January 30th at 4pm I received the best news of my 19-year-old life. GILMORE GIRLS WAS COMING BACK. After waiting for nearly 11 years (you read that right, 11 YEARS) since the Bon Voyage finale (which even thinking about it makes me reach for the tissues), the citizens of Stars Hollow, CT are coming back together. The thought of finally getting to find out what happened to Rory, Lorelai, Lane, Luke, and the rest of the gang gives me chills. In my mind Rory has basically become Christiane Amanpour, Lorelai and Luke have been running the diner and Dragon Fly Inn while breaking Paul Anka of his irrational fears. Lane and Zach have been raising their twins in between Hep Alien performances along the East Coast, and Taylor is still frustrating the townspeople of Stars Hollow.
Whenever I start a TV show (because binge watching is the new normal) I take a look at the main characters, what are their goals, personality, likes, quirks, etc.? So often when looking at female characters there is few variances in what happens in their life through the course of the show. The rise of binge culture has caused me to absorb the tendencies of the characters I watch. With The Office I developed Michaels ridiculous sense of humor and “That’s what she said jokes”, with The Newsroom I became a critic of media and news channels. And with Gossip Girl I found myself acting like Blair Waldorf. Many of the times these habits are somewhat negative. Not with Gilmore Girls. The reason why the show broke records and achieved such unparralled success is because it showed two characters that grew up together, who desired greater things than getting a boyfriend or date to the dance. Lorelai and Rory Gilmore were inspirations for an entire generation of young women (hey, that’s my generation!). I tried to read the same books as Rory did (side note, advise anyone younger than 16 to hold off on reading the Bell Jar and Madam Bovary). I was determined to be able to live life with the same zest and wittiness that Lorelai did and still do, to love and care as fiercely as she did and go after my dreams just as she did as a single mother.
So here’s to you Lorelai and Rory (and of course the undeniable Amy Sherman Palladino, you are a goddess). May your coffee always be warm and your cupboards full of junk food from Dosey’s Market. I look forward to seeing you soon old friends.