Guilty Pleasures
Posted on May 6, 2005 in Encounters
(last edited on April 29, 2014 at 1:29 am)
(last edited on April 29, 2014 at 1:29 am)
Ok, I admit it…I watch the WB show Gilmore Girls. I like the fast-paced dialog, weird subversive backstory and pop culture references. Who created this show? It’s been tough to find a biography or other background information on series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, but yesterday I was lucky enough to catch Terry Gross interview her on this segment of Fresh Air. It’s short but sweet: you’ll hear how she pitched the show, what a “gang bang” is in comedy writing, and where all that fast paced dialog came from.
Thanks to my cousin who convinced me I should watch an episode and give it a chance…it’s now one of my favorite shows.
2 Comments
I mentioned to you that Robert and I also know a guy who also has Gilmore Girls as a not so secret pleasure…he also likes Buffy, as you do…is there a connection?
And I wonder why it’s always a “guilty” pleasure? It does seem like the sort of show people watch in secret. I like watching it too, but tend not to advertise the fact. :)
A lot of things should be annoying. I always think they are trying too hard. I always think it’s way too scripted. I always think the “quirky” characters are obviously designed to be quirky. I always think the rambling is forced and contrived. I always think they make a point of shoehorning in numerous pop culture references, trying to bang it into your head that they’re “hip” and “with it” and “in the know.”
But it’s still kind of enjoyable! Oh, poor Rory! :)
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I think what I like about it is what you’re thinking of it being too forced…it has a shtick to it that I like. It’s fast, and it keeps coming, and it’s utterly shameless…if you delivered the stuff any slower, it probably wouldn’t be funny. Plus I like to speak in terms of reference also. Her hubby used to write for Family Guy too on Fox before moving over to the WB to work with her. She mentions in the interview that she grew up with a bunch of comics in the fast “New York Jewish” tradition…her dad was one, and she was immersed in it. You can kind of hear it in her voice.
Interestingly Palladino mentions that when she writes, she puts old DVDs of Buffy on in the background because she can’t stand the silence.
Probably my favorite part of the show is all the ranting. Lately the show seems to have lost a bit of edge…the chemistry between Luke and Lorelei when they smooch seems a little false. I swear I saw her flinch when he moved in for a peck.
As for guiltiness… look at the trailers for the show, and you’d THINK it’s the touching story of an unwed mother and her child, probably sponsored by the local Christian Coalition for Family Values. For years I was convinced it was probably a moralistic crap show that families watched together because they wanted to go awwwwwww every 30 seconds, little Timmy and Jenny snuggled with nurturing Mommy, eyes glistening with unbidden tears. But instead, it’s a good show that I can identify with on a lot of levels…that whole religion thing with Lane’s family, weirdness of growing up with different values than your parents and being kind of a black sheep. The main characters are all subversive and passionate in their own way, which I dig. Lorelei is our age too, so maybe there’s a generational resonance. Plus she’s hot :-) Anyway, if you assume that non-watchers think it as “that show about a single mother and her relationship with her college-aged kid”, you ALSO kind of assume that people will think that as a fan, “Dave is really in touch with his feminine side, if not actually gay…you never know!” Which isn’t how I want people to think of me, which is the imprinted hairy chest-beating maleness mightily asserting itself. Unless of course it got me into a REALLY GREAT SALE at…um, I mean NO! :-)