Gilmore Girls

TV Series Review

Gilmore Girls was born in 2000 when a consortium of television advertisers funded it, hoping for a show that would “embody an uplifting message.” Their wish came true. However, TV shows can be like children—innocent when they’re young and prone to go astray as they get older. Gilmore Girls is no exception, though the WB hit has hung onto many of the same uplifting themes that got it off the ground.

Now in college, all-American teenager Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) can still count on her single mother, Lorelai (Lauren Graham), to be not only a parent but also a best friend. Rory never lacks for love and support, though it came in the form of brutal honesty when Mom learned she was thinking of taking a year off from school and putting off her degree.

Of course, sometimes the pair can act more like sisters than mother and daughter, which has its negative side effects. When Lorelai feared she herself might be pregnant by a boyfriend, she used her predicament to remind her daughter to use protection in her own sex life. Indeed, sexual ethics are not Lorelai’s strong suit. She has developed habits in her adult relationships that she’d rather Rory not imitate, but Lorelai seems convinced that she has compromised herself too much to change her ways now. As for Rory, she’s beginning to “imitate” whether her mom wants her to or not. She surrendered her virginity to a married old flame a few seasons ago, and now she’s living with Logan, her current love interest. (There’s a life lesson in there somewhere!)

Bledel told ign.com, “Most people who approach me about the program are either daughters or mothers and they say they either have a relationship just like the one on the show or that they would love to have a relationship just like the one on the show. I think that’s our main audience.”

Gilmore Girls had faults when it started, and it still has faults today, some of which have ballooned. Nevertheless, the series deserves praise for its conscious efforts to respect boundaries while so many prime-time peers charge through them. When characters make mistakes, clear consequences almost always follow. Whether it’s sex, alcohol, theft or contemplation of divorce, wiser heads usually prevail.

(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)