“Gilmore Girls” continues to teach life lessons

Imagine walking into a small town diner in New England and seeing a mother and her 15-year-old daughter sitting at a table eating pancakes, French toast, muffins and donuts all while drinking coffee faster than their cups can be filled. In another corner the town gossips sit and bicker while knitting scarves. The town selectman walks in and picks a fight with the flannel-shirted, backwards baseball cap wearing owner of the diner who is yelling at you to put you cell phone away.
This is the atmosphere created by Amy Sherman-Palladino in the fictional town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut.
In 2000, a show aired that was unlike any other show on television, and has yet to be matched in wit or charm.
“Gilmore Girls” aired its pilot episode on Oct. 5, 2000, and ran for seven seasons for a total of 153 episodes. The show featured a mother-daughter duo, Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, with the tight bond that every mother wishes to have with her daughter, as they live out their lives in the storybook town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut.
Lorelai Gilmore is played by Golden Globe nominated actress, Lauren Graham. Daughter Rory Gilmore is played by Alexis Bledel, who made her first acting appearance in “Gilmore Girls.”
In addition to the leading ladies, the “Gilmore Girl’s” cast is full of well-known actors including, comedy film star Melissa McCarthy; Milo Ventimiglia of NBC’s “This is Us;” “Supernatural” star Jared Padalecki; and Liza Weil of “How to Get Away with Murder.”
The town of Stars Hollow is comprised of an eclectic group of well-developed characters that outsiders just don’t understand.
Even Rory’s father Christopher Hayden, who visits Stars Hollow in season 2, episode 19, said, “This town is like one big outpatient mental institution.”
While their relationship may not always be perfect, Lorelai and Rory, along with the rest of Stars Hollow’s citizens, provide the audience with important insight about life, love and friendship. And when it comes to keeping your priorities in line, Lorelai has all the answers.
“Don’t study so much that you get brilliant, go mad, grow a big bald egghead and try to take over the world, OK? ‘Cause I want to go shoe shopping this weekend,” Lorelai said in season 3, episode 8.
While the show is now over 10 years old, it still has a large and dedicated following of men and women alike. Those who have watched and loved the show became a member of the Gilmore family, looked forward to Friday night dinners, and watched in anticipation, with coffee in hand, as Rory and Lorelai went through the ups and downs of love.
“All any of us wants, to find a nice person to hang out with ‘til we drop dead. Not a lot to ask!” Lorelai said in season 4, episode 6.
Between consuming mass amounts of junk food, watching thousands of movies, and drinking gallons of coffee, the Gilmore girls still have time to date. The shows follows both Lorelai and Rory through their multiple relationships, which almost never work out. However, one things is for sure, when romantic relationships fail, the Gilmore’s are experts at coping.
In season 6, episode 17 Rory said, “No men. Just lots and lots of Chinese food,” as she consoled her best friend Paris Geller, after a break-up.
The seven season series is currently available to stream on Netflix for those who haven’t watched it before, and are interested in experiencing all things Gilmore, or for those who want to re-watch every episode for the fifth time.