Disappointing in almost every way (spoilers, obviously)
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life
schuyler2 — 9 years ago(November 26, 2016 01:41 PM)
I'm not sure what I was expecting. Mostly because I think I always watched the show for the qualities of the supporting characters and not either Lorelai or Rory who, in my opinion, made a lifestyle out of being selfish and inconsiderate under the guise of being quirky and cute.
How do you go 8 or 9 prime child bearing years with a partner and not discuss having kids? At what point do you practice restraint and not embarrass yourself, your mother or your recently deceased father at his funeral? I understand that Lorelai did not have an easy relationship with her parents, but they did do a lot for her over the years. When her mother asked people to share a fond memory, did she have to do the chair gymnastics? I'm younger than she is, and I would never had done that in public, no matter how much vodka. It wasn't quirky, or understandable. It was ridiculous. I would have preferred her character to have been shown as maturing enough to have excused herself back inside instead of acting like a buzzed teenager. Obviously she was deeply grieving, but at 50 years old she couldn't have handled it with a little more tact?
I think that is my biggest problem with the revival. The two leads simply didn't grow. They are the same emotional hot messes they were eight years ago. While everyone around them evolved (even Emily who went through a huge life upheaval and managed to find herself), Lorelai and Rory didn't benefit from any of their mistakes. Lorelai still bails on the man she is with and throws her relationship with him into chaos. Rory still treats the guy she is dating like crap while she pursues someone else, and again, someone who is already taken. At 32 years old, with all of her education and privilege, are they seriously trying to tell us that she hasn't managed to have her own credit card? I find it hard to believe that Richard or Christopher would have allowed that to happen. Now Rory is pregnant at the same age that Lorelai was when the show started, and this smart, educated woman is not even half as mature as her mother was at the same age. Completely a stretch for belief.
Meanwhile, the other characters have grown so much. I loved Emily's storyline. She finally throws off the cape of the dutiful wife and finds herself, and she doesn't have to throw someone else under a bus to do it. Paris married and had kids. Started a successful business. Even if she divorces, its progress going forward. Dean is married with kids. Lane and Zach have moved forward. Jess is doing what he loves. Sookie has already left, Michel is married and looking for expansion elsewhere. But Rory is unemployed, unmarried, unattached and pregnant, and no matter how well Lorelai did for herself, I don't think that anyone would honestly believe that after all the sacrificing and pushing she did to get Rory a better start in her life, that she wanted her daughter to go down the same road. She even said as much in the series.
So, it's not cute. It's not quirky. It's not a circle of life. It's just a complete slap in the face to Lorelai's sacrifices, and it's a waste. Speaking of waste, no one will ever get the 20 minutes of their life back that was taken for that ridiculous musical.