Every time a movie or television franchise from the past gets rebooted, I cringe. And I've been cringing an awful lot lately. I never cringed at the news of the "Gilmore Girls" comeback. What makes this revival feel like more than a cash grab preying on our nostalgia?
"Gilmore Girls" is sincere. This simple story will continue to have lasting impact, greater than any zombie or dragon show.
Oh, the impact this show has had on me. That's why I watched the original series finale with friends. That's why I used to run back to my dorm room between college classes to watch "Gilmore" reruns on ABC Family instead of socializing with my peers. That's why my fiance and I re-watched the entire series together over the past year. That's why I stayed up until 3 a.m. to watch the first episode of the reboot, "Winter." That's why I'm writing this now.
Winter
"I've missed you, kid," Lorelai says to Rory. We've missed both of them. And with that, the "Gilmore Girls" are back, peppering us with conversational birdshot.
Rory is back in Stars Hollow for a brief visit, just long enough for Lorelai to catch us up on the changes to the town over the nearly 10 years since we were here last. When the most drastic change is that Zach's recent promotion has forced him to wear a tie, you know you're enjoying some TV comfort food. Rory catches up with Lane in Doose's Market, while Kirk regales Lorelai with tales of his new ride-sharing business.
"So good to be home," Rory says. It is, isn't it?
After the town tour, Lorelai and Rory head home, where Luke is making the girls dinner. Luke's wardrobe also hasn't changed in the last decade. And the love that Lorelai and Luke share hasn't either, as Luke has moved in, and all is right with the world.
Luke is incredibly proud of Rory for getting a piece published in the New Yorker. So much so that he has the piece reprinted in its entirety on the back of his new menus. He scolds the girls for eating tacos before dinner is served, to which Lorelai has the perfect response: "Wow, so I'm fat? Body shaming. Trigger warnings. War on Christmas!"
We get a bit more of Rory's backstory, as we learn that she has been living in Brooklyn until very recently. But she is without much of a regular gig, doing freelance journalism. She has a prospective new project in London, but she really feels like this is her time to be rootless. Rootless would imply no romantic ties, and Rory doesn't have anything serious going on in that realm.
Oh, except for Paul! But everyone keeps forgetting that Paul exists, in a great running gag throughout the episode. Paul is Rory's boyfriend of two years who has shown up in Stars Hollow, but everyone finds him utterly forgettable. I really enjoyed this gag, as well as the jab at Marvel movies in Lorelai's dialogue.
After dinner, Luke and Lorelai get ready for bed. Luke attempts to clear the DVR, while Lorelai tries to put off sleep by "...organizing my magazines by Kardashian." After finally getting to sleep, Lorelai is awakened by a bad dream and heads to the kitchen to find Rory stress-tap dancing. Mother and daughter continue to catch up over coffee. Rory talks about her career struggles, while Lorelai admits that she's been feeling stressed and very aware of her mortality. Rory theorizes that Lorelai's existential thoughts are related to the family patriarch's recent passing. They raise their mugs to toast Richard: "To absent friends."
The next day begins with the girls heading to Luke's Diner for a to-go breakfast. After, Lorelai heads to work at the Dragonfly, and we catch up with Michel. Michel shares that his husband has recently changed his anti-children stance, while trying to sell Lorelai on Sookie's replacement. We learn that Sookie hasn't left the inn officially, but that she has taken a sabbatical that is extending longer than she had promised, much to Michel's annoyance.
"Why on earth aren't you on Xanax? It was invented for you," Michel deadpans to Lorelai.
That night, Lorelai employs Kirk's new business, while Gypsy fixes her Jeep. They arrive to Friday night dinner at Emily's just a bit before Rory. Lorelai won't go inside until Rory shows up, so we know that the Emily/Lorelai relationship is still as frosty as ever.
We learn that Emily is especially angry with her daughter for a faux pas at the reception following Richard's funeral. Lorelai drank too much, and when Emily asked her to tell a favorite Richard story, she told stories about his abandoning her during a hide-and-seek game, and of him walking in on her with a boy.
Emily was embarrassed and grieving and didn't need an excuse to be upset with her daughter, but she used it as one anyway. Emily accuses Lorelai of making a premeditated decision to besmirch her late father at his funeral reception.
"You never do anything unless it's exactly what you want to do," Emily says.
Emily continues, starting in on Luke and Lorelai's relationship, and how selfish Lorelai was for only considering whether or not she wanted children, and for never thinking of Luke's wants and needs.
"None of that matters to Lorelai Gilmore. Nothing matters to her except what she wants and feels," she says.
Lorelai takes that bit of her mother's criticism to heart, and asks Luke whether or not he wants "a fresh kid," later that night. Luke admits that there was a time a few years earlier when he would have wanted to have another child.
"Nobody gets to have everything they want in life. All in all, I think I did pretty good," Luke says.
Lorelai isn't convinced that he's OK with not having a child of their own together and takes Luke to visit Paris at the surrogacy clinic she operates. Luke is too overwhelmed by the whole process and dismisses the possibility of a new baby with a simple "No."
While Lorelai and Luke visit Paris, Rory is in London, visiting with renowned feminist Naomi Shropshire. Naomi wants to work with Rory on her autobiography, and with no roots to tie her down, Rory is intrigued.
"It's not really what I do, but it's good for now," she tells Logan later.
When in London, Rory and Logan hook up, we learn.
Hey, I get the Logan thing. I do. He's very charming. But he's not right for Rory. And by the way, I find the whole Team Logan/Jess/Dean thing pretty trite. As a character, Rory is so much more than which guy she chooses to spend her alone time with, and it drives me crazy that every actor on the show had to answer questions about Logan, Jess and Dean in doing media to promote the show. I digress.
Back in Stars Hollow, Taylor is intent on getting Luke's support for his new town septic tank initiative, Paris visits to try to sell Luke on a surrogate, we catch up with Hep Alien, and Rory calls Lorelai to encourage her to work on patching things up with Emily.
"Did you ever imagine there'd be a Grandma without a Grandpa?" Rory asks, and tells Lorelai to cut her some slack as she grieves.
With that in mind, Lorelai visits Emily, who is de-cluttering her life, and wearing (gasp) blue jeans. In her grief and loneliness and not thinking clearly, Emily has allowed her maid to move her family in and to start taking away the possessions that don't bring her joy. She also informs Lorelai that there's an envelope labeled "body-shipping cash" in her safe.
Lorleai tells her that nothing will bring her joy right now because her husband has just died. Emily admits that she's right.
"I was married for 50 years. Half of me is gone," she says.
Lorelai suggests a visit to a therapist, to which Emily surprisingly agrees. Even more surprisingly, Emily enjoys the therapy and asks Lorelai to join her for a session. Stunned and perhaps in shock, Lorelai agrees.
"Are you crazy? You're going to therapy with your mother," Luke reminds her.
"Oh, crap. I'm going to therapy with my mother!" Lorelai says, coming to her senses.
This should certainly make for some wonderful storytelling as we continue traveling through the seasons in a year in the life of the Gilmore Girls.