*SPOILER: There aren’t many specific instances, but there are some plot lines alluded to in this article*
In the year 2000, the Warner Brothers Television network, the WB for short, brought us a TV show with three beautiful, witty, independent, strong-willed women who all share the last name Gilmore. For seven seasons (and a four-part revival titled A Year in the Life), these women taught the viewers about vulnerability, love and heartbreak, ambition, and an obscene caffeine dependency in all of their lives. Rory’s ambitions of becoming a newspaper columnist are also very similar to my own which always made her journeys to achieving her goals feel like a road map for my future.
This show has continued to be comforting in my formative years, and some of my favorite life lessons were grasped by watching what these Gilmore girls would do next. Listed below are just a few of my favorites.
-
Best friends will be with you, no matter what.
Gilmore Girls is chock-full of testaments to true friendship. Lane and Rory met on the first day of kindergarten, and their friendship endures through the entire show. Sookie and Lorelai started to develop their dream of owning and running an inn together when they became BFF’s by working at the Independence Inn. Through every rough patch, whether it be a tough break-up, financial problems, or other obstacles, Lorelai and Rory always have their BFF’s to turn to. This show taught me that finding a person to laugh with, love, support, and go through life with makes everything better.
-
Boys, however, will come and go.
For every touching best friend moment, there are twice as many aww-worthy scenes featuring Lorelai and Rory’s love interests. Of course, Emily’s marriage to Richard has one of the strongest foundations on the show, and their connection gave Lorelai and Rory a blueprint for the search of the perfect partner. Watching these strong women fall in and out of love with the wrong people made it that much better when the “one that got away” came back. Sometimes it’s hard to see the real person you’re falling for because the veil is covering your eyes to their authentic personality, and a Mr. Right Now tricks you into believing he’s your Mr. Right. Lorelai and Rory’s perfect guys eventually come along, and the show taught me to wait for the One too (regardless if you’re Team Christopher, Luke, Dean, Logan, or Jess).
-
Chase your dreams fiercely.
From writing for Chilton’s school newspaper, The Franklin, to studying journalism at Yale University, Rory holds steadfast to her dream of becoming an acclaimed journalist. She doesn’t let naysayers from newspaper internships or less-than-stellar job interviews deter her from chasing and ultimately capturing her dream. Lorelai and Sookie accomplish their goals of opening The Dragonfly Inn after many, many years of penny-pinching and preparation. Their path to achieving their goals isn’t easy, but it is well worth it. These women proved to me that setting your mind to something and not resting until you’re successful, despite whatever detours may arise, is the best way to make your dreams come true.
-
Your mom may not be an expert on everything, but she’s an expert on YOU.
There is no shortage of mother-daughter drama in this show, but the same goes for the amount of love and support. Emily and Lorelai’s relationship is tumultuous from the beginning, and at times, the show brings into question whether or not Emily truly cares for Lorelai. But while some of her comments seem misguided and occasionally overly sardonic, Emily always does know what Lorelai needs in unconventional ways. Lorelai hesitates to confide in her mother, but breakthrough moments of unfiltered advice from Emily, the matriarch of the Gilmores, continue to resonate with me. Emily and Lorelai’s relationship lends itself to the palpable differences in Rory and Lorelai’s dynamic mother-daughter duo. They are so comfortable talking about everything with each other, and they often resemble best friends. Overall, the love between all three women is undeniably unconditional. The show proves to me that mothers do also make mistakes, but their ability to support, guide, and love us is unmistakable; where you lead, I will follow.
-
Coffee, coffee, coffee!
This one goes without saying. For every quick-witted remark, tear-jerking heart-to-heart, or laugh-out-loud rapport in the show, a coffee cup was in reach. If I had a dollar for every pot of coffee consumed in the show, I’d probably have enough money to buy Taylor Doose’s Market his Olde Fashioned Soda Shoppe. I could buy Babbette a front yard full of garden gnomes, a year’s worth of dance lessons from Miss Patty’s studio, every single lamp in Mrs. Kim’s antique shop, and probably even the private jet Emily considers buying in a late-life crisis. Yeah, that’s really how much caffeine is coursing through this show. Life really is like coffee though – full of warmth, buzzing with energy, occasionally bittersweet, and always better shared with someone special.
When I started watching Gilmore Girls, I fell in love with the setting of a quaint Connecticut town, Carole King’s theme song “Where You Lead,” and the cast of characters. It’s rare to find a TV show that so perfectly captures similarities of one’s own life, and Gilmore Girls is that show for me. Amongst the comedy, compassion, and copious amounts of caffeine, Emily, Lorelai and Rory gave me life lessons about living like a Gilmore, and I’ll always be glad that I consider myself an honorary resident of Stars Hollow.