“So, it’s a show?” Dean asked.

“It’s a lifestyle,” Rory replied.

“It’s a religion,” Lorelai claimed.

Unexpected changes

Pizza, movie nights, rapidly witty dialogue and copious amounts of coffee all bring back memories of seven seasons’ worth of “Gilmore Girls” — the small town, mother-and-daughter show that has charmed viewers for over a decade. Fans grew up with Rory, learned life lessons from Lorelai, laughed with Sookie and dwelled in the little town of Stars Hollow in their hearts.

Despite the show ending eight years ago, Stars Hollow and its residents have awoken for another chance at bewitching their faithful fans. The result came as a mini-series of four episodes, one for each season, taking the audience through a year with their beloved Gilmore girls.

After just under a decade of silence, producer Amy Sherman-Palladino and director and writer Daniel Palladino strove to finish with the season they originally hoped to. Sherman-Palladino and Palladino both did not participate in the production of the final season of “Gilmore Girls” due to contract issues.

Beyond old issues, the cast returned eager to participate, even describing the feeling of working together again as familial with all the main characters in attendance. Sookie, played by Melissa McCarthy, Paris, played by Liza Weil, and Miss Patty, played by Liz Torres — amongst a host of others — returned to make their appearance.

Episode one opens in winter. The dream begins with a walk down memory lane as Lorelai, played by Lauren Graham, takes Rory, played by Alexis Bledel, on a tour of the town. Unexpected changes interrupt the dream, like the disappearance of the theme song that used to drive the audience a good kind of crazy and a certain chef gone from the Dragonfly Inn kitchen.

Due to the death of actor Edward Herrmann, who played Richard Gilmore, much of the series centers around the characters’ grief over losing a husband, father and grandfather. Consequently, it takes a more melancholy tone than the previously light-hearted series. Each character reacts to the death in their own way, often acting out in anger.

feelings stifly remain

The feelings associated with the original “Gilmore Girls” remain, but in a stiff way, as if the producers and actors tried too hard to fit into a mold. Even then, they failed to keep the atmosphere of Stars Hollow alive with spirit and quirkiness by taking Taylor’s fetishes to a new extreme with a lengthy, odd musical fit with the ever-present cast of “Bunheads.”

However, the mini-series brings some positivity to the table. Kirk, played by Sean Gunn, had his hilarious elements with his strange jobs, and the wonderful Luke, played by Scott Patterson, remained familiarly compelling, almost becoming the redemption of the mini-series.

Rory became the final rude awakening from the nostalgic dream. She has lost her morals and changed beyond comprehensibility.

Fans whose expectations soared high over the moon may find themselves disappointed by the characters they left eight years ago. With the exception of a few, the characters changed for the worst.

While this new “Gilmore Girls” can still delight its fans, it cannot be viewed through the same lens as the previous one. The show and its characters have aged and evolved, some in ways fans preferred they had not. However, they remain the characters fans will always love. The treat of seeing them again in this revival mini-series has brought back the countless sentimental memories many of the audience members associate with “Gilmore Girls.”