I've been GIlmored! I have the tightness in the chest, the anger mixed with paralyzing weakness...that last part could be because of the junk food I ate while binge watching Gilmore Girls: A Year in the life... but my point is I am not okay with how this ended.
I have given a lot of time to the Gilmores. I love them. I consider myself an honorary Gilmore. I drink too much coffee, rarely eat anything healthy, and binge watch like a pro so you can see my connection to this witty duo. It began when the show originally aired, before DVR and Netflix so I had to even watch the commercials. (Actually, DVR had been invented but I didn't have it yet.) I never missed an episode. If you doubt my love for the Gilmores you need to know my youngest daughter is named Lorelai and we call her Rory. That's commitment, thats a fan!!
Then I heard the revival was coming, so, like any good mom, I made my daughters binge watch the entire series with me. All 153 episodes.
Then came November 25th, 2016...the day after Thanksgiving...the day the revival debuted on Netflix. We put up our Christmas tree, got some tacos and I curled up in my cozy chair for the next 6.8 (yes I did the math for real) hours to watch the whole Year in the Life of my dear friends Lorelai and Rory.
It had good and bad moments. I laughed at Emily in jeans talking about Kondo-ing. (Mostly because I recently Kondo-ed my own closet and three bags of clothes no longer gave me joy.) I cried at Richard's funeral. I waited for Sookie to show up.
I thought the Stars Hollow musical was weird and a little much. I liked "A Second Film by Kirk." I wondered if Taylor had been frozen since 2007 and only recently thawed because he hadn't aged a bit. I thought some of the pacing and chemistry was a little off but I could chalk it up to 10 years apart and trying to do this four seasons thing so I forgave it.
I stressed out over Lorelai maybe or maybe not breaking up with or marrying Luke. And I was frustrated with Rory who always seems to panic when her life plan isn't going according to plan. I had friends who were saddened by this but I expected it because that is Rory (remember the pool house season?) and Lorelai (she is never satisfied with her life or relationships).
I waited and waited to see who Rory would end up with. Because I know you want to know I am totally #TeamJess and I'm pretty sure if they do this again that's where this thing will go.
(For those of you upset that it wasn't all tied up you should have read the interview with the show's creator and your expectations might have been lowered like mine were on that note.)
But that is the show...it has always been about this, about these two women dealing with life and love and happiness together and if it was all rainbows and unicorns and sarcasm with no conflict or question or searching then it wouldn't be the Gilmore Girls. If love lives had all been figured out at the end it wouldn't be Gilmore Girls either. I say that, but let me tell you I wanted the neat little bow. I wanted Rory to determine the love of her life, and hoped to God it wasn't going to be that Paul guy in some weird twist. I wanted them both to get their thousand yellow daisy happily-ever-afters.
But I didn't get that. You didn't get that. What did we get? We got a little cliffhanger of sorts. I mean really it isn't a cliffhanger, but it kind of is because it left you wanting more...way more. I was prepared for this to not meet all of my high and glorious expectations. I was prepared to not be 100% happy with everything. But I assumed I would get closure. That if this is the very end, I would feel satisfied with it. I. AM. Not. Satisfied.
I want more! In the words of my seven year old when the credits rolled on Fall..."you've got to be freaking kidding me! Tell me there is another season!"
Tell me there is another season coming Amy Sherman-Palladino! Another something! Anything!! I can't live like this!
(PS: If you want to know how it ended you have to watch because I am morally opposed to major spoilers. Really just giving any little details like the Kondo-ing and Taylor's agelessness makes me a little queasy. So watch! But be prepared to get Gilmored.)