Why “Gilmore Girls” is the Actual Greatest

Netflix announced the release date of the “Gilmore Girls” spin-off, titled “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life”, for November 25. In case you were living under a rock in the early 2000s, “Gilmore Girls” follows a mother-daughter best friend duo dealing with the trials and tribulations of family dynamics, relationships and life successes through witty banter laced in with fast-paced pop culture references. The four-part revival will chronicle the lives of our favorite Stars Hollow residents since the series ended in 2007 through the four seasons: winter, spring, summer and fall.

The show had many aspects that proved it was special and ahead of its time, so sit back and grab some Chinese food from Al’s Pancake World or burgers from Luke’s as those aspects are explored below.

1. Importance of education 

The entire series essentially follows a young Rory—a passionate bookworm and school enthusiast—and her road to Harvard (eventually Yale). At times, it even explored the strains that came with Rory’s mother Lorelai not attending college because she was pregnant during high school. However, she goes on to take business classes at the local community college all while balancing her full-time job as manager of the Independence Inn; this later ultimately pays off when she opens her own inn, The Dragonfly, with her business partner slash BFF. Goals.

2. Strong, independent female leads

Every character in this show had their own unique set of characteristics that made them quirky and lovable. None of them were there to simply prop up the main characters but instead led their own separate lives filled with humorous, inspiring or tumultuous story lines, whether it be Kirk having a thousand random jobs throughout the series; Lane becoming a drummer for a band, Hep Alien, and later having a family; or Sookie (a lesser-known Melissa McCarthy before her fame) falling in love and building a life with husband Jackson, the inn’s long-time vegetable supplier.

4. Exploration of complex family dynamics 

While Lorelai and Rory have an ideal (albeit sometimes unrealistic) mother-daughter relationship, Lorelai’s dynamics with her own parents are a bit more troubled. Rooted from her unexpectedly leaving home shortly after having Rory, Lorelai’s strenuous relationship with her parents stem from feelings of suffocation from being in their world of wealth and status. The series does a great job exploring the dysfunctional mother-daughter dynamic between Lorelai and Emily Gilmore, grounded in poor communication or lack-there-of, in addition to her inability to establish a firm relationship with her father, Richard.

5. Fast-paced dialogue, numerous pop culture references 

What makes this show truly stand out from all the ones that preceded it and followed is the seamless, fast-paced dialogue. Episode scripts ranged from 70-80 pages long due to the quick dialogue—hour-long shows usually range from 55-60 pages. Pop culture references were also aplenty, but to condense them into a single paragraph would be much too difficult. A simple “Gilmore Girls pop culture references” Google search opens an infinite portal of clever wit and hilarity, rooted in both classic and modern music, film and much more.

In sum, this show is the actual best and November is too far away.

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