Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life Review

**Disclaimer: There will be some spoilers in this post.  Read at your own risk!**

Gilmore Girls finally returned!  I’ve waited 9 long years since it’s departure from our television screens, leaving me and my sister to watch all 7 seasons over and over again thinking about what Rory Gilmore is up to now.  Well, now is our time to find out!

My sister, Mom, Dad (yes, even my Dad), and I decided that we would watch two of the four episodes in the morning, then take a Christmas decorating break, and get back to watching the final two while we eat some burgers to really feel like we’re at Luke’s!

Here is my Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life Review:

The First Episode:  I was a little disappointed that the iconic Gilmore Girls theme song (Where You Lead by Carole King) was not there.  However, it was nice going around the town to see old characters like Lane, Paris, Emily, Luke, Jackson, Digger, Kirk, and of course, my favorite, Logan!

Kirk’s cancer joke was uncalled for.  I did not laugh and I thought it was a poor choice.

The funeral scene was beautiful, however a bit too real for my family.  We lost my Dad’s Mom 4 months ago, and my Nana (Mom’s mommy) a little over 2 months.  We had to pause it to let out some very real tears.  But it was a beautiful tribute.  However, I didn’t like how Lorelai Gilmore paid tribute to her father.  It always seemed that they had a good relationship compared to the one she has with Emily.  To say Richard was a bad, absentee father is, in my head, a little slam to the late Edward Herrmann.

To see Logan and Rory together again was amazing.  Mia and I literally screamed at our television in pure joy!  That is until we find out that Logan is actually engaged to a woman who lives in Paris, and Rory (for lack of a better word) shacks up with Logan while she’s in town is wrong.  I feel that it’s basically the Dean and Lindsay saga all over again.  Rory is better than that to be the “other women”.

Second Episode: Seeing more of Paris is amazing.  Watching Liza Weil go from Gilmore Girls, to her work in Shonda Rimes’ How To Get Away With Murder is incredible.  Liza goes back to her role so smoothly.

Then we have Francie.  Oh Francie…How can we forget those episodes when she wanted the skirts shorter, or tried to overthrow Paris’ presidency? It was great seeing her and the dynamic of Rory, Paris, and Francie again.  Tristan on the other hand..It was clear that it wasn’t Chad Michael Murray because we never saw a front view of his face.  But didn’t Tristan’s parents pull him out of Chilton?  He wouldn’t be at an alumni event if he didn’t actually graduate.

Third Episode: The episode starts off with the Gilmore girls at the pool for summer.  Body shaming a faceless man right off the bat.  I realize that this is supposed to be funny, that he in fact was hired for this reason.  However, body shaming old, young, female, male–it’s just not right.  Then we have April Nardini back into the picture.  I didn’t like April during the series once she came in.  The feelings have not changed.  She acts like she’s into weed now, and everything is bad.  Then we find out that she really doesn’t smoke weed (except that one time) and she’s just trying to find her place in this world.  But being something you’re not isn’t the way to go, she’s more or less being a poser.

At the town meeting a guy continuously makes immature floaty hut jokes towards Luke.  I actually thought I was back in the 3rd grade with these jokes.

Sutton Foster…How can you not love this women? I was so excited to see her and Christian Borle in the (horrible yet funny, kind of) musical about Stars Hollow.

Did anyone feel like there was more drinking in this episode then there were in Rory’s college days combined?

I love ABBA.  I just didn’t understand why it was at the end of the musical.

Then Carole King sings; SO beautiful!

Jess…I don’t know how he does it, but he always comes back into Rory’s life just at the right time when she needs that extra push.  He only wants what’s best for her, and for her to be the best version of herself.

Fourth Episode: The Life and Death Brigade is back into my life and I could not be more thrilled! With of course the return of Logan’s best friends Colin and Finn (Finn’s my favorite).  I loved how they made Rory an honorary member for one night. There was also the return of Robert who took Rory to Finn’s birthday party and Rory ultimately went with him to make Logan jealous…Oh good ole’ days of Yale.  The song that was shown with the boys and Rory was perfect in my opinion.  Logan and his friends Colin and Finn always have each other’s backs.  They are immature at times, but they will always be there to pick you back up when you fall.  They are the friends everyone needs in their lives.

Matt’s body…I mean how can I not talk about that shirtless scene at that Inn in New Hampshire?  He has a better body now then 9 years ago.  He definitely looks good.

I didn’t like how late Christopher came into play.  I understand the timing, I just wish we would have seen more of him.

Sookie, who doesn’t like Sookie?  I hate how it took her to nearly the end of the last episode for Melissa McCarthy to show up.  Gilmore Girls crew should have asked her sooner to come back! She should have been in every episode.  She was always there for Lorelai.

Luke and Lorelai married…FINALLY!

THOSE LAST 4 (but really 3) WORDS! There are literally no words. I will not say them, but HOLY COW! Does this mean that there are going to be more episodes?!  If there isn’t, there is a special place in hell for those writers.  I hate cliffhangers.

All in all, I think that the episodes were really sad and rather depressing.  Understandably, there’s trials and rough patches in everyone’s life.  Wallowing in self pity for a year about how Rory’s life didn’t turn out how she was excepting is rather boring. Even with the last 4 words, it can really go either way, especially now Rory’s conversation with Christopher now makes perfect sense.

It was great that Amy Sherman-Palladino added actors from her show Bunheads and actors from Lauren Graham’s show, Parenthood.

Bunheads: Sutton Foster (Violet), Julia Goldani Telles (Sandee says CEO) , Stacey Oristano (Allie, from the hike), and Bailey De Young (30’s club blonde member).

Parenthood: Peter Krause (Park Ranger the second day), Mae Whitman (girl Lorelai gave the pastry to), and Jason Ritter (Park Ranger the first day)

Hope you enjoyed my Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life Review!