A very atypical mother-daughter relationship is at the center of Gilmore Girls, a comedy-drama that immediately set itself apart from the herd with smarter-than-smart dialogue and an endearing mix of whimsical comedy and family drama. Set in the Capra-esque burg of Stars Hollow, where everybody knows everyone and eccentrics abound, Gilmore Girls was less a mother-daughter show and more of a screwball buddy comedy in which the two buddies happened to be parent and child. Pregnant at 16, Lorelai (Lauren Graham) left her rich parents to bring up her daughter Rory (Alexis Bledel) on her own terms; when Rory herself turns 16, Lorelai wants to send her academically gifted daughter to the prestigious Chilton school. The catch is, Lorelai can't afford it on her own, and rather than let Rory go without, the elder Gilmore girl brokers an uneasy truce with her parents (Edward Herrmann and Kelly Bishop), who finally get a chance to bond with their granddaughter while financing her education.
It
sounds like a premise potentially fraught with angst and
trauma, but in reality Gilmore Girls was one of the
freshest, airiest, most enjoyable shows to air on the
perpetually melodramatic WB network, critically praised once
viewers got hooked on its unique brand of humor. Rory's
growing-up adventures, including her acclimation to snooty
Chilton and romance with townie dreamboat Dean (Jared
Padalecki), gave the show a teen-friendly feel, but
Gilmore Girls was anchored in the adult by the luminous
Graham, a brilliant comedic leading lady who could turn
dramatic on a dime and never break stride. The show's
hallmark was its rat-a-tat, whipsmart dialogue, delivered
perfectly by Graham and Bledgel, as well as a host of wacky
supporting characters who would go on to become invaluable
cast members. The first season allowed the show--and its
lead actresses--to bloom gracefully and establish a deep,
humorous rapport that lent itself perfectly to weekly
travails both comedic and dramatic. --Mark Englehart
Product Description
People often mistake Independence Inn's manager, headstrong
single mom Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) and her equally
willful teenage daughter, Rory (Alexis Bledel) for sisters.
Lorelai and Rory cope with the same emotional ups and downs,
including Lorelai's overbearing, old-money parents and the
joys and frustrations of the male gender. But when Rory's
attention turns from dreams of private school and Harvard to
thoughts of boys and adolescent self-reliance, single mom
Lorelai begins noticing more of her own rebellious
youth-only 16 years ago-in Rory. This heartfelt, humorous
drama appeals to young and old alike with its blend of
traditional family issues and hip, contemporary attitude.
Reacquaint yourselves with television's most appealing
mother-daughter duo in this collectible six-disc DVD set,
which contains all 21 episodes from the first season
including the pilot episode.
Gilmore Girls has been honored with an AFI Award and two Viewers for Quality Television Awards, and it was named New Program of the Year by the Television Critics Association. Series star Lauren Graham ("Townies," "NewsRadio," and "Bad Santa") was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series and received two consecutive nominations for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series from the Screen Actors Guild. Graham has also won two Family Television Awards. In addition, series star Alexis Bledel ("Tuck Everlasting") has won a Young Artist Award and a Family Television Award. The series, Gilmore Girls, won a Family Television Award for New Series and was named Best Family TV Drama Series by the Young Artist Awards, which also honored series star Keiko Agena in the supporting young actress category.
Gilmore Girls is the first series to make it to air supported by the Family Friendly Forum's Script Development Fund. An initiative between some of the nation's top advertisers and The WB, the program is intended to offer a greater array of compelling family programming on network television. The strong, loving, mother-daughter relationship portrayed in Gilmore Girls reflects the growing reality of this new type of American family.
Season 1: 2000-2001
| # | Title | Original airdate | Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot [1]" | October 5, 2000 | 226730 |
| Rory (Alexis Bledel) is accepted into an elite prep school, which leaves her mother to deal with the large fee associated with her attendance. Lorelai (Lauren Graham) is forced to ask her wealthy parents for the money, who accept on one condition: every Friday night, they come over for dinner. | |||
| 2 | "The Lorelais' First Day at Chilton" | October 12, 2000 | 226701 |
| Rory's first day at Chilton is stressful, as she finds a new rival, Paris (Liza Weil). | |||
| 3 | "Kill Me Now" | October 19, 2000 | 226702 |
| Rory, under obligation to Chilton, must take up a sport. Emily wrangles Richard to take Rory to the club, and to Lorelai's dismay, she enjoys it. | |||
| 4 | "The Deer Hunters" | October 26, 2000 | 226703 |
| Upon Rory receiving a "D" in English, she crams for an upcoming Shakespeare test. After a late night of studying, however, Rory misses her test and is outraged. | |||
| 5 | "Cinnamon's Wake" | November 2, 2000 | 226704 |
| Rory discovers Lorelai and Max's budding relationship. Rory and Dean begin dating, which Lorelai observes, no thanks to Rory. The next door neighbor, Babbette's cat, Cinnamon, passes away. | |||
| 6 | "Rory's Birthday Parties" | November 9, 2000 | 226705 |
| Emily throws Rory a Chilton party for her birthday on Friday, which ends in a blow up between Emily and Lorelai. On Saturday, Lorelai hosts a birthday party for her which her grandparents reluctantly attend leading Emily to a shocking realization; she missed out on Lorelai's life. | |||
| 7 | "Kiss and Tell" | November 16, 2000 | 226706 |
| Doose's Market plays host to Rory's first kiss; with Dean. The whole town is buzzing about it, yet Rory hasn't told Lorelai who hears it from an ashen Mrs. Kim. | |||
| 8 | "Love and War and Snow" | December 14, 2000 | 226707 |
| The first snowfall prompts Lorelai and Max's first date. Lane is upset with Rory for being distracted with Chilton, and Dean. | |||
| 9 | "Rory's Dance" | December 20, 2000 | 226708 |
| Chilton hosts a dance which Rory and Dean attend, confirming that they are "boyfriend-girlfriend." Emily sleeps over at Lorelai's the night of the dance to take care of Lorelai's injured back and to see Rory off. Rory and Dean fall asleep accidentally causing Rory to arrive home at 5 a.m., which pushes Emily to think they had sex. Thus, erupts another blow up between Lorelai and her mother. | |||
| 10 | "Forgiveness and Stuff" | December 21, 2000 | 226709 |
| Richard has a heart attack during a Christmas party that Lorelai wasn't invited to, yet Rory was. The medical emergency brings Emily and Lorelai to forgive each other and it even brings Luke and Lorelai closer, too. | |||
| 11 | "Paris Is Burning" | January 11, 2001 | 226710 |
| Lorelai, with intentions to break things off with Max, attends Chilton's parents day, but ends up kissing him which Paris witnesses. Paris spreads the rumors, and when Rory explodes on her; she accepts an offer of friendship (a truce) with Paris. Sookie, on whim from a sharp quip from Lorelai, begins dating Jackson. | |||
| 12 | "Double Date[1]" | January 18, 2001 | 226712 |
| Lane, convinced that Dean's best friend is the boy for her, convinces Rory to double date with her. Lorelai reluctantly accepts a double and blind date with Jackson and Sookie, and Jackson's cousin, Roon. | |||
| 13 | "Concert Interruptus[1]" | February 15, 2001 | 226711 |
| Lorelai, Sookie, Rory, and Lane plan to attend the The Bangles concert, but when Lane's mother finds the truth; bans her from going. Lorelai and Sookie offer up the three tickets so Rory can take Madeline, Louise, and Paris which backfires when Madeline and Louise take off with two mysterious boys (including Brandon Routh) for a party. | |||
| 14 | "That Damn Donna Reed[1]" | February 22, 2001 | 226715 |
| Dean and Rory fight about his approval of the 1950s, pearls-and-meatloaf domestic antics of Donna Reed, which prompts her to set up a meal in this light. Lorelai admits to Emily she might have feelings for Luke when Emily pesters her about her and Luke's relationship...again. | |||
| 15 | "Christopher Returns[1]" | March 1, 2001 | 226713 |
| Christopher Hayden, Rory's father and Lorelai's old flame, makes a short visit in Stars Hollow. After a dramatic dinner between Richard, Emily and Strobe, and Francine (Christopher's parents), Lorelai and Christopher make love on the balcony. Christopher proposes spontaneously to Lorelai, who rejects him. | |||
| 16 | "Star-Crossed Lovers and Other Strangers" | March 8, 2001 | 226714 |
| Rory and Dean celebrate their three-month anniversary which ends abruptly when Rory is unable to say those three words. Lorelai realizes her feelings for Max are still there. Luke's old flame, Rachel, comes to stay. Later on at a festival going on in Stars Hollow Lorelai, who still has feeling for Max seems very anxious to know if Rachel is staying and if Luke wants her to. She seems slightly and almost unnoticably annoyed when the only answer given by Luke is "I don't know." | |||
| 17 | "The Breakup, Part 2" | March 15, 2001 | 226716 |
| Rory attempts to overcome her sorrow of losing Dean by not "wallowing." Lorelai and Max share a one-night relapse, and decide to start dating again but taking it slow. | |||
| 18 | "The Third Lorelai" | March 22, 2001 | 226717 |
| Richard's mother, the original Lorelai, with much-too-much attitude visits, sending Emily into peril due to her disapproval of Emily. To make matters worse, she makes Lorelai an offer that may free her of her parents forever. | |||
| 19 | "Emily in Wonderland" | April 26, 2001 | 226718 |
| Rory gives Emily a tour of Stars Hollow, accidentally frightening Emily with the garden shed where Rory and Lorelai first lived. | |||
| 20 | "P.S. I Lo..." | May 3, 2001 | 226719 |
| Rory and Lorelai fight, sending Rory on a cab to Emily and Richard's. Lorelai confronts Dean, and she learns the cause of their break-up which prompts her to confront Rory about her disability in saying I love you. | |||
| 21 | "Love, Daisies and Troubadours" | May 10, 2001 | 226720 |
| Love goes: Rachel leaves yet again, but this time because of suspicions of Luke ... and Lorelai, which Luke doesn't deny for having feelings for her but he does tell her they are just friends , which they are but he can barely get it out. Rachel, just before walking out the door tells Luke " Don't wait too long" to tell her his feelings. Rory finally says the three words Dean needed to hear. Max has 1,000 daisies and a question for Lorelai. | |||
