GILMORE GIRLS - A CONFESSION

Some might not have ever heard of the "Gilmore Girls" show on WB. Others might think of it as a show they used to watch. But for those like me, it has been a continual force, a place to turn to, an unexplainable attraction and a pleasure to the senses if properly imagined. This is not without a critical eye for lack of continuity, unrealistic time intervals and emotional contradictions. All of which increase with the number of times you've watched the series all the way through. At this point, I feel somewhat guilty about my obsession and cultic involvement. And it's not even my favorite show. So it's confusing at best but maybe making a confession would help.

Bless me Father for I have sinned. My last confession was a while ago, but I'm hoping you won't hold that against me. I have watched "Gilmore Girls" seven times through plus three other times through but with skipping over the parts I didn't like. May I remind you that is not considered excessive by some church community standards. My real sin might be that I could never figure out if they were good or bad examples for other mothers and daughters. Sure, they had their sins like gluttony and adultery but otherwise, I think they were pretty nice. I mean, how bad could they have been if their show continued on the family channel?

I'm a little confused about that myself. ...But you still didn't have to watch.

But Father, it drew me in and then I couldn't stop. Nothing else gave me that same feeling. I admit to the sexual attraction and/or fantasy. I would think that was a given ...even at my age. But maybe, just maybe, it was the town where you were allowed to be yourself and crime never rose above the annoyance level. It was like the towns in a couple "Twilight Zone" episodes. They were places where you wanted to live, or return to, because life was so much simpler.

You want to confess to lusting after a town, then.

Maybe. Depends on how severe the additional penance will be.

I'll have to consider that you haven't been to The Mass that much lately. 

You noticed?

Just doing my job.

Which reminds me, they didn't go to church that much either. I think Rory got a lot of her religion from Mrs. Kim. She was a most of the time a fundamental Seventh Day Adventist but also a Buddhist when necessary. But the crucifixes really threw me. They could have been just antiques though. Come to think of it, there wasn't that many in the town who went to church regularly. Mostly for weddings and funerals. That's probably what made it such a good place to live.

Don't get smart.

Sorry Father.

Well, did you learn anything good from all of your watching?

Yeah! Don't grow up! ...If you do. Don't leave home if home is already the best life can be. But if you do, remember that rich and smart is better than poor and stupid. ...Maybe not quite phrased like that. But I think real life bears that out. Some idealize poverty and struggle. I have to think if the Gilmore girls hadn't had so many rich people in their lives. Rory is going to inherit a ton of money whether she wants it or not. There will be no financial concerns while raising that Wookiee kid she's now pregnant with.

Wookiee?

From Star Wars. 

Oh.

It was a one-night stand, Father. She's 32! Even she admits it's a little late to be trying out oat sewers. I'm probably a just jealous. I never fantasized about her that way. Ours was a deep commitment. Now Lorelai. ...Well worth the threat of hell! 

Sounds it. But that area isn't as fixed as it used to be. Reality set in. ...Other areas needed more. 

Like war?

And all that goes with it.

Sometimes Lorelai and her mother seemed like they were mortal enemies. I didn't like Emily Gilmore very much. She could be a real B.I.T.C.H. But I have precious little to compare to how others in the same position act. Her manipulation and leveraging was as cunning as any con man. She had a push me, pull me approach to relationships that was hard to take. I never considered her as a third Gilmore Girl as some have and definitely not her mother-in-law who was rather nasty most of the time. I didn't get all of that. But it was great fun to watch Lorelai interact with it. Perhaps the best scenes were of the obligatory Friday night dinners. They were the show's barometer that went from really funny to down right malicious. A lot of underlying issues seemed to come out in biting innuendo or bursts of clever but angry rhetoric. I could never think that fast. But like any good dysfunctional family, they eventually soothed over the animosity enough to comment on the food ...even if it wasn't until the next week.

There had to be more love than obligation.

Perhaps in the hardest sense. ...Maybe that's not fair. The love came out in crisis and in loss as conflicted and convoluted as it was at times. But even outside of the family both Lorelai and Rory bounced around in their relationships never making the final step until recently when Lorelai finally married Luke in the middle of the night in a fanciful scene that could only happen in one of the magical transitions that Stars Hollow was famous for. The show was never too concerned with how long it "really" took to do things.

Hence the magic.

Right. ...But when you see all the magic in shows with bullets, blood and car chases, you don't mind so much.

I'm still not seeing a really great reason to watch it that many times or becoming so attached.

Maybe it was a fascination with going on from one thing to another. Seeing how the story was put together. Then when watching a time through was completed, it wouldn't be long before I wanted be part of the story again. It was more like an emotional roller coaster ride. For while I was trying to see if there was one major theme that ran all the the way through besides the obvious special mother/daughter bond. Then I was trying to find the episode where they jumped the shark. With the additional "A Year in the Life" episodes, I think the circle of life is a viable theme. But I'd have to watch it all the way through again to make sure.

Did you ever think there might not be a deeper meaning? Sometimes a story is just a story. ...I think Erskine Caldwell said something like that about "Tobacco Road." 

I see what you mean. ...So it's a sin no matter how you look at it?

Are you sorry you watched it that much?

In some ways.

Are you going to watch it more?

Most likely.

I guess you'll be in Gilmore Girls purgatory until something changes.

Pray for me Father.


You can see that my confession wasn't as satisfying as I hoped it would be. I might be incorrigible. I'm still undecided about "A Year in the Life." Additional story was matched with familiar filler some of which was rather cute. Some believe that people don't change. But maybe they get too tired to keep up with what they were doing. Lots was said about the last four words but I think it was more remarkable that no one had changed that much but there was some introspection. For me, there was no more wonder. Or maybe, I missed it because I had been watching and liking the violence of other shows instead of my usual Hallmark proclivity. But of this I'm convinced, if you watch a show in excess, you might be looking more for something that is missing in yourself than any special meaning that may or may not be in the story.  



BONUS PIC

   

ELECTION GOTCHA GRAPHICS

Yes. Just about everyone calls those little picture and/or comment boxes memes. I call them gotcha graphics. Either way, after tomorrow, many will no longer be as relevant. The results will be in. The election will be over. We will not yet be saved. And some of the smack will be gone and soon forgotten. But given how much work has gone into hitting that just right cutting insight, I think a few should serve as samples of the love, respect and consideration that has characterized another Great American Turd Toss.

Just think, there's so many more. Some of which will still be relevant in 2020.   .....If they actually have an election then.