“Gilmore Girls” – Series Review

📸: Warner Bros. Television / Netflix

🟢 The Stars 🟢

Lauren Graham – Lorelai Gilmore

Alexis Bledel – Rory Gilmore

Keiko Agena – Lane Kim

Scott Patterson – Luke Danes

Yanic Truesdale – Michel Gerard

Kelly Bishop – Emily Gilmore

Edward Herma – Richard Gilmore

Melissa McCarthy – Sookie

Sean Gunn – Kirk Gleason

Liza Weil – Paris Geller

🟢 Plot 🟢

A dramedy centering around the relationship between a thirtysomething single mother and her teen daughter living in Stars Hollow, Connecticut.

🟢 Non Spoiler Review 🟢

🔴 Spoiler Review 🔴

This is going to be a pretty chunky review because I am doing the WHOLE series 😅 So stick with me to the end. I will break it all down by character.

Lorelai Gilmore – To be honest Lorelai is one of my least favorite characters. That is so sad for me to say because she is the main character. There were just A LOT of things I did not agree with what she did, acted, or her parenting.

• Relationships

Lorelai’s relationship with Max I thought was so messed up. She knew she never really loved him, but she continued to date him anyway. She chose to ignore her feelings for Luke and dated Max. THEN she says YES to marrying him. What the actual heck?! Then. THEN she left him? REALLY? And she did it the most awful way possible. Leaving town without telling him. This made me like Lorelai less than I already do. Max was a good guy. He did not deserve that kind of treatment. What also bugged me about their engagement was Lorelai hiding it from her mom. I didn’t understand why she did that because they have started to rebuild a relationship. I know her mom can be freaking crazy, but still. She should have told her. What really got me in a twist is when Lorelai WENT BACK to Max and pursued him when she was part of the PTA. AND got mad at him for trying to get away from her. Like He had EVERY right to do that.

I know her relationship with her parents is a whirlwind, but I did not like when she would try to get in between Rory’s relationship with her grandparents. Like let Rory be the judge if she wants a relationship with them. Just like how she does with her dad.

Speaking of her dad, Christopher. Their relationship bugged me, but I understood it. I get that Lorelai would have a soft spot for her kids dad. What I did not care for was the constant back and forth and constantly putting Rory in the middle of everything. I didn’t think that was fair. THEN, to top it all off Lorelai and Christopher got married in Paris. Yes I know they were in the moment. But how do you not think of Rory?

Even with the love of her life, Luke, she did not do right by him. I had a feeling from the beginning they would end up together, but I did not think she would do him dirty like that. One thing that really bugs me in relationships is when there is zero communication. Lorelai has that down. You would think if you loved someone SO much you would not be afraid to speak your feelings. Don’t get me wrong. Luke is no saint either.

• Parenting

I was really not a fan when she would give Rory the silent treatment. When Rory does it to her I understand. She is a kid. Kids do that. BUT. Lorelai is her mom. I know everyone has a different way to parent and it is not ok to tell others how to parent. To me I felt since she is the grown up she should be the bigger person and resolve the issue. Or if she couldn’t and Rory would still give the silent treatment to at least pretend she isn’t and still talk to her. Lorelai’s stubbornness costed her and Rory a whole year of talking. I believe it was a year. I just really felt that when things got hard Lorelai blamed everything on her being a young mother.

Because of Lorelai’s stubbornness she also ruined Sookie’s Baptism she had for her kids. I absolutely HATED that! This is when Lorelai chooses to confront Rory? REALLY? And all it was, was that Rory gave Sookie her new number. I get that is awful. I couldn’t imagine how a mother would feel, but there is a time and a place, and that was NOT the place.

Yes, I know Lorelai’s style is to be friends first, but sometimes as a parent you can’t always be friends with your kid. I did feel she was too laid back at times and immature.

Rory Gilmore – She, like her mom, was another one of my least favorite characters. I really tried hard to like her and her mom. So some episodes were hard for me to get through because the whole series revolves around them. Rory, just like her mom, were not completely likable to me.

A thing that did bug me about Rory is that her mom and the towns people of Stars Hollow made Rory feel she could accomplish anything, and this made her be able to stand up for herself and feel confident about what she wanted in life. Look at how she stood up to Tristan, Paris, and college classmates that made her mad. She would stand up for herself no problem, but one rude remark from Logan’s dad and her whole life came crashing down. To the point she stole a yacht and dropped out of school. I didn’t like this story arc for her because that it not the Rory that we have come to know. The Rory I came to understand would have totally told Logan’s dad to screw himself then she would have gone out and proved him wrong.

• Relationships

I will start with her first love. . . Dean. Dean was my second favorite boyfriend. I truly thought they fit well together. Yes they did have problems, but I did not think they were as bad as Jess and Logan. Dean’s issues were that he spent too much time with Rory, he became a stage 10 clinger, and pressured Rory to say “I love you”. With him spending a lot of time with Rory did not give her a chance to see Lane. That to me was awful because you should never let a guy tear you apart from friends. I do feel when he became a stage 10 clinger it was all Jess’s fault. He kept messing with him so much he was afraid he would lose Rory. So it frustrated me to no end when Rory would just brush it all off.

I did love that Dean got along with everyone in town and got along with Lorelai. He was a very respectful guy. He also did a lot of grand gestures. He had cute date ideas and even built Rory a car.

Overall I thought they balanced each other out. Even though Dean was not on the same intellectual level, at least he felt encouraged by Rory to get more out of life. In return Dean to me made Rory feel protected and loved. That he would do anything to provide for her. He loved her with all his heart.

Next up is Jess. Now I know he is a fan favorite, but he was not my favorite. He was actually my least favorite guy. Jess and Rory did have their cute moments, but I hated the way it all started and I was pretty mad at Rory that she fell for him. I HATED that Jess kept messing with Dean and Rory’s relationship just to break them up. It was very childish and disrespectful I don’t know how Rory didn’t see that.

Rory being with Jess did not make any sense to me because she has many goals in life and Jess had ZERO. So with her having extremely high standards for herself, you would think she would have those same standards for someone she were dating. But what was great was that Jess was very much on the same intellectual level as Rory. This was wonderful because it really did elevate their relationship to another level. And it was nice that Jess pushed her to go back to Yale when she dropped out.

But. . . That would come crashing down a bit because of their communication skills. Their communication together really stunk. I would hope that she would see all of Lorelai’s mistakes in this department and try not to repeat them. Rory would even sometimes tell her mom that she needed better communication with people. I know that Rory and Jess are young and still learning how to date, but they really should have talked to each other because they cared for each other so much.

A red flag from Jess that Rory should have really caught on to was that Jess was not favored by the whole town. If it were just a few people I would have let it slide. But EVERYONE did not like his attitude. Jess is a super disrespectful person. I understand he had a very hard upbringing, but at least Luke took him in and gave him a home. You would think Jess would see that. Jess was not only rude to the towns people, but he was also rude to Rory’s grandparents and mom. If I were Rory I would have kicked him to the curb. No one disrespects my family.

Lastly is Logan. Logan actually became my favorite of all of them. I truly did like Dean, but Logan fit into Rory’s life easier. He wasn’t my favorite in the beginning, but slowly he started to grow on me. First off is their intellect. Yes Rory had this with Jess, but more so with Logan because with the way his family is, Logan was constantly challenged and bred to always be better. Logan was also able to challenge Rory when it mattered. He was there to tell her a little bit more of real life and gave her a little perspective because Rory is a bit naïve. He was also able to push her out of her comfort zone.

Their downfall was the same downfall Rory had with everyone. Communication. They were both not very good at letting each other know what they truly wanted. Well Logan did tell Rory he does not commit, but we all knew that he wanted to be with Rory. At the end of the day they were both became very good at playing games with each other. All they had to do was just tell each other how they really felt.

As Rory starts to become closer to her grandparents I could sense that she started to be ok with the world they live in. This is where Logan fits in perfectly. Dean and Jess always felt uncomfortable in this privileged world, but since Logan grew up in this world, he thrives in it.

Even though Logan and Rory had a rocky start, by the end of everything Rory and Logan made a great match. They supported each other in everything they did. They also started to communicate a lot better with each other. So when he proposed and she denied him I honestly could not believe it. They both came such a long way together and they both had a mutual respect for each other.

Lane Kim – Man. I felt so bad for Lane’s character. Her mom would not let her do anything, but I will admit that Lane’s mom was a beast. She gave no ef’s for anyone. Her world revolved around her, Lane, and her business. And she was not going to let anyone or anything come in the way of them. With Lane’s storyline I wasn’t all that happy with it. I was really hoping for something more. I wanted to see Lane thrive with her band and become a little more well known. Also, I am not a fan that she ended up with Zack. I know he is a nice guy, but to me I would have never put those two together. I feel this way because to me Zack does not help her grow as a person. She is the one doing all the work and making him grow.

Luke Danes – He is the second best character on this show. When I saw the “No Cell Phones” sign in his dinner it made me chuckle, but then it had me laughing when he makes his diners abide by that rule. Makes me feel more places should have this rule 😄 His snarky sense of humor had me liking him on episode 1. The way he would barge out of his diner to go yell at fellow townspeople always had me laughing. Luke overall is a great character. Even though he keeps to himself you know he will always be there when you need him.

The one thing that did bug the crap out of me is when Luke found out he had a daughter. He COMPLETELY shut out Lorelai when he should have let her in. She was his girlfriend. So I don’t understand the need to shut her out to get to know his daughter. Actually at this point I think they were engaged. So how can you NOT tell Lorelai? The way Lorelai acted towards him and starting to pull away I TOTALLY understand why she would do that. Should she have slept with Chris? No of course not. I get that Luke wanted to know his daughter on his own, but Lorelai was going to be his wife so she would eventually be in his kids life anyway. But only if they had better communication between the two they could have avoided ALL of their problems. So with Luke hiding his daughter from Lorelai really bumped him down a few pegs.

Michel Gerard – This guy. . . This guy is so funny. The way he acts is the EXACT way I wish I could have acted while I was working retail. Sometimes you just had enough of customers that you want to say something but can’t or else you will lose your job 😅 So with them creating a character that was given the ability to do this was such a breath of fresh air.

Emily and Richard Gilmore – I don’t think I have ever been so frustrated with a pair of characters as much as I was frustrated with Emily and Richard. They were so annoying at times and it made me want to yell at the TV. So I completely understand why Lorelai felt suffocated in her home. As much as I did not like them I do have to give props to the people who created them and wrote their lines. Also, kudos to the actors. They really morphed into the characters of Emily and Richard. It was as good as Joffry from Game of Thrones. I HATED that guy so much because of great acting and great writing.

By the end of the series I am glad that they grew as people. They both did seem to start to ease up on the lives of Lorelai and Rory. It was a long trip, but I feel they finally got to the destination of acceptance.

Sookie – She is legit THE BEST character on this show! She’s funny, cute, caring, great cook, and a wonderful friend. I loved it every time she popped up on the screen. Every time she popped up I always found my self laughing.

My FAVORITE part is this one episode were the Gilmore family goes to Independence Inn for dinner. Lorelai’s grandma tells Sookie that she has a cut down the back of her chef coat. Kind of reminds me a little of Chris Farley. Here is the clip. . . My Favorite Sookie Moment. That moment to me sums up Sookie and how funny she is. Melissa McCarthy is such an amazing actress.

Paris Geller – Ok. So at first I WAS NOT a fan of Paris. It was when she went to college is when I started to like her. She is freaking crazy and obnoxious, but man does she get stuff done! I LOVE that she has no care in the world on how she treats people. To me what’s funny about this character is that she is crazy mean to people, but she backs it up by being super smart. I know her being smart does not excuse her behavior, but at least she is not dumb thinking she is the greatest thing that walked the earth.

Also, I do feel that once you are Paris’s friend, she has got your back. Look what she was doing with Rory when they were getting ready to graduate college. She set up a board for both of them with a list of fun activities to do and places to send their resume.

When she got together with Doyle I was super happy for her. I really thought they made a great couple. Doyle really knew how to handle her crazy.

At the end of the series Paris became one of my favorites.

The People of Stars Hollow – All the characters of Stars Hollow are amazing. They were all unique and funny in their own way. Especially Kirk 😂 Babette, Ms. Patty, and Kirk were my favorite towns people of Stars Hollow. Their personalities were written beautifully and the actors themselves really made these people come to life. I feel like I could visualize someone just like that in real life.

When I first saw Kirk I said out loud, “Oh my gosh! That’s Kraglin!”. If you don’t know who Kraglin is, he is a character in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. What I liked most about Kirk is that he reminded me a lot of a friend of mine. Not the crazy side of Kirk. I am talking about all the jobs Kirk had. My friend at one point was working four jobs at the same time. When we worked together people would always tell him, “Hey don’t you also work at (enter business name here)?”.

Everyone in Stars Hollow and how this town was written, really makes me want to move to a small town that has as many town functions as they did.

🟢 Reunion Season 🟢

I was super disappointed in the reunion season. Yes I understand that it came many years after the series ended, and the actors needed to find their groove again in these characters. But I felt everyone was uncomfortable. Even the writing felt off which was weird because it was still the same writer and director for the original series.

What was sad about this reunion season was that the main characters didn’t grow after all this time. Lorelai still thinks about herself, Emily is still awful and mean, Luke still wears the same clothes, and Rory is still doing not the smartest things. So it really bummed me out that no one grew. I felt bad for people who thoroughly enjoyed this show. I felt this shows ending was such a let down.

They ended it with Rory being pregnant? REALLY? My complaint from the original series was that they did not give everyone a great ending. Then they went and did it again with this reunion series? COME ON! They should have wrapped up everyone’s story. It’s sad that this did not happen because all 4 episodes were longer than an hour.

Lorelai / Luke – I honestly can’t believe after all this time Luke and Lorelai still keep secrets from each other. Like COME ON! You would think after so many years of being together and what they went through they would have better communication. Also, Luke has been patiently waiting for Lorelai to come around and marry him. It is crazy to me that Lorelai does not see that she was in the wrong this whole time. And why is she getting mad at Luke for wanting a kid?

I know with Sookie leaving the writer wrote in bits of famous chefs not being able to be as good as Sookie, but this to me was not all that funny. To me it was a bit disrespectful. And also with Lorelai being short a cook you cannot be THAT picky when trying to run an inn.

At the end with them getting married I was so not happy. That was not at all how I pictured it. They have been waiting all these years to get married, then they are one day away and they choose to get married THAT night. REALLY?! They could not wait ONE more day?

Side note. Kirk’s wedding reception he planned for Luke and Lorelai was AMAZING!

Rory – Rory, Rory, Rory. . . She is freaking ridiculous. She is sleeping with Logan knowing very well he is engaged! ENGAGED! She was all butt hurt when Logan cheated on her when they were broken up for a short period. BUT she is totally fine with having a “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” kind of attitude when sleeping with Logan. Don’t get me wrong. I am not happy with Logan either, but how can Rory be beyond angry about cheating in college, but ok with it when she is in her 30s? If they wrote that Logan would leave his fiancé for Rory I would have been 100% good with that.

Even though I am not ok with Rory and Logan’s situation. I did think it was cool that the secret society came to Rory and try to brighten up her mood.

Emily – I was hoping that her and Lorelai would have a good relationship by now. Not the EXACT SAME relationship where were we left off. At the ending of the original series I truly thought Lorelai and Emily had a breakthrough. But seeing Emily still playing her same old tricks and trying to break up Lorelai and Luke was exhausting.

Also, Emily’s situation with her new maid and the maids family was just plain weird. I did not understand any of it. If it was supposed to be that Emily felt alone without Richard then I guess I understand. Emily should have sold her house and moved to Stars Hollow. Instead of moving to the beach with her maid and the maids family.

Michel / Sookie / Lane / Paris – With these four people I was actually truly happy with their stories. They all ended up where they belong. The only one I was sad about was Sookie and her leaving the inn. I was hoping she would have stayed. Other than that, I was good. Lane is still rocking out with her hubby and kids, Michel moves elsewhere, and Paris is the leading lady in surrogacy.

The one thing that did bum me out was that Paris and Doyle split up. I was really hoping that wasn’t going to happen. Or at least they would get back together at the end of the reunion season.