UTAH TECH UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE | March 29, 2024

For Enjoyment’s Sake: ‘Gilmore Girls,’ ‘Californication’ offer insight to relationship struggles

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For Enjoyment’s Sake is back this week to give you some new shows to watch during your study breaks.

I always have a hard time finding new shows on Netflix that have a decent storyline. I end up coming back to ones I’ve already watched. This week’s shows are both in the drama genre but both have an element of humor to balance them out. They have interesting characters to keep your attention. 

“Gilmore Girls”

This show ended with seven seasons, but it looks like it isn’t over yet. Netflix is making a season eight with the old cast members. The release date has not yet been announced.

“Gilmore Girls” is a funny drama about a single mother Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter Rory Gilmore. The Gilmore girls live in a small town called Stars Hollow in Connecticut. The town is sometimes a little too small since everyone knows everyone else and is always sticking its nose in each other’s business. The town is filled with quirky characters, but they all care for one another.

I love this show because it is the perfect balance between fun and drama. Many dramas out there have a hard time balancing the drama with humor, and sometimes it just feels like anything bad will happen just to increase the scandal of the show. This show isn’t like that at all. The writers did a good job of deciding where the line is. The events don’t escalate too far over what is considered realistic, either. 

Lorelai Gilmore’s sense of humor is one of the great things about this show. She’s a quick wit and never misses an opportunity to make a joke — no matter how inappropriate the timing is. She and her daughter play off each other flawlessly and never miss a beat, and their inside jokes often make me feel like I’m in on the joke while other jokes are never explained. The inside jokes make the characters feel more real and deepens the relationship between them.

The Gilmore Girls aren’t afraid of what anyone thinks, and they’ll do whatever they want because they like it. I like to be reminded I can do anything (even play “Bagel Hockey”) no matter how silly it is. The point is to have fun even when life tries to get in the way.  

“Californication”

 “Californication” features Hank Moody, a self-loathing, alcoholic writer who lives in Los Angeles. He has sold a book or two, and one of them was even made into a movie, but he remains dissatisfied with his life. He struggles to mend his relationships with Karen, the mother of his child. Just when Karen and his daughter seem ready to forgive his past sins, he makes another mistake.

I have always enjoyed shows with the classic, sarcastic ass. The humor is entertaining even if his constant Hollywood rock star life is causing him more trouble than fun. It is a funny show, but there is definitely a dramatic side to it with the drugs and sex that inevitably come with a Los Angeles writer who sometimes writes biographies about rock stars.

The best thing about this show is the plot, and the depth is impressive. The character development is well done in that the characters don’t feel like they just sprung into existence when the pilot episode was filmed. They seem like they’ve been there the whole time. Even though there is a lot of debauchery and drugs, they are necessary to the storyline. The balance between love, regret, humor and relationships evens it out.

I can always appreciate a good soundtrack, and this show has one. The songs go well with the mood, and I often hear songs I like enough to look up afterward.