Some final *Gilmore Girls* thoughts after finishing the whole series...

**The Show’s Biggest Strength**: Relationships. At its best, Gilmore Girls knows its characters, and digs into the complicated web of past and present that ties them altogether or splits them apart. Whether they’re sturdy or frayed, its exploration of those connections is always good.

**The Show’s Biggest Weakness**: Plotting. While the show’s quite good at telling individual stories within episodes, a lot of the time it’s decisions to bring people together or break them apart, or to cause a major life change for a character, are convenient and/or unsatisfying.

**Favorite Character**: Emily Gilmore. What a fascinating, complicated character Emily is. She’s someone who loves her family, but tries to express it in ways that can often repel them, who believes in a certain sense of what’s right and proper but often forced to confront things that don’t fit that mold, and who projects an image of strength and dignity but who can secretly be an open wound. So many layers to her, each more interesting than the last.

**Least Favorite Character**: Zack. He’s the rare character who’s both unpleasant to spend time with, and who negatively affects things plot-wise. He’s not only a jerk who doesn’t really show an inkling of reforming until the kids are born, but he’s also an anchor around poor Lane’s neck.

**Favorite Season**: Season 2. This was a tough one, but I think this is where the show had fully-honed its voice, while still being able to capitalize on the original premise. I’m not a big fan of the Rory-Dean-Jess love triangle, but I think this is the season with the overall richest exploration of Lorelai’s relationship with her parents (my favorite element of the show) and to a lesser extent with Rory.

**Least Favorite Season**: Season 6. There’s still some good in it, but the characters stop acting like themselves, the plotting is arguably nonsensical, and it feels like the soul of the show starts to dissipate.

**What Team?**: Team Logan. Dean is a prop, and Jess went from being a bad match for Rory to being too good for her. That leaves Logan (or, alternatively, being Team “Rory Finds Someone Else”). Admittedly, the revival threw a monkey wrench into this for me, and I wouldn’t necessarily want my kid to end up with Logan, but I still think he’s the best fit for Rory in terms of being someone who cares for her, is up front with her, but also pushes her.

**Odds and ends**: (1.) You win, guys. Once Paris stopped being pointlessly vindictive to Rory, she became one of my favorites. (2.) The show’s good at mid-season “event” episodes but bad at season finales. (3.) How in the hell did Kelly Bishop and Lauren Graham never win major awards for these roles? They were both amazing performers who sold the comedy and the drama like champs every time.