When I picture autumn, my mind pivots to the Connecticut town of Stars Hollow. I see pumpkins stacked beside hay bales on every street corner. Maple leaves, scarecrows with pumpkin heads, basically an endless supply of pumpkins and coffee, and little budget for anything else.
The scene is set perfectly by the nostalgic first episode. There’s a grumpy man behind a diner counter, telling the smiling, talkative woman that she’s got a caffeine problem. The La’s ‘There She Goes’ plays, introducing a world of brown jackets, black boots and lipstick. The characters aren’t cracking jokes to a canned laughter, they’re witty, eclectic. Before we know it, we’ve taken a deep dive into every character and their rocky interrelationships.
This summer, I stopped watching the show; come September, it was back on my screen, a soundtrack to autumn.
The catchy theme tune is accompanied by flush yellowing light depicting dynamic, argumentative, and horrendously dramatic people. It’s hard not to relate. The cast are followed by the camera; as it pans, you wander through their hectic life, and are invited to join.
The catchy theme tune is accompanied by flush yellowing light depicting dynamic, argumentative, and horrendously dramatic people. It’s hard not to relate.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, the show’s creator and executive producer, Amy Sherman-Paladino spoke about the series, and how it is intrinsically connected to autumn. She said she went to visit Mark Twain’s house in a town in Connecticut and discovered The American Dream. She said: “Our favourite times were also always those pumpkin, golden, fall scenes because visually it told a lot about who the characters were, who they were to each other, and this world that Lorelai had chosen to raise her kid in.”
It’s easy to think about the fashion too. The iconic autumnal outfits. My first leather jacket was a replica of Rory’s brown one during her Yale years. These early 2000s outfits transcended time, when basics were topped by thin scarves and attitude.
These early 2000s outfits transcended time, when basics were topped by thin scarves and attitude.
As the temperature starts to drop, we all begin to get a low, the summer is over, and the back-to-school blues are real. The cosy, chatty world of Stars Hollow is so fast-paced it doesn’t leave room to be sad. So, find me huddled up on the sofa, slippers on, tea in hand, watching endless episodes.
When television shows romanticise autumn, we are reminded that summer isn’t the only season to be excited about, and there is something rather magical in autumn too.
