Over the Thanksgiving holidays, some people found themselves spending Black Friday in front of their televisions and computers. On November 25th, Streaming service Netflix released a special revival series Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life. The series, made up of four 90-minute episodes, with each one corresponding with a season of the year, brought back characters from the original series Gilmore Girls, nearly ten years after the show ended in 2007. Fans of the original show finally got to return to Stars Hollow, Connecticut, and catch up with Lorelai, Rory, Luke, and all of the other residents.

The plot of the new series centers around Rory Gilmore, who is now in her thirties, and is attempting a career in journalism. Due to her regular travels, she decides to move out of her New York apartment, storing her clothes and belongings in the various homes of her friends and family. Throughout the series she faces both wins and fails within her career, trying to figure out how to survive in the modern world. The show also catches up with Rory’s grandmother, Emily Gilmore, who is dealing with the loss of her late husband Richard Gilmore. Lorelai, Rory’s mother, deals with her father’s loss as well, and running her hotel, The Dragonfly Inn. Recurring characters included Keiko Agena as Lane Kim, Liza Weil as Paris Geller, and Milo Ventimiglia as Jess Mariano.

After watching the series over Thanksgiving break, I can honestly say that I did not find the revival as satisfying as I would’ve liked. While it was nice to see the characters of creator Amy Sherman-Palladino’s universe, there still remained a lot of unanswered questions by the end of the final episode, Fall. The revival seemed almost artificial, due mainly to the higher-quality lighting and editing that was not prevalent in the original series. A Year In The Life was enjoyable, but part of it also felt like it served only for nostalgia, bringing in characters and old plotlines not as a way to benefit the plot of the revival series, but as a way to satisfy and entertain viewers who watched the show when it was originally on.

I suppose that if the series had been more plot-driven instead of revolved around nostalgia, I would’ve enjoyed it more. As a #teamjess girl myself, I was disappointed by the lack of Milo Ventimiglia’s character in the series, despite the fact that he is listed as a recurring character, and that the scenes he did have were really only to serve the plotline of Rory. If the show had been longer, I probably would’ve felt more satisfied. For me, the four 90-minute episodes seemed like they talked about the same subjects for entirely too long, resulting in the plot not really moving at all, and little character development. While it probably won’t happen, I hope that the Palladinos decide to continue this revival, and possibly wrap up plotlines a little better. With the end of the revival being so surprising, it would be nice to explain that a bit more. If you are a fan of the original Gilmore Girls series, A Year In The Life might be a good thing to watch, but if you are expecting a plot similar to the original series, you might want to be wary. Expect more of a reunion out of this revival.