I have prepared myself for this moment for years. The Gilmore Girls revival was announced around a year ago, and like every other fan, I have anticipated its airing ever since. The original series tied up some loose ends but also left me with a few questions. For example, it ended with Rory leaving Stars Hollow to pursue her career in journalism after saying no to Logan’s marriage proposal. The series also ended with Lorelai and Luke kissing, and we all hoped they got married after that. But even though I was satisfied with the ending of the original series, I still felt that many of my questions were left unanswered. Thankfully, Amy Sherman-Palladino blessed us with the announcement of a revival series that would give us, the fans, the closure we all needed. Well, I didn’t get mine.
Before the revival aired, I read every article possible about it. I made a snack list to indulge with my roommate, and I even planned my day around the six hours it would take me to watch the entire revival. I watched the four episodes in one sitting, only getting up for an occasional bathroom break or to get more snacks out of the kitchen cabinet. Honestly, I have to admit that I am beyond disappointed. It was a torture to go through the “Winter” episode without falling asleep, especially those first 10 minutes where we meet Paul. “Spring” and “Summer” felt forced as well, and it took me a lot of strength to not give up watching the revival in favor of just reading some spoilers later that day.
The little details of the series were great, though, because they brought me back to classic episodes from the original series. From Luke’s new menus, to the song he and Lorelai danced to at Liz wedding, those small things took me back to my favorite moments of the original series and that was phenomenal. But the dialogues were often boring, and some scenes seemed to be there to fill in for space so each episode could be 90 minutes long. I mean, I always liked the troubadour background songs, but in the revival, we see an entire scene focusing on him playing his guitar. Other scenes or dialogues, like the obsession with Rory’s lucky outfit, were excessive and unnecessary. I needed more focus on the town’s events, Taylor and Luke’s fights or even of our beloved Friday night dinners. Instead, I saw a lot of Kirk’s weirdness (which was funny, I have to admit) and Rory’s traveling. And don’t get me started on how unnecessary Paul’s role was because the series would have been the same with or without him.
This bothered me, and I would have been happier if Paul was omitted from this revival. Rory’s relationship with Logan reminded me of her relationship with Dean, post-Lindsay. Rory was always a role model to the young women who watched the show, and when we saw how she acted with married Dean we all got upset. Even Lorelai, the woman who was proud of her daughter for making two boys fight over her and who wanted her to attend or throw an underage party, found it disturbing. Yet, Lorelai didn’t bat an eye when she found out about her bizarre relationship with Logan. Yes, their relationship was somehow special as Matt Czuchry said in an interview, but I still feel that two characters should be cut out of this equation. Even if you compare Logan to Christopher, the way their relationship works is not what I expected at all.
I am also fairly disappointed about how Paris’ life ended up. Yes, she is the kickass doctor we expected her to be, but her relationship with Doyle was not what I expected and I am actually really mad about it. Doyle accepted and embraced Paris craziness and yet, they didn’t make it. This sums up most of the relationships on the show. I understand that the idea of the show was to explore Emily’s life after Richard’s death, Rory’s uncertain future (which the trailer overdramatized), and to see how Lorelai is dealing with her present and future. Yet, the relationships were all so off that it didn’t feel like I was watching Gilmore Girls, but a random spin-off that didn’t work at all.
I did enjoy Rory and Dean’s scene, giving us closure after that dramatic breakup scene in season five. It felt more like two acquaintances bumping into each other rather than an awkward encounter between two exes. That said, I expected more from Jess. I always loved how he was around Rory, but I didn’t want them together because of how that would mess up Luke and Lorelai’s relationship. But Jess was barely there, acting like the guy best friend who secretly loves the girl from afar. Thank you for that scene, Amy Shepard-Palladino – way to give me the feels after binge-watching 6 hours’ worth of speedy dialogues, with no concrete closure on where these two stand.
As for the last four words, I took the pledge and I won’t blab them. Part of me is satisfied with those four words, they make sense if you truly understand Lorelai and Rory’s relationship. But then, another part of me is screaming in anger because those four words do not give me closure. They make me wonder about so many things, and they make me want to have another revival to answer those questions even if I had to make myself sit still to watch the entire thing when I can watch 12 episodes of the original series in one day. I wish I could get answers about those four words, and who knows, maybe next Thanksgiving we will see a second part of the revival.