Gilmore Girls' may be one of the most original family drama series on this little thing called the TV. Really, my only gripe with the show is that it's not in wide screen--which really isn't saying anything about the show itself; it'd just be nice to see a little bit more of Stars Hollow. The writers are smart, and I love that they use that intelligence to give us some smart women. Perhaps even moreso, I love that the intelligence of the show goes to show that indulgence in popular culture isn't for the simple minded. Like some other favorites of mine (namely 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'), 'Gilmore Girls' provides plenty of role models for both men and women, boys and girls. Role models for the girls should be self explanatory, but the role models for the guys are what I'm more interested in since that's my personal gender (by both birth and choice, if I had a choice... which I didn't, but still). Luke is great--he's independent, he's a "man's man", he's a normal guy--and his friendship with Lorelai--a smart, independent, unconventional, loving mother--is a great example of men respecting women for their good (non trashy) qualities.
Anyway. That's my little free-association of what I like about Gilmore Girls. I haven't been through the whole series, but I'm currently on my way thanks to the complete series collection.
Pros of the set (not necessarily a review of the show)
+ The Box itself (not in terms of the graphics) is great. The season folders are easy to access.
+ The episode guide is very useful; you can easily find which disc contains which episode.
+ The folders that contain the seasons have nice pictures on them; the pictures look very sharp, and the patterns (colors, sometimes even print that looks like a fabric) look very bright and really 'pop' off the page
+ Gilmore-isms. I find myself wanting to use it more and more; I haven't used it much yet, but I flipped through it and it contains succinct little blurbs of information for each of the pop culture references--on top of that, the guide tells you which episode contains said reference.
+ Cheaper than tracking down all the individual seasons (not taking into account promotional sales)
+ Takes up less room on the shelf when compared to the individual sets, and makes for a nice display
Cons
- Cardboard slots can be hit or miss, but a Discgear selector can be an alternate storage method. (I have two of these, holding my Buffy, Angel, Alias, The O.C., and Gilmore Girls sets, as well as some trilogy box sets: Discgear Selector 100-Disc HD Disc Storage System - Black )
- Where are all the pictures? I'd have preferred to see more pictures (including behind-the-scenes) in the episode guide
- Although the box is neat, it's difficult for storage depending on where you want to put it. If your shelves aren't high enough, you'll have to store it sideways.. but then the picture is sideways, and it'll look strange.
- No bonus DVD with new bonus materials. I don't know what they'd have put out, but it'd have been nice to see something similar to the extra disc that came in the 'Buffy' or 'Alias' complete series sets. The regular release special features were nice but fairly short, and it'd have been nice to see a special retrospective cast roundtable, or even some gag reels.
- The package design is okay, but it doesn't seem to fit with the show. I'm only up to season 3, but I don't understand the white background and the pastel colors. Plus, the design team used the front cover image on both sides. A little redundant. They could have at least used different pictures of Lorelai and Rory to put on the spine. Furthermore, the back is completely blank (there was a piece of paper stuck on the back but is mainly only used as a "sales pitch", showing prospective buyers whats included in the set).
Overall, my gripes are slim. The set was a great deal, I inspected most of the discs and although they look a little scratchy, none of the scratches look to affect playback (I've seen many DVDs and as such it's safe to say that I can gauge these things fairly accurately).
This set will be sure to entertain for a long time. It's a show that the whole family can watch together and be entertained without being embarrassed. (Watching an R rated movie with the parents rarely goes well).
Final grade: A- for the lack of a bonus DVD and the odd cover design.
UPDATE 1 September: One of the discs on my set would not play. None of my DVD players could read it, therefore I couldn't watch the episodes (it was the last 2 episodes of season 4). Luckily a friend of mine has the sets, otherwise I'd have been out of luck. I'm still ecstatic with the set, and the show, but it's something to consider. I've since tested all other discs and there aren't any problems. Even the ones with minor scuffs/scratches, no discs have skipped.
