Throwback Thursday, a weekly article in which we look back at our favorite TV episodes from over the years. Last weekend the ATX Festival closing panel was a Gilmore Girls reunion. The buzz about what was talked about on the panel keeps on going, only tied by the never ending discussion of why Game of Thrones is choosing a path so different from the books. (Not getting into that, that’s a topic for another article)
Amy Sherman – Palladino shattered fans’ illusions about the rumor of a movie; still, the door is open. "Nobody hates each other" she said.
She also talked about the famous words that she imagined the finale could have ended with and never did. She was not longer the executive producer when the show came to an end. In that moment I tried to remember what were the actual last words uttered in this little fictional town that accompanied me during my teenage years, and I couldn’t. I couldn’t even remember the last scene.
I was doing a re-watch not long ago and I couldn’t get past season 5, because after it, the show gets a little soapy for my taste. Luke and Lorelai break up several times, Rory doesn’t seem like Rory (I get her character had to be a bit rebellious at one point, but still) the problems in town aren’t as funny as they were and Luke finds out he has a daughter, Lorelai even marries Christopher.
When the Palladinos left the show David Rosenthal took over, and even if season 7 is a rocky one, and most fans won’t agree with a lot of things that happened, Rosenthal tried to be faithful to the show's roots during that finale. Let’s not forget that the series was canceled, the last episode, which was supposed to be the season finale, ended up being the closure of an entire series. Maybe it didn’t go with bang but it didn’t go as bad a most people were expecting either.
Previously on Stars Hollow…
Rory graduated Yale and is planning a one month trip with Lorelai before she enters the real world and finds a job. The fantastic holidays plans come to an end when Rory gets offered a job to cover Obama’s campaign. This job is pretty much what Rory has dreamed about since season 1 and Lorelai, as the supporting mother she is (well, most of the time), switches to efficient mom mode and starts planning and buying everything Rory needs for her new life.
The fact that the whole summer Rory had before working becomes just 2 days throws the town into crazy mode too. They won’t be able to throw her the graduation re enactment they were planning to. Cue to Luke planning a party in Rory’s honor in no time.
The episode showcased every little perk that made every character unique and therefore why we all wanted to live in crazy, heartwarming Stars Hollow. The characters were a true community and besides how Lorelai and Rory bonded in this episode, the way everyone else acted made it special too.
The last sequence shows Rory saying goodbye to her grandparents and Lorelai finding out everything that was done for her daughter wasn’t only for Rory but for herself too, and the mastermind behind everything was good old Luke. She thanks him and they kiss. Apparently not needing to talk much about what has happened to them. They were never good with their verbal communication skills, when it came to the important things. (I hope these two started talking after someone yelled cut and we aren’t able to know what’s going on in this fictional land. )
The last scene shows Rory and Lorelai having breakfast at Luke’s, Lorelai wearing the necklace he had for her and being flirty with him again. The dialogue wasn’t what it used to be, but the overall set and what it makes the viewer feel, reminiscence the pilot, and almost every breakfast the girls had.
One thing I really like about this finale is Lorelai agreeing with Emily to go to Friday’s night dinners without having an excuse. A show that portrayed such a special mother-daughter relationship, honored its core about the importance of our families, the one by blood and the one we chose. And this episode was true to that.
I’m still wandering how The Palladino’s finale would have been, probably as everyone out there, and crossing my fingers for a movie.
Some observations:
- Christiane Amanpour’s cameo seemed a bit forced but gave Rory an ultÃmate fangirl moment that, I think it’s everyone’s dream: to meet your all time hero.
- How many muses has Miss Patty?
- Taylor finally being yelled at by everyone in the town was long overdue.
- A movie without Edward Herrmann won’t be the same and if they get the chance to do it, I hope is addressed like Emily Bishop did in the panel
- Melissa McCarthy’s performance on this last episode seemed a bit toned down from previous seasons’ quirky Sookie
- Where you lead I will follow. (Sing with me! you know you want to)
Rosenthal tried to be faithful to the show's roots during that finale
ReplyDeleteI don't think that's what the finale was because it lacked substance. From where I was standing I saw a guy who didn't know the show he was writing for all season at all, and in this finale someone gave him pointers of things he might have to do, if he knew the show and he just ticked of things off that checklist. That's not being "faithful to roots" that's trying to save face at the last minute.
S7 is such a joke... and I'll concede the show started losing it's stride mid S6 with April's introduction (my theory to this day remains that the negotiations between Amy the studio and and the network were going sour and she just took it out on the show. Which was just petty...)
But still there was room for Rosenthal to save the scorched earth Amy left behind her and instead he just chose to burn it some more. Delivering a finale that hit all the superficial "textbook" cords was too little too late. And the fact that he did do that, in spite of what everyone says makes me believe he at least knew the show wasn't coming back...