Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life Season 1

[zxy556575]

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

I liked how they handled Rory's career and thought it was pretty realistic. Here's someone who's been told all of her life she's exceptional and gets things dropped into her lap, and now that she's out in the real world and her chosen field is tanking, she's completely unprepared on how to proceed.

I'd be okay with that ... if only Rory had said something. Like, "I'm feeling a little unfocused/unsettled/lost, mom. My career is not going where I thought it would and my love life is bollocks." Instead, Rory was totally breezy, carefree, and INSISTENT that she was not home. Nope! Just visiting! Everything's cool!

That's Rory's life of artifice in a nutshell. It's why she was initially drawn to Logan, who exemplifies it. If Rory ever goes to therapy, Lorelai would have a lot to answer for. By trying to imitate/be her mother, Rory has only undermined her true self.

[StaceyNotStacie]

I only started watching the original series recently (caught the marathon on Up TV last week). I've missed bits and pieces of the seasons and have seen more of the later seasons than the earlier ones (I only saw a handful of episodes with Dean and Jess compared to Logan)

I enjoyed the Netflix series. I liked Emily's story and the stories with the women together. I also loved Luke's interactions with Emily and his reactions to her wanting to get in touch with him. The one scene that hit me was when Luke arrived at Emily's house during dinner and the only available seat was Richards's chair. The way that everyone reacted and nobody sat in the chair hit home. There are certain chairs I don't like to sit in when visiting homes of deceased family members. 

There was way too much Kirk. I liked the movie and the pig, but there were so many scenes where he was unnecessary and I wish other actors were used instead. 

[ShadowFacts]

4 minutes ago, Stacey1014 said:

There was way too much Kirk. I liked the movie and the pig, but there were so many scenes where he was unnecessary and I wish other actors were used instead. 

For some reason Kirk, who usually bugged me pretty fast in the old series, did not bother me here, but he did get an awful lot of screen time.  And I really loved his decorating job and how much it meant to him.  The overused person for me this go round was Gypsy.  I would have been happier with more Lane, and Mrs. Kim.  Mrs. Kim always had killer lines in the original.  There was definitely uneven usage of ancillary characters.  They could never spread it out to satisfy everyone, but you can see who the producers' favorites are. 

[Frelling Tralk]

30 minutes ago, lordonia said:

I'd be okay with that ... if only Rory had said something. Like, "I'm feeling a little unfocused/unsettled/lost, mom. My career is not going where I thought it would and my love life is bollocks." Instead, Rory was totally breezy, carefree, and INSISTENT that she was not home. Nope! Just visiting! Everything's cool!

Didnt Rory say exactly that to her mother, that she's feeling very lost right now? And I thought the implication in the Summer episode was that she was not breezy at all about being home, not if she felt the need to be on the defensive with constantly insisting that she's not really back. Same with her talk with Jess on how she feels like other people can smell failure on her, she didn't seem cool about the current state of her life in the least to me 

[Minneapple]

1 hour ago, txhorns79 said:

I think the difference may be that Bledel started off with huge success, and, for whatever reason, wasn't able to sustain it.  With Rory, it sounds like she had smaller bursts of success that she never was able to make into anything bigger.  I do wish they had given us a better idea of Rory's career trajectory. 

I think Alexis is a very private person (witness how tight-lipped she is about her family life) and she chooses her jobs very carefully. I don't think she really wants to be in the public eye or to have big-time roles. She always seems really uncomfortable when she's doing media and interviews, and might just be perfectly happy with smaller roles that require little media attention. And with her paycheck from the GG revival, she may never have to work again. Same with Lauren. They can both do whatever they want, so good for them. 

(I reallly want Lauren to do the adaptation of The Royal We for the big screen! Please let it happen!)

[QuiteContrary]

A Year in the Life musings:

-It looked like Lorelai had an unfortunate weave for most of the series.

-Fall was the best-written episode. If it had just been Fall, I would have been pleased with the revival.

-"Now your name is, uh, Molly....Why?" And Michel can't talk to kids how customer service people are supposed to without worrying about sounding like a child molester. So true. Love Michel.

-No mention that Rory worked on the Obama campaign press bus in 2008? And they screwed up the fact that Yale didn't have a journalism major again? And Rory is Logan's side piece but she isn't even taking the side piece guilt house? Hey, and why the hell didn't Rory get a Master's degree? It doesn't take too long and it's not like she lacked the money, and having a graduate degree gives you better job and salary opportunities....I mean, c'mon! In seven years, Paris apparently did med school, residency, established a world-renowned successful fertility clinic, and had two kids! Rory published, like, five known articles?

-All of Rory's exes are in pretty great shape. Logan: Nice bod, but I'll never actually find a blond adult man attractive. Would have liked to hear Jared's Smeagol impression.

-Blue Hill Farms is an amazing gig for Sookie and Jackson. Good for them. I love the cakes wedding cake, but the milestone cake had some sad-looking, crappy marzipan art on it.

-When I checked the subtitles during an Emily bit, it hilariously said "[Berta speaking her language]." The press said Berta and her family are Peruvian. Shrug.

-Oh, god, the first time I teared up in this Year in the Life was Rory sitting to write at Richard's desk. That hit me right in the feels.

-Where's my Kiefer Sutherland cameo, DAMMIT?! And when would Kiefer have spent time in Connecticut? Around when he headbutted that fashion designer in NY?

-I literally cheered for Emily swearing and taking no bullshit from anyone and having a sherry every day in the afternoon. And of course her ideal occupation is enthusiastically lecturing about horrible whale murder while children cried and parents cringed. Fabulous.

-"If I don't like it I'll just sue your ass." "It's good publicity. Sue me either way?" Awwww.

-Yay, no Liz and TJ! And the only Chris scene was super short!

-Hey 19 is a downer of a flash mob song:

"Hey Nineteen
No we got nothing in common
No we can't talk at all
Please take me along
When you slide on down"

I am bummed that Luke and Lorelai still have communication problems where they lie about certain major life things that inevitably lead to crazy emotional outbursts, but I guess those two goofballs need that drama in their lives.

-Hi, Mr. Kim! Bye, Mr. Kim!

[Eyes High]

1 hour ago, Frelling Tralk said:

Didnt Rory say exactly that to her mother, that she's feeling very lost right now? And I thought the implication in the Summer episode was that she was not breezy at all about being home, not if she felt the need to be on the defensive with constantly insisting that she's not really back. Same with her talk with Jess on how she feels like other people can smell failure on her, she didn't seem cool about the current state of her life in the least to me 

Rory was extremely candid with Jess and Lorelai about what a shitshow her life was. She specifically told Lorelai she was lost:

Rory: This is karma. This is why Conde Nast will not follow up with me. They know failure when it walks in the door. (...)

Lorelai: What's with not telling me about stuff?

Rory: I don't know.

Lorelai: Why didn't you tell me about Logan?

Rory: I don't know. I just...I'm feeling very lost these days. This whole past year, it's like the ground's made of straw. I'm just gonna fall through.

And this is what she told Jess:

Rory: I could have been a contender. (...) I'm broke. Busted. Beggared. I have no apartment. No car. My license expired three months ago. (...) Everything I own is in boxes scattered around three different states. I have no job. I have no credit. I have no underwear. (...) Are you listening, man? I'm broke. (...) This isn't about you lending me money. This is about my life! People come up and smell me.

Jess: And what are they smelling?

Rory: Failure. Headmaster Charleston told me to go get my Master's so that I can teach at Chilton. He could smell it. I went and interviewed at a website that I hate. They passed. They can smell it. (...) Maybe Paris will let me be a surrogate. She's always liked my teeth. 

Edited November 28, 2016 by Eyes High

[tennisgurl]

There is a whole lot to say about this revival, but I think, for now, that I will start with my favorite thing, and my least favorite things: 

As far as best, I really loved everything having to do with Emily. As tragic as the loss of Edward Hermann was, it did lead to by far the best part of the new show. Her arc was complete and logical, and I loved seeing her trying to figure out her life after Richard. Not only had she lost the love of her life, her partner, and other half, she lost her place in the world. She was a society wife, and now she was a society wife without a husband. She found some sense of purpose, and while it wasn't perfect, it was good to see, and every scene with Kelly Bishop was just on fire. 

My least favorite element was Rory and her story line. I am just not sure what they were trying to show with her. If they were purposefully trying to show a woman who had been told she was perfect for her whole life suddenly was dropped in the real world, where people suddenly didn't worship her, and she was just one of many qualified young people out there looking for work, it would be an interesting plot, but I have no idea if thats what they meant to do. Rory came off, throughout the revival, as an extremely self centered, pretentious, snobby, unprofessional, and just generally a crappy garbage person. We saw few glimpses of the girl who loved books and wanted to see Fez one day. Her sleeping with Logan hurt both characters, and just came off as people who have been stuck in a bubble for almost a decade. It also comes off as them being cheating jerks, and the Paul running gag was my least favorite thing in the whole revival. It wasn't funny, it was nasty, and just made everyone look awful. I could have gotten behind a story where Rory struggled, in her life and career, but I cant get behind her being an insufferable jerk. 

Least favorite small moment? Rory and Lorelai sitting at the pool, mocking people for being fat or wearing an actual swimsuit, while slave boys fan them. Just a picture of awfulness and self centerdness. 

Favorite little moment? Luke is friends with Kiefer Sutherland, and never bothered to tell anyone. Its just so Luke. He wouldn't think to mention that his fishing buddy just happened to work as an actor people might have heard of. It was hilarious. 

[Lady Calypso]

2 hours ago, RoyRogersMcFreely said:

Didn't Amy say she cut a lot, I mean I think she said hours. Like, wtf did she consider filler, given what she thought the audience needed to see. My biggest fear is she cut useful for the narrative scenes so the audience could bask in the talent of Sutton.

I want to know what they cut too. I don't know how they'll deliver deleted scenes, but they probably should. I'd love to know what they cut, especially from Summer, to warrant a 20 minute musical arc that nobody seems to like.

I do know that there was a picture of Jess in Winter (snow on his car, so we actually saw his car) so they definitely cut a scene from him at some point. Milo also talked about his scenes with Scott Patterson, so I think he had more than just his scene at the diner with him and probably another scene or two other than the scenes at the Crap Shack. Maybe.

I think they could have easily cut the musical at the "costume change" that Taylor discussed, if they needed to keep part of the musical in. It was a perfect way to segue into the next scene. And they could have cut the discussion scene by two minutes, at least. 

Edited November 28, 2016 by Lady Calypso

[Eyes High]

55 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

I want to know what they cut too. I don't know how they'll deliver deleted scenes, but they probably should. I'd love to know what they cut, especially from Summer, to warrant a 20 minute musical arc that nobody seems to like.

I do know that there was a picture of Jess in Winter (snow on his car, so we actually saw his car) so they definitely cut a scene from him at some point. Milo also talked about his scenes with Scott Patterson, so I think he had more than just his scene at the diner with him and probably another scene or two other than the scenes at the Crap Shack. Maybe.

I think they could have easily cut the musical at the "costume change" that Taylor discussed, if they needed to keep part of the musical in. It was a perfect way to segue into the next scene. And they could have cut the discussion scene by two minutes, at least. 

Milo said he was in "two and a half" episodes. Was Summer the "half," since he only got one scene? Or was Winter the "half," with a possible brief scene with very little dialogue?

Edited November 28, 2016 by Eyes High

[Lady Calypso]

Just now, Eyes High said:

Milo said he was in "two and a half" episodes. Was Summer the "half," since he only got one scene? Or was Winter the "half," with a brief scene with very little dialogue?

Maybe his half was the Winter episode and that's why it was cut. I know we'll probably eventually see the deleted scenes, but I wonder what the "half" means. Because he initially told the press that he was in less than four, more than two. And then he clarified later that he was not in three. Maybe he was in Winter but with no dialogue?

[stillshimpy]

2 hours ago, QuiteContrary said:

-Yay, no Liz and TJ!

I join you in celebration.  I am convinced the actors were unavailable or something because no way was it ASP's call to spare the audience those characters.  Her reaction to fans hating characters has almost always been to use them more.  If she'd been writing Lost the last two seasons would have been wall-to-wall Nikki and Paolo. 

Edited November 28, 2016 by stillshimpy

[Eyes High]

Just now, stillshimpy said:

I join you in celebration.  I am convinced the actors were unavailable or something because no way was it ASP's call to spare the audience those characters.  Her reaction to fans hating characters has almost always been to use them more.  

Apparently there's bad blood between ASP and Liz's actress.  

[stillshimpy]

7 minutes ago, Eyes High said:

Apparently there's bad blood between ASP and Liz's actress.  

Well, that gives me a reason to be grateful to Kathleen Wilhoite which is not something I would have predicted as Liz made me want to shave my head bald in protest and then choke TJ with my hair.   

[starri]

One new townie did make me laugh, Ester, the woman filing at glacial speed at the Gazette.  This is possibly because I love Jackie Hoffman.

[TimetravellingBW]

On 11/27/2016 at 3:27 AM, katha said:

I have to hand it to the Palladinos, though: The way Rory turned out, that's probably a realistic depiction of the consequences of protecting a young person from all consequences like Rory was sheltered by Lorelai and Emily/Richard. Add in her timid personality, fear of conflict, inability to deal with criticism and self-involvement, this is what you get with the perpetual "special snowflake" treatment. It made a depressing amount of sense that she'd turn out to be a selfish, entitled and spineless jerk who seems incapable of making any kind of decisions and follow through in either her personal or her professional life.

I'm not surprised Rory's ending has been controversial. I actually ended up being pretty ok with it though for two pretty different reasons: a) Her career arc felt authentic for her character and b) She's become such a horrible person I didn't care she was unhappy with her life.

Before the revival I wanted Rory to succeed in a way that felt authentic for her, and the show ending with her running the SH Gazette (it really should be paid) and writing books on the side felt right. In a way that becoming a Pulitzer-winning, NYT foreign correspondent didn't.  As said before, her personality just didn't fit that and her not being tough enough to make fitted her upbringing and development. (And I'm glad the show finally broke the trend of her getting everything she wanted and owning up to her character flaws). In one way I like that situation because I think Rory could be happy, not because I'm crowing over her failure. 

On the other hand, the show does paint her feeling she's failed in life - even if I don't think she has - but I don't feel sorry for her because she's become so spoiled and unlikable. (The cheating, forgetting about Paul, her entitlement with her career). There's definitely a part of me that's is kind of enjoying her failure and getting her comeuppance with the pregnancy. 

Which is sad because Rory was my favourite character in early seasons. And there's a whole other part of me that's mourning that original Rory and the girl who believed she could make it at Chilton despite everything against her, always carried a book in her handbag, turned repaving stories into tearjerkers, got to school 4 hours early on the first day and loved reading margin notes. I wouldn't want this pregnancy ending for that girl but she hasn't been around for a long time.

On 11/28/2016 at 10:09 AM, Eyes High said:

I dunno. For all we know, Odette truly believes Logan is in love with her. For all we know, Odette is madly in love with Logan. For all we know, Logan cares for her as much as he cares for Rory and is "That's the dynastic plan" is just the line he uses to string Rory along. We just don't know.

19 hours ago, Eyes High said:

Of course he's dejected; he lost his favourite toy, and no longer can he have his cake and eat it too as he did when he had a fiancee and a mistress. Logan's never taken well to being deprived of things he wants. He's not nobly suffering upon being deprived of his one and only love as some would have it when he's upset that Rory dumped him. He's being the same spoiled little shit he's always been, who throws a tantrum at being denied what he wants and who refuses to take "No" for an answer, which explains the LDB caper. 

22 hours ago, amensisterfriend said:

Can someone explain to me why Logan has to marry Odette? I get that ASP has a certain (typically exaggerated!) view of how very radically different the upper class operates from the rest of us 99%ers, but even she knows that Logan isn't an Earl living in Regency-era England who 'has to' marry into a certain family for reasons relating to property and their future heir or part of an ancient Chinese dynasty despite Logan's wry comment about marrying for "dynastic" reasons, right?! I get that his parents want him to marry a certain 'type' of woman, but do we know why it has to be this particular one? Maybe Logan has actual feelings for this woman? 

I legit laughed so hard at that line and the idea of Logan sinking under the combined weight of carrying on a combined Regency-England-Ancient-Chinese-Robb-Stark dynasty. The Huntzberger's are a fine family after all. I love a forbidden, inter-class, star-crossed romances as much as anyone but that's not what Logan and Rory are! The entire Logan/Rory situation is a hot mess with no exploration into how any of the characters are feeling or justification for their situation.

I'd be curious about any of these theories about Odette/Logan being thrown around: That they're purely together for empire-building and she's fine with him having mistresses, that she genuinely loves him and doesn't know he's cheating, that he loves her and views Rory as a side-piece, that he wants a serious relationship with Rory but she's rejected him and he's settling, that Mitchum will organize a mass-slaughtering if Rory and Logan get married a la the Red Wedding. But we just don't know because the writers never bothered to give any insight. So we have to guess and meanwhile Rory and Logan come away looking like despicable people.

Edited November 28, 2016 by TimetravellingBW

[msani19]

4 hours ago, RoyRogersMcFreely said:

Didn't Amy say she cut a lot, I mean I think she said hours. Like, wtf did she consider filler, given what she thought the audience needed to see.

Yikes! Seriously! Ummm, then she knows less about the word "editing" than I already suspected. I've read articles talking about how this is one of the issues with Netflix shows; network interference can result in terrible choices but it could also get the show runner to be more judicious with what they show. She needs a very HEAVY hand to temper her tendencies, especially since she fancies herself quite the auteur. *eye roll*

Edited November 28, 2016 by msani19
The proper order for words is important

[dubbel zout]

3 hours ago, Minneapple said:

(I reallly want Lauren to do the adaptation of The Royal We for the big screen! Please let it happen!)

It already has! She's adapting the book, and one of her TV daughters, Mae Whitman, has the lead role.

2 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

I want to know what they cut too.

The SH musical was the length of an actual musical. 

[hippielamb]

Overall, I am satisfied with the story. I went into this with low expectations and expecting to not like it. Lorelai and Rory remain my reason for watching and they didn't disappoint. Emily and Lorelai finally made some real progress. Luke and Lorelai's relationship I full on expected to hate due to their prior season 6 drama but it was ok. It's not what I wanted for her but she's settled and happy having Luke be the guy she can count on. They probably should have married before this but if they did, fans wouldn't have seen their wedding. And a lot of people wanted that.

I liked Rory's story for the most part and it makes me wonder what her new journey will be like. I enjoyed Emily's arc although it will take time to adjust to her new life. I always pictured her in the Gilmore house, even after Richard passed. Many of the scenes felt like a continuation of the series. There were things I didn't like (the musical that wouldn't end!) but I'm pleased with the conclusion. 

19 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

It already has! She's adapting the book, and one of her TV daughters, Mae Whitman, has the lead role.

The SH musical was the length of an actual musical. 

That musical was more grating and uncomfortable than sitting through a real bad community theatre production. If anyone ever complains about the troubadour subplot in Partings, I will remind them of that awful musical. 

[Frelling Tralk]

1 hour ago, Eyes High said:

Apparently there's bad blood between ASP and Liz's actress.  

Well now I'm curious as what went down there! I did wonder why Liz and TJ were off-screen when they had been sooo overused in seasons 5 and 6, they always seemed like real favourites of Amy's for some bizarre reason

[MsChicklet]

What I liked about the Year in the Life:

• Emily's widowhood. She could be funny, mean, lost, impulsive, insightful and cruel. But it felt real.
• Lorelei's and Luke's communication issues. These two didn't learn from their first go-round. They just went along for so long thinking the other one wanted things this way, so it was good.
• Rory floundering professionally. As I said earlier, there are thousands of Ivy League (and other top J-School) graduates gunning for those jobs and bylines. So her not landing on a soft, fluffy cloud of professional glory was a good way to go.
• How Rory was with Dean and Jess. As I said in another post, it seemed like because she thought they were in her past, she could be more herself around them. I saw the heart, spark and wit of Rory come through with both of them more than I did with Logan.
• The final four words. Actually, I think they work better coming from 32-year-old Rory than from 23-year-old Rory. She was finally working through her professional crisis, she'd walked away from Logan on her own terms, she was starting this new chapter and ... blammo.
• The way Emily was practically shoving Jack Smith into the car on Nantucket. She's nobody's fool on that count.
• Lorelei's call to Emily from the vista. Emily was thankfully not awake enough to interrupt her and they both got what they needed.

What I didn't like:

• Lorelei's stories on the patio after the funeral. Even with scotch on an empty stomach, it was out of character. It would have been more believable for her to either walk away saying nothing or staying passed out. Both of which Emily would have castigated her for, and there still would have been that amazing, raw fight scene.
• Some things went on way too long. "Stars Hollow: The Musical" and the Life and Death Brigade montage were both draggy. 
• Cousin Aprilver. Could have done with just a mention.
• Paul. Useless, stupid, and made Rory look like a Mean Girl.
• Some of the wedding montage. I could have done with less music-video romping through the decorations and either kept it focused on the ceremony, or adding something from the next day with Emily and the townies there.
• I can't imagine Rory would drop the last-four-words bomb when Lorelei still had the whole wedding/reception day ahead of her. That was something that could have been done in a scene at the gazebo a week or so after the wedding, maybe as Lorelei had just signed the papers for the retirement home and was making plans for that.
• Logan. There was nothing about him that made me think Rory would settle for being his side chick.

Edited November 29, 2016 by MsChicklet

[MaiSoCalled]

5 hours ago, ShadowFacts said:

For some reason Kirk, who usually bugged me pretty fast in the old series, did not bother me here, but he did get an awful lot of screen time.  And I really loved his decorating job and how much it meant to him.

Kirk really worked for me in Fall, I loved the part he played in the wedding. The ooooober bit in Winter was a bit much of me, but I thought his part in Fall was the perfect amount for Kirk. Important to the plot, more important than the average townie, but without taking away from the girls and Luke. 

I liked the pig. 

[FictionLover]

5 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

I want to know what they cut too. I don't know how they'll deliver deleted scenes, but they probably should. I'd love to know what they cut, especially from Summer, to warrant a 20 minute musical arc that nobody seems to like.

I do know that there was a picture of Jess in Winter (snow on his car, so we actually saw his car) so they definitely cut a scene from him at some point. Milo also talked about his scenes with Scott Patterson, so I think he had more than just his scene at the diner with him and probably another scene or two other than the scenes at the Crap Shack. Maybe.

I think they could have easily cut the musical at the "costume change" that Taylor discussed, if they needed to keep part of the musical in. It was a perfect way to segue into the next scene. And they could have cut the discussion scene by two minutes, at least. 

LG said not that long ago in an interview that she rides a horse in it too.  The actors must not know what was cut prior to the premier.

[Eyes High]

2 hours ago, Frelling Tralk said:

Well now I'm curious as what went down there! I did wonder why Liz and TJ were off-screen when they had been sooo overused in seasons 5 and 6, they always seemed like real favourites of Amy's for some bizarre reason

Kathleen Wilhoite tweeted way back in February, when Melissa McCarthy tweeted about not having been asked back to the revival, the following:

"Hah! Well then I'm in good company. U rule, Melissa. I wasn't asked back either, tho, I think for entirely different reasons." [bold mine]

There was a podcast where KW talked about it, but the link was taken down. At the GilmoreGirlsRevival2016 tumblr someone said that in the podcast KW said she asked about coming back and ASP said it wasn't going to happen. I think it was discussed on this forum in the spoiler or the cast thread.

Can't say I missed Liz or TJ. Bullet dodged, as far as I'm concerned.

ETA: I read a post-revival interview with Matt Czuchry at Time.com. It looks like he was given no information as to Odette and Logan's backstory and chose to portray it as familial obligation, which explains his acting choices. He also seems to imply pretty heavily that ASP and DP were pushing the Logan=Christopher agenda pretty hard in the writing, and that he didn't like that, because he didn't think he could credibly sell it to the audience, so he tried to act in a way that showed a Logan who loved and cared about Rory rather than pushing the Logan/Christopher parallel.

So it sounds like there was a bit of a passive-aggressive clash between ASP/DP and Matt Czuchry over whether Logan should be played as a callous Christopher type, which is what ASP/DP wanted, or as a loving, sensitive man cruelly trapped by circumstance, which is what Matt Czuchry thought he could sell as a credible character choice as an actor. This resulted in a disconnect between the writing--showing a Logan who is comfortable with his choices and shows no interest in ending his engagement--and Matt Czuchry's acting. It also sounds like Alexis Bledel and Matt Czuchry were given no background information on the storyline which could have better informed their acting choices, which given the lack of detail in the scripts themselves seems like a pretty fucking egregious omission in my opinion. No wonder that storyline was so repellent and confusing to viewers; the actors themselves were completely confused and repelled.

Edited November 29, 2016 by Eyes High

[msani19]

I discovered the existence of the Gilmore Guys podcast from reading this forum. I decided to listen to their take on the revival, in addition to hearing about their experience from being part of it. I won't spoil it for anyone who wants to listen, but they echo many, many of the feelings I've seen expressed so far (hmmm...maybe that is a spoiler in of itself!).

They also plan to do a separate podcast for each episode, which I'm looking forward to listening to. 

Edited November 29, 2016 by msani19

[JayInChicago]

I really hate almost all of this revival.

[SueB]

20 minutes ago, msani19 said:

I discovered the existence of the Gilmore Guys podcast from reading this forum. I decided to listen to their take on the revival, in addition to hearing about their experience from being part of it. I won't spoil it for anyone who wants to listen, but they echo many, many of the feelings I've seen expressed so far (hmmm...maybe that is a spoiler in of itself!).

They also plan to do a separate podcast for each episode, which I'm looking forward to listening to. 

 

Do you have a link?

[msani19]

17 minutes ago, SueB said:

Do you have a link?

@SueB...great question....http://www.gilmoreguysshow.com/ is their website. I subscribed to their podcast on iTunes so I don't have the link for that.

They have episodes on the website, but I just checked and they haven't put up this particular episode on the website yet.

I was wrong...if you go to the Listen tab on their website, you can listen to this episode there. 

I'll add that the podcast is over 2 hours long! Just an FYI!

Edited November 29, 2016 by msani19

[JayInChicago]

For people who are new-ish to these threads and boards, we've been hashing out a lot of what the OG series meant for a couple years now (uh, how old is previously.tv?) and obvs there was the TWOP site before...but basically for me, what the Pallidinos are saying with this revival is counter to some of my pet theories.

Like I would never think Paris was still hung up on effing TRISTAN. She's had three serious boyfriends/partners/husband that we know of and she's PARIS FUCKING GELLAR. 

I also dont understand Rory at all. Is she supposed to be a deeply flawed / or as some say garbage person? I mean, fine, we all have flaws except it was hammered into us that RORY GILMORE IS AN ANGELIC GIFT TO THE WORLD. I don't care at all about this Rory. And really, this revival is almost totally focused on her.  Her voyage is not that interesting!

[Viqutorious]

13 hours ago, Eyes High said:

Some seem to be assuming that once Logan finds out about the baby, he'll immediately dump Odette and hasten to Rory' side to declare his love and propose marriage. Even assuming he would do that--and I think that's a very flimsy assumption--why would Rory want to be with someone who was only choosing her because she was the mother of his child?

And why would Logan want to marry a woman that cheats? ;)

[TyranAmiros]

I'm 33 and found Rory's story to be very uncomfortably close to home--at least in terms of career.  There's a group of us between Gen X and the Millenials who entered the workforce right at the beginning of the recession and found that by the time that the recession receded, we were being bypassed for those coming straight out of college. I totally get that Rory, who's always had things handed to her on a plate, would really struggle to figure out her path--I'm going through the same thing right now in the "gig economy."

I've always thought that the guy Rory would end up with hadn't been introduced in the show yet--and it's one place I think the show should have taken a risk by introducing a new character rather than the route they took here.  I don't mind the set up with Rory having an affair with Logan--it fits with the character.  But maybe in Spring, they could have introduced a new character--maybe Wookee Boy--as an option. 

I know I'm in the minority of a minority, but I don't like Luke/Lorelai at all (I haven't since the beginning) and the reboot just highlighted why they make a terrible couple all over again.  Lorelai treats Luke like an employee and Luke treats Lorelai like a unicorn.  Even in a relationship, Luke seems to have no sympathy for what Lorelai is going through and Lorelai wants to shove him aside to handle the inheritance the way she thinks it should be handled.  The bantering is fun in the Diner, but it's grating to think that the relationship consists mostly of house repair and cooking with no emotional support between the two.

Overall, the reboot was not as bad as I feared.  At least, none of the main characters felt too out of character and I really enjoyed seeing all three Gilmore Girls deal with entering new phases of their lives.  I really did think that they were going to tie up the inheritance storyline with Michel's storyline by moving out of Stars Hollow to build a chain of Dragonfly Inns/Luke's Diners throughout the country--though I'm certain the main reason it didn't happen is to keep open AYITL 2.

[starri]

1 hour ago, TyranAmiros said:

But maybe in Spring, they could have introduced a new character--maybe Wookee Boy--as an option. 

Please.  ASP wouldn't think a geeky character was good enough for Rory.

[Proclone]

It actually took me awhile to actually be able to watch this.  I'm 32 and I remembered when Gilmore Girls premiered.  I used to watch it with my mom and we joked and called ourselves the Gilmore Girls. My mom wasn't 16 when she had me (truth be told her situation was probably closer to Rory's at the end of "Fall" than Lorelai at least in terms of where they were in their lives), I did not have extremely wealthy grandparents and to be perfectly honest Christopher would win father of the year when compared to my father.  But I was very much like Rory the shy, very bookish teenager with the "cool" mom to whom I was extremely close.  The show always hit a bit close to home for me (at least in terms of Rory and Lorelai's relationship) and I remember that I watched it pretty religiously with my mom up until the last season or two (I don't think either one of us watched all of season 7).

My mom passed away a few years ago now. I honestly didn't think I could watch this without my other Gilmore Girl, but last night after hearing some friends talk about it and ask me if I'd watched it, I finally decided to give it a try.  I was fully expecting not to really enjoy it but overall I did.  I agree that the town musical was way too long, and I thought Lorelai's reaction to it was strange for her.  This is the woman who knows which bathroom in her house is more comfortable for Kurt to throw up in, you'd think she'd embrace the hysterical weirdness that was that musical.

I get why people have an issue with Rory's story line.  I didn't mind it as much.  I might be a bit of a Rory apologist only because I saw so much of myself in her at 16, but I as someone who just turned 32 myself I kind of understand her floundering.  You feel like there should be a certain age where you really feel like an adult.  First you think it's 18 because you can vote and you're graduating high school.  Then 18 comes and goes and you think it's 21 when you can drink.  Then 21 passes and 25 and then 30 and you still don't really feel all that different.  You may have more responsibilities, but there's no switch that goes off and says "adult now."  And while my career has been more successful (at least of late, I did my floundering in that area in my late twenties) than Rory's, I'm also single and I see friends getting married and having kids and I can't help but think to myself, "That must be when you really feel like an adult." Because I honestly don't feel that different than I did at 18. So while I'm not saying that Rory is making very good decisions (either in her personal or professional life), I can kind of see why.  She still feels like a kid. 

I've also had a "Paul" in my life.  While I did nothing to the extent that Rory did, I did comically avoid him for a couple weeks while I tried to work up the courage to break up with him.  I never forgot he existed, but I did go out with someone else while we still technically dating.  Which I rationalized as being OK because I was planning to break up with him already.  Not my finest moment.  But I do understand how you get in relationship that you wind up staying in way too long out of almost inertia rather than any real attraction or affection.

Anyway I completely understand why people might not like this.  But I found watching it rather cathartic.  I made it to Lorelai's phone call to Emily during "Fall" before I started sobbing inconsolably (there where just moments of slight tearing up before that) in a way have I never really cried at a TV show before.  I mean it was ugly crying and it lasted until about ten minutes after the last scene ended.  Which is of course completely do with my mom and only tangentially related to the show, but at least if my Gilmore Girls can't hang out and drink coffee, at least Rory and Lorelai can and in a strange way that makes me feel better.

Edited November 29, 2016 by Proclone
grammar is our friend

[ShadowFacts]

Proclone, you made me cry right now.  I didn't watch GG with my mom, but miss her dearly.  I am happy you felt better watching Rory and Lorelai. 

[Aloeonatable]

Proclone, my sincerest condolences. My mother just passed away last month. She was 92, still bright and beautiful. We couldn't watch GG together as she lived in another state, but she never missed the show when it originally aired and we would talk about it, at least in the early seasons.

[cantbeflapped]

1 hour ago, Proclone said:

 First you think it's 18 because you can vote and you're graduating high school.  Then 18 comes and goes and you think it's 21 when you can drink.  Then 21 passes and 25 and then 30 and you still don't really feel all that different.  You may have more responsibilities, but there's no switch that goes off and says "adult now."

Beautiful post.  I love this part....helps me get in touch with why I really liked Rory's ending.  Remember right before she dropped the last four words....she looked around Stars Hollow and said something like, "I just want to take it all in."  I think she realized sharing her news was going to make it official and she was saying goodbye to her childhood in that last moment.  Now, some might scoff at a 32 year old not having left that phase yet.  But, extended adolescence is a real thing...we've all experienced it ourselves or with friends and family.  

Also...I'm almost afraid to share this opinion, because it might not be too popular.  But, a baby isn't necessarily bad news.  It's often downright good news.  Now sure, most picture themselves married first.  But, as someone so wisely pointed out (I believe in this thread) 32 is a pretty good age to get started if you want to start a family. Although Rory never explicitly stated that desire, I think it's a safe bet that motherhood was something she aspired to.  Coincidentally, I was 32 when I had my first child.  I often feel like an older mom.  Some of my peers are grandmas now and my oldest is just 13.  

I do hope Rory's story differs from her mom's in significant ways....my picture...she has a boy, eventually finds the right guy and marries...has another child or two (to break the only child cycle in that family)....all the while realizing teaching is a fabulous career for her gifts and motherhood commitments.  

[tarotx]

If Logan is the father of Rory's child, I don't want a boy.  

[cantbeflapped]

1 minute ago, tarotx said:

If Logan is the father of Rory's child, I don't want a boy.  

You're right.  That could be complicated.  Hopefully Odette has her own boy soon...lol.  I prefer a boy, just because my mind needs some separation between Rory's experience and her mom's.  The thought of Rory and her teenage girl having a movie night while eating junk food in a "no boys allowed" house...just doesn't sit right.  Also, my picture for her involves her finding her mate much sooner than Lorelai...not going it alone like her mom did.  

[JayInChicago]

If Logan is the father, I can't imagine Rory could keep it a secret if that's the way she was going. I feel like a family rich and powerful enough as the Huntz. clan would have someone realize Rory was pregnant and Logan engaged or married to Odette and smell that sweet TMZ (or whatever) scandal money. I also feel like Mitchum would be on her trail a it more.

[moonb]

Things I loved about the revival:

-Everything related to Richard's death, of course. The viciousness and unexpected parts of grief were really well done. I cried at Rory seeing Richard at his desk, and at Lorelai's story to the therapist about his last words. My dad died before any of us expected him to, and he was angry about dying so that rang true for me.  All the Emily/Lorelai scenes were gorgeous.

-Rory's storyline in general: I liked that they went there with Logan and that Rory continues to be a person who's kind and thoughtful to a select few people, but utterly callous toward any damage she's doing anywhere else. I did like Logan's growth in season 7, but I guess I have to fanwank that his California job ended up like Rory's journalism career, and that he headed back to London, lol. Every Rory/Logan scene made me want to take a shower, particularly the "mistress house" offer. Well-played by MC and AB.  Rory's pregnancy makes a lot of sense to me - motherhood is her answer to her aimlessness and floundering. No, it hasn't occurred to her yet that her child might have his or her own feelings about a missing or part-time dad, or that her child might not be a little go-with-the-flow Rory, but a headstrong Lorelai or other personality she hasn't met yet. 

-the Rory/Christopher scene was really well done, like almost everything in Fall.  "So [Lorelai raising Rory by herself] was the right thing to do?" "It was the way it was supposed to be." Nice dodge, Chris. But the scene was pretty poignant. Time will tell if Rory raising her child on her own is going to be the idyllic vision of her childhood she thinks, or if she's just fooling herself and living in an LDB Alice-in-Wonderland fantasy world. 

-Emily's body language at the DAR, slouching and yawning 100% like Lorelai. And going over to the refreshment table and eating like Lorelai would, because Lorelai is always eating, hee.

-Liza Weil looked amazing and exactly the way I imagined adult Paris.

-Kirk's pig and Paul Anka sharing the dog bed. I don't know why, but it made me giggle. 

The WTF stuff

-like a lot of other commenters, the characters felt like they were in 2008 or 2009, not 9 years later. Lorelai and Luke haven't addressed fundamental things about their relationship? Ok. Rory is supposed to have been freelancing for at least a few years now; she doesn't have a "Rory Gilmore" spiel or brand put-together that she can rattle off when she's selling her work? The Sandee scene made me cringe because come on, Rory should have a basic focus and a couple areas of expertise. I feel for her floundering and getting rejection after rejection (been there), but if she were 24-25 and had recently switched gears from the Obama campaign job to working freelance, those scenes would make more emotional sense to me. 

-the musical was fine for a few minutes, but I felt like I was drugged while watching it. The Stars Hollow Gazette stuff felt dated. Some of the cameos were overly cutesy. 

Edited November 29, 2016 by moonb

[Tikichick]

Something that bothered me especially in fall was Lorelai's clothing.  Yes, time has passed since the original series and fashion has as well, but I kept feeling like Lorelai's schlubbing around the house wardrobe was off.  The wedding dress finally connected the dots for me -- the overalls, the hat she puts on in the musical sequence at the wedding, the goth-like black lace wedding gown could have all been plucked from ASP's wardrobe, which was never Lorelai's sartorial look.

ASP fell victim to not enough strong voices telling her to be very careful about not making this into her personal vanity project.

[txhorns79]

Quote

You feel like there should be a certain age where you really feel like an adult.  First you think it's 18 because you can vote and you're graduating high school.  Then 18 comes and goes and you think it's 21 when you can drink.  Then 21 passes and 25 and then 30 and you still don't really feel all that different.  You may have more responsibilities, but there's no switch that goes off and says "adult now."  And while my career has been more successful (at least of late, I did my floundering in that area in my late twenties) than Rory's, I'm also single and I see friends getting married and having kids and I can't help but think to myself, "That must be when you really feel like an adult." Because I honestly don't feel that different than I did at 18. So while I'm not saying that Rory is making very good decisions (either in her personal or professional life), I can kind of see why.  She still feels like a kid. 

I don't think it's a matter of feeling anything, so much as where your life is.  If you are in your late 20s/early 30s, still living in your parents' house and only marginally employed, I can see why you may not view yourself as an adult.  However, if you are gainfully employed, living on your own, paying your own way and your parents only real role in your life is occasional guidance and emotional support, you are an adult, whether you feel that way or not. 

[PRgal]

At the very end, was it Rory who was taking care of Sick!Kirk?  Are they trying to tell us something?  Not that the baby is Kirk's or anything.  Can't be.  Oy!

[FictionLover]

6 minutes ago, PRgal said:

At the very end, was it Rory who was taking care of Sick!Kirk?  Are they trying to tell us something?  Not that the baby is Kirk's or anything.  Can't be.  Oy!

It felt like Kirk is Luke and Lorelai's kid and kind of Rory's adopted brother :)  I thought it was endearing how both Luke and Lorelai look out for him and Luke didn't seem to be as frustrated with him like the in the old series.

[stillshimpy]

16 hours ago, TimetravellingBW said:

 

 

 

 

Oh goody, another stray quote box.  I feel like these things are following me home.  I'm going to be the crazy (crazier?) quote box lady with a porch overflowing with quote boxes, and the neighbors all looking askance at me.  If I start weeding my lawn in a tatty faux fur coat and bedroom slippers, I'll have nailed it in one. 

32 minutes ago, Tikichick said:

ASP fell victim to not enough strong voices telling her to be very careful about not making this into her personal vanity project.

It always was, I think.  The whole "final four words" mythology and ....you know I loved the revival....but those words were lame.   That was the story choice of a fanfiction writer in the eleventh grade.   So the entire revival was already a vanity project to give  Amy a chance to have those words spoken on air.  However, truly, people's fashion sense changes over time.  Lauren Graham looks fantastic -- yeah, she's had work done but pretty much everyone over the age of forty in Hollywood does, even if they won't cop to it -- but overalls are probably a more realistic shlubby choice than sweats with Juicy on the rear, you know?  Again, for nearly fifty, whoa she looks incredibly good!  But she's thickened a little around the middle, as is what happens and the costuming choices seemed to be about trying to give the lady a hand in covering a tiny middle-aged tum.  No biggie. 

Edited November 29, 2016 by stillshimpy

[Tikichick]

4 minutes ago, stillshimpy said:

 

It always was, I think.  The whole "final four words" mythology and ....you know I loved the revival....but those words were lame.   That was the story choice of a fanfiction writer in the eleventh grade.   So the entire revival was already a vanity project to give  Amy a chance to have those words spoken on air.  However, truly, people's fashion sense changes over time.  Lauren Graham looks fantastic -- yeah, she's had work done but pretty much everyone over the age of forty in Hollywood does, even if they won't cop to it -- but overalls are probably a more realistic shlubby choice than sweats with Juicy on the rear, you know?  Again, for nearly fifty, whoa she looks incredibly good!  But she's thickened a little around the middle, as is what happens and the costuming choices seemed to be about trying to give the lady a hand in covering a tiny middle-aged tum.  No biggie. 

Except she did rock several of Lorelai's wardrobe staples and looked great, despite any body changes.  She still looked incredible in Lorelai's wrap dresses.  The detour into ASP's closet did her no favors. 

[PRgal]

1 hour ago, cantbeflapped said:

Beautiful post.  I love this part....helps me get in touch with why I really liked Rory's ending.  Remember right before she dropped the last four words....she looked around Stars Hollow and said something like, "I just want to take it all in."  I think she realized sharing her news was going to make it official and she was saying goodbye to her childhood in that last moment.  Now, some might scoff at a 32 year old not having left that phase yet.  But, extended adolescence is a real thing...we've all experienced it ourselves or with friends and family.  

Also...I'm almost afraid to share this opinion, because it might not be too popular.  But, a baby isn't necessarily bad news.  It's often downright good news.  Now sure, most picture themselves married first.  But, as someone so wisely pointed out (I believe in this thread) 32 is a pretty good age to get started if you want to start a family. Although Rory never explicitly stated that desire, I think it's a safe bet that motherhood was something she aspired to.  Coincidentally, I was 32 when I had my first child.  I often feel like an older mom.  Some of my peers are grandmas now and my oldest is just 13.  

I do hope Rory's story differs from her mom's in significant ways....my picture...she has a boy, eventually finds the right guy and marries...has another child or two (to break the only child cycle in that family)....all the while realizing teaching is a fabulous career for her gifts and motherhood commitments.  

In Rory's (Chilton/Yale) circle, she could very well be one of the first to have a baby.  I mean, who else has kids besides Paris (and Lane)?  Of course, everyone else will get pregnant at the same time as well.  I'm one of a few DINKs (Dual Income, No Kids) left from my class.  You're either married with kids or unmarried and loving it.

[Eyes High]

46 minutes ago, Tikichick said:

Something that bothered me especially in fall was Lorelai's clothing. 

While I know you were talking about Lorelai being dressed up like an ASP clone (and you're absolutely right, by the way), while we're on the subject I thought that Rory, Lorelai, and yes, even Emily (that hideous blue/black/white skirt suit at her last DAR meeting) wore incredibly ugly clothes at various points in the revival. Rory's best outfit was the Burberry coat in the first scene of Winter, and it was all downhill from there. The guys, especially Rory's exes, looked great while dressing true to their characters, though: Jess' sheepskin jacket, Logan's beautifully fitted shirts and sophisticated clothing choices, and Dean looking frankly spectacular in a low-key, family guy sort of way. 

Edited November 29, 2016 by Eyes High

[cantbeflapped]

Another thought I just had about Rory's ending.  Remember (in the pilot, I believe) when Lorelai said something like, "I stopped being a child the moment the strip turned pink."  I think that's what happened for Rory too, just much later in life.  I found it pretty touching as a viewer...to get to be there to watch her take that step into adulthood.  

[Eyes High]

1 minute ago, cantbeflapped said:

Another thought I just had about Rory's ending.  Remember (in the pilot, I believe) when Lorelai said something like, "I stopped being a child the moment the strip turned pink."

Of course, Michel tells Lorelai in Winter--in one of his better burns--"I don't need a child, I have you."