.png){kind=logo}
Image via The WB
Published 30 minutes ago
Kendall Myers is a Senior Author with Collider. As part of the TV and Movies Features team, she writes about some of the most popular releases before, during, and after they premiere. In three years, she has written over 900 articles with topics ranging from classic sitcoms to fantasy epics.
Sign in to your Collider account
It's been 25 years since Gilmore Girls began its seven-season run, yet its popularity remains consistent to this day, which is a feat only a handful of shows can claim. Following the quirky Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and her unique bond with her daughter, Rory (Alexis Bledel), the drama earned considerable praise for its cozy, fall vibes, feel-good nature, and rapid-fire comedy, but what sets Gilmore Girls apart is more than that. Though it seems like a classic family drama on the surface, as it explores the shifting relationships of the Gilmores, the series strikes a rare balance between drama and comedy that remains unmatched even after so many years.
Building realistic tension and knowing when to give the audience a release requires a delicate balance, and the elusive answer is a problem that plagues modern TV, yet Gilmore Girls solved the issue. The series not only managed to develop emotional tension without exhausting the audience, but it also allowed for the resolution of that tension. Fans aren't the only ones who recognized that the show's method of dealing with drama was unique. In an interview with Collider, Scott Patterson, who played Luke Danes, reflects on the rare strength Gilmore Girls demonstrated. Patterson highlights the deliberate storytelling approach that allowed conflict, humor, and emotional payoff to coexist without turning discomfort into the main attraction, crediting this approach with Gilmore Girls' lasting success.
'Gilmore Girls' Doesn't Shy Away from Conflict, but Doesn't Go to the Extreme
Image via The WBAs Lorelai clashes with her parents and upbringing, the love lives of Lorelai and Rory unfold, and the larger-than-life residents of Stars Hollow argue, Gilmore Girls has the opportunity to include plenty of conflict, but it never leaves the audience to watch in dread. There is always tension, especially in family relationships, yet as emotionally charged as it may be, Gilmore Girls offers the audience security. There's a coziness that comes with the town of Stars Hollow, and its many residents help to foster this environment. The town offers a safety net to Lorelai, who joined the community as a single mother, and because of their acceptance, she was able to make a wonderful life for herself. After all, this is a town where, when the designated Town Loner holds a protest, the citizens turn up to support him, even when they have no idea what he is protesting. Because of how welcoming and loving Stars Hollow is, Gilmore Girls isn't forced to linger in the drama, though it is always present to some degree.
To keep the drama at a reasonable level, the series takes a safe and subtle approach rather than creating cliffhangers. As Patterson puts it, "It's just a feel-good show. Nothing really bad can happen." There are plenty of times that a modern TV series may take a bold twist, while Gilmore Girls opts for a less dramatic but still emotional choice, like when Richard (Edward Herrmann) has a heart attack in the final season. As the family waits with him in the hospital, Emily (Kelly Bishop) goes on a tangent about adding fish to their diet as she handles the mundane implications of her husband's surgery, but through the experience, Lorelai gains a better understanding of her mother. This episode could have easily taken a dark turn as the family dealt with a medical emergency, but instead, it went in a funny and heartwarming direction.
Ultimately, Patterson is right when he claims that what makes Gilmore Girls' conflicts work is the fact that "It's so relatable for everybody, especially mothers and daughters…" There is a huge focus on the mother/daughter relationship between Lorelai and Rory, but that doesn't mean they always get along. Even early on, Rory defies Lorelai, like when she reveals her mother's financial struggles to Emily in Season 2, Episode 11. Rory and Lorelai fight throughout the entire episode while Lorelai attempts to save their house from termites. Yet, when they finally talk through it, they resolve the issue, and it's never brought up again. No relationship is perfect, and Gilmore Girls embraces that, showing conflict between the beloved pair that is always repairable. In most cases, it doesn't take long for Lorelai and Rory to work it out, giving the series the perfect amount of conflict without veering toward melodrama.
Related
'Gilmore Girls' Regularly Rewards Fans with Resolution
Many modern dramas get tedious as they drag out the conflict for several episodes, if not seasons, in an attempt to keep fans watching, but Gilmore Girls resisted that urge. Rather than withholding the resolution, the series gives viewers the release that they crave, though it doesn't always last. Drama like Lorelai's boyfriend, Jason (Chris Eigeman), suing her family in Season 4, could easily have been milked for much more conflict; however, when Lorelai sees how complicated it is, she breaks up with Jason, choosing her parents over her relationship, which cuts the problem short. Yet it allows Lorelai to take a huge step as she prioritizes her parents over her own desires, allowing the storyline to conclude meaningfully.
Patterson acknowledges the series' dedication to resolution, saying, "It's such a great idea for a show." And even though it is unconventional, Gilmore Girls makes it work. The characters regularly talk out their issues, often having a lasting impact on the relationship. In Season 6, Episode 21, Lorelai is at odds with her mother as the Gilmores seem to be looking for a house in Stars Hollow, but it doesn't last. Instead, the episode ends with an emotional moment between Lorelai and Emily as Lorelai finally reveals that her wedding to Luke is cancelled, and Emily supports her daughter, rather than being judgmental about it. This alters their dynamic, and their new understanding persists as Emily asks about Luke in the following episode, allowing them to grow closer from the released tension.
Patterson points out that fans are interested in the tension because, "They want to see how it gets resolved," just like in their own lives. Gilmore Girls provides that, even at the end of a season. In Season 4's finale, Luke and Lorelai finally kiss in the culmination of a longstanding storyline that brings them together, even after the argument that Jason Stiles' appearance brings. By allowing them to truly start their relationship, Gilmore Girls hits a sweet spot for the conclusion, which ends the will-they-won't-they storyline, but opens up a new story for the following season. Through resolving the tension, the show draws in fans, allowing them to invest in the realistic characters.
'Gilmore Girls' Quick Wit Gives the Iconic Show Momentum
Image via The WBOne of the show's greatest strengths is the sense of humor as Lorelai rushes through an emotional scene, dropping several jokes along the way. The writing is so fast and joke-dense that it turns stress into momentum and breaks the tension before it gets too heavy. This makes Gilmore Girls something you move through, laugh through, and rewatch. Patterson admits that the series had an advantage, "Just because it's so fast." Scenes can be both emotionally loaded and hilarious because the character moves so quickly, deflecting between emotional blows, like when Lorelai confronts Emily about Rory's unwanted birthday party in Season 1. Between the sarcasm and accusation, the yelling match between Emily and Lorelai is an emotional rollercoaster, but that is what Gilmore Girls excels at.
The fights between Emily and Lorelai are legendary, but it isn't just a running gag that they can't focus on one thing; it's the way they cope with their relationship. This is abundantly clear in Season 2, Episode 2, when Lorelai goes to confront Emily about her reaction to Lorelai's recent engagement, but she starts the confrontation by bringing up Emily's habit of firing maids, coping with her anger while trying to avoid the real problem by making jokes at Emily's expense, which makes the audience laugh.
The speed makes Gilmore Girls so rewatchable because, as Patterson explains, "People have to rewatch it because they want to pick up the jokes that they didn't hear because they were laughing from the first joke, and then two and three." A prime example of this is Emily and Richard's fight in Season 5, Episode 1. They rush through their argument, which includes the classic quote, "Well then, buy me a boa and drive me to Reno because I am open for business!" But if you listen to the lines between the big laughs, they offer more humor. It can be easy to miss some of the jokes, but the emotional impact always comes through in Gilmore Girls, and that is because of the way the show handles tension with realism, humor, and poignancy.
Gilmore Girls is streaming on Netflix in the U.S.
Release Date 2000 - 2007-00-00
Network The WB
English (US) ·