So many relate to Lorelai and Rory when they said “‘It’s a show?’ ‘It’s a lifestyle. It’s a religion’.” This October marked the 25th anniversary of Gilmore Girls and for many it marked 25 years of laughter, memories, and good television. Since it began the show has won a Primetime Emmy, was nominated over 85 times for different awards, and has won 23. Gilmore Girls stars Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel as Lorelai and Rory, an iconic mother-daughter duo.
Gilmore Girls first aired on October 5, 2000 and the last episode aired on May 15, 2007. During its 7 seasons the show gained fans, created inside jokes, and became a classic. The show defines an era and a season because of its fall-centered themes, cozy vibe, and easy to follow plot. “The vibes are so fall, and it encapsulates the 2000s so well,” said Taylor Schlaphkohl, ‘27.
You might not be familiar with the plot so here’s a brief synopsis: Gilmore Girls takes place in the small town of Stars Hollow. Rory is exceptionally smart for her small town high school so she applies and is accepted to Chilton Preparatory, a prestigious private school. Lorelai is unable to pay the tuition on her own so her parents agree to pay for Rory’s education—on the one condition that Rory and Lorelai attend weekly Friday night dinners. Lorelai and her parents haven’t always gotten along so drama naturally ensues.
Within Rory’s romantic life she dates three main men—who fans have extremely strong, and contrasting opinions about. Dean is her first boyfriend and a mostly sweet guy. Jess belongs to more of the bad boy stereotype and causes lots of trouble, for the town, Rory, Lorelai, and many others. Logan is Rory’s college boyfriend and shows a more mature side of her character during a new era of her life. When speaking with Emma Hollands, ‘27, she said “I am personally on team Logan because I feel like he allowed her to be herself and didn’t make her feel bad, unlike Jess and Dean.”
One interesting aspect of the show is its high dosage of pop culture references. Lorelai and Rory are portrayed as both socially and regularly intelligent. As the show was airing, their references were already pulling from the past, so watching now provides a cool blast from the past. One specific quote is a fun reference made by Rory: “It’s eleven o’clock at night, who are you hoping to hook up with now? Spike and Drusilla?” This is in reference to the extremely popular show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, showing Rory knows her stuff.
All in all, the brilliant references, captivating plot, and timeless nature of the show make it an easy watch. It doesn’t matter if you’re Team Dean, Jess, or Logan—you should enjoy Gilmore Girls this fall.
