Tag: TV

A Gilmore Girls Binge, Good-bye & See You Soon

A Gilmore Girls Binge, Good-bye & See You Soon

Posted on by Mama

Gilmore Girls

I have been binge watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix for weeks now and finally said “Bon Voyage” with the rest of Stars Hollow as I wrapped up the last of the entire seven-season series last night. Little did I know, until the 10 o’clock news, that I actually finished this witty, zany and heart-felt iconic TV show on the very day it first aired sixteen years ago. Cool, eh?

I don’t know how I missed Lorelai, Rory, Luke, Sookie and the rest of the town folk when they originally aired in 2000; but considering that I was a newly divorced 30-year-old home owner trying to get my own life back on track, maybe it was a good thing that I didn’t glean too much inspiration from the spunky thirty-something independent single mother of the series. Plus, now that I am a mom, I probably better related to the ups and downs and celebration and heartache that were woven into each season of the series. I also loved the infusion of “current affairs” and pop culture in each episode (especially since I know how most of it turned out), and enjoyed the regular trips down memory lane.

What I did discover midway through my Netflix binge was that a Gilmore Girls revival was being planned and will air the day after this Thanksgiving on Netflix. So I guess I’m kind of a cheater because I don’t have to wait nine years to catch my next glimpse of Stars Hollow. Perhaps this scheduled reunion and the knowledge that I didn’t have to completely say good-bye clouded my judgement of the series’ last episode, but I really liked how the writers nudged viewers in the right direction but didn’t wrap up all the loose ends before the set went dark in 2007. I can completely imagine the lives and storylines of all those characters (with the ups, downs and usual antics) continuing to play out in the nine years in which we didn’t have a front-row seat. I can’t wait to see how successful Rory has become (as if she was my own), if cell phones are still banned in Luke’s diner and how many children Sookie and Jackson ended up with. Of course there’s always the question of Lorelai’s love life, but hopefully the four forthcoming episodes (dubbed A Year in the Life) will answer a few of these questions without completely closing the imaginary door on Stars Hollow for good.

I know it’s a TV show, these characters don’t really exist, and it’s probably not healthy to get so wrapped up in an event like this, but isn’t it kind of nice to imagine a place like Stars Hollow where we can always grab a cup of joe at the diner, join a snowman building contest, dance all night with your mom or rebuild a bridge at the Knit-a-thon? Come to think of it, life just might be a little bit better if town meetings were held in local dance studios at odd hours of the day, or night, where everyone could lovingly gang up on the man in charge.

Who Knew PBS Rocks

Who Knew PBS Rocks

Posted on by Mama

I visited my Mom several days this week, and she is one of those people in this world who refuses to pay for television (what we fondly call an Amish TV watcher –  I mean no disrespect). While I believe her ideas are founded, I’m not sure I can do without Project Runway, House Hunters and Design Star in my life.  As for me and my house, we shall watch cable.

imagesWell, you can imagine just how far my eyes rolled when Mom got excited Sunday evening the moment she realized it was Downton Abbey night. I’ve been reading all the hype and hearing about this riveting program for a while now but figured it was just for those stuffy intellectual types, people with a British accent or people who have no other choice because they refuse to subscribe to cable — i.e., my Mom (no, she’s neither stuffy nor British). I even learned one important thing before the show even began – it’s Downton Abbey (one “w”), not Dowtown Abbey (Oops, my bad. But sounds the same when you have Southern roots). To my surprise, it was a quick moving and interesting show about a used-to-be rich family struggling to keep the manor afloat, the soap operaish lives of their house staff and the day-to-day life of the surrounding community. In a word, it was “good.” Drats, now I may have to rent seasons one and two just to catch up with these crazy folks and see where it all began.

So Monday night rolled around, and Mom got really excited because apparently this is, as she put it, her favorite night of TV. Yes, you guessed it, more public broadcasting, this time filled with new episodes of Antiques Roadshow and Market Warriors. Again, a very good night of television — one that HGTV might find hard to beat.

Who knew PBS rocks? Maybe it was because I didn’t have much of a choice, or perhaps I was trying to humor my mother, or dare I say, it was just good entertainment. . . I’ll let you know when I figure it out, but right now I need to set my DVR to PBS.