‘The Third Gilmore Girl’ you may have forgotten about

BY MACKENZIE JOHNSON

Managing Editor

My last name is not Gilmore. In fact, although only three letters apart in the alphabet, the last name Johnson doesn’t even closely resemble Gilmore. 

But practicalities aside, my last name ought to be Gilmore. 

Ever since I was in junior high, I’ve been obsessed with the hit drama comedy “Gilmore Girls.” At this point, the amount of times I’ve rewatched the series would equate to how many years I’ve been alive. 

The characters, the town in which they inhabit and the plotlines they encounter are charming, comforting and positively addictive – and I’m not the only one who feels this way. 

Although first aired in the year 2000 and successful enough to carry out seven seasons and 153 episodes, the popularity of “Gilmore Girls” surged when Netflix began streaming the show in 2014. Its new home on Netflix also introduced an entire new generation of fans, leading to it becoming one of Netflix’s consistently most watched shows. 

Due to high demand and adoration, a Netflix reboot, “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life," was released in 2016. Although only a four episode series, fans were hopeful it would give them the closure they were craving after the series ended in 2007. 

Universally, it is agreed upon that the revival did not offer anything remotely similar to closure for fans, especially revolving around character Rory Gilmore, but rather left them in deeper despair. 

Although the original series didn’t necessarily end on a cliffhanger, it did end on the implication of Rory embarking on a new career pursuit and ending a romantic one while her mother, Lorelai Gilmore, rekindles a relationship with a love interest that sparked throughout the whole series. 

The show had a spectacular run, even if some of the writing decisions made in the later seasons were questionable, but fans were wanting one last visit to Stars Hollow (the fictional town in which “Gilmore Girls” takes place in) to see where those choices the characters made in the season finale brought them to.  

“Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” did bring forth a cathartic ending of sorts to some aspects of the show, such as through Lorelai’s relationship with her mother and with her ongoing love interest. 

However, the reboot left fans feeling like it lacked the spirit and sentiment the initial show fostered and left them even more unfilled in the storyline of Rory when she had yet to redeem her character since the almost decade gap from the TV series. 

This unfulfillment was still nothing compared to the massive cliffhanger dropped on the final episode of the short series that abandoned “Gilmore Girls” lovers in a fit of outrage and disappointment. 

If you were one of these fans feeling empty after that poignant end and are seeking recovery and acceptance, you won’t find it here. 

But you may find a small glimpse of it in Kelly Bishop’s memoir “The Third Gilmore Girl.”

Kelly Bishop played Emily Gilmore, Lorelai’s mother and Rory’s grandmother, in the dramedy. 

Although often forgotten about, Bishop’s character was essentially “The Third Gilmore Girl,” hence the title of her September 2024 released memoir. 

Like much of the Gilmore clan, Emily was a multi-layered character. The dynamic between her and her daughter Lorelai was a complicated one, and the difference between their relationship to that of Emily and her granddaughter Rory is astounding. 

Nonetheless, despite her flaws and despite the distaste in many of the other characters’ developments, Emily’s character arc is one commonly beloved.

It’s also one talked about in the memoir of the actress who brought the fierce character of Emily to our screens. 

Born in Colorado, Bishop began her vast entertainment career as a dancer. That love of dancing moved her to California to attend the San Jose Ballet School before then moving to New York at 18 to dance at Radio City Music Hall. 

Eventually, Bishop gravitated to Broadway and earned a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, and coincidentally enough, the late Edward Herrmann, who played Emily’s devoted husband Richard Gilmore in “Gilmore Girls,” also won a Tony that very night for Best Featured Actor in a Play. 

Bishop didn’t want to cap off her résumé there, though, and branched out into the world of film. 

She scored several appearances in some shows and movies, such as “Dirty Dancing,” before landing the famous and cherished gig of Emily Gilmore in “Gilmore Girls.”

Bishop’s memoir spans the entirety of her life up to this point, and the majority of her life has revolved around theatrical dancing, so if you go into this memoir thinking you’ll get 256 pages of just “Gilmore Girls” content, you’ll be discouraged. 

However, the small amount of time Bishop does dedicate to her life on that set was information I grabbed onto like a lifeline. 

The close relationship Bishop shares between her and co-star Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore) and “Gilmore Girls” creator Amy Sherman-Palladino is truly heartwarming, as is the friendship between Bishop and Edward Herrmann. 

Knowing the personal circumstances Bishop faced while carrying out the role of Emily is also inspiring and so is how accommodating Palladino was in order for Bishop to handle those matters. 

Not to mention the experiences Bishop faced prior to her role in “Gilmore Girls” and how those instances helped Bishop authenticate Emily. Getting a peek into the mind of Emily is something I wouldn’t have seen otherwise without opening this book, and if you choose to listen to the audio version of the memoir, it’ll feel like the poised and elegant Emily herself is reading to you since Bishop is the very one narrating. 

Above all else, though, what I value most in her “Gilmore Girls” section of the memoir is how Bishop viewed the reboot. 

Opposed to a failed attempt at tying up loose ends, Bishop views the cliffhanger as an opportunity to conclude the series how you best see fit. 

Moreover, during the production of the reboot, Bishop viewed it as a chance to connect with the old friends and set she felt most at home with. 

Even if the revival didn’t necessarily satisfy my own expectations, it’s comforting in a sense to know it did for those actively involved in it. 

It’s also comforting to know Palladino was able to be on the frontlines of the production of “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” considering she left the TV series after season six due to studio complications. This exit is commonly blamed for the decline in the series, and Bishop mentioned that if it weren’t for the shift in writers, the show, as well as the authentic energy on set, probably wouldn't have ended there. So although the writing in the reboot still didn’t come close to the glory days of “Gilmore Girls,” at least that nostalgic feeling was there for the actors and actresses. 

It’s important to note Bishop’s memoir isn’t all cozy friendships and wistful memories and includes mentions of infidelity, toxic relationships, illnesses, grief and abortion.

Although fast paced, this memoir packs a punch, and although it certainly can be enjoyed by a “Gilmore Girls” fan, it’s not designed solely for one, and that should be remembered going into it. 

But this “Gilmore Girls” fan sure enjoyed it, and although Kelly Bishop’s sometimes forgotten character is technically considered “The Third Gilmore Girl,” I classify myself as the fourth at heart. 

However, there’s room for more than just four of us.

In fact, millions of them exist out there, and if you’re one of them and wander across a copy of “The Third Gilmore Girl,” deciding to open it may just deliver you that unlikely and unexpected reboot you have always yearned for.