Gilmore Revival: Ausiello's Take

Oh, how I missed this Lauren Graham. The one who, in under 30 seconds, can seamlessly ricochet from light comedy to heavy drama all while dispensing 30 syllables without taking a single breath. But Graham doesn't merely reprise her signature role after a 10-year-break. She takes Lorelai to astonishing new heights, simultaneously meeting and confounding my expectations. It's a performance that is both warmly familiar and joyously surprising. Simply put: She's a revelation. 

The death of Richard is felt throughout all four chapters (particularly "Winter" and "Fall"), and is in many ways the engine that drives much of the narrative. It's hard to imagine a classier sendoff for either the actor or the character.

We knew about Melissa McCarthy's return as Sookie (it's nonetheless a gloriously satisfying moment). Ditto Mae Whitman and Sutton Foster. But there are a few cool, meta cameos that did not leak. And you'll be glad they didn't. 

The quip-per-minute ratio hits an all-time high in the revival. Trust me: You will miss out on some of the jokes the first time around. 

A fact cemented in "Fall." I'm not even going to tease what is arguably the revival's most crowd-pleasing moment. You'll know it when it happens. 

In fact, I'm demanding a fifth episode comprised solely of the two of them passive-aggressively working out their baggage in front of Kerry Butler (aka the shrink).

Especially Liza Weil's Paris (who falls into the perfect profession) and Sean Gunn's Kirk (who is juggling raising a pig with launching a new ridesharing app). And if you consider yourself an unofficial member of the Life and Death Brigade, your loyalty is about to be rewarded, big-time.

The climactic chapter boasts some of the revival's most emotionally resonant and sumptuously staged scenes/sequences. It's the perfect bookend to not only A Year ijn the Life, but the entire series.

Oh, and for the record, here's how I'd rank the installments, from best to best-ish, complete with letter grades:

"Fall"/Chapter 4 (A+) "Winter"/Chapter 1 (A) "Spring"/Chapter 2 (A) "Summer"/Chapter 3 (A-)

... I would be totally content with this being the end of the story.

And that's all I'm legally allowed to say about that.