Well, Gilmore fans, we can all finally breathe a sigh of deep relief. Yes, the Girls are gone. But they’re safe. And we’ll never again have to worry if happiness will reign in Stars Hollow. Last night’s series finale, “Bon Voyage,” did more than just wish the gals, “Have a pleasant trip.” With expertly written and superbly acted subtlety, Rosenthal and the entire Gilmore clan ensured that Rory, Lorelai, Luke, and all of Stars Hollow will most definitely have a good trip, one that will continue in the hearts and minds of fans for years to come. And, really, what more can you ask of a series finale? Immortality’s about as good as it gets.
Knowing I was witnessing the last non-rerun television appearance of the girls brought me goosebumps just as soon as the lights came up on Lorelai leading a begrudging, pajama’d Rory into the Dragonfly Inn. From the moment I started singing “If you’re out on the road . . .” til the last strummy credit rolled off the screen, my last night with the Gilmores delivered wave upon wave of warm, sad, wonderful chills.
I know the talk on the message boards has been mixed. “Why didn’t we see more Luke and Lorelai? What about that boat trip? Why did they make such a big deal about the cancellation of Lorelai and Rory’s roller-coaster trip and April and Luke’s boating adventure if the writers never intended to put Lorelai and Luke in that boat together?”
Come on! Work with me people. Close your eyes. Visualize that boat. Barnacle Billy’s. That lonely hotel reservation for two. Now use your imagination. What do YOU see?
It’s true. Rosenthal didn’t give us absolutes. Instead, he gave us carefully-placed strands of possibility. He believed in you, the smart, clever brand of viewer Gilmore Girls has always attracted, to weave the strands into the best kind of happily-ever-after. The kind that belongs exclusively to you. With “Bon Voyage,” Rosenthal offered viewers something better than a steamy Luke-and-Lorelai after sex proposal, followed by a jaunt to Atlantic City; a whirlwind drive-through wedding; a sunset honeymoon boat trip departure; and three weeks later, after a big plate of crustaceans at Barnacle Billy’s, a camera zoom on a faint pink line on a Clear Blue Easy stick held by a beaming Lauren Graham and Scott Patterson. (For the record, that’s not what happens with our two favorite L’s in MY vision.) He gave you ownership in one of the most heartfelt dramatic comedies of our time.
Not only that, but he managed to bring the show full circle (from necklace to necklace, conversation to conversation, window scene to window scene), giving us just enough closure to every single important relationship in the series’ history, but still keeping the focus on the mother-daughter relationship that’s always been the heart of Amy Sherman Palladino’s vision. We got to witness those two coming to the realization that they’ve both grown into beautiful women, ready to face to world on their own . . . with the help and companionship of those who’ve been somewhat silently (no one on Gilmore Girls is silent, after all) believing in the girls and anticipating this day with confidence. Rosenthal even managed to handle the other relationships in such a way that each one led back to Lorelai and Rory and who they’ve become because of those relationships. And if by the end your eyes didn’t well up and your heart swell with as much warmth as those tiny, twinkling Christmas lights looped loosely around the window of Luke’s Diner where we said our first “see you later” and final “goodbye” to Lorelai and Rory Gilmore . . . . Well, I’m not sure you deserve a show like Gilmore Girls in the first place.
Gaaah! For the shambles Rosenthal started with this season, he’s expertly delivered (for those of us die-hard fans who remain) a brilliantly, carefully-crafted, and satisfying masterpiece of an “ending” to a story that’s throbbed in our hearts for seven years and now will continue to do so for all time. Not bad, Rosenthal. Not bad at all.
One thing’s for certain. Watching the cameras fade out on Lorelai and Rory chatting in the early morning glow of Luke’s Diner left me with the same feeling I have every time I finish a good novel. The same bittersweet peace I felt for the first time when I was just ten-years-old in Oklahoma, sitting on the porch swing in the July twilight, watching the mini-van that held my best friend who was moving to Illinois slip around the corner and forever out of view.
* Okay, Gilmore-ites. This is your last chance. Please! I want to know your thoughts!
* Be sure to visit (and comment on) my very good friend John Bierly’s passionately written review of “Bon Voyage,” where you’ll find written brilliance, displaying the kind of excitement and heart that only the truest of Gilmore fans could possess. His Gilmore coverage and discussion never disappoints! In fact, any time you stop by his gem of a blog, you’ll leave feeling more than satisfied, no matter the topic. Don’t miss out!
* Check back soon for my final nod to Rory: the forthcoming list of oh-so-spectacular highlights from last night’s episode. (I’ll also be tweaking/adding to this informal write-up. Keep your eyes open! And I’ll see you then.)
13 Comments
May 16, 2007 at 5:31 pm
He gave you ownership in one of the most heartfelt dramatic comedies of our time.
YES! Beautifully said (just like every other word in your review.)
And if by the end your eyes didn’t well up and your heart swell with as much warmth as those tiny, twinkling Christmas lights looped loosely around the window of Luke’s Diner where we said our first “see you later” and final “goodbye” to Lorelai and Rory Gilmore . . . . Well, I’m not sure you deserve a show like Gilmore Girls in the first place.
Shazam! You described it every bit as beautifully as I saw it.
The same bittersweet peace I felt for the first time when I was just ten-years-old in Oklahoma, sitting on the porch swing in the July twilight, watching the mini-van that held my best friend who was moving to Illinois slip around the corner and forever out of view.
I knew it! I knew you were a Gilmore Girl at heart!
Can’t wait to read your highlight reel. I’ve watched it again, and I’m preparing mine, too. It’s going to be long. Less a highlight reel and more like a highlight encyclopedia. :)
Awesomely stated, Katy! As always. Thanks for being such an awesome Gilmore buddy, buddy. And like you said, the best thing about the show being over is that it wasn’t “over,” and that, in itself, is forever.
Brilliant!
May 16, 2007 at 10:53 pm
I had find others who had just finished the Gilmore Girls experience. You wrote so beautifully. I totally loved your description comparing the ending to that of finishing a good novel. So true. I am going to miss them so much.Never thought I’d get hooked on a t.v. show – but this was a fun seven year ride.
May 17, 2007 at 4:04 pm
John, as usual, you’ve got this Gilmore girl’s cheeks a nice deep shade of pink. :) Thank you for all your blush-worthy comments! As always, you’re too good to me.
Will you promise to come to my door and sell me a copy of your “Bon Voyage” Highlight Encyclopedia? I’d like mine autographed, please.
And right back atcha on the “thanks for being such an awesome Gilmore buddy, buddy.” I’m thankful to the Girls for letting me spend my Tuesdays with them in Stars Hollow, but I’m even more grateful they introduced me to a good friend like you. :)
May 17, 2007 at 4:09 pm
Hi Sandra! Thanks for stopping by and thanks for your kind words! When I first heard about Gilmore Girls I didn’t think it was the kind of show I could get hooked on either. In fact, I didn’t start watching until a few years ago. Then one day, I caught a rerun on ABC Family, and I was hooked. Brilliant writing. Excellent acting. Just a great show any way you look at it.
When I was in elementary school, I would get so attached to the characters in a book that I almost hated to finish it. I’d go from reading chapters a night to stretching out the last few pages for as long as possible. Once I finally did finish, I’d keep the story going. The characters talked with me beneath tents made from sheets while my parents slept down the hall, endured Sweating to the Oldies with me in school gym, even set out with me on secret missions in the mall while my mom braved the Day After Christmas Sales. I’m not quite so imaginative anymore, but I still feel a little like that with the Gilmores. And you sure can’t stop me from envisioning their lives 5 years down the road. :)
All the same, I think now was the best time for the show to go. We had seven wonderful years with the Girls, and I’m happy to send them off on a high note. I’m glad you’ve had the chance to enjoy them too!
Thanks again for visiting!
May 19, 2007 at 9:12 am
Am I allowed to read/comment on YOUR blog?
You’ve got a really good take on the season & the last episode. I do think Rosenthal inherited a mess after the season 6 finale. Season 6 had some great moments (one of my favorite scenes of the whole series is when they reinstate FND and go through all those different fights and stories — that WAS S6, wasn’t it?), but there were so many uncharacteristically stupid things too. I think ASP was either trying to sabotage the show (tired of its unfair teeny bopper image) or got too clever for her own good and started adding all these contrived twists and turns (April! sheesh).
Anyway, yeah, I thought the finale was brilliant. Before I saw it, I was hoping that they’d get a shortened series to tie up loose ends. But they left all the right ends untied.
May 19, 2007 at 9:13 am
*shortened season, not shortened series
May 19, 2007 at 5:29 pm
Hey, Lex!
YES! Of course you can read/comment/whatever. (Hey, that sounds familiar.)
And thanks!
I don’t know what ASP was up to, but whatever it was, it wasn’t good. More and more, I’m feeling like sabotage is the most likely candidate. Did you read John’s comment on “All’s Well That’s About to End Well” about their original plan to have Luke cheat on Lorelai with Anna, but then deciding to give him a surprise kid instead? Geez. (You can put me down for a double sheesh on April.)
Gilmore Girls’s “teeny bopper image” was unfair, but so was what ASP did to her characters. And if too much cleverness is actually the culprit, I don’t understand that one either. GG was never meant to be a show about the twists. If April was the Palladinos’ attempt at a major surprise turn, I can see why.
That being said, I agree that S6 did have some good moments. And yes, “Friday Night’s Alright for Fighting” fits into that category. (Yeah, I think that’s S6.) The different camera angles on that one are a nice step out of the box. The dynamics between Lorelai, Rory, Emily, and Richard are great. In the newsroom, it was nice to see Paris flipping out and Logan, although still being completely cocky, making a genuine attempt to show Rory he was serious about loving her. There are other S6 highlights, but I’d have to watch the DVDs to remember.
Still, ASP assassinated her characters at the end of S6, and to make it worse, the “reasons” why just felt contrived and out of place on a show the caliber of GG. I didn’t initially trust Rosenthal, but once I started really thinking about the story-arch he was creating, I got what he was doing. And I liked it. I know a lot of people couldn’t handle the change in writing style. I admit that Lorelai was obnoxious at beginning, but I think that was intentional and that Rosenthal’s team eventually found a way to write in their own voice and still be true to the characters.
A few episodes out, I too was hoping for a shortened Season 8. It just didn’t seem like Rosenthal could wrap up everything without having to rush and make it feel forced and unrealistic. But he did so brilliantly. Another season, shortened or not, probably wouldn’t have left the Girls at such a height. Rosenthal absolutely “left all the right ends untied.”
May 20, 2007 at 8:02 pm
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June 15, 2007 at 5:54 pm
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July 2, 2007 at 9:43 pm
I love this show with all my heart and I creid when it ended!!!!
July 9, 2007 at 9:25 am
Hi Alyssa! Believe me; I cried too. And I’ve felt the pangs of Gilmore loneliness every Tuesday night since. Thankfully, I’ve got all the seasons on DVD (except the 7th, of course). And I’m glad I know the girls are happy and well somewhere in the great off-screen Stars Hollow world. Thanks for stopping by! Come back any time. I always welcome Gilmore fans!
December 19, 2007 at 11:43 pm
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April 7, 2008 at 2:54 pm
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