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9 Observations from Re-watching Gilmore Girls As An Adult

9 Observations from Re-watching Gilmore Girls As An Adult
Carly Jacobs

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eird confession? I don’t actually listen to music that often. Why? Because I’m a total show pony and I like to sing along which I can’t always do if I’m working or I’m in public. I can’t sing and write because my brain can’t multi-task like that so I usually have TV shows on in the background instead of music. One such TV show is Gilmore Girls. I love this show so hard. It’s the perfect mix of terrible and awesome and I never get sick of hearing Lorelai and Rory quip-battle each other. In the interest of bonding over weird obsessions, I’ve put together a few observations I have from repeatedly re-watching the show as an adult…

1. Lorelai and Rory eat a catastrophic amount of junk food. 

I’m almost up to re-re-watching season 2 and Rory hasn’t had anything but pop tarts for breakfast for her entire first year at Chilton. I get that Lorelai is a single mum and everything but get some damn salad into that girl. She lives off Luke’s greasy breakfasts, pizza and Red Vines. Girl be having a heart attack before she’s 21. Jeez. Also way to give me totally unrealistic expectations about the correlation between junk food consumption and obesity. I blame these two and their tiny little Ding Dong eating asses for the obesity epidemic in middle America. No one can eat that much crap and remain able to wear non-elastic waist pants.

2. Alexis Bledel hates having to eat Rory’s junk food. 

 She takes these teeny tiny little mouse bites and everyone goes ‘Ho ho ho! Rory sure does eat a lot!’ and Alexis (playing Rory) reluctantly bites a jelly bean in half and giggles ‘I sure do! Look at these empty wrappers!’ *throws them in the air like confetti*. She’s a terrible fake eater but if she actually ate everything that they wanted us to think Rory ate, her teeny butt wouldn’t have been anywhere near as teeny so I’ll forgive her. It doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy watching her lick a miniscule mouthful of cake off a fork knowing it’s the 40th time she’s done it that day. Evil laugh. 

gilmore girls

3. The family talk about Lorelai’s ‘mistake’ way too often. 

In real life, if someone accidentally gets pregnant people get over it pretty quickly, like in a matter of a few months. Rory is 16 years old and they’re still banging on about it. It’s just so weird. I can’t image any parents that would still be pissed by a contraceptive slip up 16 years later especially if the child in question is a very sensible, very beautiful and very dull Rory. It’s just weird people.

4. Rory and Lane have the most boring friendship that has ever existed. 

All they do is study and have polite conversations about Star’s Hollow upcoming Fall Festival. When Future Lane is Future Rory’s bridesmaid it will be the world’s shittest wedding toast. ‘I remember this one time I borrowed a really ugly top from Rory and then I returned it to her the next day at Luke’s. *tear* I love you Rory.’ Nothing ever happens in their friendship.

5. The show (like most American TV dramas) conforms shamelessly to couple stereotyping. 

Rory is hot so she dates hot guys. Lane is the side-kick so she dates geeks. Suki is plus-sized so she gets to marry the goofy produce guy and Lorelai gets to bang every burly stud that wanders into town. No pushing of the envelope at all here people, move along.

6. Michel is the worst character. 

His accent is terrible (which is stupid because he’s French Canadian so it’s actually real) and there is nothing redeeming about him at all. I also can’t understand why the hell he lives in Stars Hollow when he clearly hates it and thinks he’s way too fancy to work at an inn. I know there are some super Michel fans out there but I have to be honest. He’s so not invited to my pool party.

gilmore girls

7. Why is a 15 year old drinking that much coffee?

When I’m supposed to be concentrating on a deep mother/daughter speed quip scene I’ll often become distracted by the site of baby faced Rory pouring herself yet another cup of coffee at midnight. I’m all ‘WTF Lorelai? She’s a kid. She needs sleep, not a metric fuck tonne of caffeine.’ and then I feel bad because Lorelai is just a single mum doing the best she can. God this show is amazing.

8. Plot lines about missing/lost/runaway teenagers were heaps more effective pre-mobile phones. 

Back in the 90s if your kid didn’t show up when she said she was going to, you couldn’t just call her mobile phone. You’d pretty much have to call the sheriff of Star’s Hollow… but then Ms Patty would call to say Rory has been asleep with Dean on the yoga room floor of her studio all night. You’d then be momentarily relieved before marching her straight to the medical centre to go on the pill because LIKE MOTHER LIKE DAUGHTER!!! The lack of mobile phones also means that your boyfriend can surprise you by knocking on your bedroom door instead of texting you to meet him on the street corner for a quick pre-bedtime pash.

9. They make the half hour drive from Star’s Hollow to Hartford sound like a 6 hour road trip

They’re always ‘going out to Hartford’ and doing things like packing snacks and unplugging the TV like they’re going for a week. I drive to somewhere half an hour away most days and it’s just not a big deal. When The Gilmore Girls drive for half an hour it’s akin to climbing Mount Everest.

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Have you re-watched Gilmore Girls as an adult? Did you LOVE the show when it first came out?

 

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P.S Want more Smaggle? Want it daily? Want it weekly? Take your pick gorgeous!

P.S THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 2014. IT HAS SINCE BEEN UPDATED BECAUSE SOMEONE TOLD ME I LOOK LIKE LAUREN GRAHAM OVER THE WEEKEND AND I WANTED TO CELEBRATE WITH A GG BLOG TRIBUTE. 
Images from IMDB

57 Comments

  1. Jana Miller || One Design a Day 9 years ago

    I loved it but yes-looking at it with new eyes now too 🙂

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      It’s a bit bizarre isn’t it? I used to think it was all very clever but now I think they’re bit dicky! Still love it though! 🙂

  2. Raquel 9 years ago

    When I re-watched it as an adult (multiple times…) I discovered what assholes Lorelai and Rory are. Seriously! Not quite Carrie Bradshaw level of assholery, but pretty close. Despite that, I love the show and the flawed characters and all their bullshit <3

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      Me too! I used to think Lorelai was actually doing a fairly decent job and now I watch it and I kind of feel like she’s a bit crap, kind of whiney and a bit selfish. 🙂

    • Larissa Rumiantzeff 7 years ago

      Agreed. No one can reach Carrie’ s level of assholery, but Rory is still young.

  3. Christine 9 years ago

    Show annoyed me on so many levels. But I suppose I was not the demographic they were targeting. Only watched it because teenaged daughters liked it. My main bugbear was that the mother/daughter dialogue was waay too fast and ” scripted”. Wouldn’t bother rewatching. I know it’s going to sound unAustralian, but I loathe Neighbours and “Home’ana”. Again, teenaged daughters insisted on watching in the late 90s early 00s. I always looked forward to the show’s long Xmas/NY break. I was a dragon mum and made them choose either/or – I refused to endure both of them. One of my girls, now 28, is still a Home’ana fan. If she’s at our place weeknight 7pm, we still have to watch it! xx

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      I used to LOVE Home and Away! Eventually sort of stopped watching. The show annoys me too but in an affectionate kind of way!

  4. Liz @ I Spy Plum Pie 9 years ago

    Love it. Despite all its faults Gilmore Girls will always have a place in my heart. Glad I’m not the only one who can’t stand Michelle! Also, apparently Alexis Bledel hated coffee so there was always coke in her cup instead, which is possibly worse when you think about how much coke she must have been drinking!

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      I actually read that somewhere last week! Let’s hope it was diet coke… all those Red Vine and pizza calories! Poor girl!

  5. Tahlia Meredith 9 years ago

    I still enjoy it, but not as much as when I first watched it (when I was about 22 I think, late adopter over here). I never noticed the Rory/tiny bites thing but now I’m keen to look out for it :p

    It’s funny you mention the epic journey to Hartford – I just watched the episode where Emily is clearing all of Lorelai’s stuff out, and has organised to give her doll house to Goodwill if she doesn’t pick it up. Lorelai is devastated and Emily says come get it tonight, and Lorelai’s all ‘I’m not coming tonight, it’s like 30 MILES’. Clearly really wants that doll house…

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      I KNOW! I’m like… what? I grew up in Canberra a 30 minute commute is short. You’re lucky to have a 30 minute commute!

      • Deb Walkenhorst 9 years ago

        30 minutes in Canberra is like 1.5 hours anywhere else. I aint driving to Belco for a dollhouse. Forget it. 😛

  6. Tahlia Meredith 9 years ago

    Oh and also – so many now-super-famous cameos in there! Seth McFarlane, Nick Offerman, Jon Hamm, Jane Lynch. Awesome!

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      I am so excited about this. I cannot WAIT to find them as I keep watching!

  7. Lisa | Mummy Made.It 9 years ago

    Now Im too scared to watch it incase it ruins my memories! I loved Gilmore Girls; and yes Michelle was odd but the Inn was their dream!! Maybe I should try watching The Wonder Years and see how it (or me!) has changed too…

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      Oh I don’t think I have the strength for the Wonder Years! It might kill me!

  8. Cheryl @ BusinessChic 9 years ago

    I used to admire the way Alexis would non-bite into a pop tart – such delicacy in the way she pushes it up and takes the teensiest bites. I used to think it was because it was too hot to take bigger bites but your explanation makes more sense!

    Also I’m working from home today and have NetFlix so I’ve hidden the remote control under a pile of washing so that I don’t start watching it! I am not delicate in my consumption of NetFlix programs.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      That is a very good plan. I’ve wasted QUITE A LOT OF TIME since it came out on Netflix. I’m working interstate this week so at least I’ve managed to escape a little! 🙂

  9. Suzanne 9 years ago

    You are sooo right!! I will have to watch it all over again now. Thanks for that! 😉

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      You definitely need to do that. Everyone should. Compulsory I SAY!!!!

  10. hahahaha! I loved it when it first came out and love it now!! Man those girls can talk fast!! Most guys I know can’t stand it as they just can’t keep up! Gilmore Girls kept me company for many an hour when I was stuck on the couch with a newborn son 3 years ago feeding around the clock. Jx

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      So freaking fast I can’t understand a damn word they’re saying!

  11. Oh have I missed out because I didn’t watch it when I was younger?! This reminds me of when I rewatched The O.C.! haha x
    Madeleine, The Daily Mark

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      I don’t think I could cope re-watching the OC. Mischa Barton suffiently annoyed me the first time around! 🙂

  12. caroline 9 years ago

    Most hilarious post ever! I really enjoyed that show and now I’m totally afraid to watch it again.
    xo
    styleontheside.com

  13. tinawheeze 9 years ago

    I’ve been rewatching it on DVD accompanied by the excellent commentary I found over at http://foreveryoungadult.com/tag/gilmore-girls-rewatch (that page won’t actually load for me but if it doesn’t work you can search “gilmore girls rematch” on their front page). They have a drinking game and everything! I almost always start from the seasons where Rory heads to uni because the school stuff is kinda boring…

  14. Fairlie 9 years ago

    I *loved* Gilmore Girls the first time around! But wow, I laughed at your analysis of it as as adult. I’ve been rewatching the original 90210 with my teeenaged daughter… and you’re so right about the invention of mobile phones totally changing plotlines.

  15. Deena 9 years ago

    What shocks me about the Gilmore’s is the total lack of affection between all of them. They don’t hug or touch, ever not even Lorelei and Rory. It’s just so foreign to me. Who doesn’t cuddle their child when they are supposedly so close.

    • inquiring2011 8 years ago

      lots of families don’t cuddle. Mine didn’t. I was sad about it when I was young and now I wish I were more cuddly for the young ones – but it’s like a skill I’d have to work at.

    • forestque 8 years ago

      I agree. My family is so far from cuddly. I don’t remember my mother ever hugging me. Now in my adult years I am a well adjusted individual but I don’t really like being touched or hugged.

  16. Kara 9 years ago

    Your blog is hilarious…even more so because I find all your points so true! It’s interesting how perspectives change over time. Rory used to annoy the shit out of me. She was so princessy and weak to me watching it when i was her age but now I just view her as a young kid trying to figure it out. Way too whiny still but it gets much better in the later seasons. I loved Loralie then and still do now. Luke used to be charming but now I think his idiotness and douchyness has reduced his charm to about 40%. But the main reason I love this article so much is your comment on Michel, which is what lead me here. I was actually soooo annoyed with him that I had to google how annoyed others were so I knew I wasn’t alone. I don’t understand why Loralie and Sookie didn’t fire him, why they put up with him, how he lasted on the show. His accent and self centered, babyish personality make my stomach churn. It’s all I can do not to flip my lap top closed when he comes on. Thank you for saying exactly what I needed to hear (or read)

  17. Kara 9 years ago

    Oh and they’re always referencing a ton of people I’ve never heard of…”Oh, that’s very Charlie Geraldine of you” or “Oh, she said it in a very Hedley Falk sort of way”. Charlie what???and Hedley who???? I have a feeling a lot of Ah-ha moments were missed on me.

  18. Marie Lise 9 years ago

    Hello! I’m here to save the French-Canadian honour :p Michel is played by a French-Canadian actor who fakes a french accent ( french from France that is…). We don’t speak like Michel, our accent in english is totally different. That being said… Yep, he’s obnoxious, I’d have fired him !

  19. jen 9 years ago

    love the Gilmore girls! My 14 year old daughter and I watch the complete season almost every holidays ?. I was a young mum(still am haha) had my daughter at 17, and although I was never a single mum I still get the odd comment about it. I kindof see my daughter similar to Rory, so smartnd friendly….but there will be problems if I start seeing her chugging down caffeine or eating processed foods all day long!

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      I know right? I love both the girls but honestly… eat some freaking vegetables!

  20. Reyna 9 years ago

    My new eyes with a degree in counseling makes me want to give Rory a list of warning signs to determine if her relationship is potentially abusive or unhealthy every time she bats her eyelashes at a boy.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      It’s kind of weird how inappropriate it all is now isn’t it? Sometimes I cringe at some of the outdated stuff they say.

  21. Kat 9 years ago

    I started watching this at the beginning of the year (total latecomer- I’m 26..as of last week!) and I LOVE this show. Yes, it’s very early 2000s and I agree with essentially everything already mentioned, especially how childish Lorelai can act sometimes, Rory’s dull dumbness (not academic of course) etc etc But, I think I’ll be a Gilmore Girls fan for life. I think it’s excellent.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      Oh are you watching for the first time? That would be so weird! I can’t imagine what that would be like… tell me more!

      • It’s my first time too. Lorelai is so annoying, she always makes sure she gets what she wants. Rory is such a bad actress, super awkward, which i guess suits the character. And oh my how fast do they talk, it’s feels so scripted as if they know exactly what to say and at what time without even thinking. Kirk feels like the the only random non-scripted character in the series. Logan is like having a love-hate relationship, I don’t like Jessie and they ruined Dean’s character later in the series. Oh and like you have mentioned, a LOT of stereotyping! That’s one common thing i have noticed about older series, they stereotype a lot. Anyway a good read Carly Jacobs!

  22. emmabovary 9 years ago

    Loving this post so much – I haven’t watched Gilmore Girls in years but am just about to start it up again. I also am rewatching the O.C which I don’t think I saw the entirety of in all honesty! Older TV shows are the best, love your recaps

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 9 years ago

      Ha! Thank you! I tend to get bored watching them all the way but I made it all the way through Gilmore Girls… and I probably will again.

  23. Marsha 9 years ago

    Not rewatching – just watching them for the first time (they are reliably available from Netflix and I never have to look away from the screen because someone is being graphically murdered or assaulted). I spend a good deal of time telling Lorelai single-mom to grow up and stop being such a touchy teenager toward her parents, and Rory to cut the umbilical cord already (really, an 18-year-old who promises to tell her mom about her “first time”?), and wondering how the hell a struggling mom can afford a great big beautiful house (Stars Hollow rents must be as tiny as the heroine’s waist measurements). And I still really, really like the show – literate, witty, just enough stereotypical small town humor – just fun. Actually, I think I decided to watch the first one because of something you wrote, so I suppose a thank-you is in order!

  24. Sarah @She Writes 9 years ago

    M

  25. Sarah @She Writes 9 years ago

    My 10 year old and I are huge fans. Must be time for a re watch I think!

  26. Naomi Burke 9 years ago

    I haven’t rewatched it, but I remember being flattered in the late 90s being told I look like Lorelai…

  27. Tom 8 years ago

    My wife and I are in our 60s and have watched the Gilmore Girls about
    four times over the years. We both enjoy it very much. I have to con-
    fess my first reason for watching is to look at Lorelai, but I do like the
    show.

  28. Faye 8 years ago

    just watched it again. did you notice that everyone else (women) in Stars Hollow are either old, fat or unattractive? which makes Lorelai n Rory the most good looking girls there, which in reality there are many attractive Americans out there, whether it’s in a small town or the city.

  29. Kristen Russell 8 years ago

    I am currently binge watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix. I do love this show, but certain things bug me about it! Lorelai has always bothered me. The first time I watched this show, I was Rory’s age and identified more with her. Now I’m nearly Lorelai’s age, so I’m noticing her more. And I want to shake her and tell her to get it together lady! Sleeping with your ex on your parent’s balcony? Calling off an engagement by running away on a road trip? And being too stupid and stubborn to admit you really like Luke? And constantly making rude jokes to her parents, stroking the tension that’s already between them. She’s immature and makes her life way harder than it has to be.

    I am also noticing Rory’s ridiculously tiny bites now! How did I miss this before?? “Mmmm chocolate cake! Let me put a teeny tiny amount of frosting on one fork tine and taste this!” “Thanks for the burger, Luke! Let me take one bite and run away to talk to Lane!”

    • Shien 7 years ago

      OMG I KNOWWWW AHHH!!! STUPID WOMAN! I jsut wrote about that because I was getting so angry at her ”jokes”.which by the way are NOT funny 90% of the time

  30. Miller 7 years ago

    how about how Rory is always covering her hands with her sleeves (starting season 3 I think)

  31. Sara 7 years ago

    The fact that the actor playing Michel is Canadian means that his accent in the show is NOT real. The actor is French-speaking Canadian. The character is French, from France. That’s like saying an American actor’s English accent is real because English is his native language.

  32. Shien 7 years ago

    Lorelai comes off as a child. Anything that disrupts her ”friendship” with Rory is a threat. She is a sometimes parent and they write her as an inconsistent character. She often says the stupidest things that you would figure a 32 year old manager of a beautiful inn would not be saying because it would be assumed that this person would have at least a little self control. It makes me think she has some sort of issue, some deep anxiety, self-esteem issue. She had to move away to Stars Hollows to have control. There s an episode where she needs a loan and she cannot get one because she doesn’t save. With the amount of money she spends on Chinese food, Luke’s place, wherever she is, it’s not a surprise. The ridiculous thing is that SHE’S surprised and then angry at her mother.
    I can understand how this pregnancy at that age can be said again and again because they barely ever went over to her parents house. They never saw the grandparents from the other side except for that one episode and you would have regrets as a parent. Have you never had someone say? Oh but we wished this for you. I don’t think it would be uncommon.
    It is statistically less likely to have children if you are from a higher socioeconomic status, almost as if to say that because people have to hear and read all the articles about children born out of wedlock, family, tradition, it will stick. So no, I do not agree with you about discussing the ”pregnancy thing” because Lorelai is still a child. Perhaps it is the way she is written (having so many inconsistencies). I find it irksome but I like the show. Imagine research supports this. How is it possible that none of this stuck with Lorelai but for some reason, it does at the hotel, having a standard or some sort of normalcy. It seems quite unlikely that she would have a daughter like Rory and yet, there she is.

  33. Kate 7 years ago

    The fact that Logan, Jess, amd Dean consistently praise Rory for being such a champ at eating has always bothered me considering she never eats! She gets hungry at midnight and pours herself a 1/4 bowl full of cereal and gets a spoonful with all but one piece of cereal, takes a bite, and boy was she famished; that grain of cereal really hit the spot because she’s all done with her midnight snack!
    Perhaps we would have gotten realistic crying scenes from Alexis Bledel had they given her huge bowls filled with cereal and marshmallows or actual amounts of real food.
    The only thing harder to watch than every attractive guy telling Rory how awesome she is for having such an insatiable appetite, was having to watch her and her meltdowns! Her acting, at least when it comes to extreme emotions, is very unbelievable… and not in a good way. She does, however, have the whole bratty, spoiled rich kid brilliantly mastered!

    Point #4 is excellent! Rory’s toast at Lane’s wedding was probably the worst toast I’ve ever heard in my life, and I used to photography weddings, so I’ve heard quite the handful!
    Really Rory? Your many years of friendship with wonderful Lane and the best you came up with was reading a letter she passed to you in class about Alex Backus? Although kudos to Rory for making sure the toast started off by mentioning the one time you weren’t perfect and misspelled “ottomobile.”

    Perfect segue to my next point, which is that the rewatch of GG made me realize how self-centered Rory is! “I’m a Gilmore, do they know that?” No worries, running with the D.A.R. will ensure everyone knows your ancestors came over on the Mayflower. That is how everyone measures success, right?

    Lastly, did it bother anyone else when Rory gets so bent out of shape when Loralai talks about coupon-clipping? As if it were so below her, especially since she’s the one raising a spoiled young adult who hasn’t had a single paying job in her life. Or does being a Gilmore also mean you can’t save money, even when it’s your mother’s money?

  34. Bia 7 years ago

    i just found your post and even though i don’t agree with a couple of things, i need to say: ALEXIS BLEDEL CAN’T CRY!! every scene Rory needs to cry she just cleans her nose, e does weird sounds, and keeps sniffing. It’s weird. i love her, i swear, but it bothers me so much. (talking about the original seasons, not the revival)

    • mystory999 7 years ago

      I agree with all of you about Gilmore girls, but has anybody wondered why, when Lorelai is on a rant at a time when everyone else is being serious, doesn’t somebody just slap her? It seems to me that Lorelai can’t stand it when she isn’t front and center in all things. Also why doesn’t she have to tell anyone anything but she has a tantrum if anyone else tries to keep anything secret.
      I do love the show, but am having a very hard time with the Lorelai character.

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