Girls Just Want To Have Fun Move On
Due to my connection woes, it took me a bit longer to have the time to update today. I figured it's better late than never anyhow. This gave me time to watch the last episode of said show below. I also figured it would provide more time to get answers/contributors on this week's TITMT, asking people what they wanted me to write about. Judging by the responses I'd have to say, apparently most people don't want me to write, period!
Oh well, on the to the real post anyhow...
It always feels like the end of an era when a long running television show sings its swan song. While rumors have been circulating for awhile, it was confirmed officially on May 3rd that this was the last season of Gilmore Girls.
Apparently a number of factors figured into the ultimate demise of the show, now in its seventh season. This time last year, contract negotiations reached a standstill with the head writer and show creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino no longer on board. Still production carried on with the cast intact.
Different head writers and different agendas of both the characters and the actors that played them could have very well been factors. Rumors of clashing temperaments plagued the Gilmore Girls cast for a few years now. Although the show was still on, some argued that the initial magic was gone this season and dare I say, "Jumped the Shark" when they prematurely paired Luke and Lorelai together, only to break them up again. What ensued was an out of character experience when Lorelai, a normally strong and opinionated female lead, bounced back in forth with seeming indifference between the men in her life.
Adding insult to injury was the time line in which long time fans were informed. When Friends went off the air, fans had a whole season worth of "prep time" to get ready for the end. This allowed fans to allot for the proper ratio of grieving/savoring time. But with Gilmore Girls, that common courtesy was not extended. Perhaps this was because they still held out hope that it might return for another season. The announcement came on May 3rd which meant that in a mere two weeks the final episode of Gilmore Girls was slated to air.
Not only does this leave a lot of questions left to answer, it leaves fans irate in the manner in which they will be answered. For long time fans two weeks meant two hours of questions to wrap up. Who will Lorelai ultimately choose, Luke, Christopher or herself? And what about Rory? Does she get the job of her dreams or spend some time having to find herself? Is she meant to be with Logan or is she meant to try it on her own for awhile? And what about the quirky characters that round out Stars Hollow so well like Sookie and Jackson, Lane and Zack or Paris, Emily and Richard? Notice that I left April off that list. That was intentional. I never much took to Luke's overnight father figure transformation.
On the other hand, ending the show now seems like the right thing to do. Just look at the long running corn fest, Seventh Heaven. That show ended only to be brought back after cancellation. What the hell was up with that?! No one, including the cast of Seventh Heaven themselves was down with that decision. Even in my wildest dreams that never happens with the shows I love that are unjustifiably canceled. Never.
But on Gilmore, Rory is graduating college. It is the end of an era for the character and thus logically it's a good ending point for the show, too. Carrying the show on another season would probably only further frustrate fans who feel that the characters had been floundering about too much this season.
Then there's the actors themselves. Prior to the show, lead actress Lauren Graham was bounced around from project to project, but like a square peg fit into a round hole, the chemistry never seemed to work. With Gilmore Girls, Graham seemed to finally find her niche. Naturally she probably wants to move on and strike while the iron is hot. Yet it remains to be seen if you can take the Gilmore girl out of Stars Hollow.
And what about the much younger starlet, Alexis Bledel? As the scholarly Rory, Bledel was perfectly cast and seemed to be able to even to hold her own with Graham's fast-paced wit and charm. I don't think the show would have worked nearly as well if either lead had been cast differently. However once again I wonder, can Bledel's sweetness as Rory transcend the small screen into something more substantial? Up until now her acting world outside of Stars Hollow has been rather limited. Yet she is still young and no doubt, eager to try. Some fans are blaming her solely for the ultimate and abrupt ending of the show though. Will there be a backlash of the "biting the hand that feeds you" variety? Only time will tell.
Once the dust settles the fact remains. Gilmore Girls is another quality show that consistently delivered fresh and original dialogue and quirky characters that worked. On a network like NBC or ABC they may not have survived, but on a network like WB (and even some respects, CW) they were a crowning jewel, receiving top notch priority where they otherwise might have gotten lost in the shuffle. I'm not happy with the way it's ending, but I am happy I got to be one the girls for one hour a week, if only, in the grand scheme of things, for a little while.
Oh well, on the to the real post anyhow...
It always feels like the end of an era when a long running television show sings its swan song. While rumors have been circulating for awhile, it was confirmed officially on May 3rd that this was the last season of Gilmore Girls.
Apparently a number of factors figured into the ultimate demise of the show, now in its seventh season. This time last year, contract negotiations reached a standstill with the head writer and show creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino no longer on board. Still production carried on with the cast intact.
Different head writers and different agendas of both the characters and the actors that played them could have very well been factors. Rumors of clashing temperaments plagued the Gilmore Girls cast for a few years now. Although the show was still on, some argued that the initial magic was gone this season and dare I say, "Jumped the Shark" when they prematurely paired Luke and Lorelai together, only to break them up again. What ensued was an out of character experience when Lorelai, a normally strong and opinionated female lead, bounced back in forth with seeming indifference between the men in her life.
Adding insult to injury was the time line in which long time fans were informed. When Friends went off the air, fans had a whole season worth of "prep time" to get ready for the end. This allowed fans to allot for the proper ratio of grieving/savoring time. But with Gilmore Girls, that common courtesy was not extended. Perhaps this was because they still held out hope that it might return for another season. The announcement came on May 3rd which meant that in a mere two weeks the final episode of Gilmore Girls was slated to air.
Not only does this leave a lot of questions left to answer, it leaves fans irate in the manner in which they will be answered. For long time fans two weeks meant two hours of questions to wrap up. Who will Lorelai ultimately choose, Luke, Christopher or herself? And what about Rory? Does she get the job of her dreams or spend some time having to find herself? Is she meant to be with Logan or is she meant to try it on her own for awhile? And what about the quirky characters that round out Stars Hollow so well like Sookie and Jackson, Lane and Zack or Paris, Emily and Richard? Notice that I left April off that list. That was intentional. I never much took to Luke's overnight father figure transformation.
On the other hand, ending the show now seems like the right thing to do. Just look at the long running corn fest, Seventh Heaven. That show ended only to be brought back after cancellation. What the hell was up with that?! No one, including the cast of Seventh Heaven themselves was down with that decision. Even in my wildest dreams that never happens with the shows I love that are unjustifiably canceled. Never.
But on Gilmore, Rory is graduating college. It is the end of an era for the character and thus logically it's a good ending point for the show, too. Carrying the show on another season would probably only further frustrate fans who feel that the characters had been floundering about too much this season.
Then there's the actors themselves. Prior to the show, lead actress Lauren Graham was bounced around from project to project, but like a square peg fit into a round hole, the chemistry never seemed to work. With Gilmore Girls, Graham seemed to finally find her niche. Naturally she probably wants to move on and strike while the iron is hot. Yet it remains to be seen if you can take the Gilmore girl out of Stars Hollow.
And what about the much younger starlet, Alexis Bledel? As the scholarly Rory, Bledel was perfectly cast and seemed to be able to even to hold her own with Graham's fast-paced wit and charm. I don't think the show would have worked nearly as well if either lead had been cast differently. However once again I wonder, can Bledel's sweetness as Rory transcend the small screen into something more substantial? Up until now her acting world outside of Stars Hollow has been rather limited. Yet she is still young and no doubt, eager to try. Some fans are blaming her solely for the ultimate and abrupt ending of the show though. Will there be a backlash of the "biting the hand that feeds you" variety? Only time will tell.
Once the dust settles the fact remains. Gilmore Girls is another quality show that consistently delivered fresh and original dialogue and quirky characters that worked. On a network like NBC or ABC they may not have survived, but on a network like WB (and even some respects, CW) they were a crowning jewel, receiving top notch priority where they otherwise might have gotten lost in the shuffle. I'm not happy with the way it's ending, but I am happy I got to be one the girls for one hour a week, if only, in the grand scheme of things, for a little while.
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