This one’s for the Ivy rejects. For the girls who can’t get boys to commit to relationships. This is for everyone who hates when writers think purposefully-annoying characters are funny. I’m writing this for anyone who hated Gilmore Girls.
However, when I was not seethingly frustrated with the perfection of Rory Gilmore’s life, I was so happy to have an easy-to-watch show where the problems were relatable, yet ridiculous, making my own problems forgettable. There are enough interesting plot lines to get you invested in the characters’ lives, making the show binge-watchable, and once you’re five episodes deep, the frustration fades away and the bliss of small-town America sinks in. I watched the whole damn thing and for some reason I feel satisfied.
But then I also look back at those 154 episodes and think, “Oh my GOD the characters are annoying.” Rory is constantly getting what she wants, and even when things don’t go her way, she ends up getting the best out of the situation. Every boy she likes ends up liking her back. She gets into Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. I mean, REALLY? Out of all of the things that happen in the show, good or bad, they end up getting resolved in her favor, even though she is inherently self-destructive.
Rory is seemingly ignorant when it comes to social cues and thinks that every problem can be solved with a smile and a positive attitude. She sleeps with her ex-boyfriend who is, at that point, married, but doesn’t recognize that she is actively helping him cheat on his wife. Whoops, there’s that adorable ignorance! She doesn’t realize her best guy friend likes her, despite the blatantly obvious signs, and is insufferably positive when everyone around her is in distress. The doe-eyed, delusional act makes me want to light my laptop on fire.
And then there’s all of the insufferable side characters. Taylor, the man who oversees town happenings, is unendingly selfish and needed to be punched in the face multiple times throughout the series (to my dismay, he never gets his comeuppance). Rory’s grandparents are equally selfish and cannot stop meddling in (and ruining) their daughter’s life. But even with almost every character being flawed beyond reasonable standards, I felt so invested in their lives midway through the first season that I couldn’t stop watching. Maybe because I wanted to see them get physically injured. But maybe I really wanted the best for them!
I learned to skip through the annoying characters, and despite having to take breaks when Rory’s perfection made me sick, I watched the whole thing and did not hate myself because of it. And, though this take might be a hot one, the jokes are pretty funny. Lorelai’s quips at her mother and various other side comments made me laugh, though I’m having trouble finding other positive takeaways. Your time might be better spent reading a book or taking a walk or doing almost anything else, but I am a trash person and am for some reason addicted to trash TV, so if you relate to that, try watching Gilmore Girls!
