Gilmore Girls - Season 1

Gilmore Girls - Season 1

     I remembered this show from years back and it always seemed like a fun watch. The first couple of episodes in and I could see why the show was such a hit for seven seasons. It's a basic story of single mother, Loralai Gilmore and her daughter Rory who share an unbreakable bond and the crazy little Connecticut town they live in. 

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Loralai and Rory Gilmore

     When Loralai had her daughter at 16, she left her wealthy parents home in Hartford, Connecticut and moved into the Independence Inn in Stars Hollow. 16 years later, Loralai is an independent single mother who has raised her daughter Rory, a brilliant student with a dream of pursuing journalism. Although Lori is the executive manager at The Independence Inn, she still struggled financially, especially when she wants to enroll Rory in the prestigious Chilton Academy in Hartford. Exhausted of resources, Loralai finally turns to her wealthy, but distant parents to fund Rory's education. One one condition, Loralai and Rory must spend every Friday evening with them at supper; Loralai begrudgingly agrees, but Rory is excited at getting to know her grandparents.

     Loralai Gilmore: Beautiful and independent, Loralai defines the term free spirited. A fun loving woman who shares an incredible bond of friendship with her beloved daughter. In spite of her strong-willed nature, Loralai  privately struggles with trusting people outside her own small circle of friends. Born into an old-school wealthy family, Loralai was desperate to break free from the choking traditional lifestyle of her parents and forge her own life, but after she became pregnant with Rory (and subsequently turned down a marriage proposal from Rory's father after she told him of the pregnancy), life changed quickly for Loralai. She took matters into her own hands, by refusing her parents help, therefore driving a wedge between them that has lasted for years.

      Now, Loralai has no choice, but to accept her parents help and in the process begins to understand them in a way she never thought possible. Although the show primarily focuses on Loralai and Rory, a great amount of attention is focused on Loralai and her complex relationship with her parents. No matter how angry Loralai may get at them and at her strict upbringing, her parents always have the last word by opening her eyes to the realities of their parenting and how they only wanted what was best for her.

     Loralai 'Rory' Gilmore: A brainy bookworm who has her eye on Harvard University and unexpectedly catches the eye of a couple of boys in the process. Practical and responsible (more so than her mother), Rory's oftentimes serious nature tends to give people the wrong impression of her at first, but Rory (like her mother) hardly cares about what people think about her. A good student, obedient daughter and loyal friend, Rory seems to good to be true, but her undeniable sweet nature and tenacity to pursue her dreams makes her lovable and endearing, especially as she grows closer to her grandparents, takes on school bullies and deal with first time love and heartbreak.

      The show wouldn't be complete without the zany residents of Starts Hollow and Loralai's traditional minded parents. Every single character adds a personal and lovable quality to the show. Every person that comes in contact with Loralai and Rory are always affected by them in some way. The Stars Hollow community adore the Gilmore Girls and support both of them in every way that they can. Loralai's parents, Richard and Emily, may take some getting use to, but as the show progress and their characters development, they end up providing a great amount of wisdom and comfort to both mother and daughter who begin to rely on them for more than money.

      It's so hard to have a favorite character, I loved them all so much. These people were real and make you think "I know somebody just like that!" There were some episodes that were absolutely hysterical and others that were completely heartbreaking. A show about the simplicity of life, family and friends is a refreshing break from other popular television that deals with superheros, the supernatural, magic, period dramas and murder/crime mysteries. Gilmore Girls is fun and engaging with fun characters and storylines and the reinforced theme of family and community love.