Review: Gilmore Girls-A Year in the Life

As many fans are aware, “Gilmore Girls” released a 4-part mini-series on Netflix over the holiday weekend with each episode exploring a different season. Each episode was written by the creator the series, Amy Sherman-Palladino, who also directed two of the episodes, and her husband Daniel Palladino directed the other two. This mini-series gave fans a year’s worth of new information about the lives of Lorelai and Rory that, let’s face it, we have all been missing.

From the beginning of the first episode titled “Winter” to the last four words of the final episode titled “Fall,” viewers experience a sense of nostalgia for the previous seven seasons and hope for what could come after this mini-series. The series explores what life has been like for Rory after graduating from Yale and a few years after, where viewers meet a new boyfriend and run into the old ones (yes, ALL of them). We also get a glimpse of Lorelai and Luke’s relationship, which is still as amazing and tension-filled as ever.

Arguably the best part of any of the episodes is the premier of Kirk’s second short film, as well as his strong presence in each episode. In addition to Kirk, the Stars Hollow cast included Taylor, Babett, Ms. Patty and Caesar. The show also provided an excellent showing of Paris Gellar as a working mom, which has taken nothing away from her strong personality. She is as difficult and neurotic as ever, yet it is still clear that so much has changed since we last saw her.

One of the most noticeable and saddening aspects about this mini-series is the absence of Edward Herrman, who played Richard Gilmore in the previous 7 season. Herrman passed away on December 31, 2014 from brain cancer, before production of the reprisal began, but his presence is severely missed throughout the four episodes. Emily, Richard’s wife, struggles to cope with his death, as does Rory and Lorelai. His death becomes a source of conflict between Emily and Lorelai that continues to tear away at their already cracked relationship.

This series causes the viewers to reminisce about what was and hope for what is to come, allowing fans and newbies alike to formulate new opinions and speculate whether there will be more episodes in the future. Whether new episodes are released or not, it is important to remember that we were just handed a year of Gilmore Girls on a silver platter. None of the cast and crew were certain they would ever reprise their roles, but they did and, hopefully, they will again.