The Gilmore Girls review
David Rosenthal writes himself out of a corner
Given nothing but creative dead-ends by exiting series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, David Rosenthal manages to move ahead.
Although ratings for The CW’s The Gilmore Girls are up since the show moved to the new network, creatively things were going south. Luke and Lorelai broke up; Logan headed to London; and a sure sign that a show has jumped the shark – Luke discovered a long lost daughter. At their winter press tour in January, CW President of Entertainment Dawn Ostroff said that new series showrunner David Rosenthal needed to write himself out of the creative corner he had been placed in by exiting series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino. Given what he had to work with, Rosenthal has done an admirable job.
First, Rosenthal used the Luke and Lorelai break up to his advantage, taking the opportunity to give the characters a chance to grow. Last season left fans wondering if perhaps Christopher wasn’t the best match for Lorelai after all; Rosenthal tossed Chris fans a bone by having Lorelai marry him and letting the relationship quickly run its course. The second half of this season is for Luke fans, as Lorelai realizes he might be her true love. The reuniting of Luke and Lorelai is reminiscent of the first season, when we were introduced to a Lorelai who had succeeded in choosing her own path in life. She comes from wealth and has the connections and manners that go with that, but when she chose to be a single mom to Rory in Stars Hollow, she became someone different. Instead of being Richard and Emily’s rebel daughter, she was a self sufficient and much beloved small town innkeeper. She grew up. Christopher belonged with the old Lorelai; Luke belongs with the adult Lorelai.
Rosenthal also took the opportunity to use Luke’s daughter April as an impetus for him to come out of his shell and do some growing up himself. Lorelai’s character reference letter that she wrote on his behalf was a nice melding of Luke and Lorelai’s past and (perhaps) future, connecting April and Rory and Luke’s role in both of their lives. Even better, Rosenthal packed up April and her mom and sent them to Arizona.
Although still underutilized, Logan is back in the states. Even better, he’s actually been given an interesting storyline of his own. Now that Logan Huntzberger has lost all his money, will he still be Logan Huntzberger? What will Rory do now that he actually needs her emotional support? If I have any complaints about this season, it is that Rory is becoming an insufferable brat. She has no patience for Logan’s co-workers; she has no patience for his even working; she is beyond annoyed when he comes home drunk; she simply cannot stand him when he is not in perfect, adoring boyfriend mode. Grow up little girl, because Logan is right – not everything in life can be solved with a can-do attitude.
Rumor has it that Alexis Bledel will not renew her contract for next year, and that Lauren Graham will go on with her. (Supposedly Lorelai and Luke will get married, have a baby, and remain in Stars Hollow.) Although Lorelai can be over-the-top, she is still the heart of The Gilmore Girls, which could easily go on without Bledel. Rosenthal is more than capable of running this show, which could really run itself at this point. Let’s give the man a chance.
