Think single mother with teenage daughter. Think
small town with eccentric characters. Think overbearing high-society
grandparents. Put all that together and you've got hit TV show Gilmore
Girls, which has just returned to our screens for its 4th
season.
Due to a dire lack of trailers, you may not have
heard that the series is back, but it's not too late to check it
out, as you've only missed 6 episodes (out of 22).
Here's
a recap of last season to refresh your memory: Rory (Alexis
Bledel), now 18, finally graduated from Chilton, and
severed all ties with troubled boyfriend Jess (Milo
Ventimiglia). Despite her long-time aspiration to attend Harvard
University, she decided to go to Yale
University in Connecticut instead. When Yale wouldn't
approve her financial-aid application, and Lorelai (Lauren
Graham) selflessly decided to pay the bills instead of bidding
on the Dragonfly Inn, Rory went to her grandparents, Emily
and Richard (Kelly
Bishop & Edward
Herrmann), and made a new deal with them.
Meanwhile, back in Stars Hollow, Rory's
ex-boyfriend Dean (Jared
Padalecki) got engaged, best friend Lane's (Keiko
Agena) mother found out about her boyfriend
Dave (Adam
Brody), and family friend Luke (Scott
Patterson) was preparing to take his girlfriend Nicole on a
luxury cruise.
What's Ahead
In this new season, we see Rory preparing to start
her first year at Yale, getting set up in the dorms like
any other freshman, and meeting new dorm-mates, one of whom just
happens to be long time friend/nemesis Paris Gellar (Liza
Weil) from Chilton. At the same time, Lorelai and best
friend Sookie (Melissa
McCarthy) are beginning work on the Dragonfly Inn, getting
one step closer to fulfilling their dream of owning their own inn.
Gilmore Girls, a teen/family comedy-drama
from top television network
Warner Brothers, surprised viewers when it debuted in 2001
with its refreshing brand of quirky humour that was just such a
contrast from the typical cliché, angst-ridden teen/family
dramas and sitcoms.
Our Verdict
With
a string of eccentric, heart-warming characters, Gilmore Girls
managed to depict life just as it is - good times, bad times and
all - without making it either drab and depressing, or honeyed and
perfect. It felt like viewers were looking through a window at the
characters' lives, watching them handle daily trials and tribulations
in their own ways, complete with embarrassments, disappointments,
and foolishness.
Although Lauren Graham received a Golden
Globe nomination in 2001, and the show and its cast have
continued to receive awards over the past 3 years from notable associations
like
Did
You Know?
Ex-model Alexis Bledel's
big break came when she won the role of Rory in Gilmore Girls.
Apparently, the producers fell in love with her the moment
they saw her screen test, flying her to Los Angeles and offering
her the role on the spot.
Adam Brody, now gaining popularity as Seth Cohen in The O.C.,
persuaded his parents to send him to college in LA, and then
hired a personal manager and an acting coach instead of enrolling
in college!
Adam Brody isn't the only newcomer to gain fame after appearing
on Gilmore Girls. Chad Michael Murray was snapped up for teen
soap Dawson's Creek after appearing in the first season of
Gilmore Girls as bad boy Tristan DuGray. Since then, Chad
has gone on to star in teen soap One Tree Hill, as well as
Disney's Freaky Friday (2003) and upcoming movie A Cinderella
Story with Hilary Duff.
MediaCorp
Channel 5's coveted Tuesday line-up after the show's 2nd
season in 2002.
It was instead shunted into a late Sunday afternoon
"family viewing" time-slot to make way for one reality
show after another. This was most disappointing as the show did
have a lot of fans, many of whom have now either lost track of the
series, are not able to catch it on Sunday afternoons, or have no
idea it is even on.
Losing fans or not, this season seems set to continue
the magic of the first 3. And judging from the show's long track
record for spontaneity, unique down-to-earth humour, and the first
6 episodes we've seen so far, the new season of Gilmore Girls
is likely to match the charm and honesty of previous seasons.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Copyright 2002-2004 "The
UrbanWire.com" Ngee Ann Polytechnic Singapore