Gilmore Girls is a popular comedy-drama TV show starring Alexis Bledel and Lauren Graham. The pair play an Ivy-League-bound daughter, Rory (Bledel), and her young mother, Lorelei (Graham), living in an intertwined and lively community.
The focal point of the show is the close relationship and unusual dynamic between Lorelei and Rory. Lorelei unexpectedly had Rory when she was 16 years old and merely a child herself. She had a historically complex relationship with her parents due to their high status in a prestigious world that her opinionated and spirited demeanor did not always fit into. Therefore, Lorelai chose to raise Rory on her own in the seven-season series noted for showcasing the parallels and contrasts between this iconic mother-daughter duo.
As the holidays approach, students spend more time with loved ones through activities such as cooking, eating a Thanksgiving meal together and adhering to annual family traditions. Parents search for the best Black Friday sales while siblings brainstorm the perfect gift for a family member. Relatives and friends reflect on the previous year and ring in the upcoming one. These experiences can help students recognize the similarities between their personal relationships and those in the Gilmore family. “I can relate to Rory and Lorelei’s relationship in real life because my mom is my best friend. We have a super special bond and I’m so grateful to have such an incredible person to look up to just like Rory looks up to Lorelei,” Wootton High School Freshman Jolie Ginsburg said.
The prominent show takes place in the quaint, fictional town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut. Townspeople’s interconnected lives often lead to quirky town events such as the annual Autumn Festival featured in Season 1, Episode 7. It includes a dance choreographed by dance teacher Miss Patty and contains many pumpkins, pilgrims and vibrant leaves. The episode also features a Cornucopia Can Drive and a disagreement between the owner of Luke’s Coffee Shop, Luke Danes, and Town Selectman Taylor Doose regarding autumn decorations.
Additionally, the New England town has chilly weather. Hence, the darkening leaves are a prominent feature in the background of the “town square” in a multitude of episodes. The series primarily encompasses warm tones that translate into the cozy ambiance often associated with the fall season. “Gilmore Girls is the perfect show to watch in the fall,” Ginsburg said.
Although Gilmore Girls premiered in the fall of 2000, students still enjoy watching it. In essentially every episode of the early seasons, the Gilmore Girls are galavanting around town or at Luke’s Coffee Shop for a cup of his famous coffee. They also visit Lorelei’s parents for Friday dinners, and Rory is frequently studying or at Chilton—her competitive and esteemed private school. The highly-followed show encapsulates a timeless essence through its predictable, routine-based episodes similar to the anticipated changing of the seasons every year.
Gilmore Girls is a great show to binge-watch as the warm weather transitions to snow. “[It] embodies such aesthetic and fun fall energy,” Churchill High School Sophomore Leah Sonnabend affirmed.
Written by Hayley Gottesman of Wootton High School
Photo Courtesy of Jolie Ginsburg