Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life [SPOILERS]

[kairparavel]

So now we know the famous final four words. They certainly have a different impact coming from a 32 year old Rory  than a 22 year old Rory. They also provide some backwards clarity to her visit with her dad. I'm not sure how I feel about it. I finished watching a little after 3am and that was far too late to process it. I will say I'm glad in the end that Rory didn't wind up with Logan, which is different from how I felt before the opening moments of Winter. He really is her Christopher. 

In Omnia Paratus

[zelticgar]

Starting this tonight right after the Pats game. So excited! 

 

[Mladen]

I like GG... But this was, well, another animal. Rory was stuck in her college drama, like seriously, that girl hasn't matured a day in 10 years. There were also some other problems, like Lorelai asking money from Emily. Didn't Richard actually leave them something?Also, if Melissa McCarthy didn't want to be part of this, don't force her. It was cringeworthy watching her. It lacked something... 

But then again, they did left enough space for another season (or several more).

[AverageGuy]

9 hours ago, kairparavel said:

He really is her Christopher. 

Looks like they were setting Jess up to be her Luke, too.

Though, Luke was never Lorelai's cousin.

[zelticgar]

I watched the first episode with my daughter and she was a little shell shocked by the dialogue. I had to pause it a few times to get her up to speed. By the end she was really enjoying it. They did a good job reintroducing everyone and still moving along a new storyline. I love all the unique townies - Kirk, Michel, Taylor, the guitar guy. Sebastian Bach even made an appearance... Going to try to finish it this week if I can find the time. It is really very cool how some of these series are making it back into production.  

[kairparavel]

I honestly don't want another revival unless it focuses on Rory. Lorelai and Emily can make cameos along with all the Stars Hollow gang but the elder Gilmores have had their story lines satisfied, as far as  I'm concerned. Rory, with a large helping of Paris. On the other hand, I'd be totally ok if this was it. There was more about it I disliked than I liked, for starters. The whole musical was a ginormous waste of screen time, no matter how talented Sutton Foster is, to get to the song that spurred Lorelai to go find herself. And all the Parenthood cameos. Cripes.

I do need to go back and re-watch the original series, April and crappy season 7 included. You're really supposed to buy into the idea that Rory is the one that has it together and is going to go places. I think there's going to be a long trail of breadcrumbs from the beginning at Chilton to now, indicating she was a person who constantly made poor decisions and who quite frankly, believed her own press (punny!) and developed a sense of entitlement to her detriment. 

My favourite part was the Life and Death Brigade and every single scene with Emily. All the feels for Edward Herrman on canvas and flashbacks as well. Kelly Bishop just crushed it.

In the end, was the Gilmore Girls a story about women who don't need a man in their life, or a story about women who don't really get their act in order until they get married and have a solid partnership? I think you're supposed to lean towards the former but it sure does seem like it's the latter....

[RhaenysBee]

I was not a fan of this thing. There were a couple highlights, but in general, I didn't like what I saw. I didn't like the story, I didn't like the characters, I didn't like the message. I didn't hate it, but it definitely wasn't something I would watch again. This is going to be long, but I need to get it out of my system. 

1. Plot - Emily dealt with Richard's death. Check. Lorelei... had the exact same inner conflicts about her relationship to her parents and about marriage she had in the original series for 7 seasons. Her storyline was completely recycled from the original series and there wasn't a drop of originality about it. Rory went from nothing to nothing during 6 hours of screentime. 

2. Structure - The seasons didn't exactly feel complete on their own or even particularly seasonal. Winter and Summer made an effort with the snow and the pool, but there was nothing remotely autumnal about Autumn. The time-frame was confusing, did each episode cover the full 3-month long season, how much time passed between scene and scene (did Rory fly New York-London weekly/monthly/randomly)? The 90-minute sections were too long (and frankly, often boring). 

3. Minor characters - it really was nice to see all the old cast members, but sometimes it felt like instead of a story, I was watching a montage titled "Look, we got this guy back for the revival too!" Will get back to this regarding highlights. 

4. Supporting characters 

Luke - Scott Patterson's acting was worse than ever and Luke was more neurotic than ever. He didn't change, but that's fine, that's part of who Luke is, I didn't expect him to. (April was a bad joke - again). 

Michel - He was as entertaining as ever, will get back to him regarding parenthood and political correctness. 

Sookie - She technically wasn't in this revival. It would have been better if she wasn't in it literally either. The story of where Sookie was made no sense. She lived in the middle of nowhere studying vegetables for several months? Is she still married to Jackson? Is he raising their three kids alone while she is studying vegetables?

Lane - She was fine, still making music, progressing in life (bigger house, Zach has another job). 

Paris - When and how did Paris get two kids and 4 degrees? Anyway, she has two kids, four degrees, a high paying job, a big ass house. Why does she stil have self confidence issues and neurotic breakdowns? Whatever. I think Liza Weil blew it, I didn't feel Paris.

Dean - Dean progressed in life and as a person. He moved out of Star's Hollow, he has a family AND he isn't in love with Rory anymore. God bless Dean.

Jess - I'm not sure what Jess does. But he seems to be good son, an even better nephew, and a functioning adult. (Which is a must, because fanservice makes money.) Jess progressed in life but not as person, he is still in love with Rory. After ten years. Because... they both like books and are relatives now?

Logan - He embraced his Huntzbergerness but didn't lose his fun. Kinda what one would expect. 

5. Lead characters 

Emily - She's basically the only main character who progressed in life or as a person. Her storyline is clear, compete and heartwarming. I liked how Richard's passing changed some of her previous habits and attitudes. (One maid for over a year whose family she essentially adopted, quitting DAR) 

Lorelai - The woman is exactly where she was 10 years ago. Her storyline is 100% recycled. There wasn't one thing we haven't seen before. They just redid the feud with Rory, the marriage conflict, the therapy, the marry me Luke, the wedding gown fitting, etc. She is still a shitty daughter and an insanely selfish person. And she had to do with most of the waste of screentime. 

Rory - The girl who went off to conquer the world returned in defeat. Rory was the source of the most ridiculous contradictions and abandoned sub-plots. I'm broke, so I live in two continents at the same time, fly back and forth on a monthly basis and throw out two iPhones when I'm angry. 'Kay. I was sorry to see Alex Kingston abandoned so quickly and I'm not sure what's the deal with the Stars Hollow gazette or the Chilton teaching job or Condé Nast . So Rory the girl who went off to conquer the world is a rootless, unsuccessful, unhappy, cheating, homewrackig, entitled 32-year-old. That's truly inspiring. And who the F leaves her grandfather'a funeral early because she has a flight to catch? Can't you fly the day after? 

 6. Gilmore Girls: A Year in PC - Yes, you are PC, we get it, great, can we have some plot? 

7. Wait a second - enslaving children as well as body shaming fat dude in swimsuit in the summer? Well never mind, there are gay people. 

8. Babies - why do people (want to) start families at 45-50 in this show? why are people recoiling at the idea of having a baby in this show? Why is the only successful time to have a baby at the age of 16 or 46? 

9. Message - I mean don't worry you are 32 and have nothing steady in your life, settling down didn't work out for people who did it either, you have all the time to find yourself and you can always start a family at 50. Really? 

10. Wasting my time - Doing Wild? For twenty minutes? Seriously? It's not inspiring. It's copying. Stars Hollow musical? For twenty minutes? Seriously? It's not funny. Whyyyyy? 

10+1. Highlights, because it wasn't all bad - Mr. Kim. The life and death brigade night. Lorelai's story about Richard and the mall. Alex Kingston. Taylor. Principal Charleston. Amy Sherman Palladino's (or Lauren Graham's) obsession with Viggo Mortensen. Luke's fake wifi passwords. Richard's super sized portrait. Emily. 

Question: Am I supposed to have feelings about Rory's being pregnant? Because I honestly don't give a crap other than its being the stupidest ending in the history of tv series.

 

[kairparavel]

4 hours ago, RhaenysB said:

I was not a fan of this thing. There were a couple highlights, but in general, I didn't like what I saw. I didn't like the story, I didn't like the characters, I didn't like the message. I didn't hate it, but it definitely wasn't something I would watch again. 

Question: Am I supposed to have feelings about Rory's being pregnant? Because I honestly don't give a crap other than its being the stupidest ending in the history of tv series.

 

I think to really process the feelings about Rory's pregnancy you have to consider this was the story line Amy Sherman-Palladino wanted to give 23 year old Rory. So she wouldn't have had all the life experiences and even ups and downs (seemingly most downs) 32 year old Rory had. So while it's less impactful for a woman her age, I think it's a big fuck you to the original series and the supposed message it was sending over the first five or so years, when you factor in that this was how season seven was going to go.

Also, the failure for anyone except Emily to have any real character development is what really bothers me. It's like Luke and Lorelai were locked in the kitchen of their home for a decade and grew older physically but certainly not emotionally. And Rory. RORY. Will a re-watch show she's the ultimate emperor in new clothes? I think maybe.

 

ETA I don't think Rory being pregnant is the ultimate sign of failure or that it signals the end of her life. My problem was that ASP was willing to force the full circleness on her at 23. Rory has never been perfect and made plenty of bad decisions, but I don't think she would have been so reckless (because what got her pregnant as a grown woman was recklessness and her one last night with Logan, if time was as linear as they made it out to be) just out of college and getting ready to go into the world. 

[RhaenysBee]

5 hours ago, kairparavel said:

I think to really process the feelings about Rory's pregnancy you have to consider this was the story line Amy Sherman-Palladino wanted to give 23 year old Rory. So she wouldn't have had all the life experiences and even ups and downs (seemingly most downs) 32 year old Rory had. So while it's less impactful for a woman her age, I think it's a big fuck you to the original series and the supposed message it was sending over the first five or so years, when you factor in that this was how season seven was going to go.

Also, the failure for anyone except Emily to have any real character development is what really bothers me. It's like Luke and Lorelai were locked in the kitchen of their home for a decade and grew older physically but certainly not emotionally. And Rory. RORY. Will a re-watch show she's the ultimate emperor in new clothes? I think maybe.

 

ETA I don't think Rory being pregnant is the ultimate sign of failure or that it signals the end of her life. My problem was that ASP was willing to force the full circleness on her at 23. Rory has never been perfect and made plenty of bad decisions, but I don't think she would have been so reckless (because what got her pregnant as a grown woman was recklessness and her one last night with Logan, if time was as linear as they made it out to be) just out of college and getting ready to go into the world. 

I don't know. I was one of the very few people who wanted to see Rory say yes to Logan in season 7 and move to SanFran and have an avocado tree. If 23 year old Rory had got pregnant in that context, I would have considered that the ultimate happy ending. 

Lorelai is still 16 emotionally. She has always been. But it was truly weird that her relationship with Luke didn't progress a day in 10 years. They are exactly where they left it off in season 7 and that's not only disappointing from an audience perspective, but also absolutely unrealistic. The lack of character development was more problematic in rory's case, because people do change between ages 22 and 32. A lot. I can see how 38 year old Lorelai didn't change much (at all) in ten years, but Rory? 

I don't think getting pregnant is the sign of failure or the end of her life at all. That's why I don't have any feelings about about it. Okay, Rory got pregnant, so what? She's a grown ass woman, she can handle it. Am I supposed to be sorry/scared/happy for her? I'm not. is this supposed to mirror Lorelai's life? It doesn't. 

 

[Lord Friendzone]

If ASP plan was for Rory to repeat mistakes of her mother, then so be it but it was a terible choice. Cheating on that Paul guy with Logan, who cheated on Odette. What was that all about? That running joke with Paul was weird and some scenes felt really off. It was they are there but not their soul. Truly Rory deserves Logan  and he deserves her. Not someone like Dean or Jess who got their shit together. Especially Jess who was a wild animal and now stable guy, helping people, matured a lot and got a job. Still reads books which is key to his character but Rory barely even read, maybe not at all. Once he entered her life, she picked up her shirt and started to write book about her mother and herself. Jess got her and understands her but she doesn't deserves this, Not this Rory we saw on the screen.

Jess or not even April not being part of Luke's wedding. Come on.

Dean got the best ending. Figured stuff out and got a family.

Best part were Emily, being on Netlix helped loosen up the dialog a bit. Lorelai's scenes abot Richard. Jesss being Jess, Everything about Paris and Michel was good. 

 

On 28. 11. 2016 at 0:35 AM, AverageGuy said:

Looks like they were setting Jess up to be her Luke, too.

Though, Luke was never Lorelai's cousin.

If it was their plan to tells us he is her Luke, then they really screwed Jess(apart from small screen time) big time because they're fundamentally different. Lorelai and Luke had a thing for another but it took them a long time to figure it out. Rory has no romantic feelings for Jess and him pining over her after 10 years is weird. If they were friends without that look throug the widow on her. It would be cool and fitting for them..

Wonder if Milo and Alexis past relationship played a part of them not be together.

[Lany Freelove Cassandra]

I was pretty disappointed in it. Like others pointed out, 10 years have passed, and yet they are basically in the same place. Rory just annoyed the hell out of me. I know it's a large part because I where my own life was at 32, but damn, I was hating on millennial for a bit there (no worries, I am just old and bitter).

I liked the last episode the best. My final thoughts at the ending were, "well maybe she'll grow up now"

The whole thing makes me sad because this was my and my daughter's show.  I know we have both grown a lot in the past 10 years  (she's 30 now, just two years younger than Rory, which is why it was a good fit for us)

[Mladen]

6 hours ago, Lany Freelove Cassandra said:

I was pretty disappointed in it. Like others pointed out, 10 years have passed, and yet they are basically in the same place. Rory just annoyed the hell out of me. I know it's a large part because I where my own life was at 32, but damn, I was hating on millennial for a bit there (no worries, I am just old and bitter).

I liked the last episode the best. My final thoughts at the ending were, "well maybe she'll grow up now"

The whole thing makes me sad because this was my and my daughter's show.  I know we have both grown a lot in the past 10 years  (she's 30 now, just two years younger than Rory, which is why it was a good fit for us)

This is what bugged me the most. The behavior Rory showed wasn't the behavior of a 32-year-old person. It was more like 19-year-old... And the worse, 10 years passed and none of her issues changed. It seems like a time-loop.

This didn't bring any sort of closure...Perhaps that was the intention with Stars Hollow's Mufasa and Simba and all circle of life but narratively speaking, it was lacking.

8 hours ago, Lord Friendzone said:

Jess or not even April not being part of Luke's wedding. Come on.

Oh, I feel as if this is the regular sickness of the American TV dramas. They sometimes focus too much on the "main cast" that they forget that families/friends don't work that way. And it is not just GG doing it. Many others can be blamed for the same thing. I still laugh when I think of Meredith Grey...

Grey's anatomy Season 11-13 spoilers

Spoiler

unplugging Derek without actually calling his sister.