Season 5 of "Gilmore Girls" aired in the standard Tuesday 8pm time slot, running from September 21, 2004, to May 17, 2005. The show went into off-network daily syndication on ABC Family on September 13, which is how I first got into it. I remember coming home from cross country practice, showering, and watching an episode of "Gilmore Girls" from 5-6pm every day. ABC Family also ran a six-hour "cast favorites" marathon in October with introductions from different actors, followed by a "Gilmore Girls Backstage Special" with cast and crew interviews and behind the scenes footage. Pre-streaming, syndication (along with DVD sales) is how creatives could make nice money. Now, the studio who owns the distribution rights — in this case, Warner Bros. — is the primary beneficiary.
At this point in its run, "Gilmore" saw the highest numbers it would ever receive at 5.8M viewers per episode. For the first time, it ranked above "7th Heaven" becoming the WB's best-performing show. As a whole, I find S5 uneven and don't like it nearly as much as the previous 4, mainly because it feels like we're watching Rory's (Alexis Bledel) slow descent into privileged assholery. The descent isn't unfounded, but witnessing it takes me out of the cozy Stars Hollow universe where no one is "scared of dying." Based on everything we know about Rory, does it make sense that she would receive a piece of (admittedly cruel and unfair) criticism and go off the deep end, irrationally stealing a boat with her wealthy, "consequences don't apply to me" boyfriend? Sure, but I don't watch "Gilmore Girls" for that shit. I want lightly falling fake snow in a universe where everyone can afford life's fripperies and the biggest stressor is Taylor's (Michael Winters) anal retentiveness.
Other issues with the season revolve around Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Luke's (Scott Patterson) union, which comes together in a satisfying way before being temporarily destroyed via a hastily orchestrated Emily (Kelly Bishop)/Christopher (David Sutcliffe) scheme that never felt motivated by anything other than the writers' desire to manufacture conflict. Richard (Edward Herrmann) and Emily's detente felt much more realistic because we saw the relationship waver and then reconcile over the course of several seasons. The demise of Dean (Jared Padaleck) 2.0 also felt abrupt and would have been more satisfying if it further overlapped with Logan (Matt Czuchry). Maybe Rory cheats on Dean with Logan, thus establishing a bit of a pattern (although I don't love that, either). The S5 tone and plotting are just a little too different from previous seasons with not enough small town charm and too many soap opera-esque wild swings. It's still a good season with significant character development, I just wish the writing was more cohesive.
☂️ Top 5 Episodes From "Gilmore Girls" Season 5
- "Written in the Stars" - Even though we weirdly never see Sniffy's Tavern again, I will always think of it fondly as the place where Luke pulled out the horoscope Lorelai gave him when they first met, thus proving his longstanding love for her.
- "You Jump, I Jump, Jack" - The Life and Death Brigade is one of the more obnoxious elements of Rory's life at Yale; however, I can't deny that those motherfuckers know how to throw an event.
- "Wedding Bell Blues" - Many of the dreaded plot developments I mentioned above come to fruition in this episode, but I must include it because I love the costuming and Emily's weirdo bachelorette party.
- "Jews and Chinese Food" - Casting Kirk (Sean Gunn) as the only adult in a child production of "Fiddler on the Roof" is pure poetry. Combined with Logan's boner joke/suave window moves and the cursed Marx Brothers marathon, this is an undoubtedly memorable episode.
- "To Live and Let Diorama" - From the creepy "I love Jesus" mannequin to Paris's (Liza Weil) drunk assault on the pretzel guy, I am legally obligated to include this perfectly deranged work of art in my top five. David Lynch would approve.
As for appropriate S5 snacks, perhaps you'd enjoy $75 worth of Chinese food, Doose's Market nachos c/o the trucker crowd, and a rum ball from Weston's (which seems to be thriving despite Fran's absence).
