Product Description

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 11/14/2006

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #44295 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2005-05-03
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 2853 minutes

Amazon.com
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 (Lauren Graham) had accepted the proposal of English teacher Max (Scott Cohen) and was excitedly planning her first wedding; Rory (Alexis Bledel) 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.

In the third season, senior year meant some surprising changes, as both Lorelai and Rory wrestled with their pasts in order to figure out what the heck they were going to do with their futures. In the wake of finding out that her relationship with Rory's dad was not to be rekindled, Lorelai endured a variety of suitors as she attempted to keep her life on an evil keel--not easy when her former flame's girlfriend was pregnant (and clueless), her former fianci shows up unexpectedly, and her beloved inn suffers some unforeseen damage. If it was minor drama for Lorelai, it was full-fledged soap opera for Rory, who broke up with longtime boyfriend Dean in the wake of her attraction to the moody bad-boy Jess, only to find her new relationship fraught with difficulties. Add to that the pressure of getting into college (Harvard or Yale?) and stressful senior class politics at the snooty Chilton private school, and it's a wonder she still had time to crack wise at breakneck speed with her mom and the rest of Stars Hollow. The center of Gilmore Girls was the Rory-Dean-Jess triangle, which played out with surprising sensitivity and not a bit of sadness; it all came to a head in the episode "They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They?" in which Rory and Lorelai's quest to win a dance marathon ends in tears and break-ups. The year's teen drama did have a tendency to put the adults on the back burner, but the luminous Graham made the most of her character's dilemmas, whether gauging her growing attraction to diner owner Luke (Scott Patterson) or wrestling with her parents' continuous meddling. While it is hard to pinpoint a specific compelling story arc for this season, that doesn't mean it wasn't filled with the charm, smarts, and rapid-fire dialogue that made Gilmore Girls one of the brightest shows on television. Stellar supporting turns from Liza Weil as Paris, Rory's friend and nemesis by turns, and a pre-O.C. Adam Brody, as a band member who falls for Rory's best friend Lane (Keiko Agena), also punctuated the drama of the season with great comedy. --Mark Englehart

Customer Reviews

just loved it
gilmore girls, is the kind of show, you cry with, laugh with and believe me, once you see it you will love it.
the cool thing about this serie, is that is a good drama, with very realistic characters, that you can relate to, but it also has a great touch of humor. the dialogs are amazing! it's very fun to see how the writters, include pop culture into the story.
the characters are so sweet, even the bad guys can be loved, because a good thing in this show is that none of the characters is perfect, so we can se the good side and the bad side of the story
I reccomened 100% to buy this set of dvd, you will never regret it. gilmore girls rock!

"Gilmore Girls": The Chilton Years (Seasons 1-3)
Set in the storybook Connecticut town of Stars Hollow, the "Gilmore girls" are 32-year-old Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and 16-year-old Rory (Alexis Bledel). When Lorelai was Rory's age she became an unwed mother, to the bitter disappointment of her parents (Kelly Bishop and Edward Herrmann). But Lorelai has carved out her own life, managing an inn, and having a relationship with her daughter which is more like best friends than mother and daughter. The only problem is that Rory has her heart set on going to Harvard and being able to attend Chilton, a private school in Hartford, would be a big help. That means Lorelai has to ask her parents for financial help and the price is steep: every Friday Lorelai and Rory have to go to dinner at the Gilmore mansion.

The first season of the show is essentially about the ironic contrast between the relationship Lorelai has as the daughter of her mother and as the mother of her own daughter. On top of that Rory has to make her way at Chilton, where she has to contend with the formidable Paris Gellar and gets to deal with the throes of first love with Dean Forester. Meanwhile, Lorelai is making a connection with one of Rory's teachers, Max Medina. Yes, Lorelai and Luke (Scott Patterson) are the last too people in town to know they are meant for each other, but they will have to catch on eventually. "Love, Daisies and Troubadours" is still my favorite all-time episode because of Rory's speech, her calling Dean an idiot, and the 1000 yellow daises.

The second season of "Gilmore Girls" is when a lot of things did not happen to Lorelai Gilmore. It started with Lorelai not marrying Max and ended with her not marrying Christopher, but Sookie got married so at least there was some progress in that area, although the duo's plan to open an inn together hits a major roadblock. As for Rory, her junior year at Chilton has its ups and downs. and not just because of Paris. The ups would be the road trip to Harvard and making her society debut, while the downside would be the rift between her and her grandfather because of Dean and the problems with Dean because of Jess. The common denominator is to make sure that none of the Gilmore women are happy, which means Rory is mad at Lorelai for blaming Jess for the accident, Lorelai is mad at Emily for arranging their going to a spa together, and Emily is mad at Richard for quitting his job without consulting here.

For me some of the most memorable moments from season two are when Emily orders Richard to make up with Rory because if their granddaughter ever gets married she to know about it and the look on the faces of her parents with Lorelai gets her business school diploma. But then a good rule of thumb is anytime we see a chink in Emily's armor it is a moment that will be hard to forget. The two emotional highpoints of the second season are in "Teach Me Tonight" when a totally distraught Lorelai goes after Luke because of the car accident where Rory gets hurt, and in "Lorelai's Graduation Day," when Rory misses the big event and offers the most high speed combined heartfelt apology and verbal self-flagellation in television history.

The third season of "Gilmore Girls" offers a lot of ups and down for Lorelai and Rory. 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, but if Rory could dump Dean I knew Jess could never go the distance and I could take heart in that fact. Ultimately, what defines this third season for Lorelai and Rory are not the men (or boys) in their lives but rather the realization of their dreams. For Lorelai this means opening up her own inn with Sookie, which gets put on the front burner when a fire damages the Independence Inn and when buying the Dragonfly Inn proves to be a problem. 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.

Rory getting into the college of her dreams is the real defining element of the season, which starts to turn into a nightmare when Rory's application for Harvard has to be put together. Two of Rory's best moments in this season are when she tells Richard he did the right thing the wrong way when he got her an interview to Yale and when she apologizes to Dean. 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, the poignant flashback's to the pregnant young Lorelai, and Emily standing up to Trix. For me the funniest moment of the entire season is in "I Solemnly Swear" when Emily reads the transcript of Lorelai's deposition. 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."

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. These DVDs offer up extra scenes, which is certainly ample justification for fans of the show to check it out in this format, to go along with interviews and other featurettes. However, the "Guides to Gilmore-isms" in each will probably be the favorites for fans of the shows. Besides, I am preaching to the choir here, right?

Great Writing
Recovering from spinal surgery, with nothing to do but watch TV, I ordered the first 3 seasons of a show I'd seen once...Now I'm a Gilmore Girls fan. The writing in that show is nothing short of brilliant. The actors are fun and the stories, though at times ridiculous, are amusing and endearing. It sure made recovery go more quickly.