After nine excruciatingly painful years of wondering what happened to one of the most famous mother-daughter duos of all time, Netflix provided many answers for anxious fans with its recent reboot of “Gilmore Girls.”
Over Thanksgiving break, many fans, including myself, binge-watched the whole series in just a short matter of time to re-enter the quaint little town of Stars Hollow and the lives of Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel).
*Spoiler’s Ahead*
Following the series finale in 2007, many of us were very disappointed that neither Lorelai or Rory ended up married. Specifically, after watching seven dramatic seasons of Luke Danes (Scott Patterson) and Lorelai’s relationship status changing from friends to fiancés, it was extremely upsetting that they did not end up with their happily-ever-after fairy-tale ending. On the other hand, in Rory’s case, I, along with many others, was devastated that she did not accept Logan’s (Matt Czuchry) hand in marriage. Needless to say, many fans needed the closure that Netflix was willing and able to provide with its recent reboot of the dramedy.
“Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” begins with Lorelai and Rory strolling through town, and just like that, the audience is sucked back into Stars Hollow. Although, back then, no one knew the extent of the show’s future, this world is one of perfect escape where no character is underdeveloped. Therefore, the revival brought back many favorite characters including the beloved Emily Gilmore (Kelly Bishop), Sookie St. James (Melissa McCarthy), Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia), Dean Forester (Jared Padalecki), Lane Kim (Keiko Agena), Paris Geller (Liza Weil) and Michel Gerard (Yanic Truesdale). All of these characters were not just seen in the reboot, but also given a quick back story for the last nine years.
The majority of the show was spent following the lives of the Gilmores, specifically Lorelai, Rory and Emily, all of whom seem to be in a rough period in their lives. Over the span of a year, or winter, spring, summer and fall, we learn that Rory is still in love with Logan, who is currently betrothed to another, Lorelai is still in love with Luke, but not married, and Emily is still in love with her husband, who passed away. These three problems are what drive the plot of the four-episode revival that each lasts over an hour.
Despite my love for returning to this world where the Dragon Fly Inn and Luke’s Diner actually exists, I have begun to wonder if Netflix truly did fulfill the purpose of the reprise. After years of not-so-patiently waiting, this new show was meant to bring more closure, but instead it ended with me wanting to know more than ever. With the last three words, everything in the lives of the Gilmores changed forever. Although the ending should have been no surprise, it still came as a complete shock to me.
With this shocking finale, I began to immediately crave a sequel to the sequel and pray that Netflix has plans to finish the work that they had started.
Even though the show did leave many questions unanswered, it did end with a happy moment between Lorelai Gilmore, who is now and hopefully always married to the one and only Luke Danes. But with this happy ending came a twist that brought the show full circle.
However, all in all, “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” was completely worth the hours I spent ruining my eyesight on a tiny bright screen, and I have no regrets, unless they don’t make any more episodes.
By Ethan Dial, staff writer
