My Two Cents

Unless you've been living under a rock (or you're a man), you can't not have noticed the explosion of Gilmore Girls-related posts on Facebook and Twitter following the announcement that all 7 seasons were coming to Netflix on October 1. The articles. The lists. Buzzfeed. The New York Times, for crying out loud (those of you in the know know that that would make Rory quite proud).

This show only ran for 7 years, and has been off the air for 7 years. Why the hype? you may be asking. Why the fuss? If you're asking that, it's obvious you haven't seen the show. Others have cited the quirky characters and the non-traditional family unit(s) featured in the show. My favorite part is the witty, fast-paced, smart humor. And the coffee. Of course the coffee.

And as the plethora of recent posts confirm, this show unites people. I was never much of a TV watcher, and watching TV was never something my own mother and I did together. She's incapable of sitting still for more than 10 minutes at a time, and I'd rather have my nose in a book. And that, I think, perfectly sums up why we fell for the show so hard.

Mom quickly identified with the motivated, energetic, irreverent, fast-paced, get-stuff-done Lorelai. And as my mother herself will tell you, I AM Rory, the quiet, practical, straight-A bookworm. If I had a dollar for every time my mother has called me and said, "I just saw [insert episode here] of Gilmore Girls and Rory was [insert action here] and I was like, 'That is SO Emily!' " I could retire at the ripe old age of 30 and move to Stars Hollow myself. Luckily, we got into the game a little late, so we just bought the DVD sets and binge-watched back before binge-watching was even a THING.

Just because I'm closer in age to Lorelai now than I am to Rory now doesn't mean that I'm any less excited about diving back into my favorite TV show. Just because I'm married now doesn't change anything either (although the fact that my husband left Monday to go out of town for work for two weeks greatly increases the odds of marathon GG sessions).

And, though my own mother may be three hours away and busy with her own life, when I curl up on the sofa with my takeout and press play and hear "Where you Lead," it will make me feel as though she's here.

I think the best books, movies, or television shows bring people together (if you don't believe me, scour the internet and take a look at the Harry Potter fandom still going strong). It gives people who may be completely unrelated a bond, a commonality. And if that's the truth, then it's no wonder why everyone I know is thrilled GG is open for viewing.

Now if you'll excuse me now, I think I have a show to watch.