The summer is over, the days are getting shorter and the smell of pumpkin spice is filling the air (for those in the northern hemisphere at least). This can only mean one thing: it’s Gilmore Girls season – and now that we've heard a new documentary is on the way, I’ve officially relapsed.
While I’m more of a summer-leaning person (I’m a sucker for the late sunsets), Gilmore Girls is one of the cures for my seasonal depression and one of the best parts about the transition into autumn. That aside, it remains one of the best shows on Netflix, and a timeless piece of television 25 years since its debut.
The most powerful thing a TV show can do is appeal to audiences from different generations – but why do so many of us love it so much to revisit it at the start of every fall?
More than a mother-daughter bond
Gilmore Girls, for those who haven't seen it, is an insight to the unique life of main character Lorelai Gilmore who had her daughter Rory at 16. Their bond defies a classic parent-child relationship as she raises Rory more like a best friend as opposed to the over-baring treatment she received in her own upbringing. It’s the main focus of the show, but there’s so much depth to their story.
Though she had a child at a young age and ran away from home, Lorelai’s character couldn’t be further from the ‘struggling single mother’ stereotype. It's a refreshing and modern depiction of single parent life.
She proves herself to be a driven and successful woman. Just like her mother, Rory is equally ambitious and her dream of attending Harvard and becoming a journalist is the backbone to her coming-of-age journey.
Another integral aspect to the show’s premise is Lorelai’s complicated connection with her own mother Emily – who is undoubtedly the best character in the show. A very wealthy woman with a stubborn and stern exterior, she experiences regular clashes with Lorelai’s sarcastic and unserious personality, which invites questions about what constitutes a ‘family’.
On the one hand, there’s family, an image that Emily has spent her entire life trying to orchestrate, eventually causing constraints between Lorelai, and even her husband Richard and Rory at times. Lorelai is often out-of-place when she enters her parents’ world, but she feels most at home in the company of the locals of Stars Hollow, the small town where she lives with Rory.
As the show progresses, both of these worlds gradually cross over, with Rory and Lorelai becoming more involved with Emily and Richard’s way of life, but her parents also learn to understand how Stars Hollow has allowed their daughter and granddaughter to evolve – even if Emily doesn’t want to.
Everyone has a coming-of-age story
No matter how young, old, or wealthy the characters may be, the main reason why Gilmore Girls is such a timeless classic for me is down to the fact that everyone has some sort of coming-of-age story. Each one is relatable in its own way, and you don’t need to be a parent, grand-parent, or student of an elite private school to understand what the characters are going through.
There’s no doubt that Rory’s journey from perfect 16-year-old student to a mature young woman is the show’s landmark character evolution, however, that’s not even the most interesting – and fans can collectively agree that Rory’s deteriorating personality becomes so jarring.
For me, it’s the development of Lorelai and Emily’s respective characters that makes me want to revisit Gilmore Girls, especially Emily. Starting off as a seemingly emotionless high-class woman in season one, she learns to live her life in a more relaxed way, but never loses the regality that I love in her character.
From family dynamics to class differences – all marching to the beat of self-discovery – there are endless reasons why myself and countless others have a strong attachment to Gilmore Girls. I’m just getting started with my rewatch and with just over six seasons left as well as a Netflix spin-off to get through, it feels like I’m watching it for the first time again, which means I can’t wait to meet some of the best characters in television.
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