Why Gilmore Girls

Okay, I’m jumping on the bandwagon here.

From New York Times to Buzzfeed, everyone is talking about The Gilmore Girls. Of course it’s a show worth talking about, but it’s not just that. The buzz was caused by the recent announcement from Netflix. From October 1, all seven seasons of The Gilmore Girls will be available for streaming.

It’s not a secret that The Gilmore Girls has been one of my favorite TV shows of all time. As a pop-culture loving person, I watch almost every comedy show and keep up with TV trends. But among them all, The Gilmore Girls has been one of my top programs, no doubt. It’s one of the only shows that tells us it’s okay to be a book nerd, or a nerd in general. Before The Big Bang Theory, Rory was our Sheldon.

I felt like I grew up with the show. Rory was right about my age, and she was entering Yale when I started my university. I was happy when she made good choices, and upset when she started dating Logan and stole the yacht. I watched the episode called “Will you just stand still?” over and over and over (I know you did too). I mean, Luke can see her face, and he said yes to her proposal without hesitating not even one second. I secretly looked for a pink winter coat, and searched the books Rory mentioned in every show.

 

 

The importance of community

Some time before and after The Gilmore Girls, I started picturing my own ‘home.’ TV and movies are great place to get your imagination going, and Star’s Hollow has been always my dream place to live. It’s a fictional place based on Washington, Connecticut. I like New England’s small town vibe, and Star’s Hollow with its adorable town center and cute gazebo was no exception. But most of all, I fell in love the community of people there.

I grew up in a community as close-knit as Star’s Hollow. Our family lived in a small unit in an apartment building with six units total. We could almost touch the next building through our window. We could talk to our neighbors between rooftops, and there was a local traditional market and various businesses including video rental, plumber, poultry shop, supermarkets, and more within walking distance. It was a city never slept by a very different definition. But when I was growing up in our little town, I never felt unsafe. I knew all the ladies and all the businesses on our block. When my mom was out, we hung out with a lady downstairs. We could drop our keys off at our neighbor’s, and we shared holidays together. We camped out together on the rooftop on hot summer days. We very much belonged to the local community.

We lost that sense of community when we moved to the next town. I guess I was missing that feeling and regained it a bit by watching The Gilmore Girls.

Do you remember the scene in the last episode of the last season? The whole town threw a bon voyage party for Rory. And Richard said, “They did it for you, Lorelei.” I wanted to live in a town where they cared for me and my family enough to throw a surprise goodbye party.

 

The importance of passion

Whenever I watch The Gilmore Girls (all the many, many times over and over again), Rory’s passion for journalism always inspires me. I consider passion to be one of the cores of life. Her passion inspires me and also makes me a bit jealous that she’s making such a great career and she’s so talented. I cried but applauded when she chose her career over Logan. Oh Rory, you made me laugh and cry.

 

The importance of knowing who you are

As Lainy Kim discovered her love of music and kept her true identity in secret for 15 years, as Lorelei encouraged Rory to be whoever she wanted to be, it’s important to know who you are and be comfortable with it. I loved how Lorelei wore unique clothes, taught Rory to make a face on the graduation podium, drank coffee the way an elephant drinks water, and drove a funky old jeep; she knew exactly who she was and she was happy with it. And that’s the message we all should learn from her.

 

The importance of family

At one point, I was almost cut off from my family. I really thought I could live my life without their support. I was cocky, and wrong.

Similarly, Lorelei had a traumatic childhood in the Gilmore house. She was the ugly duckling. Nonetheless, she came around, and Emily and Richard came around. Even Mrs. Kim changed. Years ago when I had a big fight with my family, my friends told me ‘They will understand someday.’ and honestly I didn’t believe them. I thought my relationship with my family was done for, that it would only be obligatory from then on. But just like Emily and Richard, my parents slowly started to understand me.

What I do cannot be done without family. I can’t imagine not having a place to call home in Korea. Family is important, no matter what.

 

Mothers are human, too

Whenever I was watched The Gilmore Girls, I always connected myself with Rory. We were going through the same things in life at the same time, after all. But through the years I noticed that my focus shifted to Lorelei. These days I relate more to her struggle of balancing career and home life, parenting and having fun, and managing good relationships with other mothers. She sometimes gives up her own dreams to make a better life for her daughter. Rory doesn’t always understand that her mother is human, and she can make mistakes.

As I get older, I see different sides of my own mother. She was a daughter, is a mother and a grandmother. I don’t remember a time when she was her own self without being someone’s mother, wife, or daughter. Just like Rory was always learning new things about Lorelei, I’m learning new things about my mom, starting to see her as a person, not just a mother. We weren’t the best of friends like the Gilmore girls, but I’m fortunate to have such a supportive mother despite all the difficult circumstances.

 

Now, I need to watch some Gilmore Girls tonight. Oy with the poodles already!

 

#gif from Thought Catalog