Fans have been waiting a while to find out what happened next to our favourite mother, daughter and oh-so-sassy grandma. Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel, and Kelly Bishop return to their roles so effortlessly, it’s as if their nine year break has been nothing more than a relaxing weekend away (at the classiest of spas, of course). After almost a decade spent wondering if finally, finally, Luke and Lorelai were going to get married, not to mention what ‘those last four words’ were going to be, fans couldn’t help but hold high expectations for the Netflix revival. And every fan had questions. How would the family be coping without Richard, after the tragic real-life passing of Edward Herrmann? After a fairly public ‘misunderstanding’, how much screen time will Melissa McCarthy be given (spoiler alert: Not nearly enough). And why WHY are they bringing Dean back?
“finally, in a bid to make stars hollow seem a little more diverse, we find out if michel is into guys or girls”
Within the first half of episode one, Winter, there’s already answers to questions we didn’t even know we were asking. Finally, in a bid to make Stars Hollow seem a little more diverse, we find out if Michel is into guys or girls. There’s also a cringe inducing, albeit emotional, scene where we find out that Christopher may not have been Lorelai’s first, um, love. The first episode brings with it all kinds of nostalgia for fans, from the opening flashback of quotes (I do not envy whoever had to pick out that limited selection) to Luke sparring with Taylor over his latest town plans. It’s classic Gilmore Girls, with a few twists here and there- at one point Emily actually wears *gasp* jeans. As we return to Stars Hollow, almost as if someone was trying to remind us of how quirky a place it really is, it’s Kirk who steals the show.
After such an excellent start, the second two episodes, Spring and Summer seem to lose their way a tad. Don’t get me wrong, it’s refreshing to see Rory floundering around in a not so perfect life. She’s actually making genuinely bad decisions this time, the likes of which she should have got out of her system back in her college days (affair with Dean and yacht stealing aside). Her perfect image that came so effortlessly to her is well and truly slipping- the phrase ‘wookie-humping loser’ is used at one point. These two episodes also involve a few classic Lorelai freak outs and Emily meltdowns, as well as a brilliant and blatant nod to one of the question marks which hung over all seven seasons of the Gilmore Girls – an actual sighting of the elusive Mr Kim. However, there are a few periods that seem just to be filling time, and the storyline becomes more than a little unfocused. Watch out for the Stars Hollow Musical.
“hold on until the last episode for things to finally start moving at a pace we’re used to”
IF these two episodes were bad enough to need a saving grace, they have it in the form of Michel. He’s taking on a more major role in both the lives of the Dragonfly and Lorelai whilst Sookie is gone, something which almost makes up for her absence. Yanic Truesdale clearly had no problem jumping back into the role of the sarcastic Frenchman, and his performance is one of the strongest reminders of the fresh and kooky wit of the original show. Fans can also rejoice at the return of Jess who, appropriately, arrives in town- carrying the same bag that he had back in 2002- just in time offer some perspective on Rory’s current predicament. And he still looks damn good doing it.
“the episode ends as all fans everywhere knew it always had to”
Hold on until the last episode though for things to finally start moving at a pace we’re used to- and I don’t just mean Lorelai’s talking. After perhaps not enough substance in Spring and Summer, Fall packs all the emotion into one episode. Sookie returns briefly to put Michel in his place as only she can. The Life and Death Brigade make an appearance to really move the story along (No, they haven’t grown up. At all). And Jess’ final moments on screen are highly reminiscent of a certain plad-wearing diner owner, making us wonder if perhaps he has a horoscope of his own that he’s been keeping in his wallet all these years. And if it’s time to fulfill it.
The episode ends as all fans everywhere knew it always had to. Watch out for the beautiful decorations in the town square, if you can see through the tears. And those last four words – were they worth waiting for? The jury’s still out on that one. They make sense, sure, and they definitely, definitely leave you wanting more episodes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGGNNSmGDpU
