Gilmore Girls premiered on the WB network on October 5th, 2000. The show was created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and stars Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel as Lorelei and Rory Gilmore, respectively, a mother-daughter duo that makes us laugh and cry and fall in love with them and every one in Star’s Hollow week after week for seven seasons. The fast moving, original dialgoue Sherman-Palladino created when writing this series has become iconic and this creator’s trademark and most recognizable style.
Perfect: Witty Banter
From the very first line, it’s clear that this show is different from anything else we’ve seen. The rate and utterance these actors recite the witty and well-constructed dialogue keeps audiences on their toes and really listening to every word because they know the joke is coming. It’s been said that Amy Sherman-Palladino’s scripts could be up to ninety pages for just one episode because of how well she could direct her actors to get a lot of dialogue out in the most perfectly entertaining way.
Not Perfect: Luke’s Diner
One of the most recognizable places in Stars Hollow is Luke’s Diner. It’s where Lorelei and Rory eat almost every meal and can frequently be seen there begging for more coffee from the diner owner, Luke.
In most of the series, the diner sets on the corner of the Main Street in Stars Hollow and has a classic-looking interior. In the pilot, this diner seems to be tucked away in a somewhat residential area of town, and has more of a cluttered and rustic feel on the inside.
Perfect: The Mother-Daughter Duo
Lauren Graham as Lorelei and Alexis Bledel as Rory share undeniable chemistry that are every other mother and daughter envious. It’s clear and stated from the very beginning that their relationship is special and rare because Lorelei had Rory when she was only sixteen years old, so there’s a unique mix of friendship and parent-child relationships within this dynamic, but it plays perfectly. The women get each other so well and pick up on one another both as the characters and the actors playing the scenes.
Not Perfect: Luke Doesn’t Do Much
Luke becomes a very important character in the series as the seven seasons play out, but in the pilot, he’s more of a fly on the wall, there’s to serve coffee and offer a grumpy judgment every once in a while.
In the opening scene, Lorelei is being hit on by a sketchy guy, when she turns him away, he focuses in on Rory. Luke is standing behind the counter, watching and hearing the entire exchange, but he never steps in to kick the guy out, which is surprising now that we now where Luke’s relationships with both. Lorelei and Rory go.
Perfect: Stars Hollow
The stage is set perfectly for this show. Stars Hollow is that quiet little east coast town everyone wishes actually existed because everyone would love to live there. It seems as though all the people in Stars Hollow know each other and love each other, even when it does’t seem like they do. Stars Hollow is simple. There’s the grocery store, the diner, the dance studio, the school, and the antique store and they all sit pretty close to the main street where in the center of the street, a gazebo sits and becomes an iconic centerpiece for the entire series.
Not Perfect: It Moves Rather Slow
For a show with such quick and quirky dialogue, the story itself moves rather slow, to the point where watching it back, you can’t help but wonder if this show would even get made today.
The pilot introduces everyone and we get a clear sense of where we are and who we are meeting, but nothing really happens. The show is very character driven, which in the early 2000’s was compelling and fun to watch, especially in Sherman-Palladino’s world, but today, it could potentially struggle to find its audience.
Perfect: Sookie’s Kitchen Choreography
We meet Sookie, played by Melissa McCarthy, and it’s clear she is a brilliant, but accident-prone chef. Sookie runs the kitchen at the inn where Lorelei works and the two are very close friends. In one scene of the pilot, Sookie is cooking in the kitchen with her two soups chefs, only the sous chefs aren’t doing very much cooking. Instead, they follow Sookie around has she almost causes catastrophic incidences in a very short period of time. The scene is so well choreographed and executed, it’s a stand-out moment for the episode.
Not Perfect: The Lorelei-Sleeping-With-The-Dean Joke
One of the main plot points in the pilot is that Rory gets accepted to a prestige private school called Chilton. It’s a late acceptance because the school year has already started, but everyone is very excited and happy for Rory nonetheless.
When Lorelei gets the acceptance letter, she tells Sookie, who jokingly asks if Lorelei had to sleep with the dean to get Rory into the school. When they tell Rory she got in, Rory makes the same joke and in today’s climate, that joke doesn’t really play very well.
Perfect: Rory Meets Dean
Another major storyline introduced in the first episode is Rory and Dean’s love story. Dean is new to Stars Hollow and has been watching and admiring Rory from afar. He finally gets the nerve to talk to Rory on her last day in public school and that exchange makes Rory question her decision to move to private school. Rory and Dean have incredible chemistry right from the start and it’s obvious these two lovebirds’ story is only just beginning when we meet them in the pilot.
Not Perfect: Emily’s Conditions
When Rory gets into Chilten, Lorelei quickly learns that she can not afford Chilten. Luckily, Lorelei comes from very wealthy parents, but un-luckily, she doesn’t have the best relationship with her mother or her father. Lorelei, out of options, forces herself to go to parents to ask for the money for Rory’s school. They are happy to help, but tell Lorelei she must agree to weekly dinners and phone calls to check in because they want to be a part of her and Rory’s life. Lorelei reluctantly agrees, which makes us question Lorelei’s character because what her parents are asking for doesn’t seem outlandish or that it should cause Lorelei to react the way that she does.