Gilmore Girls

"Gilmore Girls" (like Leonard Maltin, I usually like to use the title as it appears on screen, but we'll forego the nomenclature "Gilmore girls") is one of those shows that positive word of mouth and the "You know, this does seem like a good show" vibe from hearing about it made me want to get a look at; the series has finally started UK airings on Nickelodeon, a strange choice for the channel - it's certainly comedic, but it's more of a comedy-drama than the usual stuff that's on Nick. (Plus, unlike all its regular shows it's an hour series.)

My rule of thumb is that if a series doesn't encourage me to keep watching by its third episode, it won't do so after its thirtieth; Amy Sherman-Palladino's series passed by the end of the first one. A number of viewers have commented that the dialogue isn't too realistic, and Lorelei Gilmore is certainly so quick with the witty repartee you wonder why she's not a stand-up comic instead of managing an inn (possibly a clue as to why one of the companies involved is called Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions?), but it does have the saving grace of actually being funny... something that can't be said for a lot of official comedies.

What helps the series work so far, apart from the dialogue, is the characters - just as "M*A*S*H"'s laugh track was kept out of the operating room even in the American broadcasts (it was initially broadcast in the UK sans track), the relationships between Lorelei and Lorelei (that's Rory - in the pilot we learned that she was named after her mother) aren't actually played for gags endlessly, and her mother's certainly strong but not a bitch, the way the makers could have easily done. No one in the show so far is truly bad or good, which bodes well, and the bond between mother and daughter is a rare thing for TV - they're both relatives and true friends without making you want to vomit, not a common thing in family dramas.

We're about three years behind the WB, and I'm looking forward to catching up with the Gilmores and their friends (it's impossible not to symapthise with Rory's best friend in particular, what with her health-food-obsessed/antique-selling mother). And on a purely shallow note, Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel must be the most attractive mother-daughter pairing in recent television history. Beautiful and funny? Who needs Madonna kissing Britney?

i do not exactly know, which audience this show is meant to appeal to. i am a single male in my late thirties with a long history of being in love with my best female "friend". so of course, it will always be the Luke-lorelai relationship that will appeal to me. but the way lorelai interacts with her parents, the way, the town's community is depicted, the sheer speed of a 45 minute drama/comedy, are all simply wonderful. in a lot of ways, it reminds me of thirties' screwball comedies, you know the ones, katherine hepburn, cary grant. anyway, this show is perfectly written, directed and acted. it's a pleasure to watch. my previous favourite shows have been "northern exposure", "picket fences", "buffy" (oh yes) and "frasier". "gilmore girls" took the best of all of them and put it together. i hope, they can keep this sort of level and i hope it will never stop.

While it may appear to be a chick thing, I enjoy watching this show. The characters are not stereotypical and stand out thanks to the great job of both writers and actors (I especially enjoy Melissa McCarthy and Liza Weil's portrayal of their characters), the show is chock full of wit (that is if your brain is quick enough to register the references made through the fast speech) and the plot, from what I have seen, is more than sufficient to keep you wanting to see more.

My favorite thing about the show is that, unlike other dramas, it isn't too over the top. The plot progresses smoothly and slowly (just slow enough), and while the show changes as time passes, it doesn't change so completely as other shows in the same genre would. It is a perfect example of that while life changes, it is a subtle change, not an overt one.

I would recommend anyone in search of intelligent, witty television to watch this show. I give it a 9 out of 10, and I hope that it stays on the air for years to come.

"Have you ever watched Gilmore Girls?" It's what my friend said when she recommended me this show while were discussing my tumultuous family relations. She said: "Give it a shot, you might find it surprising how much you can relate to these characters, their journeys and struggles." Said and done.

I have just finished watching the show and the last episode had me crying from beginning to end, and this is a statement to the most powerful asset the show has: the ability to make us relate and sympathize with the characters. This is a show about relationships: family, friends and love, plus we get to see one the main characters go through high school and college, and who can't relate to those things?! Life is tough and relationships are hard, but to still believe in your goals and dreams despite it all is what this show is all about.

The Gilmore Girls: Lorelai's character (the mom) is the soul of the entire show, her dysfunction relationship with her parents, the hard work put into building her life and independence, the love, care and trust (even if a bit idealized) she shares with her daughter is a wonder to see, she is a living and breathing compulsive joker that made me laugh out loud so many times I lost count, and all of it lets us connect with her in so many levels.

Rory's character (the daughter) is the one everyone wish they were: has good grades, likes to study, is ambitious and above it all has in her mother a best friend and a partner. As she comes of age, we get to see a lot we can relate to: first love, first time, getting to college, existential crisis (every college kid has at least one), graduation and the uncertainties that lies ahead of adulting around.

Emily's character (the grandmother) is the one that makes us understand why all of us gotta go to therapy: because our parents didn't. She is also the reason one of the most iconic parts of the show exists, the Friday night dinners with Lorelai and Rory. The dinners are almost a synthesis of the entire show where these three women, who lead absolutely different lives and want completely different things from one another, try to get together and figure out a way to be a family.

The show is pretty clever in depicting the impact family support can have on someone as well as the result family disfunction can inflict on somebody, and that's what family is all about. But don't get me wrong, sometimes the very lesson the show is trying to teach about the importance of clear communication, and the problems with misinterpretation and assumptions are sometimes used for a lack of better writing, especially concerning Lorelai and Rory's romantic interests throughout the show and are very often frustrating and out of character.

It has a lot of great side characters and the tone and dynamic between them all shifts a bit from season 4 forward. It's a nice depiction of the small-town way of life and has a rare yet kind and considerate take on relationships between generations (grandma, mother and daughter). All and all Gilmore Girls is an up lifting, feel-good and cozy show. I loved this journey and I genuinely think it made me realize and change the way I see myself and deal with my family issues (and all of it while having a good time!). Hope a lot of people give it a shot, because it's definitely worth it.

I'm on my third round of watching this programme and it just never gets old. Emily Gilmore is hands down the best character. It's funny, emotional, smart, what more can you want from a tv series? Will most definitely be rewatching again in the future.