Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Our Standing Date

Tonight was sad and momentous. Tonight, JG and I watched the series finale of Gilmore Girls.

I know that the show has its enemies. Some can’t stand the rapid banter, the goody-two-shoes daughter, or the unlimited spending power of a single mother. I know this last season has lagged in action and sensible flow, but I stuck with it because I loved the characters and I cared about what happened to them. At the risk of sounding pathetic, Gilmore Girls was more than a television show to me; it was a commitment. It meant -

  • Rushing home from lab to watch with my roommate during freshman year
  • Debating whether Dean or Jess was better or worse for Rory
  • Glorying at the fast-paced conversation
  • Wondering how Lorelai and Rory ate so terribly and stayed so darn thin
  • Nodding at how Mrs. Kim was the summation of every overbearing Asian mother I had the pleasure of meeting
  • Commiserating with Lane because she was nervous about dating a white boy, nice as he might be
  • Setting a tape (yes, an actual VHS tape) if I had to miss an episode for whatever reason
  • Cheering for Luke and Lorelai, moaning at every time they just didn’t work out
  • Wishing I could live in Stars Hollow and eat at Luke’s diner

But most of all, Gilmore Girls means watching it with JG. He’d like our friends to believe that he simply tolerates watching this show with me, but the truth is that he really enjoys it. Originally, Gilmore Girls was my show, but over time, the show’s charm won him over. JG holds his own in arguments about whether Logan was a good guy for Rory, even if I staunchly hold that Marty (a.k.a. the Naked Guy) was really the best choice. JG is a prime Gilmore Girls buddy and I love our standing date at 8pm on Tuesday nights.

My favorite part of watching with JG would take place in the first few minutes. I’d snuggle up next to JG and he and I would sing the theme song together. I cant help but smile when the tune comes to mind. Gilmore Girls, I’ll miss you, but I’ll miss singing that theme song even more.

If you’re out on the road,
Feeling lonely and so cold,
All you have to do is call my name,
And I’ll be there on the next train.
Where you lead, I will follow
Anywhere that you tell me to.
If you need me to be with you,
I will follow where you lead.

2 comments:

L Sass said...

OK, I loved Gilmore, too, but I am a tiny bit older than you.

Because of this slight age difference, I STILL own a VHS tape that says "Dawson's Creek" on the label!

Gilmore Girls is the superior show, to be sure, but it was Dawson's that I was huddled around in late high school / college.

Anonymous said...

I am in love with Gilmore Girls, too. Like you, I stand in awe at the quick paced dialogue that is also incredibly clever. And they are so people that I would want to be friends with in real life. Have you seen the movies that Alexis Bladel is in? Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and Tuck Everlasting. If JG will watch Gilmore girls with you, I bet he would watch these movies, too. My husband really got into Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants with me. What's not to love?