Where Amy Sherman-Palladino leads, we will always follow, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have plenty of opinions about the new Gilmore Girls reboot. Probably more opinions than Lorelai had about Rory quitting Yale, in fact. Die-hard Gilmore Girls fans never thought this day would come, and now that it’s here (maybe, anyway), we can finally live down that painful seventh season and get the ending the residents of Stars Hollow deserve.
Several reports note that Netflix is reviving the beloved series with creator and writer Sherman-Palladino at the helm. The reboot will have four 90-minute episodes that will give fans the closure they deserve.
So pass the coffee and Pop-Tarts, and get ready to get more focused than Kirk trying to win a dance marathon, because the best is yet to come. Queen Amy, if you’re listening, here are our suggestions:
Things We Want to See:
1. A Proper Tribute to Richard Gilmore
Though Gilmore Girls certainly isn’t a somber show, it would be a true disservice to the fans not to recognize the family patriarch played by the late Edward Herrmann, who tragically passed away in real life in December 2014. The only bad thing about Gilmore Girls getting new life is that there will never be another pre-dinner drinks session with the man who could rock a bow tie better than anyone else. His absence will be palpable, so a proper send off is a must. At least he’s reunited with his beloved mother, Trix, now.
2. Lorelai and Luke Together at Last
Rory’s love life may be up for debate, but there’s no question when it comes to Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Luke (Scott Patterson). The opinionated single mother and the flannel-loving diner owner were meant to be from the get-go and all attempts to split them up were weaker than the coffee at Weston’s Bakery. They don’t need to be a picture-perfect Stepford version of a Stars Hollow couple, but seriously, quit breaking these two up. (Looking at you, April Nardini, child homewrecker.)
3. Rory’s Journalism Career
When we last left the ambitious Yale journalism grad, Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel), she was headed on the campaign trail with then-Senator Barack Obama to cover his campaign. “Who knows how long if Barack’s campaign takes off!” (LOL) The wannabe overseas correspondent has some lofty ambitions, but she also needs to be close enough to attend Friday night dinners. Perhaps the world of online journalism is her calling? Just as long as she’s not stealing yachts or sleeping with married men. Yeah, we went there.
4. Mrs. Kim, Expert Grandmother
Guys, remember when Lane (Keiko Agena) popped out twins after having sex one time on a beach in Mexico? Besides having the worst luck in the world, she also managed to mend the fence (“you break it, you buy it!”) with her indomitable mother, Mrs. Kim (Emily Kuroda). And if you thought the antique shop owner was hilarious as a mother, just imagine her as a grandmother! So while Hep Alien is teaching Steve and Kwan to rock out, Mrs. Kim can teach them about the importance of tofurkey.
5. Paris and Doyle Ruling the World
After Gilmore Girls, Paris (Liza Weil) went on to Get Away With Murder on ABC and Doyle (Danny Strong) started running his own Empire as an executive producer at Fox. As awesome as that would be if that were true on the show, we picture these two having much more domestic plans. Obviously they are both fully capable of ruling the world, with Paris’ medical degree and Doyle’s impressive journalism resume. But it will be much more comical to see these two attempt marriage and parenthood. Also, does this mean that Paris’ future daughter will legacy into the Puffs?
6. Snow in Stars Hollow
Okay, so this is a specific one. But everything magical happens at Stars Hollow in the snow. So one of those four episodes better be happening in the wintertime. Snow also gives more of an excuse (not that we needed one) for excessive amounts of coffee and ordering takeout food from Al’s Pancake World. It also wouldn’t hurt for there to be at least one major wacky town event like the Firelight Festival, dance marathon, or the Bid-a-Basket Festival. If Rory doesn’t want to be the Ice Cream Queen, we’ll do it!
7. Rory Makes a Decision
One of the biggest questions facing a true Gilmore Girls fan is “Which team are you?” It’s as important to this fan base as picking a Hogwarts house is to a Potterhead. Whether you’re a Team Dean, Jess, or Logan says a lot about your character, and you’d certainly better have reasons to back yourself up when it comes time to debate the finer points. Yes, Dean (Jared Padalecki) treated Rory right, always loved her, and could probably build her a bunch of bookshelves. But he also cheated on his wife with her, held her back from her career goals, and will literally never leave Stars Hollow due to his future as a professional bag boy/contractor. On the flip side, Jess (Milo Ventimiglia) also loved her, shares her same interests, and has always been supportive of her career aspirations. But he also bailed, hadn’t figured out his own life, and was too impulsive for the girl who took an entire semester to realize that quitting Yale was a really stupid idea. Logan (Matt Czuchry) is pretty perfect on paper, being heir to a newspaper empire, having the most in common with Rory when it comes to academics, and loving her enough to propose marriage. But we didn’t like his ultimatum or how easily he cowed to his father’s pressures. It’s a tough call, but after years of waiting, Rory’s finally got to take a leap of faith. You jump, I jump, Jack.
8. Kirk and Lulu’s Wedding
So maybe this shouldn’t be a No. 1 priority on AS-P’s to-do list, but through all seven seasons, Kirk (Sean Gunn) became a pivotal part of the Stars Hollow community. By some miraculous turn of events, he found his perfect match in Lulu (Rini Bell), whom he was overly proud to call “my girlfriend” about a zillion times. Not only would their wedding be hilarious, it would also be a sweet moment and a town event that would involve Taylor (Michael Winters) as the minister and Luke as the best man. If Miss Patty (Liz Torres) danced the “Mother/Son” dance, we would literally never stop laugh-crying.
9. Those Four Final Words
Sherman-Palladino has long teased fans that she has the four final words written down and tucked away for safe keeping. They’d better be good.
Bonus Points: What Happened to Tristan and Dave?
Look, we know that Tristan (Chad Michael Murray) went to boarding school…aka One Tree Hill and Dave (Adam Brody) went to college in California… aka The O.C., but they were two pretty important characters that never got an appropriate send-off. It would be great if these two could make cameos in one of the final four episodes.
Things We Don’t Want to See:
1. April Nardini
Sorry Luke, but send April (Vanessa Marano) off to college or something, because we seriously don’t want to see her or her good-for-nothing mother. Sure, April had that one fun episode where Lorelai threw her a makeover birthday party, but she also managed to turn that into a way to ruin Luke and Lorelai’s relationship. So please keep your red-framed glasses and tragic frizzy hair out of Stars Hollow, if you know what’s good for you.
2. Dean and Rory
Okay, so we were really trying to be nonpartisan about this whole Rory Gilmore love life thing, but seriously, she can’t go back to Dean. The man committed adultery to be with her. Plus, he’s the king of pathetic (rewatch Season 2 for examples). Rory doesn’t need to be around a man that thirsty, even if he somehow managed to build her a car out of his bare hands. Remember when Dean was from Chicago? Maybe he could take his professional bag boy skills back to the Windy City? Just a suggestion…
3. Emily Gilmore Dating
Not that a woman needs to be defined by her man, but Emily Gilmore (Kelly Bishop) should not be allowed to see other men now that Richard is gone. We didn’t like it when they were briefly separated and now it would just be outright offensive. Stick to hosting teas and giving scathing-yet-endearing criticisms of your daughter, Ems.
4. Gilmore Babies
When did introducing a new baby ever improve a TV show? Babies can’t talk, they don’t have personality, and they take up the main character’s time. Luke and Lorelai have Paul Anka, and Rory should be focused on picking a man. These ladies need free hands to eat Mallomars and drink gin martinis. Don’t make them change diapers too. The only babies we’ll allow will be those belonging to Paris and Doyle, because, hello, they would totally have a nanny.
5. Any New Characters
Maybe it isn’t realistic to think that these characters wouldn’t have met anyone new in the last eight years, but we have a limited amount of time here, people. These four episodes are not the time to convince us that Rory has fallen for yet another guy unworthy of her brains and brilliance. Stick to the classics and give the people what they want! Like pie!
6. Lorelai With Anyone Whose Name Is Not Luke
Seriously, this is non-negotiable, Mrs. Sherman-Palladino. Luke and Lorelai can have their share of struggles, but putting anyone else in the picture (cough, Christopher, cough) is completely unacceptable. Don’t do it. No really, don’t.
Tell Us: What would you like to see from the Gilmore Girls reboot?
