I’ve decided to do a new feature on my blog where I recap the shows that I’m watching. The main new/important thing about these recaps is that I’ll summarize the episode and then I will list the important characters in the episode and how they’ve grown or annoyed me in this episode. I’m currently watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix for the first time. I just finished watching Season 1 and I have tons of thoughts and feelings that I wanted to share. It’s difficult to summarize 21 episodes so from now on, I’ll do my best to recap the most important episodes.
Summary: Lorelai is a single mom raising her 16 year old daughter in the town of Stars Hollow. Lorelai got pregnant when she was 16 and didn’t want to marry the man who got her pregnant so she ran off with her baby and hardly had much communication with her parents for 16 years. Rory implies that she has in fact met her grandparents before, but only on holidays. Lorelai manages the Inn in town and has hopes of starting her own with her friend Sookie, who runs the kitchen. Rory dreams of going to Harvard and applies for the prestigious private school Chilton. Rory gets in and Lorelai discovers that she won’t be allowed to attend the school unless she pays the expensive tuition fee. Lorelai doesn’t have enough money on the spot, so her only option is to turn to her parents that she’s promised herself not to go to for anything. Her parents agree to giving her the money as long as Lorelai and Rory have weekly family dinners with them.
Basically, the rest of the season is Lorelai and her troubles with her parents. Rory getting her first official boyfriend. Rory having troubles fitting in at her new school with Paris Geller, an overachiever just like Rory. Lorelai ends up dating Rory’s English teacher Andrew, hooks up with Rory’s father when he comes to town, and has some serious chemistry with Luke Danes who runs his own diner that Lorelai is a frequent customer to quench her coffee addiction.
Lorelai: Lorelai is an extremely quirky character. She makes tons of pop culture references every episode. Her attempt to ease the tension between her mother and her is always humorous. Lorelai is constantly making jokes that her mother simply doesn’t get. She’s also a lot more like the child than Rory is. Lorelai has to constantly be entertained and she’s very much a junk food addict and general extrovert. It’s entertaining to watch her banter with Luke and pretty much every other character on the show. Her lines are always catchy and one of a kind. Her commitment issues aren’t as bad at the end of the season so I think she’s already grown a little this first season.
Rory: Rory is a crazy smart 18 year old who brings a book with her everywhere she goes. She’s also well cultured thanks to her mother and her love for pop culture. Rory just has one close friend named Lane who she has to leave behind when she starts attending Chilton but they still stay close. She meets Dean, a new boy who notices that she’s always reading. They hit it off and start talking for awhile. Eventually, he gives her her first kiss in the middle of the supermarket aisle which is where he works. Rory is so socially awkward when it comes to Dean, like it’s seriously painful. He even breaks up with her because homegirl freezes when he tells her he loves her. Overall, Rory is a great girl who really starts to mature throughout this season.
Emily: She’s Lorelai’s rich and uptight mother that Lorelai ran away from as quickly as she could. Emily feels like Lorelai abandoned her and cut her off from her only granddaughter. She gets a little over excited whenever she starts to pay for her Chilton tuition and becomes a little bit over involved. But she has the best of intentions. Her banter with Lorelai is hilarious. This is just a brilliant character and I love her. I think she brings a lot of depth to the role besides just being the snobby rich old lady.
Richard: Lorelai’s father who hasn’t gotten over the fact that Lorelai left just yet. He loves Rory and enjoys spending time and they even bond together during the first season. Richard enjoys the fact that Rory is such an intellectual girl who can hold a conversation. He wanted the best for Lorelai’s future but since that didn’t happen, he still has that dream for Rory.
Sookie: Lorelai’s hilariously awkward best friend who’s always messing something up in the kitchen. She’s always there for Rory and Lorelai and she’s a comic relief. I really love how much her character grew from hardly being able to talk to guys to being in a relationship with Jackson.
Lane: Rory’s best friend who has a strict mother. Poor Lane has to even change out of her preppy clothes into a much preferred t-shirt for a rock band. Lane is just as cultured as Rory and can hold her own when it comes to music, books, TV shows. My favorite moment on the show is when she goes out with Dean’s friend and is attempting to hold a conversation with him. Her attempts at referencing pop culture was definitely extremely similar to all of my opinions about it.
Luke: The cynical guy who runs a diner and is always wearing a baseball cap backwards. Luke and Lorelai have some classic banter and it’s hilarious to watch. Luke is just a really great character who is definitely more complex and it’ll be exciting to watch this unravel throughout the series as we learn more about him.
Dean: Rory’s first real boyfriend. He’s very gorgeous and has awesome hair. He also appreciates Rory’s book knowledge which is a major positive sign in any boyfriend.
Paris: Smart girl who views Rory as serious competition from the first day Rory starts attending Chilton. The two girls have their ups and downs throughout the series. And we realize that Paris has issues with her rich mother and her father that cheated on her. She also is pining after a popular boy who simply dates her to get to Rory. Unfortunately for Rory, the season ends with Paris viewing Rory poorly. She’s jealous of Rory for catching the eye of the guy she’s liked since forever and vows to make her life miserable.
Rachel's Rambles 