*This article contains spoilers of “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life”*
Many “Gilmore Girls” fans counted down the days until November 25, when the Netflix revival, “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” would be available for viewing. The extended Thanksgiving weekend was the perfect opportunity for watching the four-part series. However, the quality of the series did not match up with the level of excitement and anticipation for what fans hoped would be a satisfying conclusion to the seven original seasons of the show.
This conclusion was simply disappointing, bringing up more questions than it resolved. The audience is left to wonder what will happen in Rory’s love life and in Lorelai’s business pursuits; these same issues existed at the close of the seventh season of the original series. Rory’s career, which previously seemed promising, loses any semblance of a path in the new series; she has no paid writing jobs on the horizon by the end. As she continually complains about being “broke,” she throws away the few opportunities that come her way.
The Rory that so many viewers looked up to as they watched her grow up over the course of seven seasons has become less of a role model; the endearing teenager who seemingly had it all has grown into an aimless 32-year-old. However, the other Gilmore girls, Lorelai and Emily, have become more charming. Both mature over the course of the revival, with Emily becoming content with her house in Nantucket and coming to terms with Richard’s death, and Lorelai finally marrying Luke, and the mother and daughter pair learn to resolve their differences.
Every character’s performance seemed lackluster in comparison to the original series. Every trait, positive and negative, was magnified as the producers attempted to highlight what they thought fans enjoyed about Rory, Lorelai, and Sleepy Hollow as a whole. The witty banter and amusing tropes between the mother and daughter pair have become biting and cruel in the revival; they seem annoyed and angry at their town. Rory’s refusal to admit that she is “back” exemplifies this; rather than accept the cheery welcomes she receives, she refutes them, screaming “I’m not back!” at anyone who dares utter a nicety to her.
The revival had many bases to cover, and many characters to incorporate. Although the most important characters returned, many favorites barely appeared. The short appearances of Sookie, Dean, and Jess were unsatisfying when measured against their importance in Rory and Lorelai’s lives. Though this revived series was supposed to be a celebration of the merits of the original TV series, the absence of many key figures, as well as the introduction of new, unresolved plot lines make it seem like more of half-hearted effort at satisfying the desires of old fans and attempting to spark the interest of new ones.
