It's been a fully developed story, all the way through. An official member of the cast from the start, Keiko Agena plays Rory Gilmore's best friend, a rock-and-roll obsessed teenager who constantly downplays her true self, out of respect (and fear) of her intensely strict mother, Mrs. According to them, it really is just about telling a good story in the best way that they can.įor the past six years, Lane Kim has been an integral part of the Gilmore world. So how does the Gilmore Girls crew make it look so easy? They seem so immersed in the day-to-day aspects of creating a show that the bigger picture of societal influence doesn't seem to penetrate their consciousness. Think about it: younger generations who have been following a show like Gilmore Girls will see stories about a Korean American character and her family on a mainstream television show and it'll be completely natural to them. For every small detail (even for something as recent as Justin Lin's The Fast and the Furious 3), there has been immense struggle. But in reality, behind the scenes, it's an accumulation of years and years of fighting to break down barriers. But gradually, new and diverse faces started popping up. Six years of an Asian American family consistently on your screen, every Tuesday night, warming themselves into your hearts, saying and doing hysterical things? My poor eleven-year-old mind would have exploded.īack in the day, you had your Full Houses, your Saved by the Bells, your Friends, your My So-Called Lives. As a twenty-something, growing up in the ‘80s, the option of seeing Asians on television wasn't even a luxury, it wasn't expected at all. It's not until you step back and think about the lack of precedents, that you start to realize what a big deal it really is. Isn't that what Asian Americans have been fighting for all these years? To not be typecast? To be represented as normal people? It's the very fact that these characters are so integrated into the storyline - that their Asian-ness is not something that is seen as extraordinary or unusual - which makes Gilmore Girls ground-breaking. That's also what separates them from the pack. The irony of Gilmore Girls' accomplishment, though, is that no one notices. All are great moments and important stepping stones. Margaret Cho in All-American Girl is the first that comes to mind. True, there have been more high-profile landmarks. Who knew that a charming family show about a mother-daughter duo in the small fictional town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut a show that overcame dismal ratings only to become the WB's second highest-rated series a show that, before Arrested Development, obliterated all competition when it came to fast-talking dialogue and densely-packed pop culture references – who knew that this show would also become one of the most notable milestones for Asian Americans in the media in the last few decades. And it's not until we are able to step back and evaluate the bigger picture that we realize – in the end, it's the subtleties that pack the most punch.Įven from the perspective of an avid watcher of the show, Gilmore Girls' influence on society's perceptions of Asian Americans as in-depth, three-dimensional characters was something that had, for the most part, flown under the radar. Often times, it's the things we don't notice and take for granted that have the greatest influence. The black cat with the devil eyes you have to pretend doesn't freak you out because you're convinced it senses fear. The friendship that you suddenly realize is rare and more special than you had ever imagined. Helen Pai, Keiko Agena, and Emily Kuroda helped make it happen. Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino was just trying to find a funny story to tell, and as a byproduct, a door was creaked open. No token characters, no racial identity issues, just people who light up the crazy world we live in. Over these past six seasons of "Gilmore Girls," viewers have gotten a glimpse of what Asian Americans on television can be.
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