Gilmore Girls: The Complete First Season (Digipack) (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)"The Show That Almost Wasn't."
That's the most surprising lesson learned about the nature of television production -- as told by the show's creator Amy Sherman-Palladino -- in the WB's stellar GILMORE GIRLS release: Ms. S-P had pitched a variety of programs for WB executives, and, when they asked for more, she made up an idea on the spot -- with no preparation or background detail -- which the executives took! Then, Ms. S-P had to go and create it.
GILMORE GIRLS arguably stands as a benchmark in television history. In some ways, the program is like SEINFELD: if you don't get it, you won't get it. In other ways, it's a high quality Hallmark Channel movie-of-the-week, currently stretching out beyond its fourth season and soon to be entering its fifth. Still, in more ways, there's absolutely nothing else like it on television.
GG is far more than just the story of Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter, Lorelai "Rory" Gilmore: it's the story of the fictional town known as Star's Hollow -- the dreamland for bed-n-breakfast businesses -- and the odd assortment of characters who happen to live, work, and breathe there. While the centerpiece is clearly the Gilmore family -- a contemporization of the BRADY BUNCH, if there could ever be such a thing -- the spin of the show is, to its benefit, the plethora of wonderfully imagined and uniquely quirky townsfolk who populate the secondary storylines.
And, yes, the acting is top notch. The direction is absolutely superb. The writing is, by far, some of the most deserving work being put up on the boob tube today.
Still, GG is on the WB, meaning that it will, more than likely, never find the kind of ratings the show deserves. Like STAR TREK, GILMORE will find its true financial potential in syndication and DVD releases ... much like this current release of the 21 1st season episodes.
To my delight, I'm just discovered these television characters. My wife has watched the show since the beginning, but I always dismissed it as a "chick flick," tuning it out to spend my time on other shows. However, she convinced me to give it a chance this past season (its fourth), and now -- here am I -- writing a review for Season 1 that we watched together virtually non-stop. Others here have raved about the quality of the writing -- the true lifeblood of the program -- and I wouldn't even attempt to do GILMORE a disservice in discussing it other than to add "every good thing that's been said here is absolutely not enough to sanctify how well, apparently, every episode is written."
Honestly, GILMORE is really that good.
Truth be told, the extras are surprisingly thin -- but of good quality -- on this 1st season release, especially considering the fact that the show is currently in production for the WB. Disc 6 includes a handful of deleted scenes; a mini-doc with some revealing insights from the show's creator, cast, and crew; and some scenes from various episodes edited together in a piece that tries to capture the 'essence' of what makes GILMORE GIRLS as remarkable a television achievement as it is. One would think that Warner Brothers would've offered more -- in-depth interviews with the series cast OR, minimally, an audio commentary or two -- but, sadly, that isn't the case. As a result, one could argue that the studio -- as Amy Sherman-Palladino points out in the scant 30 minute documentary -- has underestimated the intelligence of its audience, focusing only on the commercialism of the program and not feeding the fanbase brain.
The 6-disc set is presented in full screen format. The video quality is excellent. The sound quality is excellent (there are a handful of scenes that are hard to hear b/c of verbal pacing, not production issues). Overall, this is one great package only lessened by what they chose not to provide: audio commentaries.

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People often mistake Independence Inn's manager, headstrong single mom Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) and her equally willful teenage daughter, Rory (Alexis Bledel) for sisters. Lorelai and Rory cope with the same emotional ups and downs, including Lorelai's overbearing, old-money parents and the joys and frustrations of the male gender. But when Rory's attention turns from dreams of private school and Harvard to thoughts of boys and adolescent self-reliance, single mom Lorelai begins noticing more of her own rebellious youth-only 16 years ago-in Rory. This heartfelt, humorous drama appeals to young and old alike with its blend of traditional family issues and hip, contemporary attitude. Reacquaint yourselves with television's most appealing mother-daughter duo in this collectible six-disc DVD set, which contains all 21 episodes from the first season including the pilot episode.Gilmore Girls has been honored with an AFI Award and two Viewers for Quality Television Awards, and it was named New Program of the Year by the Television Critics Association. Series star Lauren Graham ("Townies," "NewsRadio," and "Bad Santa") was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series and received two consecutive nominations for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series from the Screen Actors Guild. Graham has also won two Family Television Awards. In addition, series star Alexis Bledel ("Tuck Everlasting") has won a Young Artist Award and a Family Television Award. The series, Gilmore Girls, won a Family Television Award for New Series and was named Best Family TV Drama Series by the Young Artist Awards, which also honored series star Keiko Agena in the supporting young actress category. Gilmore Girls is the first series to make it to air supported by the Family Friendly Forum's Script Development Fund. An initiative between some of the nation's top advertisers and The WB, the program is intended to offer a greater array of compelling family programming on network television. The strong, loving, mother-daughter relationship portrayed in Gilmore Girls reflects the growing reality of this new type of American family.

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Gilmore Girls: The Complete Fourth Season (Digipack) (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)There was much talk and debate over Gilmore Girls' fourth season. Some thought it was great and that it was one of their best seasons. Others thought that it had a lot of good stuff, but had problems and was, quite easily, it's weakest season. I can't say that it's a bad season, because it's not. The second half contains some truly great episodes, but season four was a disjointed disappointment. The show went through a transition this year, and shows that go through a certain 'growing up' phase do have some problems. They usually don't go through it unscathed. Season four of GG is no exception. Rory leaves home and Stars Hollow and goes off to live in her dorm at Yale. This leaves a new, and awkward, dynamic between mother and daughter and the show. The relationship between the two was a major factor of the series, and the fact that they spoke to one another on cell phones more than anything else it seemed was also a component that didn't add to the season. They added in the character of Jason 'Digger' Stiles, and most people didn't really like him or warm up to him. This was not actor Chris Eigelman's fault, as he was good. The only actor who could match Lauren Graham's rapid speak and quick wit. Lorelei also had new developments in her life. She and Sookie were getting serious about opening their own inn, and in the meantime, take on careers as caterers. It seemed that the writers had a hard time settling into their new set ups and situations, and it left the show disjointed, misguided, and just not the same show. This was mostly during the first half of the season, although there were some highlights. "Chicken Or Beef" was a classic GG episode dealing with Rory running into ex Dean, who invites her to his upcoming wedding. "The Festival Of Living Art" was another notable episode, with the town becoming living pieces of art in the town square. But there were more misfires and duds than great eps. "An Affair To Remember" had Rory spending the entire episode looking for a place to study. This was a problem with Rory. There was this big new change in her world, and the writers didn't seem to exploit it much. Rory was lost for a good portion of the season, and it seemed they couldn't figure anything good to do with her. Thankfully, once the second half kicks in, the show regains it's footing and the writers seemed to have finally gotten a hold of what the show wa doing this season. The second half really kicked into gear, and it's what saved the season. This is why I gave it four stars. Jess returns, and not for the good, in "A Family Matter", and the season had one of it's best episodes with "A Clang In The Clamor", a classic GG episode with a wonderful Luke/Lorelei moment in the old church. "Tick..Tick..Tick..Boom" and "Afterboom" was a tremendous two parter. A true season highlight. Lorelei and Sookie's new inn, The Dragonfly, is coming into shape towards the end of the season, and it appears to be a great new place. "Luke Can See Her Face" is a great episode. It's a pivotal ep in the L/L movement, when Luke finally realizes that Lorelei is the one. The season finale, "Raincoats And Recipes", is the type of stuff season finales are made off. Pitch perfect. An episode that changes everything in the Gilmores' world, and promises great stuff to come. And come it did in the show's magnificent fifth season. Season four was not bad. It had problems and flaws, and is easily it's 'least' season, but it overcame them in the second half. Ther performances were still up to snuff, and Lauren Graham continues to be one of the top best actresses on TV. She has "Emmy" written all over her, and continues to be denied that honor. Yes, moving out and moving away can be awkward and things are just different. Maybe that was the writers' point, but it was obvious that it's hard, different, and awkward to write as well. Season 4 started off with a whimper, but it sure ended with a major bang.

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Boola boola! Rory starts her first year at Yale. Moola moola! Lorelai finally opens the Dragonfly Inn, although it takes her last dime (and a loan from Luke). The Gilmore girls return for another scintillating, snappy-patter year of Gilmore Girls. Welcome, Gilmore groupies, to the fourth season of the series acclaimed for its agile balance of life and laughter. Oh yes, and love. Lorelai has a romantic fling with her father's new, younger partner, but ends the year with the guy every fan has known was right for her all along. For Rory, Cupid seems to be on sabbatical -- then Dean and Jess re-enter her life. Sookie gets a Davey, Lane gets a life, Kirk gets a girlfriend(!) and you get a 22-episode vacation in Stars Hollow, plus DVD Extras and a mint on the pillow. DVD Features:Additional ScenesChallenges:Stars Hollow Interactive Triva GameOther:Who Wants To Get Together - a montage of the season's best hook-ups. Goodies & Gossip - Fun Factios appear on screen throughout the Girls in Bikinis, Boys Doin' the Twist episode.

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Gilmore Girls: The Complete Fifth Season (Digipack) (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)Gilmore Girls is one of those rare shows that has maintained a consistently high standard of quality throughout its run and has even managed to get better with age. The show started with the Lorelei (Lauren Graham) & Rory (Alexis Bledel) as mother & daughter who are best friends. Rory was an innocent intellectual who was starting a prestigious high school as sophomore. Through the years, the show has transformed her from a young girl who lost herself in books and education to a young woman who is experiencing life first-hand. The change started at the end of season four when Rory sleeps with her ex-boyfriend, the married Dean (Jared Padalecki) and continues in this season with her relationship with the rich Logan Huntzberger (Matt Czuchry). The change in Rory is startling and Lorelei has a tough time dealing with it thus creating rift between the two. This season also shows the blossoming of her relationship with Luke (Scott Patterson) and how that relationship is handled by her parents Emily (Kelly Bishop) and Richard (Edward Hermann). One particular funny episode involves Richard taking Luke golfing. The best episodes of the season involve Richard & Emily's wedding to renew their vows and the fall-out from Emily's visit to Rory's father Christopher (David Sutcliffe) who shows up at the wedding and gets into a verbal fight with Luke. The season ends with Rory and Logan stealing a yacht and Rory decides to drop out of Yale. Lorelei goes to her parents for help in this matter and they agree Rory shouldn't drop out. They provide the cruelest slap of all in Lorelei's face when they renege on their promise and Rory ends up moving into the pool house. Ms. Graham is particular superb in this season and fact she was snubbed for an Emmy nomination is criminal. Gilmore Girls continues to be among the best shows on television and season five only reinforces it greatness.

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Gilmore rising: Lorelai. The Dragonfly Inn is a huge success. And Lorelai's romance with Luke (the just-gotta-be relationship fans have waited for!) steams up Stars Hollow. Gilmore going down: Rory. College, boys and career plans crash and burn, leaving the once-confident golden girl reeling. Fasten your seat belt for a fabulously funny and heartbreakingly dramatic Season 5. The wit, charm and eccentricity that have created legions of Gilmore Girls devotees are on glorious display in all 22 episodes of the hit series' fifth year. Adding more sparkle is the brilliant array of totally off-kilter, totally engaging supporting characters: Sookie, Paris, Lane, Kirk, Michel, the imperious Gilmore pere et mere and a townful more. See you in Stars Hollow! DVD Features:Audio Commentary:By Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino on Wedding Bell Blues Episode.Documentaries:The Gilmore Girls Turn 100 - a in-depth look at the making of the 100th episode.Easter EggsFeaturette:Behind the Scenes of the 10tth Episode.Other:Who Wants To Talk Gilmore - montage of Season 5's best dialogue exchanges.Theatrical Trailer

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Gilmore Girls: The Complete Third Season (Digipack) (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)The third season of "Gilmore Girls" offers a lot of ups and down for Lorelai and Rory, not to mention pretty much everybody else at Stars Hollow or Chilton. I was prepared to declare that this was my least favorite season of the series because I did not like Jess and I though Rory's choice to ditch Dean for Jess was the lost of the innocence that made the character so endearing in the first place. Then I took into account that "Gilmore Girls" airs on the WB and from Felicity choosing Ben over Noel and Joey picking Pacey over Dawson I have been nothing but disappointed with the romantic choices of their ingénues. Buffy chose Angel and then she ended up killing him. If Lorelai and Luke do not end up happily ever after I might be compelled to give up on the show (consider this fair warning, WB), but if Rory could dump Dean I knew Jess could never go the distance and I could take heart in that fact.
What defines this third season for Lorelai and Rory are not the men (or boys) in their lives but rather their goals of realizing their dreams. For Lorelai this means opening up her own inn with Sookie. That dream gets put on the front burner when a fire damages the Independence Inn ("A Tale of Poes and Fire"), but buying the Dragonfly Inn (the house from "The Waltons" if you know your television history) proves to be a problem ("Say Goodnight, Gracie"). When Lorelai insists on spending the money she got from her father on her daughter's education at Yale it is Rory who has to cut her own deal with Richard and Emily so that her mother can get her dream too ("Those Are Strings, Pinocchio"). It is supposedly a "win-win-win" situation, but that remains to be seen.
Of course, Rory getting into the college of her dreams is the real defining element of the season. I came to the show late (mea culpa, mea maxima culpa) so I knew that Rory was at Yale and wondered what on earth had happened to keep her from going to Harvard. Well, in Season 3 we find out. The dream starts to turn into a nightmare when Rory's application for Harvard has to be put together ("Application Anxiety"). When Paris did not get into Harvard ("The Big One"), I was terrified the same fate awaited Rory. But when Richard manipulates Rory into an interview at Yale ("Let the Games Begin") my biggest surprise was that Lorelai was actually wrong in an argument with her father (the end of the episode indicates she knows that too). This one has two of Rory's best moments in this season are when she tells Richard he did the right thing the wrong way in this episode and when she apologizes to Dean and I could feel she was still a good kid at heart. I also like it in the season finale when she tells Emily she is being stupid in shutting out Lorelai and if I could use my one free spin in this life to get Rory to say something it would be to tell Emily, "Grandma, I love you, but no matter what you do I will never love you more than I love my mother."
The best part of Rory and Jess was Lorelai giving Luke lessons on what it means to be a parent of a teenager in love. Other big moments are the dance marathon ("They Shoot Gilmores Don't They?"), the poignant flashback's to the pregnant young Lorelai ("Dear Emily and Richard"), and Emily standing up to Trix ("That'll Do, Pig"). For me the funniest moment of the entire season is in "I Solemnly Swear" when Emily reads the transcript of Lorelai's deposition. I almost busted a gut on that one. Yes, I cried when Rory talked about her mom in her graduation speech, but the sweetest moment of the season was when they came up with the great payoff for the running gag about the t-shirts Kirk was selling at the end of "A Tale of Poes and Fire" (Admit it: You wish you have a "Rory's Going to Yale" t-shirt). Now we can send Rory off to college in Season 4 so that Luke and Lorelai can finally get on the same page and kiss already.
The DVD offers up extra scenes, which is certainly ample justification for fans of the show to check it out in this format. Besides, if you have waiting to see baby pictures of Lauren Graham or Alexis Bledel, Liz Torres and Kelly Bishop in their dancing days, or having a burning desire to see Sean Gunn do the robot again, then the featurettes on the childhood stories from the cast and their best 1980s dance moves are going to allow you to move on to having other images on your visual wish list.

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More fun, more flames, more flameouts: more Gilmore. This Deluxe 6-Disc Set contains all 22 third-year episodes (plus bonus features) of The Gilmore Girls, the hit series known for its witty, rapid-fire dialogue and poignant, suds-free storylines. For mother and daughter Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, it's a year of change. Much of it is expected, like Rory's graduation from Chilton and the anxiety of waiting for college acceptance letters. But much of it is not. Rory starts the year with two boyfriends (that may be two too many). Lorelai rekindles the flame with Max (maybe). Lane meets Mr. Right (at last). Sookie gets a surprise (a good one). And so does the Independence Inn (not such a good one). The girls are waiting (get watching!).=20

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Gilmore Girls: The Complete Second Season (Digipack) (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)The second season of "Gilmore Girls" is when a lot of things did not happen to Lorelai Gilmore. It started with Lorelai not marrying Max ("Red Light on the Wedding Night") and ended with her not marrying Christopher ("I Can't Get Started"), but Sookie got married so at least there was some progress in that area, although the duo's plan to open an inn together hits a major roadblock ("The Ins and Outs of Inns"). Of course, the most important thing that did not happen to Lorelai was that she manages to really notice Luke despite the fact he is pretty much there in front of her every morning at the diner. Clearly the creators of "Gilmore Girls" remember what happened to "Moonlighting" once Dave and Maddie stopped bantering and started kissing and other things, so the agenda is to put off the inevitable for as long as possible. So even if it is obvious to everyone else in Stars Hollow (to wit, Emily), does not mean that Lorelai has a clue.
As for Rory, her junior year at Chilton has its ups and downs. and not just because of Paris. The ups would be "The Road Trip to Harvard" and making her society debut ("Presenting Lorelai Gilmore"), while the downside would be the rift between her and her grandfather because of Dean ("Sadie, Sadie") and the problems with Dean because of Jess ("There's the Rub" and "A-Tisket, A-Tasket"). If anything, the common denominator is to make sure that none of the Gilmore women are happy, which means Rory is mad at Lorelai for blaming Jess for the accident ("Help Wanted," Lorelai is mad at Emily for arranging their going to a spa together ("There's the Rub") and Emily is mad at Richard for quitting his job without consulting here ("The Bracebridge Dinner"). What? You thought Emily was going to be mad at Rory? Are you kidding? Have you not been watching this show?
For me the fascinating part is watching the yang of Lorelai and Emily's relationship compared to the yin of the Lorelai and Rory dynamic. For me some of the most memorable moments from season two are when Emily orders Richard to make up with Rory because if their granddaughter ever gets married she to know about it (Lorelai did not tell her parents about her engagement to Max) and the look on her parent's face with Lorelai gets her business school diploma ("Lorelai's Graduation Day"). But then a good rule of thumb is anytime we see a chink in Emily's armor it is a moment that will be hard to forget. I am still trying to make up my mind as to whether or not Lorelai has an even more strained relationship with her father than her mother, given his visit to her place of work ("Richard in Stars Hollow") and her visit to his new office ("Help Wanted"). I am certainly leaning in that direction, but it is still open to debate.
But overall the two emotional highpoints of the second season finding Lorelai giving and then receiving as good as she gets. The giving happens in "Teach Me Tonight" when a totally distraught Lorelai goes after Luke because of the car accident where Rory gets hurt (slightly hurt, but hurt is hurt, and there is a cast on her arm, mister), creating a serious rift in their relationship. The receiving is two episodes later in "Lorelai's Graduation Day" when Rory misses the big event and offers the most high speed combined heartfelt apology and verbal self-flagellation in television history (I agree with her, I think she had a stroke or something).
My strong affection for high-speed dialogue can be traced from "Gilmore Girls" back to "Moonlight" and beyond to "The Thing From Another World" and any movie starring Groucho Marx. Equally as strong is my enjoyment of gratuitous pop culture references, especially as manifested in "The Simpsons" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." So to have a series that combines both of these elements and provides deleted scenes on the DVD is one of those absolute joys you hear so much about (although my wife is tired of me explaining all of the references, allusions, and impromptu name dropping). Then again, while I knew from the start that Carole King was singing the show's theme song "Where You Lead" with her daughter Louis Goffin, I only recently figure out they had re-recorded the song with some of the lines changed to better fit the show (No, I do not fast forward through the title sequence; I always listen to the song).
I am also pleased to see that the "Gilmore Girls" is being seen around the world, although I have to wonder how the pop culture references translate into out cultures (I have no doubt people can speak real fast in any language). But you can see "Gilmore Girls" now from Argentina (the current season is on the Warner Channel Thursdays at 21:00 with past seasons shown weekdays at 11:30 and 16:30) to the United Kingdom (Sundays at 18:00 on Nickeloden U.K.). It is nice to think that Stars Hollow's madonna and child have gone international.

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Those acclaimed Gilmore Girls are back for a second seasonof warmth, charm, zingy repartee and heart-stopping moments of drama. In this 6-disc set are all 22 irresistible year-two episodes about the people you've grown to love: young single mom Lorelai, her super-achieving daughter Rory, her elitist parents Emily and Richard, and a whole town of dreamers and eccentrics. New faces also come to Stars Hollow, including Luke's nephew Jess, whose rebelliousness offends the town, but whose passion for books attracts Rory. Hearts break and mend, careers end and begin, folks stumble and pick themselves up in a series that's "blissfully brilliant" (Ken Parish Perkins, Fort WorthStar-Telegram).

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Gilmore Girls - The Complete First Five Seasons (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)The quick, witty dialogue of Gilmore Girls is an homage to screwball comedy films like His Girl Friday and Bringing Up Baby. It works surprising well, largely because there are different levels of speed talking: Some characters can keep up, others get lost, and some try on certain days and prefer to be normal people on other days. References and allusions abound as well. Some of the cultural references are highly obscure - that is, even with your ability to pause and rewind the world of Gilmore Girls, there are times when even the viewer can't keep up. This is all part of the fun of a dialogue-driven comedy that serves its main characters far too much coffee and a hilarious amount of food.
When the plot turns serious and the dialogue slows down, the sparkling planned community shimmers away as the stuff of real life creates drama. I appreciate that the writers understand the need to feel drama slowly. You can't banter through it, because only happy people relish in clever games.
It's hard to explain how a show about mostly white, middle class people living in a crime-free fantasy has become so popular, especially on the WB, which has been one of the few channels to embrace all of America's cultures, races, classes, and so on. I think the answer is that the relationship between a single mother and her daughter and an absentee father is highly translatable to many Americans. There are many conversations detailing Lorelai's struggles to provide for her daughter. Viewers also empathize with the weird and uncomfortable encounters with rich, elitist people, namely, Lorelai's parents.
The DVDs are somewhat lacking in extras - a making-of video and some extended or extra scenes are all you get. I think fans of the show would enjoy a dialogue dictionary of all of the references the characters make, a list of the books Rory and Jess are always reading, a map of Stars Hollow, a coffee cup, and Sookie's recipes.

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Welcome to quaint Stars Hollow, Connecticut. People often mistake Independence Inn's manager, headstrong single mom Lorelai Gilmore, and her equally willful teenage daughter, Rory, for sisters. Lorelai and Rory cope with the same emotional ups and downs, including Lorelai's overbearing, old-money parents and the joys and frustrations of the male gender. This heartfelt, humorous drama appeals to young and old alike with its blend of traditional family issues and hip, contemporary attitude.

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Gilmore Girls - The Complete First Four Seasons (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've had one and only one tiny complaint with THE GILMORE GIRLS on DVD: it has come out a bit too slow. While the industry standard has become releasing the previous season's DVD set shortly before or just after the start of the forthcoming season, THE GILMORE GIRLS even after the release of Season Four will be a solid season behind. As someone who would like to evangelize new viewers to the show, I would love to be able to direct friends to all previous seasons so that they can be completely caught up for the current one. Still, I'm delighted that all four seasons are now available, and moreover at a very decent price. The key is that the basic list price is low for a four-season set, allowing resellers like Amazon to make the sell price after discount very low indeed.
What makes this such a great show? Like so many shows of recent years, it is the writing. In film studies, the ultimate responsibility for the quality of a movie is usually laid at the feet of the director. Even when given a quality script, a director is able to sculpt and mold it either through rewriting or reinterpreting, or changing the tone through the way it is filmed. But in television the writer working in conjunction with the executive producers (who provide the overall vision) is the most important contributor. If you have bad scripts, no how brilliant the director or how talented the cast, you have a bad show. Luckily, THE GILMORE GIRLS has great writers, a large number of the scripts written either by series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and her husband Daniel Palladino. If you've ever seen her interviewed, you know who serves as the basis for Lorelai Gilmore, the central character on the show: she's merely the self-projection of Amy Sherman.
So what makes the writing so good on the show? First and foremost, it contains the wittiest, sharpest, and most frenetically paced dialogue on TV. For sheer quantity of words it is probably the most loquacious show in the history of TV. Luckily, because the words are good, that is a good thing. It is often said of the show that whereas most one-hour shows shoot with a 45-50 page script, THE GILMORE GIRLS usually shoots with a 75-80 page script. If you love great talk, this is your dream show. While virtually all other shows at least have segments where you get to watch characters do things, all the characters on this show do is talk. And they all talk brilliantly. In interviews Sherman has acknowledged that her models for the conversation on the show were comedies from the 1930s and 1940s such as the Thin Man series and Howard Hawks's HIS GIRL FRIDAY. All the actors talk fast, and the words simply pour off the screen, and much of the dialogue is witty, funny, and intelligent. The only show whose talk I enjoyed more was BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER. It is the only I show currently watch just to see the characters talk to one another.
The second major reason the show is such a joy to watch is the first rate cast, most of all the wonderful Lauren Graham, who manages to imbue Lorelai Gilmore with such charm. The show revolves around the lives of a mother and daughter, both named Lorelai, though the daughter is called for some reason I no longer recall Rory. Lorelai became pregnant when she was 16, had Rory, and left her parents when they tried to control both her and the way her daughter was to be raised. She rushed immediately to the Independence Inn (its name is surely not accidental) in Stars Hollow, thirty minutes south of Hartford, Connecticut, and asked for any job she could get, taking a job as a maid, and over the years working her way up to be the manager. Her daughter Rory is more like her best friend than child, and in many ways they are complementary opposites, Lorelai ebullient and loquacious and unbookish (though obviously intelligent); Rory reserved and quieter (though a match for her mother's machine gun conversational style) and a passionate reader. Apart from Lorelai's parents, most of the rest of the cast consists of residents of Stars Hollow, such as Luke, the owner of the diner that provides Lorelai with the gallons of coffee she requires to survive and ongoing potential object of romance; Sookie, the chef at the inn, Lorelai's best friend, and future business partner; Miss Patty, grand dame and aging bon vivant who runs the local dance studio; Taylor, the head of the town council, local business, and fundamental pain in everyone's collective butts; Kirk, a minor presence in the show at first, but eventually major oddity of Stars Hollow and the apparent holder of every job in town; Rory's best friend Lain, the daughter of a rigidly devout Seventh Day Adventist and Korean owner of an antique store (Lain hides the finest collection of alternative and pop music in town underneath the floor boards in her room); Dean, Rory's first boyfriend; and Paris, Rory's ultra driven and competitive classmate who starts off as foe but ends up her friend (or at close to a friend as Paris is capable of having). There are numerous plot lines, but these are merely excuses to have the various marvelous characters interact and provide occasions for them to talk to one another.
THE GILMORE GIRLS truly is a wonderful, unique show. Essentially a comedy, it never becomes in any sense a situation comedy; while dealing primarily with human relationships, it never, ever feels at all like a soap opera. And in an era where shows love to uncover the seedy underbelly of American life, the worst that happens in Stars Hollow is tame compared to what happens on any other show on TV. Well, at least until Season Five, but even then the worst isn't that bad.

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Welcome to quaint Stars Hollow, Connecticut. People often mistake Independence Inn's manager, headstrong single mom Lorelai Gilmore, and her equally willful teenage daughter, Rory, for sisters. Lorelai and Rory cope with the same emotional ups and downs, including Lorelai's overbearing, old-money parents and the joys and frustrations of the male gender. This heartfelt, humorous drama appeals to young and old alike with its blend of traditional family issues and hip, contemporary attitude.

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Gilmore Girls: The Complete Seventh Season (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)Warning! Spoilers!
There really isn't another show quite like THE GILMORE GIRLS. No other series so thoroughly dedicated to words. There are no doubt other series with great talk: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER definitely comes to mind. But no other show that I know put language and witty talk so completely at the heart of what it was trying to do. Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino said that she was inspired by great Hollywood comedies like the Thin Man series and HIS GIRL FRIDAY (one of the few films where the characters talked faster than they did on THE GILMORE GIRLS). And for five absolutely brilliant and one less than brilliant season the show was magical beyond any reasonable expectation. Then came Season Seven. I still watched with great interest. Well, until the marriage to Chris part (I asked a friend to tell me when Lorelei and Chris busted up and stayed away until they did). Season Seven was not a truly awful season. There were still many great moments during the year, including an absolutely splendid series finale, but by the end the show was having fewer and fewer of those wonderful moments that made it so special.
One major reason Season Seven struggled so much was the absence of the show's guiding genius. During contract negotiations at the end of Season Six, the WB offered Amy and her co-producer husband Daniel Palladino a one-year contract. She wanted the respect to be offered a two-year contract. The WB refused to budge and she and Daniel left the show. Since the two of them had either written or directed separately or together the bulk of the episodes on the show, the loss was irreparable. The show was built mainly around great talk, but what happens when the person most responsible for that talk leaves? Unfortunately, the brilliance of the talk went with them.
Those left behind tried gamely to carry on. But they also had the misfortune to be left with the remnants of an exceedingly bad story arc that Amy left behind. Most fans of THE GILMORE GIRLS came to dislike Lorelei at times during Season Six, including Lauren Graham. While most agreed that Luke was being too secretive about learning that he had a daughter he knew nothing about, most also felt that Lorelei's reaction was excessive. She became pushy and needy and impatient and just generally unlikable. Then incredibly stupid by giving Luke an ultimatum to either elope on the spot or lose her. And Season Six ended with her sleeping with Luke.
This whole story arc has to be laid at the feet of Amy Sherman-Palladino and the show had no choice but to continue the arc in Season Seven. As brilliant as Amy was over the first five seasons, the falling apart of Luke and Lorelei's relationship in Season Six and then whole Chris mess in Season Seven were her worst contributions to the show. Luckily, it didn't last forever. By the end of the season Rory had graduated from Yale and Lorelei was yearning to be with Luke, acutely conscious of what she had lost.
The season ended on some of the best moments of the year. One memorable episode had all of Stars Hollow laid out as a vast maze, in a weird plan by Taylor that for once truly worked out. Lorelei and Luke meet and express some of the regrets that they had felt for some time. It was a great moment. But the highpoint of the season and one of the highpoints of the entire series occurred in a scene in which Rory gets her mother drunk enough to sing on karaoke night. She starts off singing Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" (and the Dolly Parton arrangement, not the overly ornate butchering that Whitney Houston did) in Rory's direction. But Luke walks in as she sings and inevitably her gaze shifts. As she sings (and quite well, thank you), you see a world of conflicting emotions overcoming her: regret, yearning, hope, resignation, good will, and love. I don't know of another actress on TV other than Lauren Graham who could have pulled it off. It was one of those utterly perfect TV moments that reminded me not just why I watch THE GILMORE GIRLS but TV in general.
Until the very end of the season it appeared that there was going to be a Season Eight. The CW (which had taken over the show when the WB and UPN merged) hoped to have a 13 or 16 episode shortened season, but in the end Lauren Graham and Alexis Bedell, who were both up for contract renewal, declined to sing new contracts. But after seeing what turned out to be the series finale I am almost grateful of their decision. What a lovely end to a wonderful series! Few shows get to go out perfectly, but THE GILMORE GIRLS managed one of the most perfect finales ever. As Luke marshals the town for a farewell party (on one day's notice) we get a beautiful episode that allows us both to see all our favorite characters one last time and to say goodbye to them. Everything that should have been done was done. Rory is off to join the Barack Obama campaign as a reporter. Lorelei, when Sookie tells her that the planning of the party "was all Luke," realizes that Luke, who is sometimes slow to speak, has shown how he feels about her with actions. When she thanks him and he tells her that he likes to see her happy you know that they are going to be fine. You don't even need the kiss that follows. And the series ends just as it began seven years earlier, Lorelei and Rory sitting in Luke's diner.
I'm not sure that this is a show that can be replaced. Some shows are sui generis, truly one of a kind. This is one of those. The premise of a mother and daughter who were best friends was at the heart, but it didn't make it unique. It was the combination of the amazing group of characters, the wonderful town, and the endless stream of magnificently written scripts.
I want to end by praising Lauren Graham. This was a great cast with a number of remarkably gifted actors. But Lauren Graham towered above them all. The Emmys never did her justice. It is almost inconceivable that she never received a single Emmy nomination. Yet for seven years she was without serious competition the finest actress on television. How can such a travesty occur and the Emmys not feel a profound sense of shame? It is true that last year the Emmys were "reformed" in order to make it possible for deserving performers more likely to be nominated. Lauren Graham's name was the one mentioned as an example of such a performer. Yet even with reform she didn't receive a nomination. But to me her performance as Lorelei is one of the great achievements of television acting. No one came anywhere close to her in handling comedy; no one could rival her delivery of the machine-gun like dialogue. But neither could many rival her with drama. The karaoke scene I mentioned is a perfect example.
I will truly miss this series.

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After 20-plus years of single motherhood, after a series of Mr. Not- Quite-Rights, after buying that perfect wedding dress and watching it hang in the closet, Lorelai finally gets married. Yes, but to whom? The answer is just one of the deliciously intriguing what's-gonna-happens in these 22 episodes about a mother, a daughter, a town and a world that devoted Gilmore groupies have taken as their own. Sharpen your wits for the famed, fast-paced Gilmore dialogue -- but let your heart do its thing. From Stars Hollow to New York City to Paris... from Lorelai's wedding to Lane's baby shower to Rory's graduation... from beginning to middle to end... here's Season 7.

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Gilmore Girls: The Complete Sixth Season (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been a fan of the 'Gilmore Girls' since the second episode of the series (I never saw the pilot until the DVD release), and ever since that episode I had been hooked into this wonderful, magical, comedic, and heartfilled world with these characters.
Season six starts off on a much different note, taking the show in a direction that it has never been: What would things be like if Lorelai and Rory where no longer friends, and never spoke? After the rift between mother and daughter at the end of the fifth season, Rory dropped out of Yale and moved in with her Grandparents, aliennating her mother, who was eccentially at a loss for words on the entire subject.
Trying to make up for each other's loss Rory starts to go down a path of wallowing and denial as her relationship with Logan gets more and more serious. Lorelai on the otherhand has a wedding to plan and a new dog to take care off.
Season Six while not as good of an overall quality as season five, is still a very strong and entertaining as ever, and for long time fans of the show there are more than a few surprises including the return of two old cast members, A very special wedding (which is probably the best episode of the series thus far), and a bittersweat goodbye to the series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino who's final episode as an Executive Producer will the finale, fitting titled: "Partings"
Season Six includes the following episodes:
New and Improved Lorelai
Fight Face
The UnGraduate
Always a Godmother, Never a God
We've Got Magic to Do
Welcome to the Doll House
Twenty-One is the Loneliest Number
Let Me Hear Your Balalaikas Ringing Out
The Prodigal Daughter Returns
He's Slippin' `Em Bread... Dig?
The Perfect Dress
Just Like Gwen and Gavin
Friday Night's Alright For Fighting
You've Been Gilmored
A Vineyard Valentine
Bridesmaid Revisited
I'm OK, You're OK
The Real Paul Anka
I Get A Sidekick Out of You
Super Cool Party People
Driving Miss Gilmore
Partings
Season six, while finally showing its age is a perfect example why this is one of the best TV series on Television.

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Can it be the Gilmore Girls if the Gilmore girls aren't together? At the end of Season 5, Rory dropped out of Yale and moved into Emily and Richard's poolhouse -- decisions that broke Lorelai's heart. That's handy, because one half of that heart can be deliriously happy with the big new step in her love affair with Luke. Meanwhile, the other half grieves, and it seems everyone in town wants mother and daughter to reunite. But it may take an unexpected out-of-towner to make it happen. Of course, there's much more: Lane gets a surprise that leaves her reeling with joy. Luke gets a surprise that may send the Luke-and-Lorelai relationship reeling. What's no surprise is the snappy, wish-I'd-said-that Gilmore dialogue, knowing humor and insightful storytelling fans adore. Season 6 starts now!

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Gilmore Girls - The Complete First Three Seasons (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)gilmore girls, is the kind of show, you cry with, laugh with and believe me, once you see it you will love it.
the cool thing about this serie, is that is a good drama, with very realistic characters, that you can relate to, but it also has a great touch of humor. the dialogs are amazing! it's very fun to see how the writters, include pop culture into the story.
the characters are so sweet, even the bad guys can be loved, because a good thing in this show is that none of the characters is perfect, so we can se the good side and the bad side of the story
I reccomened 100% to buy this set of dvd, you will never regret it. gilmore girls rock!

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Studio: Warner Home VideoRelease Date: 11/14/2006

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Gilmore Girls - Pilot (TV Premiere DVD) (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)Just so you know, this is the IDENTICAL PILOT THAT IS IN THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON SET. I give the show itself 5 stars, and for everyone who just wants a taste, buy the DVD. BUT if you own the first season, there is NO NEED to buy this one.

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Gilmore Girls - The Complete First Six Seasons (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)Gilmore Girls is a hilarious, dramatic, romantic, girly show about a thirty-something year old Lorelei (Lauren Graham) who got pregnant at 16. Her daughter, Rory, (Alexis Bledel)is smart, ambitious, and beautiful. The show basically follows them as Lorelei struggles with her love life and career (running an Inn) and as Rory goes from prestigious high school to ivy league college. She too, struggles with her love life and schoolwork. Dozens of other quirky characters are mixed into this witty show, making it funny, heartwarming, and frankly quite addicting. I highly reccomend Gilmore Girls. But just be prepared for hundreds of clever pop culture references throughout every episode!

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Welcome to quaint Stars Hollow, Connecticut. People often mistake Independence Inn's manager, headstrong single mom Lorelai Gilmore, and her equally willful teenage daughter, Rory, for sisters. Lorelai and Rory cope with the same emotional ups and downs, including Lorelai's overbearing, old-money parents and the joys and frustrations of the male gender. This heartfelt, humorous drama appeals to young and old alike with its blend of traditional family issues and hip, contemporary attitude.

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Gilmore Girls: The Complete Series Collection (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)I want to preface this review by saying this: I envy each and every person that will forever be able to pick up this set and experience the magic, whimsy, and zanyness of the Gilmore Girls fresh and anew for the first time.
`Gilmore Girls' which ran from 2001-2007 on the WB and CW networks is a show that is simply about a mother and daughter. But it goes so much further than that. This particular mother/daughter combo are best friends and separated in age by a mere 16 years. Yet, more than the interactions between Lorelai and her daughter Rory, typically the zany towns-people are the characters that steal the show. Their incredibly charm, matched with `the Gilmore Girls' wit, all set within the picture-perfect New England town of Stars Hollow, makes "Gilmore Girls" seem almost like a story book fantasy.
The series begins with Lorelai reluctantly starting to rebuild her relationship with her waspy high-society parents, after they agree to fund Rory's private school education. Throughout the seven seasons the audience watches as Lorelai relationship with her parents start to blossom, as well as the bond that forever strengthens between her and her own daughter, Rory. Lorelai was raised as a princess, but always hated her parents for the rules that society put upon her - hence why she ran away from home when she was 16 and pregnant. Throughout the years as well, the audience watches as Rory grows from an innocent and naïve 15-year-old girl, into a mature and seasoned 22-year-old college graduate.
It's impossible to put into words just how magical this show really is. And it is not the perpetual `chick-flick' that many write-it off as. It is infact probably one of the smartest and best written television shows to grace the small-screen in recent years. One would need several PH D.s in Popular Culture to get even 80% of the refrences that these girls throw around. And beyond that the performances of the actors makes this show something special. And, although the show started as a drama, the humor was always present and by the middle of season one the glimpses of the great comedy to come started to make themselves known.
My review my sound like a very proud grand-parent raving about their grandchild, but that shows the love I have for this magical series. I watched from the very first episode at 14 years-old with my best friend until the series finale in my apartment during my sophomore year of college (with the same friend by my side, traveling 700 miles so we could watch it together). I have loved every moment, and will buy this set in a heartbeat.
This DVD set includes all 153 episodes on 42 DVDs in their original full-frame broadcast video with Dolby Surround Sound. Special Features include a "Welcome to the Gilmore Girls" documentary, deleted scenes from select episodes, pop-culture montages, a `gilmoreism' book, commentary on "I Jump, you Jump Jack" by series creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, as well as several `behind-the-scenes' featurettes.


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Welcome to picture-perfect Stars Hollow, Connecticut. Population 9,973. And home of thirtysomething Lorelai and her teenage daughter Rory - the Gilmore Girls. Lauren Graham plays quick-witted Lorelai, mother of Rory (Alexis Bledel) and also her daughter's best friend, confidante and mentor determined to help her avoid the mistakes that sidetracked Lorelai when she was a teen. Hearts break and mend, careers end and begin, folks stumble and pick themselves up in a series that's "...blissfully brilliant" (Ken Parish Perkins, Fort Worth Star- Telegram). All the Love, All the Laughter, All the Witty Banter ? Here is one Complete Set: - 153 EPISODE ON 42 DISCS housed in an adorable retro-doll case and brimming with over 110 hours of Gilmore Girls memories. - HOURS OF BONUS FEATURES including Unaired Scenes, Behind-the-Scenes Cast/Creator Spotlights and Making-of Featurettes, Episode Commentaries, Interactive Stars Hollow Map and Lots More! - THE COMPLETE SERIES GUIDE TO GILMORE-ISMS: a Collectible book covering the pop-culture referneces from all seven seasons, never before available! - and an ALL-NEW EPISODE GUIDE packed with beautiful photos!

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