This blog was originally published on elkharttruth.com on April 13, 2014.
Two weeks ago, I finished watching all seven seasons of Gilmore Girls.
I was very sad when I completed my three-month journey of watching all 154 episodes.
I admit, I’m mildly obsessed with the show. I think I’ve seen every episode at least three times.
I can relate to the show, especially Rory, the daughter of the mother-daughter duo the show centers around.
Rory is a driven, innocent girl who comes into her own in college and then freaks out about finding a job post-graduation … in journalism.
Yep. That sounds familiar.
But the show is relatable to others as well. Whether it’s the mother-daughter dynamic, the domineering mother/grandmother relationship or just the ups and downs of navigating through life, there’s something for multiple generations to enjoy.
Seven years after the show went off the air, it’s still a relevant show.
Here are three reasons why:
The mother-daughter dynamic
The mother-daughter duo of Lorelai and Rory, I think, is what many mothers and daughters want in their relationship.
In one of episodes, Lorelai tells her mother, Emily, that she and Rory are best friends first and mother and daughter second.
Lorelai and Rory share a bond of survival (Lorelai got pregnant with Rory at 16 and raised her as a single mother while working her way up to manager at an inn.) and love … not to mention the same name (Rory is a nickname for Lorelai).
They watch TV together, eat junk food together, poke fun at movies together, struggle through life together. All while maintaining a mostly honest relationship.
It sounds too good to be true. But that’s where Gilmore Girls keeps it real.
The show never sugar coats the relationship between Lorelai and Rory. They have fights. They rarely speak to each other in season six until the ninth episode. They tell each other how they really feel, rarely holding back.
The fast pace of the show
Fans of the show probably know this, but each episode’s script is about 30 pages longer than an average hour-long TV show script.
Why? Because each episode is chock full of fast-paced dialogue.
The characters talk a mile a minute, or at least it seems that way. It’s one of the main reasons I love the show, because I talk that fast in real life.
The actors have to work up to the final talking rate, which Keiko Agena, who plays Rory’s best friend Lane, demonstrated on a season 7 DVD bonus feature.
Sometimes when I re-watch an episode, I catch something new that I probably missed because of the speed of the show. It’s not enough that I miss a plot point, but it’s a treat to see what more you can laugh at each time you watch an episode.
The witty, obscure culture references
Some of the season DVDs of Gilmore Girls come with a handy dandy guide about the show’s “Gilmore-isms,” or a reference guide to all of the things the characters say.
Every episode contains multiple references to pop culture, literature, movies, current events and more.
For example, Rory calls Jess, a friend and eventual love interest, Dodger, a reference to Oliver Twist. Another episode references Lindsay Lohan’s barely clothed Vanity Fair cover.
It’s hard to keep up, but that’s what makes it fun. I’ve learned so many different tidbits from watching the show. I have to Google some things, and when I do catch a reference, it’s a proud moment.
I believe all the tidbits of knowledge will make you smarter … or at least better at trivia.
Gilmore Girls is a show that grew over seven years. It was never stale, and it was always entertaining. I highly recommend it. It’s a show I’ll continue to watch year after year, because it’s just that good.
