As we’re walking through campus, we feel the slight cool breeze brushing against our faces and hear the occasional leaf crunch beneath our feet. Fall is approaching. The smell of pumpkin spice fills cafes. We sip chai from a warm mug in our hands while wearing our coziest flannel coat. Now is the perfect time to get back into Gilmore Girls.
September makes me have this strange feeling of wanting to romanticize life. We’ve got the hang of our new school scheduling, everything feels fresh, and we’re recharged from joyful summer memories. September makes me want to retreat to Stars Hollow – my literal “not my home, but I know my way around.”
There is something about a Gilmore Girls rewatch this time around that makes life good. Luke’s coffee, the small town streets, bookstores, sweaters, and endless chatter. Although, there is this hindrance that makes the rewatch a little difficult: Rory.
Sometimes, I think we shy away from rewatching the show because of Rory. I don’t want to excuse her behavior of “she’s just a girl,” but perhaps viewers could realize that maybe we dislike Rory so much because we see ourselves in her. Not to say we are bound to stealing yachts or dropping out, but more so in the hush hush moments.
When we first meet Rory, she is covered by a complete support system. Lorelai is always there to clean up after Rory. She tries to hold Rory’s relationship with Dean, covers Friday night dinners, and even addresses headmaster Charleton directly.
But when Rory steps onto Yale campus, things change. These are the first few times where Rory has freedom to figure out who she wants to be. No labels of “Lorelai’s daughter” or “the perfect Stars Hollow angel.” Rory is simply Rory: determined, focused, and ambitious.
This is where Rory gets relatable.
My experience of watching Rory as a high school student compared to a college student has changed my perspectives. She seemed so naive and clueless, but in all honestly, isn’t that what college is? We hate on her for the silly choices she made, like letting a relationship control her or walking away from people. But how many of us fall for the greener grass to seek an escape from who we are?
Now as a college student myself, those choices feel less distant. The college cliche of “finding yourself” is sometimes realizing you are not someone you thought you were. And that’s why watching Rory grow up feels different when you are growing up alongside her. We are watching her as a person who is changing, making mistakes, and wondering if we are on the right path too.
Obviously, Rory was never going to remain as the innocent “Mary” Tristan referred to her as.
For me, I return to Gilmore Girls because there’s comfort watching people change, grow, make mistakes, and find their way back. September and Gilmore Girls remind me that I do not need everything figured out in every season of life. Rory’s transformation isn’t her becoming worse. She just grew out of the version everyone expected her to be.
Grab your coffee, and let’s go back to Stars Hollow.