With the recent announcement that Gilmore Girls is leaving Netflix after a twelve-year run, the fact that Warner Brothers recently released the entire series on Blu-ray is a godsend for fans. Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Gilmore Girls ran for seven seasons and 153 episodes from 2000-2007. The series returned in 2016 for a four-episode run, titled A Year in the Life, which is also included in this box set.
For the uninitiated, Gilmore Girls centers around Lorelei and Lorelei “Rory’ Gilmore (Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel, respectively), a young mother and her academically minded teenaged daughter, who both love coffee, living in the fictional small town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut. Born into a wealthy Hartford, Connecticut family, Lorelei struck out on her own as a teen, when she became pregnant with Rory. Lorelei has risen through the ranks and become manager of a local inn. Sixteen-year-old Rory, half her mother’s age, isn’t just Lorelei’s daughter, but her best friend. They share everything, most notably quick wit, and the ability to talk fast. When either of them grows quiet, the silence hits hard. While she’s done her best to avoid her parents outside holiday obligations, she finds herself pulled back in when Rory is offered a slot at the academically respected and pricey, Chilton Academy. Lorelei’s mother, Emily, offers to pay the tuition under one condition: her daughter and granddaughter come to their house every Friday night for dinner. Naturally, Lorele’s old tensions with her parents resurface, and Rory struggles to fit in at her new school.
Stars Hollow is populated by a group of wonderfully eccentric characters. There’s the perpetually exasperated diner owner Luke Danes (Scott Patterson) whose heart clearly belongs to Lorelei, but one roadblock after another prevents that from happening; Lane Kim (Keiko Agena ) Rory’s best friend, who lives much of her life in secret, defying her strict, Seventh-day Adventist mother; Sally Struthers as Babette Dell, Lorelei’s friendly, but one card short of a deck, neighbor; the gossipy town dance teacher Miss Patty (Liz Torres); Sookie St. James, the sunny, perfectionist chef at the inn, is played by a pre-superstar Melissa McCarthy; Jackson Douglas as local farmer Jackson Belleville, who eventually marries Sookie: acid tonged concierge Michel (Yanic Truesdale) whose biting one liners are a welcome addition to every scene he’s in, and more. Much like Mayberry of The Andy Griffith Show, with all its quirks, Stars Hollow is a welcoming town worth returning to.
I hadn’t watched even one episode of Gilmore Girls until this box set arrived. Now, having watched the entire series, I enjoyed it immensely. The series’ success lies in the reality of the characters. Lorelei and Rory are like lots of mothers and daughters, in that their relationship evolves as they do. Boyfriends come and go, but they always have each other. Those Friday night dinners are the heart and soul of the series. Forced to sit at the same table, the three Gilmore women hash out differences both big and small. While class is an underlying factor, Lorelei is determined to hold on to her hard-won independence, even as her parents’ wealth forces her to bend to their demands. With time, it becomes clear that family are the ties that bind. Richard Gilmore (played wonderfully by Edward Hermann) Emily’s husband and Lorelei’s dad is the calm in the storm. Gruff but loving, he and Rory forge a bond that forces Emily and Lorelei to continue to hash out the issues between them.
The strong ensemble cast includes Milo Ventimiglia as the not so bad boy Jess Mariano; Jared Padalecki as Dean Forester, Rory’s first serious boyfriend; Matt Czuchry as Logan, another boyfriend of Rory’s who happens to be rich; and Liza Weil as the wonderfully high strung Paris Geller who evolves from Rory’s nemesis to close friend. In season one and two, Chad Michael Murray turns up as fellow Chilton Academy classmate.
Gilmore Girls was the vision of creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, and her husband Daniel, whose voices defined every character. Following a contract dispute after season six, the Palladino’s left the series. While season seven has a few memorable moments, it lacks Palladino’s special touch. More importantly, the finale they had always envisioned wasn’t used.
This brings us to 2016, and the Netflix revival Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. A four-part mini-series with feature length episodes titled Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall, which saw the welcome return of Amy Sherman-Palladino. Finally, the Palladino’s were given the chance to give Gilmore Girls the ending they had planned, while leaving the door open a crack for a future return to Stars Hollow. Personally, I think Gilmore Girls should end where it did. All three Gilmore Girls, Lorelei, Rory, and Emily all experience significant changes in their lives (as do some of the other residents of Stars Hollow), that ends the series on a satisfying note. I know some fans of Gilmore Girls choose to forget A Year in the Life exists, and that’s fine too. It’s nice that it’s included here, making this box set a truly complete series.
Spanning 30-discs, the 1080p transfers mark a significant upgrade from the earlier standard definition DVD releases. However, fans should be aware that the image has been cropped to 16:9 widescreen, altering some original camera shots. That said, colors are vibrant and details are strong throughout. impressive clarity makes Stars Hollow appear cozier than ever before. For a series defined by its seasonal charm (and coffee), the vivid colors are a necessity. Grain is a bit heavy in a few brief spots, but it doesn’t affect the overall watching experience. The image appears clean, with no apparent scratches or other anomalies.
Seasons 1-5 are equipped with a DTS-HD 2.0 track, while seasons 6, 7, and A Year in the Life are outfitted with a DTS-HD MA 5.1track. Both serve this dialogue heavy show very well. The quick-fire conversations between Lorelei and Rory is delivered with the conciseness and clarity required. Important too, the music cues are clean, and full. Ambient effects are clean, and never interfere with the dialogue.
English subtitles are included.
Most of the archival extras from previous releases have been included here:
Season One:
- Welcome to the Gilmore Girls
- Gilmore Goodies and Gossip – Rory’s Dance: On-Screen Factoids
- Gilmore-isms
Season Two
- A Film By Kirk
- International Success: How Other Countries Welcome the Gilmore Girls
- Gilmore Goodies and Gossip – A-Tisket, A-Tasket: On- Screen Factoids
- Who Wants to Argue?
Sesaon Three
- All Grown Up
- Who Wants to Fall in Love
- Our Favorite ‘80s
Season Four
- Gilmore Goodies and Gossip
- Who Wants to Get Together
Season Five
- Gilmore Girls Turns 100
- Behind the Scenes of the 100th Episode
- Who Wants to Talk Gilmore
Season Seven
- Gilmore Fashionistas
- A Best Friend’s Peek Inside the Gilmore Girls with Keiko Agena
- Who Wants to Talk Boys?
- Kirk’s Tour of Stars Hollow
