Fans have 'high hopes' for Gilmore Girls return but first, coffee
Fans and star of series explain why the show endures almost 10 years later as revival season comes out Nov. 25
She's been "counting down the days" to Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life and now superfan Jordan LoMonaco knows exactly how she's celebrating the big release of the revival season Nov. 25.
The University of Toronto student is hosting a Gilmore Girls marathon at a campus lounge and expects dozens of fellow fans to join her.
"It's like a little bit of relaxation and freedom from all the stress of my studies," the 22-year-old said. "It's a really witty show and the characters are super likeable. Every character you're introduced to has an interesting past and history."
Cult following
Her love of the series might border on obsession — she plans to have copious amounts of coffee, pizza and Chinese food at the marathon to reflect the characters' famed eating habits — but it's not unusual.
Gilmore Girls, which stars Lauren Graham as Lorelai and Alexis Bledel as Rory, centres around a unique but strangely familiar mother-daughter relationship and has developed a cult-like following since it first began in 2000.
"The relationship, it's just so special," says Elly Goodfellow, who will be joining LoMonaco at Friday's marathon. "I think even if you don't have a close relationship with your parents, you can feel a bond with them that's so unbreakable."
Luke and Lorelai's romance
One of the stars of the series, Scott Patterson, who plays diner owner and Lorelai's love interest Luke Danes, told CBC News during an interview in Los Angeles that part of the reason why fans can't get enough of the show is the inimitable banter.
He credits writer-director Amy Sherman-Palladino, who returned for the new season after leaving the series in 2006.
"With the unique spice of Amy throwing in all these literary and cultural references that nobody gets and has to look up, there's all kinds of things that makes an audience participate."
Even if that involves viewers keeping a dictionary handy.
"They're involved in it, they're thinking about it. They're reaching for their thesaurus, Googling things, that kind of stuff. It's unique in that sense."
The last episode of the show prior to the revival aired nearly 10 years ago, in 2007, completing a seven-season run. Rory had just graduated from Yale and Lorelai and Luke shared a hopeful kiss.
'You just wanted it to continue'
"When it ended, it's kind of like the Harry Potter series," said London-born Goodfellow, 20, who moved to Toronto two years ago. "You just wanted it to continue and you wanted to know more details."
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life takes place in present-day Stars Hollow, the original small town setting. Lorelai still runs the Dragonfly Inn and 32-year-old Rory has been enjoying some professional success.
LoMonaco says she's been re-watching past seasons with her family, just like they used to when she was younger, in anticipation of the new season. She says she has "high hopes".
High expectations
"I hope this season gives me the ending I've been waiting for," LoMonaco said. "I want all the characters to find true love and have that happy ending."
Season 8 includes four, 90-minute chapters representing Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall with most of the actors from the original series reprising their roles including Melissa McCarthy, Sally Struthers, David Sutcliffe and Keiko Agena.
Just don't expect any secrets to slip out before the release.
"I can't say a lot," said Patterson when asked what fans can expect from his character. "I will say that Luke is Luke. His world is a small world. He doesn't like change."