How Quarantine is Like Gilmore Girls' Final Season
Photo credit | Warner Brothers
The opinions reflected in this OpEd are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of staff, faculty and students of The King's College.
People steer clear of Gilmore Girls’ last season. Fans lambaste the season. The show’s creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino, claims to have never seen the season. In the early 2000s, the television series reached top rankings in network viewership. The show depicted a mother and daughter’s life in an eccentric, Connecticut town. Gilmore became known for its wit, pop culture references and fast-paced dialogue. Later, a falling out among leadership led to the show’s downfall. Before season seven, the network replaced Amy Sherman-Palladino and executive producer Daniel Palladino. Afterwards, the series became unrecognizable. The remaining crew could not replicate six years of the Palladinos’ work. The crew tried to evoke the show’s spirit, but their attempts came across as forced. Gilmore changed for the worse, and no one could reconcile what was happening. With losses and missteps, Gilmore Girls’ seventh season represents the bleakness of quarantine.
The final season saw normality end. While also directing and producing, the Palladinos wrote much of Gilmore themselves. Once they left, the show’s voice was lost. Daniel Palladino attributed much of the series to Amy Sherman-Palladino. In an interview with NewStatesman, he said “a lot of [her] outlook is in Lorelai [Gilmore], and a lot of [her] spunk and vivacity.” From the start of season seven, the series feels warped. The pacing is choppy. Jokes and references pander to fans. Despite numerous writers on staff, adjusting without the Palladinos proved challenging. Kelly Bishop (Emily Gilmore) told Entertainment Weekly “...we just missed her [Sherman-Palladino]. She was our god; she created us.” The change of environment parallels quarantine. Everyone has faced consequences of COVID-19. Quarantine entails displacement. New routines are hard to manage and nostalgia overflows.
Plot-wise, season seven disappoints. (Spoilers to come.) Storylines don’t align with established character motivations. Events like Lorelai’s marriage, Lane’s pregnancy, and Logan’s proposal only heighten drama. To progress the plot, characters act unlike themselves. Wired described the developments as little more than “Gilmore Girls adjacent.” The plot also confused the cast. Of her character’s marriage, Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore) told EW “it just seemed so out of character that I literally blocked it from my memory. That was my season seven experience.” During the season, fans felt betrayed as beloved characters were making horrible decisions. If Sherman-Palladino was the show’s god, the new writers did not measure up. The show had thrown itself into chaos. Similarly, the pandemic has filled lives with unexpected obstacles. Quarantine feels like a nightmare, distant from a former reality.
Season seven, like quarantine, came from disaster. Before the premiere, the Palladinos’ contracts expired. The pair failed to settle negotiations with the new network their show aired on. They asked for more writers to ease their workload but were denied. Both left before shooting for season seven began. After six seasons, the Palladinos had bonded with the cast. When the two departed, they called cast members themselves to explain. The Palladinos’ departure signaled a loss of intimacy between the cast and crew. As in quarantine, people were forced to separate. For Gilmore, parting was inevitable, but the repercussions were severe. In an interview with Sherman-Palladino, Vogue cited her as synonymous with the show. With its creator gone, Gilmore Girls struggled.
Season seven was fraught with anxiety about the show’s extension. The Palladinos had envisioned the series continuing for two more seasons. When they left, no one knew if Gilmore would return for an eighth season. The press speculated about Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel’s (Rory Gilmore) nearly expired contracts. After shooting, the cast half-expected to come back. The season finale was written to work for a cancellation or extension. Before the finale aired, the CW announced that Gilmore Girls would end its run. Likewise, uncertainty is pervasive during quarantine. No one knows when the need for precaution will end. Amy Sherman-Palladino always knew how she wanted to end Gilmore. She kept her ending a secret and hoped to be asked to write the final episode. Sherman-Palladino told Vulture “I was bummed that I didn’t get to go back and do the last episode. [...] I sort of felt like, ‘I’m sitting right here. Really?’ I put a lot of work into that show.” Derailed plans are another theme of quarantine.
Nine years after the cancellation, Netflix sparked a Gilmore Girls renaissance. In 2016, the show was one of the platform’s most watched globally. In November of that year, a revival was released as four 90-minute episodes. Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino returned as writers and directors. Gilmore ended how Sherman-Palladino had intended with Rory’s surprise pregnancy. The revival received positive reviews and may return for a second run. In its worst moments, Gilmore Girls’ final season mirrors quarantine. But the series’ legacy is not without hope. Though imperfect, the revival redeemed the former finale. In time, quarantine will end. One hopes what follows will also redeem the struggle.