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Written by Matthew Perpetua, asap
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Monday, 07 May 2007 |
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For seven seasons, “Gilmore Girls” defied the chick flick stereotype.
Sadly, there won’t be an eighth.
The CW dramedy will take a bow on May 15. Though the show never earned especially high ratings, its emotionally complex depiction of a young mother and her daughter places it among the most thoughtful and original programs of its era.
Despite the show’s “Teen Vogue” reputation, “Gilmore Girls” challenged its audience with nuanced story lines that examined complicated issues. It also made a point of portraying its title characters as uncompromising, intelligent and capable women.
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LORELAI AND RORY
Though beautiful, Lorelai and Rory Gilmore were never presented as idealized figures. Amy Sherman-Palladino, the show’s creator, clearly designed the duo as relatable feminist role models.
Lorelai, the mom, was stubborn and fickle — a modestly successful entrepreneur blessed with an incredible work ethic. Rory was shy and insecure, but a talented student who eventually makes her way into the Ivy League.
Both buck preconceptions: Aside from a regrettable run of episodes in the first half of their final season, neither of them was subordinate to a love interest. And the “Girls” shared a love of junk food that was often played for laughs, but also showed that these gorgeous women didn’t starve themselves.
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POIGNANT PLOTS
The show’s overarching theme was the tension between the girls’ two distinct social backgrounds. Lorelai Gilmore abandoned her blue blood family as a teenager while she was pregnant with Rory, and essentially spent the entire series trying to balance her adopted working-class identity with her wealthy background.
Rory’s story was fraught with more subtle anxieties. Her grandparents financed her prestigious education, and as a result, she was initiated into affluent social circles that sharply contrasted with her small town roots.
In the show’s brilliant fifth season, Rory’s identity crisis came to a head when she alienated her mother and halfheartedly embraced the social and economic privilege enjoyed by her grandparents and classmates.
The story line cut to the core of the series, and gave its writers a chance to show off their knack for humanizing their wealthy characters, most especially Lorelai’s mother Emily. Though Emily was often abrasive, snobbish, and staggeringly entitled, she was always portrayed as sympathetic — as bold, intelligent and self-possessed as her daughter.
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THE DECLINE
Following Rory and Lorelai’s poignant reunion in the middle of the sixth season, the show struggled for a sense of direction. Matters only got worse when Sherman-Palladino left the show at the end of that season, and left her writing staff with an unfortunate cliffhanger.
As “Gilmore Girls” entered its final season, it went off the rails. The writers struggled to imitate Sherman-Palladino’s distinct voice, and the characterization of Lorelai in particular seemed to fly in the face of the show’s previously progressive reputation.
Backlash ensued and its audience started to tune out.
It’s too bad. Executive Producer David S. Rosenthal and his staff managed to salvage the second half of the show’s final season. It may have been too late to save the “Girls,” but at least they will sign off with the humor and grace that characterized their golden years.
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asap contributor Matthew Perpetua is the maestro of http://www.fluxblog.com. | Only registered users can write comments.
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