The Hollow That Follows
I am sad. Don’t worry, this isn’t a sorry-state-of-the-world, someone-died kind of real sad. It’s simply a I-miss-Stars-Hollow kind of sad. It’s the same kind of sad I got when I reached the end of the seventh book of the Harry Potter series: a there-they-go – there-ain’t-no-more, empty kind of sad.
I think part of the sentimental attraction is warm promise of the opening sequence (2:08 m into episode). It’s the yellow-orange filter over the snippets of life in Stars Hollow combined with the song, “Where You Lead,” Carole King rerecorded with her daughter for the show that gets me. Every single time.
But appreciating the quick-tongued quirky characters on Gilmore Girls has always been something my oldest daughter and I have done together. It was our standing Tuesday night date. Since the series ended, we’ve re-watched the entire seven-season series during the summer—twice. To us, it’s that good. So with much sniffling and partial face rubbing to hide the tears we feel are foolish to shed over a television show, today we said goodbye to Rory and Lorelai as they said goodbye to each other at Luke’s over an early breakfast.
There is something about the mother-daughter relationship that draws us in. We don’t have as many “bits”, I’m not nearly as quick, funny, or flaky as Lorelai, and my daughter is not nearly as academically focused as Rory, but the way they push, pull, play with, and even yell at each other rings familiar. Sure, sometimes I’m the Rory and she’s the Lorelai, or I’m the Emily and she’s the Sookie, or we both think, Hey, I could be Paris! (My mother is totally Babette in loudness - I'm just sayin'.) No matter the character, we love them all and are sad to lose our periodic insight into the lives of those who seem like friends in that quintessentially autumnal New England fantasy town.
Until next summer.
When my daughter will be preparing to go off to college and the goodbyes will be that much harder.
Comments
I also have feel really sad and have trouble saying goodbye at the end of TV shows and books that I love (Veronica Mars and the Little House books come to mind.)
When I was a little girl, I finished all the Little House Books for the first time and asked my mom when the next one would be coming out. She told me that Laura Ingalls Wilder had died long ago and that there wouldn't be any more. I remember sobbing into my pillow for a long time and mourning that this would be all of the relationship I could have with Laura and Almanzo and Mary and Ma and Pa. When Veronica Mars is over, I always feel such a loss that I can't have any more of her and her father in my life.
We love Gilmore Girls, but, fair warning, it did go off course a few times, and definitely jumped the shark in the last two seasons. The initial conflict was between a woman, who has become sucessful on her own after leaving her wealthy parents' home with her baby at 16, and later must ask those estranged parents for money for her smart daughter's private school and the strings they attach to their agreeement. That conflict is handled quite well and the parents' stodginess makes a great foil for Lorelai's one-liners. Later in the series, however, the conflict stems mostly from main characters covering things up or evading important issues. It gets ugly. (And I can skip over the whole "Jason Stiles" affair in season 4, although his dog, Cyrus, is a funny bit).
Mostly, it's just a smart, insightful show with characters you want to, and imagine you do, know.
Now, Veronic Mars, huh? I've heard some good things about that too. Maybe we'll look into it.