Some shows demand your full, devoted attention. But Gilmore Girls demands you pour yourself another coffee and let Stars Hollow’s caffeine fuelled chaos wash over you. Gilmore Girls has been a staple for people of all genders and ages – helping them through every stage of life, whether it be breakups, burnout, or grief. It is the perfect study break show because it is caffeine for the soul, it’s witty, comforting, and emotionally rich, the exact things you need to get you through exam season.
Gilmore Girls intelligently builds a culture around coffee that mirrors the student experience. Throughout the entirety of the series, coffee acts as an emotional glue – every important conversation happens over a mug of warm, caffeinated goodness. Luke’s diner is a crucial element where these conversations happen. Lorelai and Rory’s shared passion for coffee allows for perfect moments of connection and comfort, creating a sense of calm separate to the chaos that often surrounds them. In this sense, coffee is healing and connecting. We see normal emotions during these encounters such as anger, sadness, happiness and joy – emotions that university students are experienced in, thus making the show relatable. But whilst coffee acts as a glue for relationships, it is also a means of survival. Rory, who is a bright and hardworking student, uses coffee to get her through her late night study sessions. She drinks cups and cups to fuel her through the night, it never leaves her side. It serves as a lesson to students watching that they can persevere through difficult times, sometimes all It takes is some caffeine! Coffee is the perfect student drink for this exact reason, and in a world where coffee often correlates with stress, Gilmore Girls turns it into a ritual, and it becomes a gentle reminder that even chaos can be cosy when shared!
Not only this, but Gilmore Girls is the perfect study break show because Stars Hollow serves a perfect, escapist other world. Stars Hollow is absorbed by colourful, autumnal leaves, cosy Christmas lights and friendly faces. This offers students watching with safety and order, an ideal place to retreat to when life feels uncertain and overwhelming. The quirky townspeople such as Kirk and Miss Patty bring wit and humour everywhere with them, creating continuity and charm. It feels as though we are in the town itself, stepping into a world away from academics. Where most escapist worlds rely on fantasy or dystopias, Gilmore Girls crafts its own version, one built from stability and caffeine, which arguably is just as effective as magic. Stars Hollow serves almost as an alternative reality, where students can relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery within the show.
The emotional comfort that this show possesses also makes it perfect for those days when you just need to put your work down. Difficult familial spheres can be found in so many of the households in Gilmore Girls, from Lorelai being a single mother to Emily being portrayed as a strict, misunderstood one. In exploring these relationships, students watching are exposed to experiences that they themselves may understand. It is not a picture perfect life for many of the characters, but rather life is messy but loving. Exploring these feelings of anxiety, failure and identity, without melodrama, allows audiences to watch and relate, thus guiding them and making them feel less alone. Often, viewers can see their own growth mirrored in many of the struggles that the characters face. In achieving emotional catharsis without anxiety, this show and the relationships within it become the epitome of normality and relatability. Because of this, it is the perfect show to wind down from stress.
Gilmore Girls successfully encapsulates us into a world of chaos, but also love. It serves as an incredible distraction, whilst also teaching us how to go through all of the bumps in the road that is called life, nurturing us and caring for us. In a culture of stress and overstimulation, Gilmore Girls offers the opposite energy – a steady heartbeat that reminds you that warmth, and a cup of coffee might be all you need to keep you going.