away from, there is nothing to reject, there’s no greater ideal to pursue. Maybe I’m being overly pessimistic, or maybe I’ve turned into a fuddy duddy – but the author’s desire to come “full circle” meant that Rory was leading a pointless, meandering, and fully selfish life marked by simply taking from others. That’s not full circle. This Rory would just leave the baby with her mom, or the nanny her grandmother will buy her so that she can go to press conferences about her book. Rory didn’t grow as a character or a person for ten years, just so that she could have the ending the writer originally wanted.
Yes.yes.yes. all the way (except for the musical) Emily has always been the best part of the show and I found myself so happy for her and proud of her. Perfect brain dump, really.
So many interesting points and opinions and it’s fun to hear what everyone else thought. I wanted Rory to accept logans proposal so badly when that happened but now it seems like the story is pointing towards her and jess if the writers are trying to draw parells between Luke and Lorelei and Jess and Rory. And now I’m on team Jess because Logan is clearly going off to marry someone else and he no longer is fighting for Rory. And that look on Jess’s face through the window is really just too romantic and heart wrenching to resist? Like many of you have said, I really wish Rory had grown up more and had a clearer path, she seems like she is still 20 and I wanted her to have a more happy ending with a real man by her side but I guess that takes all the drama out of drama ? like most sequels I think the original series was more well done and I prefer the more content and nostalgic ending of season 8 than the abrupt ending of this one.
Logan’s proposal made me cringe. It showed how little he knew her. The girl who obsesses over every decision with detailed pro-con lists and copious stressed-out waffling saying a full-hearted “yes!” without all the information in front of a crowd? Come on Logan! I thought she turned him down for the wrong reason, but having him swoop in for the rescue at Rory’s first evidence that the rest of the world didn’t think she was as amazing as she’s been told wouldn’t have sat right either.
I loved the nostalgia at the end of season 7 too. It left you feeling that, while things weren’t perfect, everyone was going to be okay. With AYinTL, that’s only true for Emily & Lorelai. I kinda want a second season just to provide closure for the rest of the cast!
I loved how Fall seemed to pay homage to several wonderful books/movies throughout the story arc. Of course, we have ‘Wild’ in the beginning (“Book or movie??”). At the end of the Life and Death Brigade scene (which I loved! Such gorgeous cosplay-ing material!) there was the very obvious ‘Wizard of Oz’ bit as Rory said goodbye to Colin, Finn, and Robert. Rory’s struggle to find her niche and eventual decision to write about her life and female relationships was very ‘Little Women’ (ahhh I love Alcott!) and the wedding-before-the-wedding evoked Alice in Wonderland, in the aesthetic if nothing else (teapots and hats hanging in the trees!!! Can someone get engaged and let me throw their bridal shower please?).
It reminded me of how the original series was constantly quoting and referencing beloved and classic books and movies. Did anyone notice one that I didn’t catch?
I totally didn’t catch the Wizard of Oz reference! I was left wondering why she was acting so sentimental with people she (theoretically?) hardly ever sees! Good eye/ear!
I agree with alllll of this! I had noticed while rewatching seasons 5 and 6 that they repeatedly draw parallels between Logan and Christopher—both charming, self-centered rich boys without a clear sense of direction or responsibility. Even the scene where Rory kisses Logan for the first time in Wedding Bell Blues is preceded by a conversation between Rory and Christopher, about Christopher and Lorelai’s first kiss. In the revival it became clear to me that they are presenting Logan as Rory’s Christopher—the father of her child, but not responsible enough to be a consistent presence in her life, and ultimately the not the right guy for her. And if Logan is her Christopher, then I think that sets up Jess to be her Luke.
I agree that they got the overall tone right in the revival. There were definitely some things that I didn’t like, but then again, there were some things I didn’t like in the original series as well. I thought this was a fitting continuation! The final four words actually improved my perspective on Rory, especially considering that they were originally supposed to happen ten years prior if the series had ended as planned. She clearly reaches a stage of utter selfishness in college, ignoring the needs of others and any sense of right and wrong in service to her own whims. Choosing to be with Logan and all that he represents is the peak of her entitledness. But the world won’t allow her to dwell in selfishness forever; sooner or later, reality will smack her in the face, and she’ll be forced to turn her attention to what’s truly important. In the revival, it happens after a ten-year phase of aimless self-indulgence, but it happens eventually. Especially considering her conversation with Christopher at the end, Rory seems to be handling the news more responsibly than most anything else she’s done for the past decade. The baby represents a sense of hope that she, like Lorelai, will find her redemption and fulfillment, even if it is completely different than the lofty journalistic ambitions that she expected to achieve.
I have so, so, SO many thoughts on AYITL…. In short, I loved it, too.
I am HARD Team Jess now. Begone, Logan.
Actually, I am HARD Team Amy Sherman-Palladino. She’s a fantastic storyteller.
We should talk more about this sometime!
But what if the series continues and she doesn’t keep the baby? Then what? We can’t assume there isn’t an agenda to be pushed, and we already know Rory is the worst.
Thank you… I have been dying to talk to someone about this! Yes to everything you said and YES to what Kate said above about the parallels between Rory/Logan/Jess and Lorelai/Christopher/Luke. Jess might have been an ass to her in the series, but he is the only one who ever showed signs of growing up and making amends for his bad behavior. I was never really Team Jess before but I like the Jess they showed us now. He’s there for Luke, he’s there for his mom and he’s totally there for Rory. He knows her better than she knows herself. That’s who she needs to be married to like yesterday!
And I loved Emily too! “This doesn’t bring me joy.” HAH!!!! But what I loved most… everything she said about marriage! “Hanging out is not permanent. Marriage is permanent.” and “I was his wife for 50 years, I knew his every thought. We shared everything because we were married. That bond got us through the tough times, too.” GO EMILY!!!
Those final four words!!! I had not read any guesses as to what they might be but I knew about their existence in the mind of ASP from Day One so I was anxiously waiting to hear them. I liked it. But I instantly thought, “Wait… she wanted to end the series this way… right after Rory graduated from college?” I think I liked it better that they waited until Rory was in her 30’s. She had had a chance to “live in the real world” and had made a royal disaster of it. She had a chance to grow-up but she didn’t. She had a chance to be the amazingly intelligent and talented person that everyone always told her she was and she did nothing with it. I was excited to think that now she would finally have to grow up like her mom did (the minute the strip turned pink) and think about someone other than herself. If those final four words had come at the end of the series when she was 21 or 22, I don’t think it would have been as satisfying. What do you think?
Also, does anyone really want to see what happens next (like in another mini-series) or are you good with just imagining it?
P.S. I felt like that musical was written solely for the purpose of giving a reason for the song that they added that speaks to Lorelai and because it was such a good pay-off moment, I forgave them for the campiness of the musical.
As a HUGE Gilmore fan I appreciate your take. (Though I am very anti Jess. Other than as a muse for Rory he brings nothing positive to the show.)
Stolen right from my blog review:
There are a lot of critics who dislike Stars Hallow the Musical. But, my friends, you are missing out the brilliance of it. From a straight up musical theater point of view, Sutton Foster, formerly of Amy’s “Bunheads”, is a Tony award winning actor who was named Violet (one of her most recent roles) singing songs written by Jeanine Tesori (who wrote Violet and other things) is just all the levels of genius. Plus Christian Borle. Also a really big name in the musical theater world. So it was amazing.
But it also serves a major plot device. Stars Hallow is known for ridiculous festivals and events, so the musical played right into that sensibility. But more than that, there was an obvious parallel to be drawn to the Stars Hallow Museum Dioramas. Including, that back in season five, as they are leaving, Sookie exclaims how “and only three bucks! That crappy Abba show costs a hundred dollars!” Only for Stars Hallow the Musical to have an Abba curtain call. What’s changed is Lorelai. She loved the diorama for it’s absurdness and she is unable to enjoy the musical. She just doesn’t realize how damaged and depressed she is until the bonus song, where Sutton and her lyrics hit home. That convention wouldn’t have made sense without the musical there in the first place.
You know… I think you are on to something here! Lorelai was always so gung-ho excited for all the crazy event antics. Even thinking about some of the wacky movies that she and Rory loved… it definitely seems odd that everyone loved this musical (everyone who is usually so critical of Taylor’s crazy, zany ideas)… everyone except her!
Good point! A happier Lorelai would have been all over the ridiculousness of the musical. And it was exactly what you’d expect from Taylor. I think the creators took advantage of the longer episode format to let that joke run long, just like Kirk’s movie and the Life and Death Brigade montage. Yes, it grates to have something so silly take up so much time when deserving characters got shortchanged, but the absurdity fits with the timbre of the show as a whole.
Yes yes yes! All the same thoughts! Konmarie, so funny! Yes please, more Jess! And that body shaming thing – why? That was the only thing I didn’t like. Sookie’s voice had changed, but I think it is just a age thing. I call a lot for my work, you really can hear people’s age.
No offense to any millemials here, but I think Rory’s storyline was pretty spot on, regarding the drifting, unsettled, living-out-of-boxes. She was just like the Stars Hollow 30-Something Gang, even if she didn’t want to be.
The Palladinos chose to not have her Yale education serve as a ticket to being the next Christiane Amanpour. (And who would want that, anyway?) Thus, her post-college years reflect the reality of today: you assumed your degree was your key to the world – but here you are living back with mom. Very 21st century, actually.
Also raging on the Rory-Logan arc. What happened to grown up, Season 7 Logan? The one who screwed up royally and insisted on taking the fall? Who left the safety and confines of the family business and struck out on his own? Who asked Rory to marry him and refused to settle for an aimless long-distance relationship when she turns him down? How did he end up back in London, engaged to an heiress of his family’s choosing, and seeing Rory on the side when it fits with her schedule? It’s not like the rest of season 7’s plot was ignored (re: Chris & Lorelai’s short-lived marriage, the existence of Steve & Kwan). Much as I loved the Life & Death Brigade montage, I would have preferred a different nod to Rory’s decadent Yale days and a brief Dean-like Logan update. Couldn’t Rory’s hilariously forgettable Paul been the baby’s father? The Christopher conversation was about accepting single motherhood over trying to include an irresponsible dad, not about leaving the gilded halls of blue-blood money.
Despite all that, I highly enjoyed AYinTL. And the chance to talk about it without spoiling it for the more patient 😉 Thanks for the dump!
So MAYBE Logan’s the father OR it’s the one-night stand Wookie guy! That is the worst part of all of this. Now we’ll never know!
I really, really loved the musical scenes too! Especially the part where they zoom in in Lorelai which is where I assume she gets the idea to do “WILD.”
Watching Emily mature and tick off the DAR was one of the highlights too!
Utterly bummed on Rory where she is at it in life, and not seeming to have grown up or learned from past choices….hoping there are more episodes, especially with those last 4 words. HOLY. MOLY.
But, you guys, THE MONEY!!!!! Rory has heaps, and heaps and heaps of money. Heaps. Why is she poor? Pretty sure Lorelai the 1st left her a sizeable chunk of money, and Richard set up a trust fund for her to access at 25. Even frivolous, it’s hard to imagine a woman without a homebase and with sporadic (yes, likely small!) income and a very rich Logan, could possibly manage to spend it all in 7 years? With nothing to show for it at all?! I don’t get it. I really love GG, but found large parts of this to be forced and, well, boo to Rory. I want to love her, but I just don’t. I identify strongly with the 32 and feeling unmoored in the world, but, seriously?! Rory not getting her masters also just doesn’t fit with the character. As if someone impassioned, moneyed, and smart, and who wants to make it in the arts wouldn’t realize that a BA gets you not too many places. Gah. Rory. But, anyway, the money. ?!?!
Eh. Assuming she was on the campaign trail with Obama until he was elected, that was more than a year of her life. So she probably thought that would open some doors but couldn’t make it work. At the end of the day, Mitchum is right. Rory isn’t a journalist. A writer, yes. Journalism not so much. Rory never was any good at…life. Rory was good at school. So yes, it is surprising that she didn’t at some point figure out a grad school plan, but Rory is stubborn and quite unable to admit that she isn’t getting exactly what she thinks she should. Both Lorelai the 1st and Richard would have stipulated how much was available at a time. So “poor” in Rory’s world is different than real world poor certainly. Obviously it was enough to pay for a place in Brooklyn for a bit as well as feed her ect. It just probably wasn’t too much more than that.
Reading all these blog reviews so I don’t have to watch it! The dialogue makes me want to pull my hair out. And I’m already hate-watching Reign, so….. 😛 😉
Love it!
But how do we know the baby is Logan’s? Couldn’t it also be the wookie’s?
Man, that was so incredibly dumb and annoying. All I could think was, “Good grief, Rory–you are 32! Get your crap together!”
Wow I’m kind of baffled by the hate for Logan (the original series Logan, anyway). I mean don’t get me wrong Jess is dreamy and I like him too especially when he straightens up. I may have even been torn in the later seasons had Rory found herself in a real position to choose between the two. But in his early, rough days Jess was not that good to Rory. This didn’t make me hate him because he didn’t do it on purpose… He just didn’t know how to show her his love fully because he was still trying to feel loved himself and figure things out personally. But Logan through the seasons did grow. His family situation and upbringing is just as tough as Jess had it but obviously in a very different way. And he matured along the way (with mistakes of course) and I believe became a man that a woman would be lucky to have. Especially considering he did a full 180 from his previous playboy status. Anyway, I actually found this TV Guide take on it interesting and also in line with why I would prob call myself #teamlogan… In the original I was always cheering for him. I think it’s kind of sad that AYinTL didn’t follow the story line of how the OS actually ended. I’d love to hear if after reading this article those of you who hate Logan get the #teamlogan people a bit more! Haha I’m laughing at myself as I’m being so serious about standing up for this fictional character. http://www.tvguide.com/news/gilmore-girls-a-year-in-the-life-logan/