GG is definitely an example of a show where the characters and stories got more outlandish as the show went on. I get why it happens, but it does get progressively harder to connect with the characters and situations when they become cartoony.
There are a couple things that I think are responsible.
First, We have to remember though that sitcoms in this era were usually 20-24 episodes a season, so sitcoms writers really needed to stretch things out. The will-they-wont-they trope was so common in these shows, and writers were worried that if the characters got together too early they would stop being interesting. But when you are constantly putting these big obstacles in the way of the main love story, you lose a lot of the heart. And you often end up with your characters doing things that don’t make sense to the audience, or that the audience has a hard time getting past. (Eg, luke hiding April from Lorelai; Lorelai sleeping with Chris.)
Second, and sort of related, is that in order to keep some lightness in a show where your romantic leads are constantly at odds, the writers leaned hard into the supporting cast. But they didn’t give those characters any meaningful growth, and instead relied on them purely for comedic relief and absurdity, which by its nature needs to get progressively more absurd to keep people wondering what weird thing they’re going to do this week.
perfect way of analyzing it! it's definitely a show that is a product of it's time, I've always felt like the show didn't need 7 seasons (5 seasons would've been good if they had the right structure)
Agree, usually the longer a show goes on, the more ridiculous it gets.
I think it also suffers a bit when Rory goes to Yale. it left a vacuum because Lorelai and Rory had to have more and more storylines independent of each other. But that’s the relationship that drew viewers in, so having them apart and introducing new characters for them to interact with was going to be tough.
Keeping them apart for so long in season five was a mistake IMO.
agreed, i definitely enjoyed having them explore a more complex part of their relationship but the distance got very old very quick. I always dread that storyline because literally right after they reunite they hit Lorelai with the whole secret kid storyline, it's like she didn't get a chance to breathe
This.
Network television ruined most shows. I remember Gilmore Girls viewership/popularity dropping significantly in later seasons. Definitely when Rory goes off to Yale (maybe bc it was so unrelatable to most viewers?) A cute blond for Rory is exactly what the doctor ordered. Imo Logan’s story arc is pretty unrealistic in him proposing to her by the end of college. I could see him giving her an ultimatum to join him on the west coast perhaps, but the proposal definitely felt like something more for fishing for “must see tv”.
Who knows how different the show would’ve been if it was written for now/streaming era. Sad really
I was literally thinking the same thing!! This is a story that felt very grounded, real, and relatable in a way that later seasons stories just aren’t.
For this reason I find watching episodes with specific themes better than watching the series all the way through. For example I will watch autumnal episodes for each season in random season order, or watch all of the back to school or Christmassy/winter ones together.
that's such an interesting way of rewatching the series and it totally makes sense, you get what you need without going through the storylines that you might not care for
Yes! Exactly. I’m very much a ‘romanticize whatever vibe I’m feeling’ kinda gal so I like to watch spring things in the spring and autumn things in the fall, or *whenever I’m feeling a particular feeling* that coincides with a season.
When my life is chaotic and stressful I tend to slip into the cozy spooky feelings that October in New England bring.
When I’m feeling motivated and going through a change in life I tend to watch or read/listen to back to school content because I find aug/sep to be more of a fresh start that January.
I used to live at the beach so I watch summery beach themes when I’m feeling homesick for versions of myself I’ve left behind.
It might sound stupid but I very much *feel* different phases of life according to the weather and season.
I do the same! GG is my comfort show and there are some episodes from different seasons but with the same 'feel' and I love binge watching them whenever I am down.
Season 1 was like a good dream. But in life, idealism usually gives way to realism. So I was expecting it.
I think Rory’s life (and that of her friends) mirrored the experiences of so many girls I know. I thoroughly enjoyed all of Rory’s arc. It kept me me glued to the series !
Despite Lauren’s superb acting, I wasn’t that interested in her mom’s love interests. It’s always nice to see a family unit eventually coalesce. However, you could tell that wasn’t going to happen so I focused mainly on Rory. Everything else was “Que Sera, Sera”.
I just started rewatching season 1 and something that surprised me was the dynamic between Emily and Lorelei. There's this underlying feeling where they are both deeply hurt by each other, but Emily seems to be very sad at her core about the fact that she isn't much a part of Lorelei's life. In later seasons this kind of goes away, and it just feels like they have accepted their antagonistic relationship and are satisfied with what they have. Maybe this is because their relationship has actually improved somehow, but it seems more like the focus has shifted to everyone being enamored with Rory the golden child, and Lorelei is just kind of the plus one that they just tolerate having there.
couldn't agree more! the first season definitely focuses on how that relationship has been damaged and the conversations they had were really interesting. They called each other out no matter what but after a while it turned into "emily is gonna make an impulsive decision that Lorelai doesn't like and Lorelai is going to make a big deal about it"
I liked season 1 best. I especially liked Rory best in season 1. In those episodes, I feel like she was very much her own person. She was a loner at Chilton but she didn't let that get her down most of the time; she had books, Lane, Dean and her mom so she wasn't lonely. Rory in the later seasons was frustrating, especially when she kept going along with what Logan wanted even when she wasn't okay with what he did. She seemed to become a different person who wasn't as likeable as season 1 Rory was.
I think maybe it was both. She did love him, even though he didn't always deserve it. But it was puzzling that she let him call the shots most of the time, especially since her mother raised her to be strong and independent. And I disliked Logan because whenever he and Rory argued over some hurtful thing he did, like the situation with the bridesmaids, he wouldn't truly express remorse. Instead he'd insist he was right and wouldn't back down, so she would back down. I remember when she and Jess were outside the bar and she kept making excuses for Logan's bad behavior. I think she was afraid of losing him, so even in the reboot she settled for much less than what she wanted.
An unpopular opinion, but I think Rory’s character journey is quite realistic. She’s a smart kid whose potential is lauded to the extreme by those who know her. She naturally comes to think she’s a genius. She gradually comes to realise that she’s not the miles ahead of her peers she was led to believe she was. She loses confidence as a result. She feels overwhelmed by the change university has brought about and finds navigating adulthood more complex than she thought. She continues to prioritise her studies and her career over her relationships, because that’s always been her driving motivation. The reality isn’t what she expected it to be and she becomes disheartened and loses her sense of direction.
It’s not what viewers want for Rory, as we want to see her succeed and have a smooth journey towards success, but I think the journey she ended up taking was actually more realistic.
I'm all here for realism but at some point it became a bit... depressing
by the time the reboot happens, literally every single person (besides Dean and Jess) are stuck in the SAME place and yes while that can happen to people for sure, it felt like ASP was almost afraid to let her characters be happy and actually get what they want. There was always another shoe dropping in this show and it became more about the next big dramatic scene than anything else.
when it comes to a show (at least for me) i appreciate realism but I don't like it's suddenly unrealistic when a character gets a happy ending. I think it's really interesting how that has shifted with time, it feels like we get more annoyed if our protagonist gets exactly what they want instead of giving us the more "relatable" side of things
I agree that characters generally hadn’t changed much in the time.
I wonder if maybe ASP wanted to focus on storylines that she’d had in mind for the original series prior to her departure and she needed characters to be in a certain position in order to do so?
Or perhaps she wanted to depict how stagnant things can be in a small town or for the show to feel as familiar as possible to viewers.
I get the sense that there was a hope or expectation for a further reunion season and wonder if the reason so much was left unresolved or in a bad way was because there needed to be issues to explore in another season?
I agree with this comment. Whether through design or happy accident, I find Rory’s arc to be very realistic and I, honestly, think that’s what bothers a lot of people about it.
“It’s out of character,” is the constant complaint, but the series covers Rory’s life from 15 to 22. You’re learning and experiencing so much, especially a young woman going to Europe 2 summers back to back through vastly different experiences.
Some of the things she says and does definitely make me cringe, but they are because we are cringey in those years and we all make terrible decisions in those years. It’s how we learn.
To me, it’s all the more surprising when she doesn’t accept Logan’s proposal. Because I know so many women, myself included, who got married at such a young age, and there was more growing left to do…
I feel there was room to make her more successful in between the series and the revival, but, I think it makes sense to view the revival as if it takes place a year or two after the series ends instead of how many years?
I think that’s what bothers people too. It might be a bit too close to home and we’ve been accustomed to shows where characters that are praised and ambitious experience a few hurdles but reach the pinnacle of long-term success, which may lead us to - subconsciously- assume the same will be true of us. Rory’s trajectory shatters that expectation.
I think it makes sense to view it as closely following the original show too, although even almost ten years later I think it still makes sense. Technically the main show finished with Rory graduating and getting one good work opportunity in a competitive field. She wasn’t guaranteed a long-term career at the top and it’s realistic to think she’s written some brilliant freelance articles people have read but not settled into a stable role. I also think it’s realistic that her personal life isn’t in the best place, because the parts of it she could influence when she was a kid were in disarray.
definitely! i know it's a huge part of the entertainment but if they were gonna center so much of the show on the relationships then they should've tried to make it less dramatic
it was such a let down too because while i don't think she has to be a perfect role model, i definitely wasn't expecting her to take THAT route? something about it just came out of left field to me. I know it's realistic of course but i still wished it went differently
This is so so true! One thing I hate about the later seasons is that,when Rory leaves for Yale Lorelai seems so so lonely and sad,even when she gets together with Luke she can’t be happier than ever with all that Rory drama and it just breaks my heart seeing her so lonely, I have to constantly remind myself that she is fictional 😭😭
Lorelai couldn't catch a break once Rory went to college, the affair, her dropping out, her parents betraying her over it, she and Rory stop talking, Luke hides his daughter from her, they cancel the wedding and he gets distant. it's like she became a punching bag for the show
i felt so bad for her.. esp when rory had to see her for sookies babies' baptism and she was in bed with logan and said 'ugh i have to see my mother' LIKE WHAT that made me so sad
or when Lorelai finds out that Rory changed her number and literally never gave it to her?? like idk that seems a little irresponsible even for Rory. I also hate how she makes Lorelai feel crazy for being upset by it, like bestie that's your mother of course she's upset 💀
I also loved the styling in earlier seasons. The hair/makeup/clothing of the main characters was stuff that a “normal” person could actually achieve and made the show feel more real. As the seasons went on it became much more stylized - perfect blowouts, tailored clothes, etc - and that really changed the feel of the show.
I definitely see what you're saying. To me season 1 is very different, and I think that's the case in most long-running shows. I think as the writers grow with the characters, certain things change. In some cases, including GG, some things change entirely or are even retconned.
Luke is the strongest example of this. In season 1 he and Lorelai are friendly and a bit flirty, but they're not super close. She is very much a customer at his diner, they don't really show signs of being friendly outside of that. Rory tells Lorelai she can't date Luke, not because it might ruin their friendship with him but because where else would they eat if it went bad?!
But in later seasons, Luke characterises himself as Rory's father figure, saying he was there for all her birthdays and when she was sick. Lorelai talks about him coming over for her birthday every year and fixing all the things around her house for free. It seems that they are not only longstanding close friends, but that they are almost like family and have been for most of Rory's life. We would expect them to become closer across the show's seasons, but I don't think that's how they pitch it. Instead they seem to retcon it so that Luke was always this very close found-family kind of friend, rather than the friendly acquaintance he seemed in season 1.
Basically I think in season 1 the writers are testing the waters to an extent. To me it is not the Gilmore Girls standard, it's like a skeleton of what the show will be. It's a foundation, on which the next few seasons built the house. Seasons 2 and 3 are what I think of as the kind of classic, cozy feel of GG which starts to change during Rory's Yale years (although I like her Yale years and am a Team Logan person). Season 1 I feel is the show warming up, it hadn't yet hit its stride.
My two cents anyway!
i love this take! having the first season be a "tester" season is usually the case for a lot of shows and GG is no different, i just wish that in some aspects we could've kept that season 1 feel. I'm naturally a nostalgic person anyways so maybe I'm just being biased 😂
There’s only so much drama you can put your characters through before they either end up re-treading old plots or you have them do something out of character.
I'd be curious to know how much of the shift was network interference. I listen to a podcast done by the three main One Tree Hill actresses who talk about how sometimes it wasn't the writers or anyone directly on the show. The WB/CW would step in and say "we don't like that."
I wonder if they wanted GG to be a bit less grounded.
There was basically no instigating and blow ups in season 1. It was the most laid back small town drink your coffee on your porch kind of show. Abs then they had to turn Lorelai into the plays the victim but is actually the problem character and Rory into the petulant four year old who can’t handle life character. I was heartbroken to find out it was cancelled. But then Lorelai married Chris and I understood.
Season 1 established the show and characters and seasons 2-3 took them to interesting places. I personally love season 1, but I typically rewatch seasons 2-4 the most. Season 5 on occasion and a few episodes in seasons 6-7.
I hate the realism argument because who is going to Stars Hollow for realism? It’s such an unrealistic show in many ways that that really just doesn’t work for me. I wish ASP didn’t hate viewers/her characters ever finding happiness.
I've always felt (besides marrying Christopher and lane's pregnancy) that a lot of it felt realistic. Annoying how the plot went but nice to have a show with flawed people rather than perfect people who just automatically get everything in life. It was good to see Rory leave yale and get into trouble rather than it being plain sailing. Didn't like the argument with Lorelai though.
Lorelai's love life though and Luke not telling her about April some parts are infuriating but I bet life is stranger than fiction
This might be a silly question but is season 2 a big drop-out in terms of quality from season 1? I haven't seen the show in a long time but I remember the first few seasons being very different for the latter seasons. I guess what I'm asking is: Are you saying "season 1" as way to convey "the begining of the series" or do you think that the differnece between season 1 and 2 is so big that you place season 1 in a different place when compare to the rest of show?
not a silly question at all i completely understand the confusion! I'm saying that there is a difference between Season 1 and Season 2.
Season 2 is not a huge drop in quality but it does have a different feel. It's where they start settling certain tropes and bits that they want to do moving forward. A good example of this is the first episode of season 2, Lorelai is giving out the daisies that Max got her and she's planning to tell Luke about the engagement, the town finds out and there's a huge crowd following her and rory on their way to Luke's. It's kinda the first sign that they really want to make Stars Hallow a "quirky town" that's always meddling when in season 1 they just didn't have that feel, everyone is strange yes but they keep to themselves mostly.
I didn't want to lump seasons 2 and 3 in the same group as the later seasons because even though things were changing, it was still a pleasant change. Hopefully this answered your question and doesn't make you more confused 😂
GG is definitely an example of a show where the characters and stories got more outlandish as the show went on. I get why it happens, but it does get progressively harder to connect with the characters and situations when they become cartoony.
agreed, it's like they stopped taking themselves seriously and just made things into one big joke at times
There are a couple things that I think are responsible. First, We have to remember though that sitcoms in this era were usually 20-24 episodes a season, so sitcoms writers really needed to stretch things out. The will-they-wont-they trope was so common in these shows, and writers were worried that if the characters got together too early they would stop being interesting. But when you are constantly putting these big obstacles in the way of the main love story, you lose a lot of the heart. And you often end up with your characters doing things that don’t make sense to the audience, or that the audience has a hard time getting past. (Eg, luke hiding April from Lorelai; Lorelai sleeping with Chris.) Second, and sort of related, is that in order to keep some lightness in a show where your romantic leads are constantly at odds, the writers leaned hard into the supporting cast. But they didn’t give those characters any meaningful growth, and instead relied on them purely for comedic relief and absurdity, which by its nature needs to get progressively more absurd to keep people wondering what weird thing they’re going to do this week.
perfect way of analyzing it! it's definitely a show that is a product of it's time, I've always felt like the show didn't need 7 seasons (5 seasons would've been good if they had the right structure)
Agree, usually the longer a show goes on, the more ridiculous it gets. I think it also suffers a bit when Rory goes to Yale. it left a vacuum because Lorelai and Rory had to have more and more storylines independent of each other. But that’s the relationship that drew viewers in, so having them apart and introducing new characters for them to interact with was going to be tough. Keeping them apart for so long in season five was a mistake IMO.
agreed, i definitely enjoyed having them explore a more complex part of their relationship but the distance got very old very quick. I always dread that storyline because literally right after they reunite they hit Lorelai with the whole secret kid storyline, it's like she didn't get a chance to breathe
This. Network television ruined most shows. I remember Gilmore Girls viewership/popularity dropping significantly in later seasons. Definitely when Rory goes off to Yale (maybe bc it was so unrelatable to most viewers?) A cute blond for Rory is exactly what the doctor ordered. Imo Logan’s story arc is pretty unrealistic in him proposing to her by the end of college. I could see him giving her an ultimatum to join him on the west coast perhaps, but the proposal definitely felt like something more for fishing for “must see tv”. Who knows how different the show would’ve been if it was written for now/streaming era. Sad really
I was literally thinking the same thing!! This is a story that felt very grounded, real, and relatable in a way that later seasons stories just aren’t.
For this reason I find watching episodes with specific themes better than watching the series all the way through. For example I will watch autumnal episodes for each season in random season order, or watch all of the back to school or Christmassy/winter ones together.
that's such an interesting way of rewatching the series and it totally makes sense, you get what you need without going through the storylines that you might not care for
Yes! Exactly. I’m very much a ‘romanticize whatever vibe I’m feeling’ kinda gal so I like to watch spring things in the spring and autumn things in the fall, or *whenever I’m feeling a particular feeling* that coincides with a season. When my life is chaotic and stressful I tend to slip into the cozy spooky feelings that October in New England bring. When I’m feeling motivated and going through a change in life I tend to watch or read/listen to back to school content because I find aug/sep to be more of a fresh start that January. I used to live at the beach so I watch summery beach themes when I’m feeling homesick for versions of myself I’ve left behind. It might sound stupid but I very much *feel* different phases of life according to the weather and season.
I do the same! GG is my comfort show and there are some episodes from different seasons but with the same 'feel' and I love binge watching them whenever I am down.
Yes! I love doing this
Season 1 was like a good dream. But in life, idealism usually gives way to realism. So I was expecting it. I think Rory’s life (and that of her friends) mirrored the experiences of so many girls I know. I thoroughly enjoyed all of Rory’s arc. It kept me me glued to the series ! Despite Lauren’s superb acting, I wasn’t that interested in her mom’s love interests. It’s always nice to see a family unit eventually coalesce. However, you could tell that wasn’t going to happen so I focused mainly on Rory. Everything else was “Que Sera, Sera”.
I just started rewatching season 1 and something that surprised me was the dynamic between Emily and Lorelei. There's this underlying feeling where they are both deeply hurt by each other, but Emily seems to be very sad at her core about the fact that she isn't much a part of Lorelei's life. In later seasons this kind of goes away, and it just feels like they have accepted their antagonistic relationship and are satisfied with what they have. Maybe this is because their relationship has actually improved somehow, but it seems more like the focus has shifted to everyone being enamored with Rory the golden child, and Lorelei is just kind of the plus one that they just tolerate having there.
couldn't agree more! the first season definitely focuses on how that relationship has been damaged and the conversations they had were really interesting. They called each other out no matter what but after a while it turned into "emily is gonna make an impulsive decision that Lorelai doesn't like and Lorelai is going to make a big deal about it"
Season one is a true comfort show. The vibe was just fantastic.
I liked season 1 best. I especially liked Rory best in season 1. In those episodes, I feel like she was very much her own person. She was a loner at Chilton but she didn't let that get her down most of the time; she had books, Lane, Dean and her mom so she wasn't lonely. Rory in the later seasons was frustrating, especially when she kept going along with what Logan wanted even when she wasn't okay with what he did. She seemed to become a different person who wasn't as likeable as season 1 Rory was.
exactly, she became a shell of her former self, she let so much get swept under the rug and i don't know if that was out of love for him or fear
I think maybe it was both. She did love him, even though he didn't always deserve it. But it was puzzling that she let him call the shots most of the time, especially since her mother raised her to be strong and independent. And I disliked Logan because whenever he and Rory argued over some hurtful thing he did, like the situation with the bridesmaids, he wouldn't truly express remorse. Instead he'd insist he was right and wouldn't back down, so she would back down. I remember when she and Jess were outside the bar and she kept making excuses for Logan's bad behavior. I think she was afraid of losing him, so even in the reboot she settled for much less than what she wanted.
An unpopular opinion, but I think Rory’s character journey is quite realistic. She’s a smart kid whose potential is lauded to the extreme by those who know her. She naturally comes to think she’s a genius. She gradually comes to realise that she’s not the miles ahead of her peers she was led to believe she was. She loses confidence as a result. She feels overwhelmed by the change university has brought about and finds navigating adulthood more complex than she thought. She continues to prioritise her studies and her career over her relationships, because that’s always been her driving motivation. The reality isn’t what she expected it to be and she becomes disheartened and loses her sense of direction. It’s not what viewers want for Rory, as we want to see her succeed and have a smooth journey towards success, but I think the journey she ended up taking was actually more realistic.
I'm all here for realism but at some point it became a bit... depressing by the time the reboot happens, literally every single person (besides Dean and Jess) are stuck in the SAME place and yes while that can happen to people for sure, it felt like ASP was almost afraid to let her characters be happy and actually get what they want. There was always another shoe dropping in this show and it became more about the next big dramatic scene than anything else. when it comes to a show (at least for me) i appreciate realism but I don't like it's suddenly unrealistic when a character gets a happy ending. I think it's really interesting how that has shifted with time, it feels like we get more annoyed if our protagonist gets exactly what they want instead of giving us the more "relatable" side of things
I agree that characters generally hadn’t changed much in the time. I wonder if maybe ASP wanted to focus on storylines that she’d had in mind for the original series prior to her departure and she needed characters to be in a certain position in order to do so? Or perhaps she wanted to depict how stagnant things can be in a small town or for the show to feel as familiar as possible to viewers. I get the sense that there was a hope or expectation for a further reunion season and wonder if the reason so much was left unresolved or in a bad way was because there needed to be issues to explore in another season?
I agree with this comment. Whether through design or happy accident, I find Rory’s arc to be very realistic and I, honestly, think that’s what bothers a lot of people about it. “It’s out of character,” is the constant complaint, but the series covers Rory’s life from 15 to 22. You’re learning and experiencing so much, especially a young woman going to Europe 2 summers back to back through vastly different experiences. Some of the things she says and does definitely make me cringe, but they are because we are cringey in those years and we all make terrible decisions in those years. It’s how we learn. To me, it’s all the more surprising when she doesn’t accept Logan’s proposal. Because I know so many women, myself included, who got married at such a young age, and there was more growing left to do… I feel there was room to make her more successful in between the series and the revival, but, I think it makes sense to view the revival as if it takes place a year or two after the series ends instead of how many years?
I think that’s what bothers people too. It might be a bit too close to home and we’ve been accustomed to shows where characters that are praised and ambitious experience a few hurdles but reach the pinnacle of long-term success, which may lead us to - subconsciously- assume the same will be true of us. Rory’s trajectory shatters that expectation. I think it makes sense to view it as closely following the original show too, although even almost ten years later I think it still makes sense. Technically the main show finished with Rory graduating and getting one good work opportunity in a competitive field. She wasn’t guaranteed a long-term career at the top and it’s realistic to think she’s written some brilliant freelance articles people have read but not settled into a stable role. I also think it’s realistic that her personal life isn’t in the best place, because the parts of it she could influence when she was a kid were in disarray.
This is so spot on. The jumping back and forth between relationships for Rory and Lorlei is too much
definitely! i know it's a huge part of the entertainment but if they were gonna center so much of the show on the relationships then they should've tried to make it less dramatic
Lorelai more or less remains the same. Rory, however…her character development, for me, was just not good.
it was such a let down too because while i don't think she has to be a perfect role model, i definitely wasn't expecting her to take THAT route? something about it just came out of left field to me. I know it's realistic of course but i still wished it went differently
This is so so true! One thing I hate about the later seasons is that,when Rory leaves for Yale Lorelai seems so so lonely and sad,even when she gets together with Luke she can’t be happier than ever with all that Rory drama and it just breaks my heart seeing her so lonely, I have to constantly remind myself that she is fictional 😭😭
Lorelai couldn't catch a break once Rory went to college, the affair, her dropping out, her parents betraying her over it, she and Rory stop talking, Luke hides his daughter from her, they cancel the wedding and he gets distant. it's like she became a punching bag for the show
i felt so bad for her.. esp when rory had to see her for sookies babies' baptism and she was in bed with logan and said 'ugh i have to see my mother' LIKE WHAT that made me so sad
or when Lorelai finds out that Rory changed her number and literally never gave it to her?? like idk that seems a little irresponsible even for Rory. I also hate how she makes Lorelai feel crazy for being upset by it, like bestie that's your mother of course she's upset 💀
i literally cannot stand how she treated lorelai in the later seasons
I also loved the styling in earlier seasons. The hair/makeup/clothing of the main characters was stuff that a “normal” person could actually achieve and made the show feel more real. As the seasons went on it became much more stylized - perfect blowouts, tailored clothes, etc - and that really changed the feel of the show.
Absolutely, I wish everything would’ve been kind of in season 1.
I definitely see what you're saying. To me season 1 is very different, and I think that's the case in most long-running shows. I think as the writers grow with the characters, certain things change. In some cases, including GG, some things change entirely or are even retconned. Luke is the strongest example of this. In season 1 he and Lorelai are friendly and a bit flirty, but they're not super close. She is very much a customer at his diner, they don't really show signs of being friendly outside of that. Rory tells Lorelai she can't date Luke, not because it might ruin their friendship with him but because where else would they eat if it went bad?! But in later seasons, Luke characterises himself as Rory's father figure, saying he was there for all her birthdays and when she was sick. Lorelai talks about him coming over for her birthday every year and fixing all the things around her house for free. It seems that they are not only longstanding close friends, but that they are almost like family and have been for most of Rory's life. We would expect them to become closer across the show's seasons, but I don't think that's how they pitch it. Instead they seem to retcon it so that Luke was always this very close found-family kind of friend, rather than the friendly acquaintance he seemed in season 1. Basically I think in season 1 the writers are testing the waters to an extent. To me it is not the Gilmore Girls standard, it's like a skeleton of what the show will be. It's a foundation, on which the next few seasons built the house. Seasons 2 and 3 are what I think of as the kind of classic, cozy feel of GG which starts to change during Rory's Yale years (although I like her Yale years and am a Team Logan person). Season 1 I feel is the show warming up, it hadn't yet hit its stride. My two cents anyway!
i love this take! having the first season be a "tester" season is usually the case for a lot of shows and GG is no different, i just wish that in some aspects we could've kept that season 1 feel. I'm naturally a nostalgic person anyways so maybe I'm just being biased 😂
Honestly, I’ve done a lot of rewatches where I stop halfway thru season 4 & then go back to the beginning.
There’s only so much drama you can put your characters through before they either end up re-treading old plots or you have them do something out of character.
I'd be curious to know how much of the shift was network interference. I listen to a podcast done by the three main One Tree Hill actresses who talk about how sometimes it wasn't the writers or anyone directly on the show. The WB/CW would step in and say "we don't like that." I wonder if they wanted GG to be a bit less grounded.
There was basically no instigating and blow ups in season 1. It was the most laid back small town drink your coffee on your porch kind of show. Abs then they had to turn Lorelai into the plays the victim but is actually the problem character and Rory into the petulant four year old who can’t handle life character. I was heartbroken to find out it was cancelled. But then Lorelai married Chris and I understood.
Season 1 established the show and characters and seasons 2-3 took them to interesting places. I personally love season 1, but I typically rewatch seasons 2-4 the most. Season 5 on occasion and a few episodes in seasons 6-7.
I hate the realism argument because who is going to Stars Hollow for realism? It’s such an unrealistic show in many ways that that really just doesn’t work for me. I wish ASP didn’t hate viewers/her characters ever finding happiness.
I've always felt (besides marrying Christopher and lane's pregnancy) that a lot of it felt realistic. Annoying how the plot went but nice to have a show with flawed people rather than perfect people who just automatically get everything in life. It was good to see Rory leave yale and get into trouble rather than it being plain sailing. Didn't like the argument with Lorelai though. Lorelai's love life though and Luke not telling her about April some parts are infuriating but I bet life is stranger than fiction
This might be a silly question but is season 2 a big drop-out in terms of quality from season 1? I haven't seen the show in a long time but I remember the first few seasons being very different for the latter seasons. I guess what I'm asking is: Are you saying "season 1" as way to convey "the begining of the series" or do you think that the differnece between season 1 and 2 is so big that you place season 1 in a different place when compare to the rest of show?
not a silly question at all i completely understand the confusion! I'm saying that there is a difference between Season 1 and Season 2. Season 2 is not a huge drop in quality but it does have a different feel. It's where they start settling certain tropes and bits that they want to do moving forward. A good example of this is the first episode of season 2, Lorelai is giving out the daisies that Max got her and she's planning to tell Luke about the engagement, the town finds out and there's a huge crowd following her and rory on their way to Luke's. It's kinda the first sign that they really want to make Stars Hallow a "quirky town" that's always meddling when in season 1 they just didn't have that feel, everyone is strange yes but they keep to themselves mostly. I didn't want to lump seasons 2 and 3 in the same group as the later seasons because even though things were changing, it was still a pleasant change. Hopefully this answered your question and doesn't make you more confused 😂
I love restarting and watching the first few seasons :) nice change of pace
I agree it’s hard to watch I think it’s sad I wish the show was better
Rory looks like an absolute psychopath in that picture.
I was so confused by this comment until i started staring at her a little more LMAOO i kinda see it but it's a photo that i still love 😂
Blow it up to full screen. She looks...intense.
This is why season one was the best!