On Friday, November 18, we had the incredible opportunity to attend the Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life Premiere where we watched “Winter,” the first episode of the four-part revival along with the cast of the show in the Bruin Regency Theater in Westwood, Los Angeles. Now that the revival is out on Netflix and we are all binge watching the revival, we can officially discuss the events of the first episode.
Walking down to Westwood on that fateful Friday night, we saw the line of eager fans awaiting their dreams of getting in the theatre to see the first episode. The energy of the crowd was contagious, but we still couldn’t believe that we were about to see new content from Gilmore Girls.
Read on to see our take of the first episode of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life and the outcome of the series!
I found the opening scene between Lorelai and Rory to be extremely bittersweet, particularly because I could sense the genuine emotion Lorelai (Lauren Graham) feels after seeing Rory (Alexis Bledel) for the first time in a very long time. Although the first conversation the two share together on the steps of the gazebo feels a little awkward and distant compared to the typical conversations the two share in previous seasons (probably because it has been nine years since the two have acted together), the entire scene feels very real and vulnerable not only for them, but also for the viewers. It’s an incredibly overwhelming feeling to see the two together after so many years have passed as they come together and bring us (hopefully) some closure to the events of Season 7.
As many fans hypothesized (myself include), Lorelai and Luke are indeed considering having a child together. It was exciting to see Lorelai become serious with Luke about the possibility of having a child since she was originally the one in the relationship who was more apprehensive about the idea. After witnessing Lorelai’s change of heart, it was sad to see Luke become overwhelmed by the information and procedures and decide that maybe the baby route is one that he doesn’t necessarily want to take. This plot line left me with some questions: Will they decide to have a child later on in the episodes? Are they planning to get married?
Richard Gilmore’s funeral scene and the harsh, cringe-worthy fight that ensues after the funeral between Lorelai and Emily Gilmore are very hard to watch. Edward Herrmann, who played Richard, passed away in 2014 and there is definitely a Richard-shaped hole missing inside the Gilmore home and in my heart as well. Richard’s seat at the dining room table is still there and when Luke starts to move in for the seat, I was filled with horror and despair at the thought of seeing someone else sit in the chair that was occupied by my favorite T.V. grandfather. I loved watching the relationship between Rory and her grandfather develop and his presence in the series is deeply missed.
Only one of Rory’s ex-boyfriends, Logan, makes an appearance in “Winter,” which makes me wonder about the seriousness of their relationship since Rory is casually seeing him in London while she has her boyfriend of two years back in the states that she keeps “forgetting to break up with.” Should I be happy that the two are somewhat back together so early on in the revival or is this casual fling going to end once Rory runs into Dean and Jess in the later episodes? What does this mean for the future of Logan and Rory?
I admit that I’m a little nervous as to how the next three episodes cover all of the plot lines that I so desperately want to see fulfilled (all I’m saying is that Lorelai and Rory better make some smart decisions regarding their love life), but I’m looking forward to finishing up the revival and reading about everyone else’s reactions online!
Growing up with my sister watching Gilmore Girls since 2005, the influence of the series in my life is evident. When I first started watching the series, I fell in love. Ergo, the news of the revival certainly brought tears of joy (like it did to many others). Being able to go to the premiere to see the first installment of A Year In the Life, was and still is unreal.
As the many expectations loom over all of our heads, we wait in anxiety to see who ends up with who and the gravity of the last four words. The first seven seasons were a rollercoaster of emotions. To think of possibly having an ending for each character in only four hour and a half episodes is startling. But, we have no choice except to sit and watch every episode until the early hours of the morning.
Watching “Winter,” was an emotional upheaval. But, it’s the perfect opening to all of the hopeful endings of A Year in the Life. All of my favorite characters (thankfully) show up in the first installment. Of course, the bitter taste of Richard Gilmore’s (Edward Herrmann) absence is hard to deal with. Thus causing a very emotional first episode. A large fight between Emily and Lorelai follows soon after. The unpleasant words that Lorelai said at her father’s funeral sparks an angry fire within Emily, once again leaving Lorelai and Emily to not talking. Leaving Rory to come back and deal with her mom and grandmother in a fight, once more.
As for Rory, she is travelling back and forth between London and Stars Hollow. She stays at a very familiar apartment (which belongs to the one and only Logan Huntzberger). The fact that Logan, being my favorite boyfriend of Rory, is the only ex-boyfriend to appear in the first installment allowed me to have a stronger hope for the future of their relationship (and hopeful marriage).
All of our favorite characters reappear in the first episode, except for the lovely Sookie, in which we will hopefully see in the later episodes. This episode, although feeling short, opened many doors for the rest of the episodes that will surely be satisfactory to all of us anticipating fans out here.
And can someone say, team Logan?!