Customer Reviews

Gilmore Girls Season 3

5 star:		(127)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The third season of "Gilmore Girls" offers a lot of ups and down for Lorelai and Rory, not to mention pretty much everybody else at Stars Hollow or Chilton. I was prepared to declare that this was my least favorite season of the series because I did not like Jess and I though Rory's choice to ditch Dean for Jess was the lost of the innocence that made the character so endearing in the first place. Then I took into account that "Gilmore Girls" airs on the WB and from Felicity choosing Ben over Noel and Joey picking Pacey over Dawson I have been nothing but disappointed with the romantic choices of their ingénues. Buffy chose Angel and then she ended up killing him. If Lorelai and Luke do not end up happily ever after I might be compelled to give up on the show (consider this fair warning, WB), but if Rory could dump Dean I knew Jess could never go the distance and I could take heart in that fact.

What defines this third season for Lorelai and Rory are not the men (or boys) in their lives but rather their goals of realizing their dreams. For Lorelai this means opening up her own inn with Sookie. That dream gets put on the front burner when a fire damages the Independence Inn ("A Tale of Poes and Fire"), but buying the Dragonfly Inn (the house from "The Waltons" if you know your television history) proves to be a problem ("Say Goodnight, Gracie"). When Lorelai insists on spending the money she got from her father on her daughter's education at Yale it is Rory who has to cut her own deal with Richard and Emily so that her mother can get her dream too ("Those Are Strings, Pinocchio"). It is supposedly a "win-win-win" situation, but that remains to be seen.

Of course, Rory getting into the college of her dreams is the real defining element of the season. I came to the show late (mea culpa, mea maxima culpa) so I knew that Rory was at Yale and wondered what on earth had happened to keep her from going to Harvard. Well, in Season 3 we find out. The dream starts to turn into a nightmare when Rory's application for Harvard has to be put together ("Application Anxiety"). When Paris did not get into Harvard ("The Big One"), I was terrified the same fate awaited Rory. But when Richard manipulates Rory into an interview at Yale ("Let the Games Begin") my biggest surprise was that Lorelai was actually wrong in an argument with her father (the end of the episode indicates she knows that too). This one has two of Rory's best moments in this season are when she tells Richard he did the right thing the wrong way in this episode and when she apologizes to Dean and I could feel she was still a good kid at heart. I also like it in the season finale when she tells Emily she is being stupid in shutting out Lorelai and if I could use my one free spin in this life to get Rory to say something it would be to tell Emily, "Grandma, I love you, but no matter what you do I will never love you more than I love my mother."

The best part of Rory and Jess was Lorelai giving Luke lessons on what it means to be a parent of a teenager in love. Other big moments are the dance marathon ("They Shoot Gilmores Don't They?"), the poignant flashback's to the pregnant young Lorelai ("Dear Emily and Richard"), and Emily standing up to Trix ("That'll Do, Pig"). For me the funniest moment of the entire season is in "I Solemnly Swear" when Emily reads the transcript of Lorelai's deposition. I almost busted a gut on that one. Yes, I cried when Rory talked about her mom in her graduation speech, but the sweetest moment of the season was when they came up with the great payoff for the running gag about the t-shirts Kirk was selling at the end of "A Tale of Poes and Fire" (Admit it: You wish you have a "Rory's Going to Yale" t-shirt). Now we can send Rory off to college in Season 4 so that Luke and Lorelai can finally get on the same page and kiss already.

The DVD offers up extra scenes, which is certainly ample justification for fans of the show to check it out in this format. Besides, if you have waiting to see baby pictures of Lauren Graham or Alexis Bledel, Liz Torres and Kelly Bishop in their dancing days, or having a burning desire to see Sean Gunn do the robot again, then the featurettes on the childhood stories from the cast and their best 1980s dance moves are going to allow you to move on to having other images on your visual wish list.

I don't know what it is about the third seasons of my all time favorite television shows. Their third years always seem to be one of their best, if not THE best, season of the series. And this one is no exception. By this time, Gilmore Girls has grown to be one of the more accomplished, sophisticated, witty, clever, and intelligent pieces of work on television. I am constantly amazed with every episode with the magnitude of clever writing, humor, and top of the line acting. Amy Sherman-Palladino is a writer/director of immense talent, and I am still thrilled to this day that she has given us the wonderful gift of the girls. Season 3 is, in my opinion, the best season of the show yet. Filled with the colorful characters and stories that have cemented the series' reputation, season 3 delivers in all areas. Season 3 contains many of the show's top best episodes to date. The season starts off with "Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days", a sunny opener. Rory's college future is first taken on in the third episode, the hysterical "Application Anxiety". One of the best episodes is "They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They?", a dazzling episode that sees Lorelei and Rory participating in the town's dance-a-thon, but things go bad when the ongoing Dean/Jess rivalry comes to a head. Fantastic. "Let The Games Begin" is a hilarious elder Gilmore centered episode that puts Rory's future college plans into question. The holidays come into play with the wonderful "A Deep Fried Korean Thanksgiving", where the girls are invited to 4 different Thanksgiving dinners. Lorelei's backstory comes into play in the teriffic "Dear Emily And Richard", a flashback rich episode that shows a young Lorelei getting pregnant with Rory, and the rift between her and her parents when she goes into labor. Old beau Max Medina comes back into Lor's life in the unforgettable "Keg! Max!", which also has a slamming party that causes mayhem for Rory and Lane. The character of Jess caused a lot of great mayhem with other characters, but was always a one note, one sided character himself with no real story for being the way he is. He was on book smart level with Rory, but other than that, they didn't have anything in common and were wrong for each other. Jess' departure starts in "Say Goodnight, Gracie", when his dad shows up, and completely leaves in "Here Comes The Son", which was supposed to set up his own spin-off, which never happened. The season ends with one of the shows' greatest finales, "Those Are Strings, Pinocchio", which sees Rory graduate from Chilton. It was a monumental and classic episode to go out on. One of the best. There is plenty more to relish in these 22 episodes, and those are just the tip of the iceberg. Other great pleasures include "The Big One", which includes a hilarious after sex talk between Paris and Rory. "One's Got Class & The Other One Dyes" is classic Gilmore, and it has Lorelei sweating bullets when her past comes into question when giving a talk to a high school class about getting pregnant at 16. The cast continues to shine and show that they are one of the finest and tighest ensembles on television. It continues to be a crime that they, and the show itself, doesn't recogniting from the Emmy's. Lauren Graham becomes more and more amazing with each passing season, and she is definitley one of the best actresses, with one of the best characters, on TV at the moment. Alexis Bledel is still the best kid on the tube, and everyone else showcases what a fine ensemble cast should be. The writing is still some of the most amazing on television, and you really need to know your stuff and pop culture to know some of the things they are talking about. Season 3 of Gilmore Girls is top notch, quality television, and it makes you wish that all TV shows could be this good.

* Deleted Scenes for three episodes
* All Grown Up documentary - the cast and crew share stories of their childhood experiences, including personal family photos
* Who Wants to Fall in Love? featurette - a montage of season three's greatest "love moments"
* Our Favorite '80s - Cast and crew show off their favorite '80s dance moves

The third season of "Gilmore Girls" is probably the most perfectly realized year of the series yet released on DVD. Okay, Lorelai (the amazing and totally hot Lauren Graham) maybe isn't as prominently featured as we would like, but her relationship with Luke keeps deepening in preparation for its full flowering this year in season 5. Season 3 has lots of action for Rory (the terrific Alexis Bledel): academic pressure during her senior year at Chilton; first friends, then enemies, then friends again with the hilariously nasty Paris (the great Liza Weil) and her airhead flunkies Madeline and Louise; the traumatic dance-marathon break-up with Dean and subsequent stormy relationship with that little punk Jess.

The season kicks off with probably my favorite two Gilmore moments, at the beginning and at the end of the episode "Those Lazy-Crazy-Hazy Days": Lorelai's dream that she is pregnant with Luke's twins, and their reconciliation in a deserted Luke's diner at the climax. These two scenes, with their splendid blend of wise-ass humor and genuine emotion, are typical of what makes this series so special. If you purchase these discs, you just may wear them out by playing them so much.

Episode 3.03 The Haunted Leg... I laugh just *thinking* about the dialogue in this episode. Season three was a fantastic season for the Gilmore Girls. The relationships had matured, Rory is growing up, and Lorelai is coming to terms with old demons and desires. Obviously I haven't seen this set yet as it's not out, but I've seen all of season three more than once and will still go buy this as soon as it comes out!

The third season of Gilmore Girls is another superb dvd release for this first rate series. It is a season of change for both Lorelei (Lauren Graham) and Rory (Alexis Bledel). Rory is in her senior year at Chilton and Lorelei is look to move on from the Independence Inn to follow her dream and open up her own inn. Rory also finds herself more and more attracted to Jess (Milo Ventimiglia) and drifting away from her first love Dean (Jared Padalecki) which comes to a dramatic conclusion in the "They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They?" episode. The season opens with Lorelei dreaming she is married to Luke (Scott Patterson) and is pregnant with twins. She is confused about her feelings toward him especially when he starts dating a young attorney Nicole (Tricia O'Kelley). The season also finds Rory making a surprise choice (much to Lorelei's dismay) about college and the Independence Inn having a major fire. Lauren Graham does her usual excellent job, but Alexis Bledel really shines in this season. She adds dimensions to Rory and perfectly captures the fears and confusion about drifting away from your first love and graduating high school and leaving the comfort of your home.

Perhaps the luckiest mom in the world, I've been gifted with Seasons One and Two by my daughters, since both have been released near special occasions (Season One, my birthday, Season Two, Christmas) and now I'll be getting Season Three for Mom's Day. We've been watching the show as a family since 2000 (myself, 38 and my two daughters, now 16 and 12). Lorelai, Rory, Emily, Richard...after five years, they feel like family.

All the reviewers who've said they're addicted, it's absolutely true - you do get wrapped-up in Stars Hollow and never want to leave. This show is the best pick-me-up in the world. Never sappy, always smart, the quirky denizens of Stars Hollow are the perfect antidote for all that ails you. If you love witty banter, pop culture references and solid storytelling, pick up the series, even as a rental. You will not be disappointed. Not since Preston Sturgis and the Hepburn-Grant screwball comedies has dialogue been this speedy, scintillating and brilliant. Even though the show will end in a year or two, it's nice to know you can pop in a DVD and revisit the magic for years to come. Just wish the box set came with my very own Luke! ;-)

The quick, witty dialogue of Gilmore Girls is an homage to screwball comedy films like His Girl Friday and Bringing Up Baby. It works surprising well, largely because there are different levels of speed talking: Some characters can keep up, others get lost, and some try on certain days and prefer to be normal people on other days. References and allusions abound as well. Some of the cultural references are highly obscure - that is, even with your ability to pause and rewind the world of Gilmore Girls, there are times when even the viewer can't keep up. This is all part of the fun of a dialogue-driven comedy that serves its main characters far too much coffee and a hilarious amount of food.

When the plot turns serious and the dialogue slows down, the sparkling planned community shimmers away as the stuff of real life creates drama. I appreciate that the writers understand the need to feel drama slowly. You can't banter through it, because only happy people relish in clever games.

It's hard to explain how a show about mostly white, middle class people living in a crime-free fantasy has become so popular, especially on the WB, which has been one of the few channels to embrace all of America's cultures, races, classes, and so on. I think the answer is that the relationship between a single mother and her daughter and an absentee father is highly translatable to many Americans. There are many conversations detailing Lorelai's struggles to provide for her daughter. Viewers also empathize with the weird and uncomfortable encounters with rich, elitist people, namely, Lorelai's parents.

The DVDs are somewhat lacking in extras - a making-of video and some extended or extra scenes are all you get. I think fans of the show would enjoy a dialogue dictionary of all of the references the characters make, a list of the books Rory and Jess are always reading, a map of Stars Hollow, a coffee cup, and Sookie's recipes.

That's right, I'm a guy. And I like this show. For the record, let me state that I didn't always like it, in fact, I honestly despised the show. But my wife loves it, and being whipped as most guys who wear the handcuff that is a wedding ring are I bought it for her for xmas, starting with season 1. Somehow she convinced me to watch the first few episodes with her, and I found I wasn't miserable. Every time before when she had turned the show on while it was on TV I grapped my laptop and headphones and watched some DVD with blood, gore, and explosions, as any normal guy would. But watching the show from the beginning actually got interesting. I found myself getting pissed off when Dean breaks up with Rory, and later on when... actually, no spoilers, lets just say a perfect relationship gets screwed up by the wrong person getting pregnant. So, for all you guys who hate all the luvy-dubby TV shows that your wife or girlfriend undoubtedly try to get you to watch, I'm telling you, buy this show, STARTING WITH SEASON 1. I can't stress that enough, if you start in the middle of the series you will find it to be crap and hate it and me for writing this review, and I really don't want anyone to blame me for taking any time out of their lives. But if you buy it, your significant other will thank you and be amazed as you actually sit through an entire chick show with her without wanting to stab your eyes out from sheer boredom. Believe me, you'll like it. And who can argue with brownie points from the wifey for doing something you'll enjoy?

There are occasions when a rating systems just isn't enough. On the scale of 1 through 5 stars, I'd give it a "10".

Not only is this a highly enjoyable watch, it is intelligently written & performed by a group of actors that seem purposely born to do this show!

To say Lauren Graham is superb as Lorelai, is a gross understatement! She, along with Alexis Bledel (Rory), Scott Patterson (Luke Danes),to mention but a few, bring back memmories of the classic style of Gary Grant and Rosiland Russell in 'His Girl Friday' - no small feat.

Kudoes to the writters, actors, and supporting cast members for a highly paced, witty, and enjoyable comedy-drama.

If you have only one series to buy this year, please do yourselves a favor and catch-up on the best show on T.V., in a very long time. Buy all three seasons!

I'm set and waiting for the fourth season to be released!


Carolyn R. Koller
Columbia, PA