Let's talk Gilmore Girls

and the art of storytelling

It’s September and that means Gilmore Girls season is upon us. Not gonna lie, I don’t usually wait for an excuse like September to watch my girls but posting about it now seems opportune.

The best thing about being a writer is getting to watch a ton of series and films to learn everything you need to know about great storytelling. With series, a lot depends on the pilot episode. It’s the equivalent of the opening pages of a novel and if there ever was an award for the perfect pilot, I’m sure this one would be amongst its nominees.

But Malika, this is television, how can you compare it to a novel? Yes, screenwriting is very different to novel writing, but in the end they are stories and all stories need the same building blocks to succeed.
For this episode I applied Blake Snyder’s Beat Sheet (from his book Save The Cat!) to analyse the important plot points. As the method is based on film writing, I’ve left out a few beats but the basic structure still stands.

Just so we’re clear, I’m going into this analysis assuming you know all the characters and the basic premise of Gilmore Girls. If you don’t - well, I have a lot of questions for you - but anyway, go watch the pilot now.

Opening Image

This gives you an instant feel of the world you’re entering and is usually mirrored in the final image. 

A woman (Lorelai) is walking through a quaint, small American town (Stars Hollow) and enters a diner (Luke’s). It’s fall and the music indicates feel-good vibes.

Set-up

We learn basic things about our characters and their lives as they are now.

From the moment Lorelai interacts with Luke, we learn a ton about her; she’s addicted to caffein, she’s witty, there’s banter between her and Luke and she loves a cultural reference. She messes with some guy trying to flirt with her and then a young girl, Rory, comes in. If we knew nothing about the premise of the show, we wouldn’t know how they’re related but we can see they’re very similar and close, like best friends. When we learn moments later that Rory is her daughter, it’s already clear they have a very special bond.

The rest of the set-up we find out what their ambitions are. Rory wants to get into Harvard, Lorelai wants to open her own inn. We meet several important side characters and get a feel of the pace (very fast) and vibe (cosy, witty) of the series.

Catalyst/inciting incident:

Something happens that breaks the status quo. 

Rory is accepted into Chilton, a private school that is sure to get her into Harvard. Both mother and daughter are ecstatic until Lorelai finds out how much it is going to cost her.

Debate: 

The main character has a decision to make that will change their life dramatically.

As she doesn’t have the money, she considers her options but quickly learns there aren’t many. The last thing she wants to do is ask her parents for money. We, the viewer, don’t know why yet, but we can tell the stakes are high for Lorelai. Her reluctance to ask her parents for help, tells us a lot about their relationship. But in the end, Lorelai will do everything for Rory and so she caves.

Midpoint

This is a turning point in the story. There’s no going back to her old life after this.

Lorelai visits her parents with whom she clearly has a very strained relationship. It’s the exact opposite of her and Rory. They live in a big mansion, are clearly well-off and have different values.
Lorelai asks for the money but there are strings attached. She has to promise she and Rory will come over for dinner every Friday night from now on. (this is the engine that will drive this series forward for seasons to come)

B-Story

The B-story is often a love story or something that complicates matters further.

Rory meets a (arguably) cute boy, Dean, and suddenly doesn’t want to go to Chilton anymore.

Bad Guys Close In

In a super-hero film this can be taken literally, but in most cases it refers to things falling apart, making us believe the main character is not going to get what they want. 

Lorelai is upset because she made a deal with the devil and Rory is upset because of Dean. Neither are telling the other why they are upset. Rory makes up excuses about not wanting to go to Chilton: money, distance, etc. but Lorelai has already brokered the deal with her parents and they get into a fight.

Then, all hell breaks loose when Lorelai finds out Rory likes a boy at school and that’s the reason she suddenly wants to give up on her life’s dream.
She says: ‘This is about a boy. Of course, I can’t believe I didn’t see it.’…. ‘After all, you’re me.’

Rory is adamant she’s nothing like her mother and the the fight continues.

All Is Lost/Dark Night of the Soul

This is the moment where we give up all hope of getting a good outcome. 

Lorelai and Rory aren’t talking, which is normal for most mother-daughter relationships, but not this one. For them it’s catastrophic. However, it’s Friday night and they are forced to meet the grandparents. Once they’re there, the grandparents express their utter disappointment in Lorelai’s life and a fight between them breaks out. So basically, everyone is fighting now and it doesn’t look like things are going to get better.

Finale

Everything is resolved and the set-up for the next episode is put into place.

Rory overhears the fight with her mother and grandmother and learns Lorelai went through a great deal of trouble to get her into Chilton. They make up when they leave the house and Rory agrees to start private school after all.

Final Image

We’re reminded of where we started, but it’s clear things have changed too.

Lorelai and Rory are back at Luke’s. There’s some flirting going on between Lorelai and Luke and then Luke scolds Rory for her late night coffee drinking. Luke says: ‘You do not wanna grow up to be like your mum.’

To which Rory replies: ‘Sorry, too late.’

They have made up, all is well again in the small town of Stars Hollow and we want to find out what will happen next.
Will she get into Harvard? Will Lorelai open her inn? What will happen with Luke? And Dean? What will the next dinner with the grandparents be like and will they ever forgive each other?

As I said, this might well be a perfect pilot and a fantastic example to study for your own writing. Yes, this is a first episode and the start of a multi-season series, but you can apply this method to just about any story. Try and use these beats to check your own plot for holes and if you still feel stuck, let me know!

I have launched my own freelance developmental editing business and I currently have a 50% discount going for my next three clients. Check out my website or send me an email for more information. I’d love to help you with your story!

Mx