If you are anything like me, Gilmore Girls has been on repeat with the autumn months now here. Nothing quite says fall like sweater weather, pumpkin spice lattes, and binge-watching Rory’s early days at Chilton. Personally, I’m most likely on my eighth rewatch of the iconic seven seasons, having fallen in love with the Gilmores around age 10, and stuck with them ever since. During every single rewatch, I spend months binging every single episode until the series finale: laughing with Sookie and Lorelai, eating dinner on the floor in front of my TV with Emily and Richard, and drinking multiple cups of coffee while getting ready in the morning with Rory. And when the finale rolls around, I simply start the seven seasons all over again the following fall, pretending the revival, A Year in the Life, never happened.
I, like most fans, was extremely confused when the 2016 limited series dropped. The autumnal ambience of the show seemed to have disappeared, and right alongside it went the banter and warmth between characters. To say the revival was a disappointment would be an understatement. In fact, it was so off-putting that it left many fans wondering: What happened that made this season so bad in comparison?
Multiple things about the spin-off struck fans as being odd. For one, Rory seemed like a virtually different person. Now, we all know how bad her attitude problem became once she quit Yale. As Jess Mariano, the one and only sex icon, famously pointed out: “What are you doing? Living at your grandparents’ place? Being in the DAR? No Yale–why did you drop out of Yale?” However, toward the end of Season 6, once she makes up with Lorelai, it seems as though Rory’s character-arc has finally started to improve. And then comes the revival.
For some reason, the qualities that had always defined Rory—her ambition, professionalism, and drive—seemed to have disappeared. The Rory we once knew would never have thrown a fit over a job interview, especially not for a position that had sought her out in the first place. Gone was her humble, driven hustle. Instead, “revival Rory” had a condescending “god complex” and seemed to believe that things should simply be handed to her because of her supposed “legacy.” If her professional life wasn’t bad enough, her love life certainly didn’t help: cheating on her long-term boyfriend was not a good look, let alone doing so with her abysmal former lover, Logan Huntzberger (personal opinion, sorry!).
Along with Rory’s transformation, there is another aspect of the spin-off that I simply cannot not bring up: the pool scenes. First off, pool scenes in Gilmore Girls used to be practically unheard of. In fact, the original show tended to breeze over summers altogether. The striking difference in ambience these scenes introduced was jarring enough, but the worst part was the blatant body-shaming that both Rory and Lorelai directed at others. The original show was surprisingly body-positive for being made in the 2000s, never making the large amounts of food the girls ate seem like a bad thing or treating someone’s body size as an aspect of their character. This made the pool scenes even harder to stomach. Beyond the body-shaming, these scenes also portrayed Rory and Lorelai as entitled and condescending toward those around them. During each and every one of these scenes, the girls are doted on by two little boys whom they treat like servants, forcing them to fan them, hold oversized umbrellas over their heads, and carry their bags. Their dialogue and actions make them seem as though they believe they are better than Stars Hollow, even though the original show went to great lengths to demonstrate just how much the town contributed to their lives.
Now, let’s get into the why behind why the revival, quite frankly, sucked. The whole issue essentially comes down to creator Amy Sherman-Palladino writing the miniseries as the ending she had originally envisioned for Season 7, the only season she didn’t have a hand in producing. This sloppy attempt at a do-over completely bypasses nearly a decade of character growth and the events of the actual seventh season.
In fact, the revival concludes with Rory announcing her unexpected pregnancy, seemingly attempting to mirror Lorelai’s past. However, a 32-year-old getting pregnant doesn’t carry the same weight as a 16-year old doing so. In other words, the hard-hitting ending Sherman-Palladino was aiming for doesn’t quite land. The remake feels rushed and stale, and while it was nice to get another glimpse into what the Gilmore Girls had been up to over the years, the disappointment in who they had become–and how their stories ended–never quite settled with me.
All in all, even though the revival was far from ideal, I almost feel as though the perfection of the original show outweighs the dirt the miniseries seemed to toss on the Gilmore name. After all, one cannot simply forget the charm the original seasons brought. Rory, Lorelai, Lane, Sookie, Emily, Michel, and every other character were pivotal to the heartfelt show that brought comfort to so many people, including myself.
So, “if you’re out on the road” and happen to watch the series, whether for the first time or the eighth, I recommend skipping the revival and focusing on the goodness that was the original Gilmore Girls.
P.S. Here Are Some of My Personal Favorite Episodes
Just in case you’re not in the mood to watch all 153 episodes, here are my top five.
#5 – “Pilot” (Season 1, Ep. 1)
It’s a classic. It’s the pinnacle of fall. It simply had to be on here.
#4 – “I Can’t Get Started” (Season 2, Ep. 22)
Can you tell that Jess was my favorite boyfriend? Rory and Jess, Christopher and Lorelai, Sookie and Jackson–everyone is kissing, and let me tell you, it is messy. This season finale is action-packed yet incredibly well-executed. Rory and Lorelai both make some questionable decisions, leaving fans feeling both nervous and excited for the next season to come.
#3 – “Friday Night’s Alright for Fighting” (Season 6, Ep. 13)
Entirely for the Friday Night Dinner scene, where everyone got all their sh*t on the table.
#2 – “Raincoats and Recipes” (Season 4, Ep. 22)
This episode earned the #2 spot on my list for one reason alone: Luke and Lorelai. After so much waiting and watching, we finally get to see the two of them get together (after four seasons, nonetheless!) at the opening of the Dragonfly Inn.
This is also where Rory’s really bad attitude phase begins, all thanks to her hook-up with her ex-boyfriend Dean, who, at the time, was married. Gasp!
#1 – “They Shoot Gilmores, Don’t They?” (Season 3, Ep. 7)
My absolute favorite episode follows Loralai and Rory as they team up for the annual Stars Hollow 24-hour dance marathon. In an effort to prevent Kirk’s fifth consecutive win, Lorelai leaves with a broken heel, and Rory leaves with a broken heart (yay, for the Dean breakup!).
This episode also highlights one of my favorite couples on the show: Lane Kim and Dave Rygalski.