Same Stars Hollow, Different Gilmores

(c) PipPepPop
X-mas present- Luke's shirt

     I watched the Netflix original revival Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life  5 months ago. I have written about it for days at a time. I have lost a little bit of sleep over it. I have read all of the fan theories.  I have had endless conversations with my mom, out of the blue, about the final 4 words. TV critic Michael Ausiello loved the ending. I differ in opinion. We do both agree the show reached a natural conclusion (see below) that a 2nd season would be overkill. It would take away from this gift season. We both agree that the story reached a natural conclusion, as I will outline below. In brief, I didn't love it. While I (and apparently Rory herself) didn't hate it, but I'm somewhere in the middle. One thing is clear, all 3 generations of Gilmore Girls are going through some growing pains, as seen in the trailer.



    At least I am relieved not hear  "Who is Rory (Alexis Bledel) going to end up with? theories anymore. This issue was resolved in a way, but also not resolved. On an episode of "The Shipping Room"podcast, Will Choi (co-host of another podcast with Gilmore Girls actress Keiko Agnea) remarked that Rory should choose books! I'd be happy if Rory would choose something, a home, a career etc... While there was closure to her relationship with Dean (Jared Padadecki), she had odd interactions with Jess and Logan. I was originally on "Team Dean" back when I had my first Baby-G watch like Rory. Once that ship sailed (and Dean cheated on his wife with Rory), it was time to move on. I always disliked Jess. He is rude. Despite his emotional growth (off-screen) in the later seasons, he is not right for Rory. People have called him the Luke of this relationship, but I feel like he is more of a young Christopher. Jess knows Rory so well, but in the long-term they're not compatible. Maybe it's due to timing, but they're never been in the same place emotionally at the same time. In the words of Joey Tribbani, it's a moo point.

Rory lamenting to Jess about Logan
Gif from Celebuzz

     I have a severe problem with Jess and Rory being together and Lorelei and Luke being together. The only relationship I dislike more than this on the show (and I really love the townspeople and their quirky relationships like Babette and Morty) is Lane and Zach. All I'm going to say about them is that I feel bad for Lane. She's trapped (my opinion but I'm not alone)  in a marriage with Zach and they have twin boys and she just didn't measure up to her greatest potential. I blame Dave Rygalski's (Adam Brody) leaving in season 3 for all of it. But, let's get back to the potential kissing cousins. (SPOILER- Lorelei and Luke got married, and with their marriage, Rory and Jess (Milo Ventimiglia) are cousins. Jess's uncle married Rory's mom and they're cousins through marriage. The two couples being together would be some serious backwoods stuff. IT'S CREEPY!! They cannot date without a whole lot of weirdness, if they were to ever date again. It's already been weird enough having a family dinner with Emily, Lorelei, Rory and Luke. If we throw Jess in there, it's going to go from a Neil Simon play to a Chekhov play. This is another reason I'm on team Logan.

     I have a lot of problems with present Rory as a character. She is extremely entitled most Yale grads. Old Rory never smelled of privilege, always remaining humble and classy. There is a complete lack of responsibility for present Rory. She's unmotivated and she doesn't want to get a real job like any other respectable 30+ year old. In sharp contrast to this, Lorelei at the same age was working full time, dating, working on her relationship with her parents, and raising a teenager. I'll get to her in a bit, though. Where did she go wrong with Rory? Rory went to great schools and had amazing opportunities. She wrote one amazing article a ways back, and the only gainful employment she can muster up is to be the unpaid editor of the local town paper. She blows her meeting with Conde Nast, as well as her interview with website Sandee Says. Rory expects that Sandee will hand her a desk. ll she prepares is her lucky outfit, which she spends months looking for in various cities. Rory cannot find any of her clothes because they are in NYC with Paris, in Stars Hollow with mom or with Lane, at her grandmother's in Connecticut, and in London with Logan. I'm all for living a multi-city life, but Rory is literally running from one town to another. She is throwing up major flares,  making a desperate attempt not to put down roots. It's downright embarrassing.

     In a long list of embarrassing things Rory is doing, she is still sleeping with Logan Huntsberger (Matt Czuchry). I may be on team Logan, but it's got it's flaws. Rory and Logan are not in a relationship. She has a oft-forgot (and joked to death) boyfriend, Paul.  He seems like a nice guy, so he is clearly wrong fro Rory. She doesn't deserve a nice guy. Logan has an absent fiancee and is based out of London. When Rory is there, they adapt a French casual "what happens in London stays in London" attitude. Give me a break! Does Rory have so little self-respect that she would continue shacking up her playboy college boyfriend? Maybe you do this for a couple of years in your early 20's and you convince yourself it's NBD. Now it's just pathetic. Logan still calls her "Ace" like they're in a 1940's detective movie. It's wrong. as much as I want to hate him, they're equally to blame for this bad behavior. Logan's parents never thought highly of Rory, despite her attending the best schools in Connecticut and being the granddaughter of the Hartford Gilmores. Mr. Huntsberger offered Rory a job on his newspaper in college,  warning that she might not be able to cut it as a reporter. It's almost as if he had a crystal ball, because she seems to really suck at it now. When researching lines in NYC, Rory fell asleep, ditched her mom in line, and slept with a guy dressed like Chewbacca.

Gif from Buzzfeed

     Rory was always hungry for knowledge, strong-willed and optimistic, but her greatest accomplishment in the first two episodes was sleeping with a guy in a Wookie (yes, a Chewbacca) costume while researching a story about lines. Which brings us to the final four words: "Mom, I'm pregnant." Rory ended up in the same spot as her mom, an unwed mother with an unsettled life. But as mentioned before, Lorelei pushed away her boyfriend Christopher. She got a job and supported a child without help from her parents. She was strong enough to raise a kid by herself. I'm not sure Rory can handle it. She's been coddled most of her life, and everyone is telling her how great she is. Logan and his merry band of Life-and-Death Brigade buddies were bid a fond farewell by Rory. It seems clear she doesn't want him involved in the child's life. Let's push aside all of the crazy theories (it's the Wookie's baby, it's Jess's baby, it's Luke and Lorelei's surrogate baby) and face some cold hard facts. This had to be Logan's baby and after talking to her dad, Rory seemed convinced she could do this alone.  Rory now has to make some choices. She needs in this order: a steady job, a permanent home, and a partner.

     Compared to per best buddy Paris (MD, JD and mother of 2), Rory is a fast food employee. At Chilton career day, Rory was offered a teaching position by the headmaster. I think that was a perfect option, but Rory shrugged it off. It would mean going back to school for a masters, and we know Rory is allergic to responsibility. Rory seemed skilled enough to excite her teenage charges, and she really thrived when she went to Chilton. They all thought she walked on water when she went there. In comparison, Paris Gellar McMaster (Liza Weil) is falling apart at career day. She may have peaked too soon and passed her mania about the real world to the Chilton students. Paris had it all, but her kids were a little uptight and being raised by a nanny they may love more than mom. Paris seems dangerously close to turning into her own absentee parents.  The only thing working against the nanny is that she hated the 5 flights of stairs in their brownstone. Paris is also on the brink of divorce with her husband Doyle, who sold a screenplay and became a West Coast duchebag. Nobody is perfect, but Paris represents a completely different take on the 30-something life than Rory.

Image from Tumblr

I'm going to switch gears to discuss the aforementioned Lorelei (nee Gilmore) Danes. We pick up with her and  Luke where we left them 8 years ago, just hanging out. They're in their late 40's and they don't want to be married. they don't want a baby (After Paris's scary fertility clinic pitch, it's clear they don't want to raise a baby together either. A third option they also turn down is Emily's offer to pay to expand  Luke's small hometown diner. This almost ends their relationship because Luke keeps the offer a secret from Lorelei. The couple reverts back to the same communication problems they had the last time, together but they're not committed, feeling things, but not sharing them with their partner. We also can all admit that it's taken years for Luke to get over his gruff old-man way of communicating with people (still giving out a fake Wifi password for the diner to people that linger like it's Starbucks). So they're chugging along with their quiet life in Stars Hollow, attending town meetings, movie nights, and the occasional secret speakeasy. With the passing of Lorelei's beloved father Richard, she begins to reassess their situation. Lorelei selfishly lashes out at her mom, Rory and "her guy" about the stupidest things, refusing to let Rory write a book about their life as a mother-daughter duo.  Both members of the couple are restless in this current state, both scaredy cats, for lack of a better word (thanks Rugrats) to pull the trigger and make a commitment.
 
     What's going to give them pair a push to move on? I had to remind myself the pair were engaged once before.  Lorelei reminded us they both have taken the plunge (she with Christopher and he with Nicole) with other people. It didn't last for either couple. Are they so emotionally damaged that they can't function? No, I think the problem is rooted in each of their fears. Lorelei loves so openly and freely that love seems to scare her. Her parents never seems to return her affection, and people always leave. Her best friend Sookie (Melissa McCarthy) went away for a short class and ditched her husband and kids to study roots in Vermont. What kind of friend and business partner does that? Lorelei is trapped professionally too. She has to keep breaking in new chefs at the Inn, and the threat of her front desk manager Michele leaving is all too real. She couldn't expand the inn, but they desperately needed more space so they could continue to do business. If she could raise the money to buy an abandoned convent (just go with it), she could expand the inn and do something professionally stimulating.

     On a "Wild" themed hiking trip, Lorelei remembered a story about her dad. She never shared it at the funeral, and it almost ruined her relationship with Emily. She calls her mom to share the story, and in that moment, Lorelei realized her dad did love her. She's ready to move forward with Luke and she knows that love is real. She needs that official recognition of them as a couple and she even wants to have the same love her parents had.  She finally makes peace with Emily,and I think this is the crucial step for Lorelei to move forward. It takes the breakthrough about her dad to give Lorelei the courage to ask her mother for a loan. She promises more Friday night dinners with her and Luke in exchange for the money to buy the convent. In the end, like the beginning, the Gilmores take a small step toward being a family.

     On the other hand, Luke is still working on trying to verbally identify his feelings. They have to meet in the middle to progress. As an example, Lorelei offers Luke money for his daughter April's summer trip to Europe and he turns her down. He hasn't reached that level of their relationship that it's okay to share stuff, money, kids etc..  In the past, he shut out Lorelei from getting to know his daughter, which drove a wedge between them. It takes several encounters with Emily to make Luke (a) extremely uncomfortable and (b) desperate to make Lorelei happy. He may never be Mr. Happy, but he can handle being Mr. dinner with the in-laws.

Emily talking smack. Gif from Celebuzz.

     Emily (Kelly Bishop) is the final Gilmore Girl and had the most dramatic journey of the series. She commented when Richard had one of his heart attacks that she only knew how to be Richard Gilmore's wife. While she was not as stuffy as Richard's mother, her place was clearly established from the day she said "I do." It was full of work dinners, yelling at the maids, galas, DAR meetings, garden clubs and grand European vacations. She may have come from a plain background like Rory, but Emily became someone who mattered. She became so self-important she was downright rude. She definitely could have gone easier on Lorelei as a kid. That could have changed a lot of things. When Richard passed away, Emily was lost. She lashed out at Lorelei way more than she should have, but she literally didn't know what to do because she had been operating the same way for over 50 years. I was so satisfied when Emily told off the DAR after they humored a trophy wife with an interview. She used her tenacity to finally stick it to people that deserved it for once, instead of the maids, the caterers, and her family.

     I was heartened to see Emily trying to find her bliss, which seems be be working as a museum guide at a whaling museum. Emily's little cottage up in Rhode Island was adorable. She seemed at home for once, surrounded by her maid's various family members and children. Emily even seemed to find a companion in Richard's old friend, Jack Smith (Ray Wise).  This seemed to be brewing as early as Richard's funeral (they move fast here), Jack was there to lend a shoulder, and Emily was not quite interested at the time. This really set of Lorelei and led to the rift-inciting bad funeral story. I'm not saying they need to marry again, but she found someone to  keep her company.  Emily almost didn't need Jack. It was gratifying to see her passing off his briefcase and shooing him away from the cottage when he had to unexpectedly to go back to work. The only thing I cannot wrap my head around is how Lorelei could decide to get married the night before the wedding (because she was so excited/nervous). There was no way Emily could make it there in time from Rhode Island, and I think that was the idea. I also think it was insensitive. Emily has had one hope in her motherly bones, and it's to marry off her daughter to a nice man. It finally was about to happen and she was sitting at home, drinking wine. I'm going to assume Rory, Michele, Kirk, Lane and the town reverend pretended it didn't happen, and woke up the next day to do it all over again. The end!

Why Sports Night Failed

GIF from Imgur

     I made it 5 episodes into Aaron Sorkin's half-hour single-camera comedy Sports Night before I realized that this two-season show was doomed from the start. It had an interesting premise- behind the scenes of an ESPN-style show. It even had a great cast of promising actors:

Felicity Huffman

Joshua Malina

Peter Krause

Josh Charles

1. The music did not fit the show
2.  It oddly reminded me of Melrose Place.
3. It was funny sad, not funny 'haha'
4. Awkward camera angles
5. The Sorkin "walk and talk." *
6. The love story that wasn't a love story
     Dana (Huffman) is the producer of the show and Casey (Krause) is the anchor. Casey gets divorced. Casey finally has a chance with Dana. Dana kisses Casey. Dana tells Casey he has to date other people because she can't be his rebound. This all happens over the first two episodes!

*Sorkin is big on passing from one location to another with a walk and dialogue. This builds a wonderful foundation for scenes in Gilmore Girls and Sorkin's movie The American President, but it is an over-used trope in this half-hour show. 

Freeform: Coming to your Local Television

     Tomorrow, ABC Family will change its name to Freeform. Since 2001, they have been known as the gawky teen cousin network of ABC, showing reruns of  Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Gilmore Girls, Step by Step and other 90's and early 2000's shows. The network also launched the wildly successful and addictive Pretty Little Liars (teen murderesses) and a host of other interesting shows and subject matter such as :

• Make It or Break It (gymnastics team with issues)
• The Fosters, (a charming Lesbian couple and their foster children, with issues) 
• and the often dialogue-plagued: The Secret Life of the American Teenager (pregnant teens- with issues)

     According to statements from ABC Family, they are trying to hold on to their 18-34 females demographic and feel this name change will help them become more accepted or cool. I find this a big funny for a network that built it's empire on teen dramas. Let's face it, the WB never tried to be cool, but it drew a huge pull of women in that demographic and both women older and younger than it , and still does as the current CW network. It also calls its demo (or its Demi Lovato, as comedians Nikki Glazer and Sara Schafer referred to the demographic of their short lived MTV show), the becomers. To me, as a woman in that coveted "Demi", I am really creeped out and a little offended. The Becomers sounds like the next Vampire Diaries spinoff. "The Becomers" will get you at 9 P.M. on Thursday night.

     We'll have to see how this all plays out. The same network held a blaze of glory from 1998 - 2001  as Fox Family Channel before it changed over to ABC. I was pretty upset at the time and may never recover from the lack of S Club 7 reruns. (S Club has shows in Miami and Los Angeles and they were amazing). Fergie of the black eyed peas also hosted a show where kids won prizes for the best lip sync to a popular song. It was truly a renaissance. Before that, the channel was known as the Christian-inspired  Family Channel and I'm not too sure it had any appealing programming other than old reruns of Bonanza.  

A Note About Pregnant Teens on TV

I'm so done with seeing pregnant teens on television, but since I've been reading more glee scoop, I can't help but think of the comical pregnancy of McKinley's former head cheerleader, Quinn Fabray. Here is list of the best pregnant teens on TV:

10. Amy Jurgens (Secret Life) The only reason Shailene Woodley's whiny and obnoxious is on this list is because her hysterics are so dramatic it's to the point of comedy. Next time the drummer in the school band hits on you, follow Nancy Reagan's advice and JUST SAY NO!

9. Adrianna Tate-Duncan (90210) Jessica Lowndes' trampy Beverly Hills teen might be the worst teen mom ever. she was taking tons of drugs during her pregnancy, drinking, and wasn't sure who the daddy was. By the time she got her life together and found sweet Navid, she was considering not giving up the baby for adoption. Looks like she's lost a lot of sleep over not keeping her kid since then. (NOT!)

8. Corey Conway (7th Heaven) Alicia Leigh Willis, known as Courtney from General Hospital, first brought attention to the plight of pregnant teen athletes when she befriended Mary Camden. Plus she married teen father Wilson much later on in the series.

7. Cordelia Chase (Angel) Not only was Cordy pregnant at 18 after a one night stand with a demon, but a few years later she gave birth to one of the ultimate evils and paid the ultimate price, slipping into a coma she never recovered from.

6. Jen Linley (Dawson's Creek) It happened in the five year forward jump of the last episode, but Jen finally completed Gram's worst nightmare, getting pregnant and left by some horrible dirtbag. Of course, BFF Jack was there to step in and help raise the baby.

5. Tess Harding (Roswell) Long before she played pregnant Aussie Claire on lost, Emilie de Ravin was ruining relationships by secluding alien leader (and apparently her husband/alien king from a previous life) Max. One night yielded baby Zan, and finally sent Tess out of Max's life and back to the home planet.

4. Andrea Zuckerman (Beverly Hills 90210) The original teen mom, played by Gabrielle Carteris, was top of the class at West Bev. College came, she got a little irresponsible, and she had to leave the show (and the Bev Hills area) after getting pregnant and married. She ended up divorced :-(

3. Quinn Fabray (Glee) Dianna Aragon's pregnant cheerleader continued to make quippy comebacks until her water broke at regionals. Plus she pitted babydaddy and bad boy Puck against her dumb but sweet boyfriend Finn.

2. Lane Kim (Gilmore Girls) Keiko Agnea's lovable Lane Kim showed that you can be a rock and rolling teen (ok, maybe 21-year old) and still be a parent. It took moving into a house with her bandmates to get Lane to break her mother's tight control over her life. Soon after falling in love with bandmate Zach, three wedding ceremonies and twin baby boys followed.

1. Haley James Scott (One Tree Hill) After a season-long romance with the star of the basketball team,"tutor girl"became "tutor wife" then by graduation she was married "tutor mom". Seven seasons later, she and Nathan are still together and expecting a second child.

A Note About WB Stars Making TV Appearances

     The WB stars of the past and present, mostly the past in this case, have long made TV appearances together on new shows. They're popping up everywhere. Here are 10 great WB reunions in other shows and movies and 3 WB prequel friendships.

Reunited, and it Feels so Good

As part of their packaged deal, I'm convinced, WB stars make TV deals to be in future TV shows with other stars. Here are ten examples:

1. 2010, Life Unexpected 
1. (Shiri Appleby- Roswell and Kerr Smith- Dawson's Creek), as radio cohosts and engaged parents raising her long-lost teenager.
2.  2010, The Vampire Diaries 
1. (Paul Wesley- Everwood, Bianca Lawson- Buffy)
3. 2010, Pretty Little Liars 
1. (Holly Marie Combs- Charmed,  Lucy Hale- Privileged, Bryce Johnson- Popular, Bianca Lawson- Buffy)
4. 2008-2010, Bones 
5. (David Boreanez- Angel, and Brendan Fehr-Roswell)  as his brother.
6. 2008, 90210 
1. (Lori Loughlin- Summerland, Jennie Garth- What I Like About You) and including Shannen Doherty and Greg Vaughn- Charmed, Scott Patterson-Gilmore Girls, and Sarah Danielle Madison- 7th Heaven 
7. 2007, Samantha Who?
1.  (Barry Watson- 7th Heaven, Melissa McCarthy- Gilmore Girls)
8. 2007, Greek 
1. (Appearances by Charisma Carpenter - Buffy/Angel & Jesse McCartney- Summerland)
9. 2006, What About Brian?
1.  (Barry Watson- 7th Heaven, Amanda Foreman- Felicity, and Matthew Davis (The Vampire Diaries)
10. 2006, The Bedford Diaries 
1. (Penn Bagley- future Gossip Girl star, Milo Ventimiglia- Gilmore Girls)
11. 2006, Heroes 
1. (Greg Grunberg- Felicity, Milo Vetmingilia-  Gilmore Girls)
12. 2005, How I Met Your Mother
1.  (Alyson Hannigan- Buffy, and Bob Saget- Raising Dad)                                            with guest appearances by Amy Acker-Angel, Joanna Garcia- Reba, Alexis Denisof-  Buffy/ Angel, Tom Lenk- Buffy, Harry Groener-Buffy)
13. 2004, Fearless (Unaired WB pilot)
1.  (Ian Somerhalder, Bianca Lawson, and Rachel Leigh Cook- honorary WB star).
14. 2004, Jack and Bobby
1.  (starred Bradley Cooper, who links to many proijects with other WB stars, including Greg Grunberg (Alias) , Emma Caufield (I Wanna Marry Ryan Banks), Nick Brendan (Kitchen Confidential)
15. 2003, Veronica Mars
1.  (Guest roles by Alyson Hannigan- Buffy & Charisma Carpenter- Buffy/Angel)
16. 2003, Supernatural 
1. (Jared Paladecki- Gilmore Girls, Jensen Ackles- Smallville)
17. 2002, What I Like About You
1.  (Simon Rex- Jack & Jill, Leslie Grossman- Popular, Jennie Garth - 90210)
18. 2001, Lost 
1. (Emilie de Ravin- Roswell, Daniel Dae Kim-Angel  & GS Greg Grunberg- Felicity)
19. 2001, Alias 
1. (Jennifer Garner- Felicity, Greg Grunberg-Felicity, Amanda Foreman-Felicity, Kevin Wesiman, Felicity)
20. 2000, Gilmore Girls
1.  (Keiko Agnea- Felicity, Danny Strong- Buffy, Chad Michael Murray- One Tree Hill)

     Hold your hats, here we go on some deep dives!

• The appearance of James Van Der Beek on One Tree Hill (2008-2009 season) as a coke-snorting director brought the WB/CW (WC for short) full circle. VDB's director came to Tree Hill to try to direct a movie of Lucas's life story, and the former WB golden boy and resident moody dreamer finally passed on his crown to the WB's reigning golden boy and moody dreamer (CMM), before he left at the end of that season. Now if only VDB had come home  (both shows filmed to Wilmington, N.C.) as his WB character, director Dawson Leary, the earth as we know if would explode. If only....
• Some WB stars were friends before they came to the glorious network, like Lori Loughlin and Bob Saget, who starred as in-laws and co-hosts on Full House. FH stars Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen were in a classic episode of 7th Heaven where Simon and a friend go on a double date with the daring twins. The pair also anchored a season of Two of a Kind on ABC, where their uncle was played by Sabrina cast member, David Lascher.
• The original 90210, the one that started it all, starred Shannen Doherty (Charmed, 90210) and Emma Caulfield (Buffy).
• The 1995 Clueless movie and subsequent 1996 TV show starred Elisa Donovan, who went on to play Morgan on Sabrina, and Donald Faison, who played Tracy on several seasons of Felicity. Rachel Blanchard, who played Cher in the TV series, later went on to play Kevin's police partner on 7th Heaven.
• The WB's less publicized shows such as Jack & Jill and Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane (aka Zoe...) launched the careers of other WB stars such as Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville, Lex Luthor), Ivan Sergei (Paige's husband in the last season of Charmed), and Simon Rex (Felicity once slept with him).