Gilmore Girls is one of my all-time favourite TV shows because of the witty, whip-smart dialogue delivered ridiculously fast!
It’s crazy how they could spit out those lines and make tongue twisters look like it ain’t no thang.
It aired from 2000 to 2007 and starred Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore) and Alexis Bledel (Rory Gilmore).
The show is set in a small town called Stars Hollow and features all sorts of quirky characters that I fell in love with. It was amazing how much chemistry the actors had with each other.
I was impressed with the script, too, because for the first 5 seasons, it was really strong. It’s not easy to compose so much dialogue for an hour-long show. You could really tell that they were like artists fine-tuning their craft.
It amazed me how they always managed to include tons of references to other work (e.g. movies, books, actors, news, etc.) and weave it in seamlessly. That’s another challenging feat, but they excelled at it.
I believe that Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel’s roles in Gilmore Girls were their best roles to date. I’ve seen the movies they’ve been in and I’ve watched some episodes of Parenthood (that Lauren Graham’s in), but none seem to have the magic like Gilmore Girls.
It really looked like the actors had amazing chemistry with each other, and I fell in love with many of the characters, except for Jared Padalecki (Dean Forester – the jock) and Matt Czuchry (Logan Huntzberger – the rich kid).
Of course, I can’t call myself a fan if I didn’t own all 7 seasons of it on DVD! (If you don’t already own the DVDs, you should pick them up. I’ve seen them go on sale often for even just $19.99 CAD per season! I do feel that this is a show that doesn’t lose its charm even if you watch it again and again.)
In this Smorgasbord Sundays post, I’ll tell you what I thought of a few of the characters.
Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham)
She was hands down my favourite character because of her carefree spirit, her brave independence, and her energy. But it was her flaws that I found very endearing. Those are what fleshed out her character and made her seem more human and easy to relate to.
She got pregnant at 16, was flighty in relationships, and had a dysfunctional relationship with her parents, yet somehow had the strength to provide for her daughter as a single mom, go out of her way to help those she cared about, and had a spicy attitude.
The casting director got it absolutely right by choosing Lauren Graham. I can’t picture Lorelai played by anyone else!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel)
I admired how book-smart and completely focused on school she was for the majority of the show. Haha, but that’s pretty much the only intense thing about her, so I didn’t find her as intriguing as the wild and spunky Lorelai. Rory was a goody-goody, but her character really helped to complement Lorelai and tone her down.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sookie St. James (Melissa McCarthy)
Her bubbly ways and absent-minded nature was really infectious! I wanted a best friend who was like her. Plus she was an outstanding chef who was passionate about her work. (I’m very attracted to dedicated, passionate people. I’m also a sucker for redheads.)
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Luke Danes (Scott Patterson)
He was the owner of Luke’s Diner and made me laugh because he was so sarcastic, pessimistic, and crabby. He always seemed to be riled up about something. Despite that, he had a huge heart and often did the right thing in the end, which made me respect him.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Christopher Hayden (David Sutcliffe)
What a hottie! *Fans self* I know that he was a dead-beat father for most of Rory’s life, but I still empathized with him. Eventually he did want to make amends. And I thought that he meshed very well with Lorelai – they were very believable as a couple.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia)
Sure, the whole bad-boy-on-the-outside-and-nice-guy-on-the-inside thing has been done to death, but I still fell for Jess. He was my favourite of all of Rory’s boyfriends because although he often was a rebel without a cause, he was very intelligent and into good literature. When they were together, Rory grew a lot and became much more interesting. I think it’s because Jess challenged her a lot and forced her to get out of her comfort zone.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Dean Forester (Jared Padalecki)
He bored me to tears. Dean was akin to a one-note symphony in Jock. He never did anything too crazy, he never really excelled at anything, and he wasn’t very adventurous. All of this spelled a snooze fest for me. That being said, I feel like he was a good choice for Rory’s first boyfriend. He fit into that whole innocent stage.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Logan Huntzberger (Matt Czuchry)
Logan’s mannerisms and general attitude made me grind my teeth. He was the pompous asshole that we all know and dislike. Plus he was condescending and had a major case of Everybody Owes Me. I rarely like people who are spoiled and snotty.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kirk Gleason (Sean Gunn)
Kirk was one of my favourite characters because he was so weird and unpredictable! Plus he had lots of different jobs and provided the comic relief, often through him being caught in awkward situations or oversharing information with others. And what I liked about him was that he was honest to a fault.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Emily Gilmore (Kelly Bishop)
Kelly Bishop was perfectly cast for this role. I found her delivery impeccable, and her acting nuances highly believable. She embodied Emily Gilmore even if she was just standing there looking at Lorelai Gilmore with great disdain. (And did I mention that I’m a sucker for redheads? Hehe!)
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Max Medina (Scott Cohen)
Okay, this guy was a total hottie. If I had a teacher in high school who looked like that, had a sexy voice like that, and was also well read, I’m not sure if I’d be able to concentrate in class!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Are you a fan of the show? Who was your favourite character and why? If you’re not a fan, what’s your favourite TV show?
I love love love Jess! 😀 I think I stopped watching when they brought Logan into the picture (yeah, I totally boycotted it! :P) and didn’t show any more of Jess or Dean so I don’t even know how it ended. 😛
I think this show was so awesome because of the dialogue. I didn’t care so much for the acting as much as I did for the fast talking mother and daughter tandem who had the wittiest of conversations. Where did all the intelligent dramas go? This was definitely one of the best in its day. 🙂 Along with Will and Grace, but that’s for another time. 😉
Happy Sunday, Mary! 😀
Carmela recently posted: Pam’s Girly Bits: Stormy Skies and Street Magic helps you Sea’s the Day
Hey Carmela!
Did you see the episode where Jess meets Logan? That was really awkward, and I was rooting for Rory to get back with Jess.
Will & Grace is hilarious! I haven’t seen all the episodes, but the ones I have always make me howl with laughter.
Happy Sunday to you, too! 🙂
OMG!! I have seen every episode of this show. And back then I had no DVR so anyone who got in my way of seeing it at it’s scheduled time saw my wrath, lol. Definitely one of my favorite shows ever!!
I agree with you, the chemistry among the characters was great in this show.
I love Lauren Graham as an actor in general. She’s good in Parenthood as well. I can’t say that I have a favorite right now, I look at way too much TV, so I have favorites ;0)
Marisa recently posted: Avon – Vivid Violet
Hey Marisa!
Same here! Hehe, when it aired on TV for the first time, I also scheduled things around it. 😛 It was one of the TV shows I really looked forward to each week.
I’ve seen Lauren Graham in interviews, and she’s so bubbly and fun even outside her role as Lorelai. I really like her! 🙂
I have seen all episodes of this show, but my husband is an even bigger fan. 🙂 He loves chatty teen dramas, and it didn’t hurt that Lauren and Alexis are super attractive. I also liked Lorelai’s father – he seemed like a decent man, if somewhat distracted. I loved to hate Emily. 🙂 And, I totally agree with you about David Sutcliffe – rawr!
mellinail recently posted: First Christmas Polish of the Season
Hey mellinail!
Yeah, their big blue eyes really popped with their dark tresses! So gorgeous. And Alexis has the face of a perfect porcelain doll.
I loved Gilmore Girls! They were my other GG’s, the other being Golden Girls. I watched every episode and the reruns too. If I had to pick a favorite character, it would probably be Michel or Luke. I love their crabby attitudes.
Hey Tiffany!
Hehe, I used to watch Golden Girls when I was a little girl! Haven’t seen it in a while. And I don’t know anyone else my age who watched it. 🙂 YAY! Now I do.
Michel was always so crabby and HILARIOUS!
awww…thank you for the trip down memory lane!! It’s been kinda’ a lousy day at my house (grey sky and rain pouring doesn’t help) but I had a big grin by the end of your post. Like a visit from old friends. Love Gilmore Girls! Thanks for the day brightener!
Hey Amy!
You’re so welcome – it was so much fun to write this! 😀 Glad that I could bring a smile to your face. That makes me soooo happyyyy! 😀
Aw, I love Gilmore Girls! My sister and me use to watch it all the time during our young teen years, even all the way through high school when they showed reruns on ABC Family. I’ve seen every season, but I admit that I don’t own them on DVD. I really don’t know why, it’s one of my favorite shows. I guess because there’s so many other shows that I’ve been buying on DVD in the past, that it’s been hard to get all of them at once. They’re on my list though.
To be honest, I loved Dean. Maybe he wasn’t the most exciting but the whole “first love” thing that Rory and him had was really cute to me. I also had a huge crush on Jared Padalecki through out the whole show and still do actually, so maybe I’m a tad biased. I really liked Jess as well, he was the total opposite of Dean so I liked that Rory went for someone completely different. As for Logan, I hated him. He was a jerk, so I wasn’t sure why Rory even wanted to be with someone like that. I would have been happy had she ended up with Jess or Dean, just not Logan. As for the other characters, I loved them all. They were all unique in their own way. I really miss this show, I wish it was still on air or a movie was made out of it just to see where everyone ended up.
Melissa recently posted: OPI Tease-y Does It
Hey Melissa!
I was really hoping to see a Gilmore Girls movie, too! So, you can imagine how disappointed I was when I read a quote (I think it was from Lauren Graham) saying how she probably wouldn’t do a Gilmore Girls movie. Boo…I think it would be such a hit!
I love the Gilmore Girls!!! Is it sad that I have 2 copies of the entire season just in case something happened I would have a back-up??? I even DVR the reruns!! LOL Amazon has a book that walks you through the entire series per episode. It’s called The Gilmore Girls Companion.
Hey Mary!
No, it’s not sad at all. It just shows that you’re a big fan, and for a quality show like this, that’s great! 🙂
Oh, I haven’t seen that book. I’m going to see if I can find it at the bookstore and flip through it. Sounds like it’d be a lot of fun to read.
I love Gilmore Girls!!! It was one of the few TV shows that I ever liked enough to really follow. I prefer the earlier episodes to the later ones–I did not like Logan at all, but I liked Dean and Jess.
Hey Jessica!
I agree with you. The earlier episodes were written way better. Near the end of the show, it seemed like the writers were getting lazy.
Omg I had to laugh when I saw this post. I was (and still am) such a HUGE Gilmore Girls fan. I have the entire collection too and made sure it was proudly displayed among our DVD collection when I moved in with my boyfriend 🙂 I remember missing dinner every Thursday night because I wouldnt allow myself to miss an episode and every Tuesday when they switched around. I still watch them when they air on ABC Family and revisit my dvd collection from time to time. The collection is great and it has always been my go to when I’m sick in bed. Gilmore Girls marathons! ** Memories ** 🙂
Frosso recently posted: Nicole by OPI I’m A Pool For Love
Hey Frosso!
YAY for another Gilmore Girls fan! 😀
Now, I have to ask: did your boyfriend watch the episodes, too? I’m curious to know what he thinks about it.
When it first aired on TV, I’d watch it solo because none of my friends or family liked the show. *GASP* Then when I got it on DVD, over the course of a year, I re-watched every single episode, but with my boyfriend. 😉 I caught him laughing at some parts, but…he won’t admit to liking the show.
My boyfriend has watched some episodes…when we first started dating he told me everyone of his past girlfriends has had gilmore girls dvds so he was forced to watch. I’ve only subjected him to a few episodes, but I got very defensive when he said he didnt like how fast the dialogue was and he didnt care for Lorelai. So that was the end of that! I know he secretly likes the show though…i’ve caught him laughing and even getting into it too when i’ve had it on a couple times. Men…why live in such denial?
P.S. Team Jess all the way!
Frosso recently posted: Nicole by OPI I’m A Pool For Love
Haha, you and all of his past girlfriends have good taste! 🙂
My boyfriend also doesn’t like Lorelai, and I got very defensive, too, especially since she’s my favourite character. I’m so taken with this show…clearly!
I think a lot of men deny liking the show simply for the superficial reason that the show’s called Gilmore Girls and because the two main characters are females. Such a silly reason, though, especially when the writing is so witty and fun.
OMG Sookie and when she meets the produce guy for the first time haha so freakin’ cute 🙂 I used to see myself of a kind of Rory, and my mom had some bouts of Lorelai-ness too. We would watch black and white movies and it was just the two of us. It was hard for her when I went off to college much like it was for Rory and Lorelai in the show. I think I will start hunting for bargains on these 😀
Hey DJ!
Sookie is such a charming character on the show, and I just love how she’s such a dedicated chef and overly passionate about all things related to food. She’s a loyal friend, scatterbrained to the point that makes you laugh, and damn…I just love her hair!
That’s cool how you could see yourself as Rory and a bit of Lorelai in your mother. 🙂 Lorelai actually reminds me a lot of my best friend in high school.