The "Gilmore Girls" Reunion Was Awesome
What a great trend we've stumbled upon lately, thanks to our friends at Netflix: revisiting old television shows, bringing beloved characters up to the present time, and completing the circle. Unexpectedly. It's a nice treat.
This particular special juuuust came out on November 25, and it definitely didn't disappoint. It was everything a Gilmore Girls fan could want, with all of the eccentric characterizations and Stars Hollowism's that you could dream of.
It made me laugh, it almost made me cry (I was close, though!), and it for sure gave me all the warm and wonderful feelings of joy, and great soundtrack music that I came to expect from this program.
If you didn't like the show originally, chances are you wouldn't appreciate the additional four episodes that we old school fans were blessed with. And if you DID happen to watch the program when it originally aired for seven seasons from 2000 to 2007, then this latest look at the Gilmores was well worth the wait.
It was great to see Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Luke (Scott Patterson) still together, still in love, and really still looking like not much time had passed at all.
Fabulous to see Rory (Alexis Bledel) as an "adult," although unfortunate that her career--or her love life for that matter--didn't work out the way we as viewers would have imagined. I enjoyed watching her journey, and flaws, and totally LOVED the surprise ending that has me hoping and praying that in another few years we'll get another television special to see what becomes of her special situation...
Even the unlikable and snooty Emily Gilmore (Kelly Bishop) became endearing in this episode, figuring out her new life while mourning the loss of her husband Richard (Edward Herrmann, who passed away in 2014) whose death in the program was a major element of each character's transition.
Kind of impressive that the vast majority of the characters in this show (including superstar Melissa McCarthy as Sookie...yay!) were able to make appearances in "A Year in the Life." It was wonderful for the nostalgia, and made everything extra believable. You could almost feel the genuine emotion in some of the scenes, as I'm sure they were all quite happy to work together once again.
An honourable mention goes out to actress Liza Weil who plays the erratic Paris Geller, and also now plays uber-loyal Bonnie Winterbottom on "How to Get Away With Murder." She is a phenomenal actress: extremely believable and excellent as both Paris and Bonnie, without compromising the strength of either. Someone get this lady an Emmy!
Sally Struthers as Babette was still nutty, Matt Czuchy as Logan was still charming...and the town of Stars Hollow suddenly seemed like a comforting place to be, and not as wacky as it was in the early 2000's when I originally watched the show. In my old age, I do believe I have grown to appreciate everything wholesome about those folks, and the stories that surround them.
Not much else to say, but kudos to the show's creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and her husband Daniel, for writing entertaining, heartwarming episodes (across the years!), and for staying so incredibly true to the characters. I didn't realize how much this show meant to me until the four-parts ended and I found myself happy that I was able to glimpse back into the streets of Stars Hollow for a moment...and even happier to see that everyone there is doing just fine. Better, even.
Excellent, excellent storytelling.
Written by Stacey Marie Robinson for Kya Publishing's "Urban Toronto Tales" blog.
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