AlthoughGilmore Girlsrelied on its titular heroines for a lot of laughs and tears alike, the show’s strongest Christmas episode proves that its real secret weapon was something else entirely. Althoughthe cast ofGilmore Girlswere all likable and intriguing, there is a reason that the show went with that title. Lauren Graham’s Lorelai, Alexis Bledel’s Rory, and Kelly Bishop’s Emily were the show’s heart and soul, and the various friendships and romantic relationships they went through provided the bulk of its drama. As such, the show’s secret weapon is somewhat surprising.
Why Emily & Richard Really Broke Up In Gilmore Girls
Emily and Richard’s Gilmore Girls breakup seems surprising, but the twist makes perfect sense and is shockingly well foreshadowed upon a re-watch.
While2024’sGilmore Girlsreunionproves that the show deserves a proper follow-up after 2016’s divisive revivalA Year in the Life, it is notable that this Walmart advert only featured Kirk, Luke, and Lorelai. Even though the eponymous Gilmore women were central to the show’s appeal throughout both its original run and its revival miniseries, it is worth noting that they were well-supported by an array of supporting stars. Most of these stars, from Luke to Kirk, resided in the same small town that provided a pivotal part of the show’s appeal.
Gilmore Girls Season 2, Episode 10 Proved Stars Hollow Was The Show’s Secret Weapon
“The Bracebridge Dinner” Highlighted The Small Town’s Appeal
Looking back on thebest Christmas episodes ofGilmore Girlshighlights a surprising reality about the series. Even though Lorelai and Rory were the show’s heroines,the people of Stars Hollow wereGilmore Girls’ secret weapon. This was perfectly epitomized in the feel-good holiday special season 2, episode 10, “The Bracebridge Dinner.” In this episode, Lorelai is left with a prepaid festive feast when a holiday convention is stranded and unable to attend their booking. Rather than letting everything go to waste, Lorelai opens the doors of the inn to the town of Stars Hollow.
As Lorelai throws an improvised holiday party, Rory is busy juggling her relationships with Dean and Jess. While Jess starred in some of thefunniest episodes ofGilmore Girls, “The Bracebridge Dinner” arrived early in his stay at Stars Hollow. As such, Jess is still a brooding, aloof bad boy and his attitude contrasts hilariously with the small-town fun of the titular event. Even Jess begins to thaw by the end of “The Bracebridge Dinner,” and this is due largely to the infectious good mood of the idyllic town. Stars Hollow had its flaws, but this episode highlighted its best side.
Earlier in the show’s run,Stars Hollow showed its dark side when Rory and Dean first slept togetherin season 1. The innocent teens quite literally fell asleep together at the dance studio after a dance at Chilton, but their chaste relationship did not stop gossipy adults who should have known better from arching an eyebrow and spreading rumors. This incident proved that Stars Hollow wasn’t always the picture-perfect community that Taylor Doose wanted the world to see, but “The Bracebridge Dinner” proved the town had a kind side, too.
“The Bracebridge Dinner” was an atypically peaceful and sweet festive outing for the series.
Where many of theGilmore Girls’ Christmas episodesinevitably focused on conflict, since the holidays brought together the show’s dysfunctional central clan, “The Bracebridge Dinner” was an atypically peaceful and sweet festive outing for the series. Since even the funniest episodes ofGilmore Girlsusually featured poignant moments amid the laughter, it is notable that “The Bracebridge Dinner” is such a sunny Yuletide outing. “The Bracebridge Dinner” showcased Stars Hollow at its best as Lorelai and Rory’s festive feast brought out the best in the smalltown community.
The People Of Stars Hollow Were Lorelai’s Real Family
The underlying secret of “The Bracebridge Dinner” is that the episode is focused on family, much like the rest of the show’s Christmas specials, but in a different way.“The Bracebridge Dinner” proved that the people of Stars Hollow were Rory and Lorelai’s family, and they were arguably a more accepting family than Lorelai’s parents, Emily and Richard. Theharsh reality underlying this funGilmore Girlsepisodewas that Lorelai and Rory understandably preferred spending the holidays with the townspeople than with their family thanks to endless squabbling.
The family Lorelai and Rory found in Stars Hollow was as much, if not more, of a support to them as Lorelai’s parents.
It was hard to fault the pair for feeling like a Christmas with Emily and Richard would inevitably descend into arguments at the dinner table, as this was a staple of the show’s other festive episodes. Thus, “The Bracebridge Dinner” highlighted the reality that the family Lorelai and Rory found in Stars Hollow was as much, if not more, of a support to them as Lorelai’s parents. This made Lorelai eventually settling down with Luke all the more sweet, as the two Stars Hollow staples finally became an official local institution after years of breaking up and making up throughoutGilmore Girls.
Gilmore Girlsis streaming on Hulu andA Year in the Lifeis streaming on Netflix.
