I Finished Gilmore Girls. A Year in the Life Made It All Better.

Major Gilmore Girls and Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life spoilers ahead!

After a solid week of watching Gilmore Girls, I’ve finished it. And though I said I kinda hated it just a short while ago, I am now at peace. Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life changed it all for me. Here’s why:

Rory is a “Failure.” 

Rory suffers from gifted kid syndrome at its finest. In A Year in the Life, people suddenly tell her no. And that’s just so sweet to me. I honestly felt like during the whole series Rory never really faced any consequences for her poor decisions. Whether staying out all night with her boyfriend as a young girl or breaking up a marriage, she just never seemed to learn a little impulse control and humility. I, for one, was super glad to see her face a ton of rejection. Also, if you can’t tell, Rory is my least favorite character. I probably get a bit of joy from her pain.

Lorelai and Luke Get Married!

Is there anything else to say here? I know that some people might disagree, but as Abby said a while ago: Luke is #1. It’s just so satisfying to finally see Luke and Lorelai marry after I intently screamed “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” at the TV during every scene they were in together for, like, 5 seasons.

Emily Gilmore Becomes Immensely Easier to Stan 

I always saw Emily as a bit cold and unavailable. It was truly incredible to see the more emotional, human side of her. And I have to say, it was immensely satisfying to see her connect with Lorelai both in therapy and when Lorelai was doing Wild. I also loved that she was so welcoming to her maid and her family; it always bothered me that the show represented helpers around the home as disposable figures.

The Pop Culture References Stayed Alive 

I’m not going to lie: some of the early 2000’s references might have flown right over my head, especially considering that I was in the third grade then the original series ended. Though, I will say that the President Obama foreshadowing in the last few episodes was god-tier. Well done to the writers! In A Year in the Life, Hamilton, man bun shade, and free wi-fi references stuck to the original series’ guns and developed those references for 2016. I just loved that.

Thumbnail via Wikipedia Commons.