 | |
List Price: $119.98 | | Label: WB Television Network, The
Salesrank: 33104
Released: December 7, 2004 |
| Our Price: $55.97 |
| Used Price: $52.00 |
|
MPAA Rating:
Media: DVD |
|
Editorial Review:
Welcome to quaint Stars Hollow Connecticut. People often mistake Independence Inn's manager headstrong single mom Lorelai Gilmore and her equally willful teenage daughter Rory 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. This heartfelt humorous drama appeals to young and old alike with its blend of traditional family issues and hip contemporary attitude.System Requirements:Running Time: 1898 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 012569593619
Description of Gilmore Girls - The Complete First & Second Seasons:
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.
Love was in the air at the beginning of the second season of Gilmore Girls, as both Gilmores found themselves in the midst of perfect, giddy relationships--or so they thought. Lorelai had accepted the proposal of English teacher Max (Scott Cohen) and was excitedly planning her first wedding; Rory was back on happy footing with townie hunk Dean (Jared Padalecki) after a dust-up near the end of season one that prompted a mini-break for the teen twosome. However, series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino had anything but smooth sailing on the horizon for her heroines, giving Lorelai a severe case of cold feet and Rory a major distraction in the form of Jess (Milo Ventimiglia), the bad boy newly arrived in town. Soon, Rory found herself extremely attracted to Jess, while Lorelai rekindled the flame of passion that once burned long ago with Rory's father, Christopher (David Sutcliffe), who made his way back into her life despite a girlfriend in the wings.
After the minor romantic speed bumps of the first season, the introduction of actual conflict into the second season of Gilmore Girls helped give the happy-goofy atmosphere of Stars Hollow a decided tension, as Rory tangled with her emotions over Jess and began the first tiny steps away from her good-girl persona. The episode "A-Tisket, A-Tasket," centered around the annual town auction of picnic baskets, was a wonderful portrait of Rory's conflicting adolescent feelings for both Dean and Jess. However, it was Lorelai's simmering chemistry with former flame Christopher, only hinted at in the first season, that gave the show its energy as well as its heartbreak, culminating in the stellar season finale "I Can't Get Started." But lest you think Gilmore Girls was centered only on romance, the second season also gave the expansive ensemble cast many hilarious moments, ranging from the hallway politics of Rory's private school to the town antics that shaped the Gilmores' daily lives. Through it all, the appealing Bledel and the radiant Graham exuded wit, charm, and a way with snappy patter not seen since the golden days of '30s screwball comedy. --Mark Englehart
Gilmore Girls - The Complete First & Second Seasons Reviews:
A Sad Commentary on American Women 
2009-05-23 - The first season of Gilmore Girls promised to be one of the best sitcoms since The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The dialog was witty and consistently good. The characters were quirky, but real. Each of the characters is a flawed, but decent human being (except for Rory who is the perfect young teenager, a serious flaw in reality). The story unfolds showing the strengths and weaknesses of each character in a series of warm, amusing episodes.
The quality of the series, however, descended dramatically in Season Two and essentially became a soap opera with dark overtones. Lorelai's mother changes from a manipulative but caring mother who is concerned for the welfare of her grandchild (from her cloistered perspective) to an extremely, self-centered woman whose primary concern is her control over her granddaughter and in the process sabotages her granddaughter's inheritance. Our hero, Lorelai, also develops an unusually cruel streak. She is so thrilled with her mother's discomfort with her mother-in-law (her mother's mother-in-law) that she brings a camera to photograph the event. A key episode is the one in which Lorelai breaks off her engagement at the last minute without the decency to explain why to her fiancée, but rather lets the town gossip break the news to all and sundry. Are men simply objects without feelings in women's soap operas, whose sole purpose is to adore the heroine and disappear when not needed? Escapism is one thing, but escapism that breeds gross insensitivity to others is not something to expect of the heroes with whom we identify.
In the first season, when Lorelei was a decent person despite her flaws, her father lectured her on the pain she had caused others by having a child out of wedlock. Lorelai, however, values her independence so much that she opts out of marriage with the father of her child although she loves him (in her self-centered sort of way) and sleeps with him in a later episode. It is interesting to note that of the many characters in the story there is no happily married couple with children. Is this because it might expose the fans of the Gilmore Girls to the happiness that Lorelai and Rory might have experienced growing up with a decent father figure (believe it or not, a key component of the majority of families). It is also interesting to note that in the first season, Rory's boyfriend breaks up with her because of her lack of spontaneous warmth to his declaration of love and she is then bereft and much saddened until they make up several episodes later. Episodes such as these have the element of truth in them. In contrast, in the second season, she puts off a date with her boyfriend because she is busy and promises to meet with him that evening. She later fluffs him off for a very self-centered reason. This time, however, reality gives way to escapism and the boyfriend crawls back with an apology. It doesn't happen that way in reality, at least with young men having some backbone. I gave the soap opera a rating of three stars, this being the average of five stars for the first season and one star for the second season.
The sad part of all of this is that Rory and Lorelai have a huge fan base. There are hundreds of thousands of young women who identify with our two self-centered heroes regardless of their insensitivity (if not downright cruelty) to others and their lack of responsibility regarding their actions. Witty banter does make up for irresponsible behavior. If Lorelai and Rory are role models for today's young American women, I suggest that young American men of substance look offshore for more deserving women.
Anything Gilmore is great! 
2009-03-04 - Anyway you can purchase the Gilmore Girls 7 seasons you should! They are a must have!
Nice Set
2009-01-21 - What is better than a season on DVD of anyones favorite show. This is a great gift set.
Gilmore Girls- The complete first and second season
2008-10-25 - The Gilmore Girls are GREAT! I missed them on TV when they were first running so I ordered the dvd packages. The Stars Hollow community is highly addictive. It is nice to get lost in a world that that isn't filled with violence and crime and there is still an emphasis on friends and community. Very positive and uplifting. I wish this was still a series. I AM HOOKED!
gilmore girls
2008-02-16 - I COULDNT TELL YOU HOW MUCH I LOVED THE SERIES OF GILMORE GIRLS MY WHOLE FAMILY HAVE WATCHED IT ,WE HAVE LAUGHED SO MUCH AT TIMES WE NEARLLY CRIED ITS A MUST SEE. SEASON EIGHT WAS DIFFERENT IT DIDNT CONNECT IN THE SAME WAY I THINK THEY USED A DIFFERENT WRITER IT WASNT THE SAME I ONLY WISHED THEY GAVE THE VEIWERS A CHANCE TO SEE WHAT WE ALL WANTED ? I CANT SAY OR THAT WILL WRECK THE SHOW SAD IT ENDED BUT I HAVE WATCHED IT OVER AND OVER A TRUE FAN OF GILMORE GIRLS.
