Alexa Di Palermo
Fans of Gilmore Girls got to watch our beloved Rory Gilmore grow up. We saw her from when she was a Chilton student to a Yale graduate beginning her first job for an online magazine following the presidential election. Throughout this process, we also watched her mother Lorelai and her grandmother Emily grow as individuals as well as together in their relationships with one another. This left many fans (including myself) wondering… What happened to the Gilmore Girls?
When I heard A Year in the Life was coming out, I was exhilarated to watch how my favorite characters have developed and what ended up happening with them. I can honestly say, although it was cool to watch, there were many aspects that disappointed me.
First, I was upset that Lorelai and Luke still had not gotten married. Years had passed and considering them waiting to get married is what had broken them up in the past, it was surprising. It is understood that these characters often struggle with commitment or owning up to how they feel, but after all the time that had passed it made me upset to think they still hadn’t gotten past that bump in the road. If I was Lorelai, I would have married Luke as soon as I could have after getting back together with him.
Next, Rory Gilmore. Many aspects of her character as an adult disappointed me. Although we love her, the fanbase must know that she is prone to making stupid decisions (and most of the time, still getting what she wanted in the end.) Her character continued to disappoint me, but even more in this sense because she is an adult. She still can not stay faithful to her boyfriends and has cheated on them with past lovers. Not only this, but she is sleeping with an engaged man… she tends to break up marriages.
Not only this, but it was kind of sad to see her back in Stars Hollow. It’s not necessarily surprising since she was a homebody and grew up having everything she wanted handed to her there(for the most part.) But part of me expected and hoped for her to amount to more, to grow up, to learn things the hard way and begin working harder for what she wants.
Although her being pregnant is disappointing considering she is not in a stable place within her life, I don’t necessarily find this to be a bad thing. Not only because it will be entertaining to watch (whenever another part comes out, if it ever does), but because I think it will make Rory have to structure her life in a way that she has not been doing. Having to figure out who the father is and take responsibility for her actions is exactly what she needs.
Another thing I liked about the show is the development of Emily’s character. Having Richard Gilmore (actor Edward Hermann) absent was a sad thing for us as an audience, and the Gilmore Girls as characters. But it was amazing to see how strong of an individual Emily is and how she has coped with the absence of Richard. She grew into more of an individual then a wife, became more mature and confident in herself, and become more of a sensitive person.
Overall, if another Gilmore Girls fan asked me if they should watch this series, I would say yes. Although it was not my favorite and disappointed me in many ways, it was cool to see the characters back together again and evolved into who they grew to be!
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