Early this fall my mom insisted I start watching Gilmore Girls. I have been at home this year for school, so my mom and I have had PLENTY of quality time to binge Netflix shows together. When she suggested Gilmore Girls, although I was excited to try it out, I had no idea exactly how devoted I would be to the series and characters. Here are some things you need to know about the show, along with my personal thoughts.
*Some tiny spoilers ahead*
General Plot: Gilmore Girls has a very comforting essence to it. The main premise of the show is about the different dynamics of mother and daughter relationships. The show stars Lorelai “Rory” Gilmore as the daughter (played by Alexis Bledel) and her namesake Lorelai Gilmore as the mother (played by Lauren Graham). They live in the very small town of Stars Hollow. Rory starts off as a high school student who dreams of going to Harvard to pursue journalism. Her mother, Lorelai Gilmore is a 32 year old single mom with a lot of energy (primarily fueled through caffeine). Lorelai was raised in a very wealthy upper class household. When she was young, she was in a relationship with a boy named Christopher Hayden. She ended up getting pregnant with his child (Rory) at 16. As soon as Rory was born, Lorelai ran away from home. In order to get enough money to raise Rory on her own, she worked at a hotel called the Independence Inn, where she was also offered a space to live. After working for years, she was able to afford a house for the two of them where the show is primarily set. This show highlights the strong mother daughter duo and their journey together as Rory grows up.
Characters/Relationships: Luke Danes is the owner of Luke’s Diner, which is where the two girls go to eat daily and get coffee (they are OBSESSED with coffee, fyi). He is a good friend to Lorelai and acts as a father figure to Rory. As the show progresses, you can see the chemistry between Luke and Lorelai develop. I’m not gonna get into the details of it, but let’s just say their relationship made me cry way too many times.
Another really important relationship dynamic is between Lorelai and her parents, Emily and Richard Gilmore. Lorelai and her parents have always had a rocky relationship, contrary to Rory and Lorelai’s best friend relationship. This is because Lorelai didn’t feel like she matched the prestigious lifestyle her parents wanted for her. It’s very interesting to see how tense it gets between Lorelai and Emily, and how that contrasts from the relationship Lorelai has with Rory.
There are also really fun characters that keep the mood of the show lighthearted. One of my favorite characters is Kirk, who is a very strange, yet amusing character. He always keeps the town on their toes with his peculiar antics. Babette and Miss Patty are two Stars Hollow residents who are always spreading gossip, and they are an ICONIC duo. Lorelai’s best friend Sookie is a chef at the Independence Inn. She is played by the comedy queen herself, Melissa McCarthy, need I say more. Rory has two close friends throughout the show named Lane and Paris. Lane lives with her extremely strict mother, but wants to live out her dream of being a famous drummer for a band. Paris goes to school with Rory, and is a scholar with a real BACKBONE. Paris is rather mean to Rory at first, but she eventually warms up to her throughout the school years and becomes one of her closest friends.
My thoughts: After giving you a rundown of the characters and plot, I am now going to share my honest views on this show. Gilmore Girls has extremely fast-paced dialogue, which can be difficult to understand at times. There are also lots of older pop culture references that were confusing to me as well. Without these parts of the show though, it wouldn’t have quite the same nostalgic charm. There is also a lot of intense drama that really sucked me in. Throughout the series, Rory is basically in a love *square* with three different guys. Even though the love square was very entertaining, I personally didn’t love any of the guys Rory was with. I was mostly invested in Lorelai’s romantic relationships.
One of the main reasons I loved this show was because of the relationship between Rory and Lorelai. It reminds me of the relationship I have with my mom, so seeing that vibrant relationship makes me really grateful for her. I also loved all of the characters and their acting. It was so interesting to see everyone having such unique plotlines. I have literally never been so invested in a show in my whole life. Even though the original Gilmore Girls series ended in 2007, it is so unbelievably timeless. The connections between characters seem so real, and the vibe is just ~comfortable~. If you’re looking for a show that will make you feel literally every emotion, I very highly recommend Gilmore Girls.