On Nov. 25, new and old fans of the beloved cult classic, “Gilmore Girls”, rejoiced when the revival of the series premiered on Netflix. The four-part series, entitled “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life”, revisits our main heroines, Rory and Lorelai Gilmore, as they navigate through complex turmoil revolving around personal loss and life altering decisions.

The miniseries, separated into four episodes that represent each season of the year, features Rory Gilmore returning to her hometown, Stars Hollow, to visit her mother, Lorelai.

Aesthetically, the new miniseries exactly emulates the original television program. The familiar small town of Stars Hollow is as welcoming as it was a decade ago, complete with small shops and gossipping townspeople. Lovable characters, like Paris Gellar, Jess Mariano, and Luke Danes, made frequent cameos throughout the four-episode special.

Despite visually representing the original series, “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” fails to capture the familiar essence of the characters, specifically Rory Gilmore. In the original series, the main character was depicted as a strong, independent young woman who valued her family and education above anything else. Even though she was a teenager, Rory Gilmore was immensely responsible and often acted more mature than her mother.

Rory Gilmore, currently a thirty-two year old adult, has lost her luminous spark. I expected Rory to thrive, especially throughout her adulthood. On the contrary, everything she worked hard for had gradually vanished.

The main character’s blooming journalistic career cascades, forcing her to tackle meaningless, stress inducing assignments that fill her with a sense of dissatisfaction. Rory Gilmore’s saddening downward spiral is among the many reasons why I, and a multitude of fans, detested the anticipated revival.

Fans were disappointed with the revival because it simply did not match the lighthearted, comedic tone of the original series. Because Rory Gilmore’s strong and hardworking character was torn apart in the revival series, viewers felt discouraged about the saddening fate of the character.

Rory Gilmore was a model for young women. Her act of prioritizing her education in order to better herself was admirable. Rory’s ambition made her a strong character, so it was discouraging to watch all she worked for being snatched away from her. Therefore, the long-awaited revival series deeply upset me.

Although the plot of  “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” was disheartening, I felt grateful to the writers for revisiting the show and attempting to form a resolution of the series a decade later. Among many other viewers, I will hold the original, cheerful series dear to my heart.