So I finally know the last two words Amy Sherman-Palladino planned to use in the finale of Gilmore Girls. Don’t worry, no spoilers here. But Gilmore Girls fans, if you were hesitant to watch the sequel for any reason, wait no longer. Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life is true to the original, but it’s not the same. The characters have grown, yet Stars Hollow is as quirky as ever. You can go home again.
Virtually all of the key characters from the show’s original seven-year run show up in at least one of the four episodes airing now on Netflix, save, of course, Richard Gilmore, as Edward Hermann died December 31, 2014. His passing is honored, and so is Richard’s.
Look for the same Emily, yet a definitively changed one. Kelly Bishop is a fantastically talented actress who always kept Emily from being unsympathetic. On occasion she broke out a wickedly fun side, and she does so again in these latest episodes.
Both Lorelai and Rory have hit a crossroads, one common to women in their late 40s and mid 30s, respectively. How they work through their struggles is so true to the series as created by Amy Sherman-Palladino that you know she and her husband Daniel Palladino had to be steering the whole production, and thankfully, they were doing just that.
Alexis Bledsel has grown as an actress, and while I always enjoyed her in the series, I found her performance to be more mature and natural as the grown-up Rory. Lauren Graham could hardly get any better, and she’s returned to the character of Lorelai with ease and the same sense of fun and wonder.
A character you didn’t see in the original Gilmore Girls is that of Violet, leading lady of the Stars Hollow musical, played by Sutton Foster. For those of you don’t know, this current star of the TVLand series Younger starred in the short-lived show Bunheads, also created by Ms. Sherman-Palladino. She’s well-cast as the hard-edged Violet, who gives a great performance in the world’s worst musical ever.
Years ago, when I was living with my mom, we would watch Gilmore Girls together every week. It was our thing. The only way today’s marathon could have been better for me would have been to have shared it with her, and next time I travel to Minneapolis, we’re settling in for a few hours with Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.
And I’m bringing some kleenex for the final scenes. We Gilmore Girls fans finally got the ending we deserved all along.
My World With Words 
We watch a LOT of television but admittedly this show never made it on our “schedule.” That being said I have seen some early-on episodes when Jared Padalecki was appearing. Liked what I saw and this re-ending may inspire me to wade in deeper. Sounds like they produced a nice tribute to Edward Hermann. Also sounds like Sutton Foster was a great addition to the returning cast.
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Jared made only a brief appearance in these four episodes, actually, in the last one, but he was an important part of the show for much of the time it was on. It may be a series that appeals more to women, and it’s quirky, but immensely popular. I always thought the acting was exceptional, especially for a series that may not have gotten a lot of support initially (It started out on one of the networks which later merged and become the CW, and that network didn’t have a lot of credibility at the time). Sutton Foster was a lot of fun in her role. You could see why she’s been a hit on Broadway.
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