CHRISTENSEN LOW

GRADE:  B+

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Gilmore Girls

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My wife is addicted to this show.  So much so that she has watched all seven seasons in less than three months.  That's something like 150 shows.  Too bad for her that they aren't making any more shows. :(  But, in the spirit of sharing, I began watching the show during my long break from teaching this past winter (January and February of 2018).  I'm only on season 5 right now.

 

What I like about this show is that it is simple in the style of "Family Ties" or "The Cosby Show".  The show is just the stories of a single mom from a rich family who chooses to live a life apart from that "posh world".  Lorelai had chosen to run away from the rich world of her parents, but she was brought back into it, at least on Friday nights, by her need for money to finance her daughter's education.  This is the conflict that resonates throughout the seasons.

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Even though few shows can show reality in its boring black and white, this show doesn't have the extreme drama of, say, "The Walking Dead" (another favorite of mine).  The plots are rather simple.  For instance, the episode I just watched had this subplot.  Lorelai was depressed, so she didn't put together the tea party for the little girls and their dolls.  Michel and Sookie jump in and make it work. (sorry for the spoiler, but it's a small one, I think).  That doesn't sound like a huge deal, but the show brings out such interesting characters that enrich the plot.  It is a show you can just watch and relax.

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I guess "Gilmore Girls" reminds me of a childhood favorite, "Little House on the Prairie".  You get swept up into the simple stories because you truly enjoy the characters, even the ones who are the "bad guys".  My wife doesn't like Emily Gilmore because of the manipulative way she tries to control her daughter and granddaughter (and just everyone around her).  Yet, I like the character.  We both can see how Emily Gilmore has this desperate need for love, but that she has grown up in a world that values the cultivation of an image rather than true depth.  So, she is conflicted character, just like the Olesons in "Little House".  The characters are a little too pigeon-holed at times, but they are also complex characters too.

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There are a few things I don't like about this show, and that is why it doesn't get an A.  For one, I dislike the stereotypes of rich people.  Stereotypes are almost necessary in writing because it communicates a lot in just a few words.  So, I get it.  Depicting rich people as these entitled, self-indulged and socially removed caricatures is a way to create easy antagonists.  It moves the story along and creates the conflict that makes the show interesting.  Yet, I get tired of dichotomy.  Rich people = bad; liberal, small town people = good.

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Also unlike "Family Ties" and "The Cosby Show", "Gilmore Girls" has a very liberal bent to it.  On the scale of liberal versus conservative, I'm more liberal.  Yet, I am socially conservative in many ways.  As a Christian, I prefer a show without sex scenes or even discussions about sex.  I can endure the discussion, and I think that discussions on any topic is necessary for the true discovery of truth.  Yet, when it comes to a TV show that I'm watching, I prefer no sex scenes and no discussions of sex (or very little).  I guess I prefer "wholesome" shows, and those can be hard to find these days.  So, for me, the show is great, and would be even greater if it had cut out this part.

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All in all, it is a good show to watch.  I often watch it while working on something or during my commute.  My wife, she watched it in all times and locations.  If I had the time and money, I would remake the show just to give her something more to watch.  I love how she has really gotten into the show, and we sometimes talk about the characters as if they are friends of ours.  "Did you know that Luke just bought the whole building where his cafe is?"  Yet, sadly, you cannot recreate the dynamics of a show from the past.  The actors have aged, and the feel has become a relic that must stay in the past.

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Though, what show today is similar to it?  Hmmm...  Maybe this is something I can somehow make reality?