When I was in high school I was obsessed with the Gilmore Girls. I owned several DVD box sets of the show long before Netflix came into my life. I started listening to the Bangles because they were Lorelai Gilmore’s favorite band. I even considered applying to Harvard to see if the Ivy League life was as stressful as Rory Gilmore made it out to be. However, Gilmore Girls taught me so much more than what good music to listen to and how frequently to make pop culture references in a conversation. The show taught me about growth and how it is okay to make mistakes. It taught me lessons about life, love and coffee. Overall, Gilmore Girls has helped me a lot as a college student and as a young woman.
So you can probably imagine how excited I was when I found out that Gilmore Girls would have a revival show coming in November. I was so ecstatic for the return of the girls who had become like family to me. Over the summer, I began rewatching Gilmore Girls for possibly the fifth time in order to prepare for the four episodes. Well, I finished watching the season this week and had a realization. My experience watching Gilmore Girls when I was a freshman in high school was a lot different than watching it as a senior in college. I still love it, but for different reasons. I appreciate little things more than I thought I would and I love certain characters who I never even thought I would like.
Here is a list of some of my viewpoints about Gilmore Girls, which have changed a lot from my freshman year in high school to my senior year in college:
1. My understanding of the Gilmore girls’ love of coffee.
Me as a Freshman Year of High School: I just don’t get why they love coffee so much. It is honestly pretty gross and I swear my parents told me that it’s not good for your health.
Me as a Senior Year of College: The only thing that’s going to get me through college and adulthood is that delicious beverage those Gilmores drink all the time. I totally get it now.
2. My thoughts on Emily Gilmore
Me as a Freshman Year of High School: Emily Gilmore is the absolute worst human being. She is always so condescending and nasty. No matter how hard Lorelai tries she can never seem to win with her mother. If this TV show were to have a villain; She would be it.
Me as a Senior Year of College: Do I love Emily Gilmore? I cannot say I do. Do I despise her as much as I used to? No, I don’t. As I have grown, I have met many different people and I have witnessed many different parenting styles. As an adult, I know the reason Emily Gilmore acts the way she does is because she loves Lorelai in her own strange way. She wants Lorelai to be happy; she just does not understand that her idea of happiness and Lorelai’s idea of happiness are completely different. Obviously there are moments when I thought “This lady got hit by the witch stick,” like the one time she tried to break up Luke and Lorelai. However, she has some great moments too, like when she stands up to Logan Huntzberger’s mom.
Emily Gilmore = Misunderstood, but genuinely caring.
3. My Thoughts on Rory’s Boyfriends
Me as a Freshman in High School: They are all such dreamboats. I want to marry every single one of Rory’s boyfriends. How does she get so lucky? However, if I were to rate them from best to worst, I would say Dean is the best then Jess then Logan.
Me as a Senior in College: Okay… I still think all of Rory’s boyfriends are great-looking men. However, are they all dreamboats? Well… Some of them are and some of them are just frogs dressed up as princes.
My rating scale has also completely changed. The order is now Jess then Logan and then Dean.
When I was younger, I thought Dean was the absolute best. He was what I wanted in a high school boyfriend; Someone tall and protective who could rock a leather jacket, but could also throw a football. However, as I grew into an adult, I realized that Dean was only a good character for about a week. For the rest of the time he was whiny, overly clingy and wanted Rory to be the same person he fell in love with when they were sophomores in high school. He also cheated on his wife with Rory, which was not cool on either of their parts. Although Lorelai seems to like him the best out of Rory’s boyfriends before the affair, I just get annoyed everytime I see him on screen.
Next, we have Logan. I am always so torn about him. Sometimes, he is incredibly thoughtful and kind. He is also always adventurous and charismatic. Let’s be real; the “In Omnia Paratus” scene when Rory and Logan jump with the umbrellas is probably still one of the best scenes in the whole entire show. He also always supports Rory; Heck, when she dropped out of Yale Logan was one of the few who stood by her side.
Despite all of Logan’s good qualities, he does rub me the wrong way at times. I think what annoys me the most about Logan is his lack of appreciation towards money. Quite frankly, his “live life to the fullest” lifestyle is expensive and a lot of times he seems to take this lifestyle for granted. Logan, if you are totally fine with spending $140 at a Chinese restaurant, want to help pay off my student loans? Overall, I am still pretty excited to see Logan in the revival show. I really feel like he and Rory will end up together. Logan might not be perfect for me, but he may be perfect for Rory.
Finally, we have Jess. Jess, Jess, Jess. When I was a freshman in high school, I thought Jess was super cute, but also incredibly bratty. However, now that I am an adult, I realized that, as highschoolers, we are all bratty in some way. Rory was great for a lot of her teen years, but at times, she was also super bratty. Although Lorelai made it out to be that Jess was some crazy hooligan, he was honestly just acting like any other jerky teenager.
I feel like Jess was the perfect guy for Rory and I stand by that to this day. He has her sense of humor, has supported her independence and has liked her music and book tastes. However, do I think Rory and Jess will end up together in the revival? Unfortunately, probably not, but we will just have to wait and see.
4. My Thoughts on Stars Hollow
Me Freshman Year of High School: I wish I could live in a small town like Stars Hollow.
Me Senior Year of College: I love Stars Hollow. I love the quirky characters and I I would love to visit Stars Hollow someday. I could never live in such a small town, though. I have changed so much since high school and now I crave the big-city life. Quirky characters will follow you in life wherever you go, but I do not think I could handle everyone knowing my business.
5. My Thoughts on Motherhood
Me Freshman Year of High School: Wow, I really wish my mom was my best friend.
Me Senior Year of College: Wow, my mom really is my best friend.
The Gilmore Girls revival, “A Year in the Life” will be on Netflix November 25. I hope you are excited as I am!