Inspired by: Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Let's get really specific.

Gilmore Girls may be best suited for the fall, but lately, I’ve been fully immersed in the ASP (Amy Sherman Palladino) universe.

Currently, I’m about halfway through a Marvelous Mrs. Maisel rewatch while listening to Kevin Pollak (Moishe Maisel)’s My Mrs. Maisel Podcast. I’ve also been making my way through the podcast Gilmore to Say, after spotting it as a recommendation in Raye Allison’s newsletter.

Needless to say, this immersion has my imagination in a more theatrical state than usual, and my inner dialogue chatting at double speed.

These signature Amy Sherman Palladino-isms of theatricality and talking fast are just two of the many things I love about the shows she’s created. Subconsciously or not, she’s influenced my work, but more importantly, she’s inspired me to lean into my style, without worrying about how it’ll be received.

In the rest of this appreciation post, I’ll share the five ASP elements I love most. I hope you’ll share yours too!

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Five of the many reasons I’m inspired by Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel:

1. Fantastical settings.

There’s a genre in fiction called “Magical Realism” in which the story takes place in our world but bends reality to allow for characters to do things like read minds or time travel. I wouldn’t classify either Gilmore Girls or The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as magical realism, but Amy Sherman Palladino pushes the boundaries of reality all the way to the edge.

Gilmore Girls takes place in fictitious Stars Hollow, an idealized version of a small town in Connecticut. I lived in Connecticut for five years, and my version was a lot more gray with far fewer town festivals.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel takes place in New York City—a real location, but painted in brighter colors, with clean sidewalks and no signs of graffiti. It’s a New York City where there’s space to spin in a fabulous coat or slow dance in the streets.

In addition to the primary story locations, we also get glimpses into other settings that boast color palettes like a Wes Anderson movie mixed with the theatricality of a Broadway show, especially in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Some of my favorite spots include:
• B. Altman’s department store where Midge worked (especially the switchboard set)
• Steiner’s Resort in the Catskills
• The pool at The Fountainbleau when Midge was on tour with Shy Baldwin
• The Wonder Wheel at Coney Island
• The Burlesque Club
• And they even managed to make the subway look gorgeous.

Though Gilmore Girls sets are a little more grounded in reality, I think there’s a reason we all feel so cozy in:
• Luke’s Diner
• Walking around the town square
• Getting lost in a maze in Mrs. Kim’s Antique Shop
• Roaming the historic halls of Chilton and Yale

2. Secondary and minor characters.

One of the design principles in which I’m a staunch follower is the concept of visual hierarchy, which means you need to pick and choose. Some elements (characters, set pieces, costumes) get to be big and prominent, but in order for that to work, other aspects need to be muted.

I’m convinced that Amy Sherman Palladino must have found some sort of loophole because in her stories, every single character (and there are many) is given star treatment. Visual hierarchy need not apply.

The supporting characters in Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel have backstories, deliver punchlines, and are dressed in costumes that underscore their personalities. They do all of those things without distracting us from the main storyline or taking attention away from the primary characters.

When I think about the secondary and minor characters in the Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel worlds, I feel like I know them, and even though we’re not seeing their stories, we can easily fill in the details.

My favorite recurring characters on Gilmore Girls include:
• Stars Hollow’s theater instructor, Miss Patty
• Gil, the aging Hep Alien rockstar who also owns a sub shop
• TJ, Luke’s dim-witted brother-in-law who goes on to work at a Renaissance Faire
• Marty, Rory’s pal from Yale with whom I wish she’d had romantic interest, though it would have meant her life would have been far less dramatic.

On The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel I’m obsessed with:
• Midge’s high-strung and converted-to-Judaism-even-though-nobody-asked-her-sister in law, Astrid
• The esteemed theater actor who’s coerced into playing opposite Jane Lynch’s Sophie Lennon, Gavin Hawk
• Susie’s roommate, Jackie (when he fixes up their shoebox size apartment 😂 one of my favorite scenes in the series)
• And I also have to give some love to Buzz Goldberg, Steiner Resort’s activities director. They go on to give him a full episode storyline in Season 4!

3. Relationships with exes.

This trope of our main characters having complex, interesting, on-and-off relationships with their exes is so intriguing and allows for countless storylines that surprise me every time.

Maybe I should have led with this, but when it comes to Gilmore Girls, I’ve always been on Team Christopher. I get why most fans hate him, and my argument has always been that he and Lorelai have much better chemistry than Lorelai and Luke.

But in subsequent re-watches and observing it alongside Mrs. Maisel, I think Christopher’s involvement in the Gilmore Girls story at all is what’s most compelling to me. There could definitely be a version of the series in which he doesn’t exist (it’s kind of how the show was initially presented). But from that first episode when Christopher shows up, and it’s revealed that he and Lorelai have this deep history, I became fully invested in their relationship, the good and the bad.

My favorite Lorelai and Christopher scenes include:

• When Christopher shows up after Rory’s car accident and sleeps in the chair (this is his thing, he also sleeps in a chair again in S6 after he brings a drunk Lorelai home from Lane and Zack’s wedding).

• When Chris follows Lorelai to the bathroom in the episode when Emily is trying to set him up on a date.

• The drive-in date. The true bright spot in season 7.

ASP must have recognized that she writes exes well because she doubled down on it in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel with her choice to make Midge’s ex-husband the male lead in the show. Though I’m not necessarily “Team Joel” after seeing their story from beginning to end, and now rewatching it, I have such an appreciation for the way Amy told their story, creating a relationship that is special and unique.

My favorite Midge and Joel scenes include:

• The phone booth call from Paris when Joel convinces Midge to follow her dream at the expense of their relationship. “I love you.” “I love you too, honey.” 😭😭😭😭 One of the most beautiful and heartbreaking scenes in the series.

• The kiss at the end of S2 when Midge tells Joel she’s going on tour with Shy Baldwin. Omg. So, so good. The timing and the cutting are perfection.

• When Joel goes to visit Midge in Las Vegas and they are so silly and cute trying to steal Kim Novak’s lipstick-kissed napkin.

• The fire escape kiss in S5. And really every fire escape scene.

4. Stories that are undoubtedly female.

As much as I enjoy chatting about the love interests in these two shows, ultimately, it’s not about the guys. These stories are Lorelai & Rory’s and Midge & Susie’s.

In a world that sometimes feels like women are second-class citizens, it’s empowering to watch these two shows that revolve around females and to imagine a reality in which we call the shots. Amy for President?

Favorite Lorelai & Rory moments:

• When Dean comes to watch a movie with them, and he ends up being a third wheel. The way the girls talk in shorthand reminds me so much of being with my sisters and having an outsider look on in complete bafflement.

• Though I don’t love the episode, I thoroughly enjoy the notion of the girls getting up and deciding to get in the car post-Lorelai’s breakup with Max Medina and take a road trip to Harvard.

• Rory’s Chilton graduation speech. Maybe one of the most heartfelt moments of the series.

• Lorelai sitting on the bathroom floor with Rory after she gets drunk on Founders Day Punch and is upset about Logan.

Favorite Midge & Susie moments:

• When Susie calls Midge from the Catskills, furious that she left without telling her.

• When Midge tells Susie about the Shy Baldwin gig.

• The chat on the front stoop of Shy Baldwin’s party when Susie promises Midge will always be her number one.

• Checking into the Fountainbleu Hotel where they make a myriad of requests surrounding their room placement.

• How it ends!

5. Specificity.

I can’t tell you how much I enjoy it when creators pepper their works of art with things that are important to them in the form of inside jokes, deep references, and nonsensical inclusions. I don’t even care if I don’t always understand what they mean. As long as the people making the things are enjoying themselves and it shows—that’s enough to delight me.

Amy Sherman Palladino does this so well and so unapologetically. The most extreme version I can cite is in the last season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, where they featured a musical about waste management. I can’t say it was my favorite use of musical theater, but I’m just so amused they did something so off the wall, I don’t care. See also, the gratuitous musical that took place during Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.

It’s not only the references that enrich these shows, but the incredibly rich details. Even though so many of them will go unnoticed, Amy cares enough to include them anyway.

I don’t want to give an official list of my favorite specifics from each show because I know that I’ll forget a bunch, so here are just a few that come to mind.

Mrs. Maisel:

• When the Italian family moves into Susie’s apartment in Season 2.

• How Susie has two secretaries, Dinah, who works in her office, and Maggie who sits across the alleyway. They pass papers back and forth in a bucket on a clothesline.

• Every scene when Sophie Lennon talks about the stars she’s slept with.

• Midge and Imogene’s exercise class, and their Tupperware party.

Gilmore Girls:

• The continuity of the swan. Is the same one who attacked Jess, the one who was also a nuisance to Michel?

• That Sookie always has band-aids on her fingers because she’s a clumsy chef.

• When Emily and Richard learn to use the internet.

• How Paris has a life coach, named Terrance.

• The Pulp Fiction party.

• A film by Kirk.

• That their dog is named Paul Anka.

📣 I cannot wait to hear about all of your favorite Gilmore Girls and Maisel details. Please indulge me below!

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Coming Soon

Next week, we’re kicking off our Summer Book Club. I cannot wait to reveal the theme!

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✍️ Creative Exercises/Journal Prompts

1. What show(s) inspire you?

2. What are some of the specific themes or references you enjoy weaving into your content or art?

3. Create a piece of fan art or writing about your favorite show, movie, or book.

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☀️ Five good things

When we can recognize the things that bring us the most joy, we invite more of them into our lives. Here are five things that made me happy this week. Share yours below!

Five good things that happened this week:

1. I’m writing this from my in-laws house in NY where we’ve stopped enroute to see my parents in Cape Cod. We just enjoyed the loveliest walk with all the pups!

2. We spent the morning visiting my sister and brother in law and randomly ended up watching a few episodes of Leave it to Beaver with my nieces and nephew. A classic tv lover, it was so fun to answer their questions about why it was in black and white, why people were laughing (they were unfamiliar with the concept of a laugh track) and why Beaver was dressed like a man. 😂

3. Yesterday, we got to have dinner with my other sister, brother in law and their kiddos. We bounced in their bouncy house/ball pit, my niece gave us a preview of her dance recital, and my nephew showed me this YouTube drawing channel he loves — and we drew a bunch of pictures together. Such a dream night!

4. We discovered a new-to-us trivia podcast on our drive up the coast, called Go Fact Yourself.

5. I used a new platform (Riverside FM, also what we’re using to record now) to edit Film to Table and I’m loving that it’s not taking up space on my aging laptop! We’ll be releasing episode 1 of our new series this week.

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💬 Share your intention

Whether it’s a giant leap, a tiny to-do list item, a habit change, or something else, there is power in accountability, and this is a safe space to share your aim. Some weeks, we’ll fail, others we’ll soar, but with support, we’ll always keep going together.

✨ Question of the week: What are your favorite Mrs. Maisel and/or Gilmore Girls episode(s)?

Until next week, get out there and make something beautiful.

Michelle

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