Can you ever really go home again? If that home is Stars Hollow, the answer is yes. We saw Rory Gilmore return to her roots in Netflix’s Gilmore Girls revival, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, and prepare to embark on a new journey: motherhood. Yeah, that’s the cliffhanger the four-part miniseries ended on. Rude, right? Maybe we’ll get to see what happens next. Emphasis on maybe.
Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos told the UK Press Association they’re in “very preliminary” talks about making more Gilmore Girls. The fast-talking, coffee-centric series has a large and enthusiastic fan base, so it’s not surprising Netflix would want to put their wheels on a road back to Stars Hollow. We’re taking this possibility and using it as a chance to dream about what we’d like to see if the Gilmores make a comeback.
Go serialized
Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino had a specific story in mind when they prepared the Gilmore Girls revival as a four-part miniseries. They wanted to readjust after the season seven missteps and get the story back in place. The idea of the revival unfolding over a year with installments happening in different seasons was a conceit fitting the quirkiness of the show, but it put them in a box of limited time. Storylines for Lorelai and Rory were rushed and cameos were dropped in without getting their due—and yes, I realize part of that was due to scheduling.
This is my long-winded way of saying the plot would have benefited from a 10-13 episode season. If Gilmore Girls returns, it should be serialized so things can be given time to breathe and happen. We can spend more time with Kirk’s business ideas or tangents and not feel like we’re missing out on the main story.
No musicals (sorry, Miss Patty)
I’ve mentioned the quirkiness of Gilmore Girls. It’s an offbeat show with walk-in closet sized spaces for eccentricity. That said, with characters who are walking caricatures of weirdness (I mean this as a compliment), going overboard isn’t necessary. So, let’s, please for the love of all things, skip the overly long musicals, whatever they’re about, and Life and Death Brigade antics. Focus on the characters and their oddities without making a spectacle.
Less mean girl attitude
Lorelai and Rory have always been sarcastic and a tad judgmental, but in the original run, it was part their charm. They suffered no fools. I admired it, while also rolling my eyes at how consistently selfish they were. But all of their worst traits were enhanced in the revival. They became mean girls who participated in body shaming and made fun of nerds. And let’s not forget about the appalling Paul gag.
If more Gilmore Girls happens, the cruel nature of their jabs needs to be dialed back. I’d prefer to see them learn a lesson teaching them the error of their ways. It doesn’t need to happen like a saccharine Full House learning moment, but they deserve some kind of comeuppance.
More Emily
Emily had her flaws in Gilmore Girls: Year in the Life, namely in the way she dismissed the unidentifiable language of Berta and her family, but she shined the brightest of the Gilmores. She pushed forward through grief and learned to let go of all the bullshit in her life. If every human would have the epiphany of not wasting energy on artifice, the world would be a more real place.
With Emily finding her place in the world without Richard, Gilmore Girls has a fresh perspective and one they should spotlight in future installments. Emily will get to be a great grandmother too, and I’d like to see this version of Emily around a kid. Maybe she could help school Lorelai and Rory. Oh my goodness. What if Emily moved to Stars Hollow to be closer to Rory and her baby?
Rory’s baby
I’m not entirely against a parallel situation with Rory raising her child as a single mom. I would like to know who the father is so it’s not a looming
question, and I’d like to see the father more involved if he wants to be—e.g., I don’t want Rory to shut him out for the sake of doing motherhood like Lorelai. She needs to stand on her own to some degree.
A recognition of privilege
Lorelai left a life of wealth and luxury once she had Rory. She worked hard, saved money, and built a life for her and her daughter with her efforts. But. When she needed a pile of cash to send Rory to Chilton, all she had to do was ask for it. Lorelai could have gone to her parents for money at any point. It would have been a blow to her pride, for sure, but she was never really going to be down and out.
Privilege is a cornerstone of how Lorelai and Rory have done certain things. They’re both smart, they’ve both carried their weight yet… Need money for Yale? Go to Richard and Emily. Need money for an expensive home repair? Get Emily to cosign your loan. I think the series should somehow recognize how having access to an apparently inexhaustible stack of dollar bills affects a family.
What would you like to see in future installments of the Gilmore Girls? Share your wish lists in the comments and come tell me your ideas on Twitter.
Images: Netflix, Tumblr/ Brit, David
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