We’re back in Stars Hollow. Snow covers the town in a white blanket . “I smell snow,” Lorelai Gilmore says. And sure enough, snow falls from the sky.
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life picks up in the present day, and follows fast-talking Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) through the span of a year in the small Connecticut town of Stars Hollow. The series is a revival of the 2000s hit drama about a mother-daughter duo who are more like sisters.
The cooky town of Stars Hollow is just as interesting as it was in the original series. The town is a character of its own and features a multitude of personalities. Taylor Doose (Michael Winters) is still running the town — or at least thinks he’s running it. Kirk (Sean Gunn) is jumping from job to job, and even creates his own version of Über with his new pet pig Pedals at his side. Michel (Yanic Truesdale) operates the desk at the Dragonfly Inn and continues to be the rudest employee known to man. Luke’s Diner still serves up the best coffee in town. Stars Hollow grows with a slew of cameos from Carole King, Sutton Foster and Rachael Ray, to name a few. Stars Hollow is a character all in its own, and without it, the show would not be the same.
Instead of releasing multiple one hour episodes, the four episodes — “Winter,” “Spring,” “Summer” and “Fall” — are 90 minutes long. While this might seem daunting, the movie-length episodes go by quickly, and leave the viewer wanting more. The episodes take on a more modern look, but the formula is similar to the original series. The similarities to the original series can be partially attributed to the actors and actresses who haven’t played these characters in several years, but are able to portray their characters’ personalities with ease.
Everything comes full circle in the revival, and that is a major theme in the series. Luke Danes (Scott Patterson) and Lorelai face similar relationship problems, and Rory still doesn’t know which guy to choose. Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creator of the show, has said the last four words of the show — which reinforces the idea of everything coming full circle — are the same words she wanted to end the original series with had she been on set for the final season. Though the final words allow the series to come full circle, many Gilmore Girls fans will be upset.
The best part of the series is not the last four words, though. The most beautiful storyline is Emily Gilmore’s (Kelly Bishop), who works through her pain and suffering after the loss of her husband of 50 years, Richard Gilmore. Emily goes through a complete transformation throughout the series. By the end, she is more relaxed and more in control of her life. Though she stumbles along the way, she emerges a new person — and she keeps the same maid throughout the series, which is a total shocker.
The revival was long overdue, and the only reason it happened was because of the fans. Had the fans not demanded a revival, Sherman-Palladino would not have gotten the ending she wanted. Fans will not be disappointed by the new, modern look of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.
