Seasonal shows bring comfort for the colder days
As the leaves change and the smell of beach days and salt water is replaced with warm cinnamon and the looming feeling of finals, a good, bingeable show is non-negotiable for the perfect night in. Fortunately, as I scour through the endless entertainment on Netflix, there are a few series that pop out as matching the aestheticism of the colder seasons.
“Gilmore Girls,” which first aired in 2000, is perhaps one of the most well known seasonal shows. It follows Lorelai “Rory” Gilmore, played by Alexis Bledel, and her mother Lorelai Gilmore, played by Lauren Graham, as they navigate the experiences of growing up through Rory’s teen years. Luke, the owner of a local diner that is frequented throughout the show along with being Lorelai’s love interest, was one of the components that kept me coming back. Their witty banter and slow burn made the two’s relationship extremely satisfying.
The set design of their idyllic home, Stars Hollow, contributes to the cozy atmosphere, with orange and brown leaves in the fall and hills of snow in the winter, topped off with a flawless soundtrack to complete the environment. However, I find myself only rewatching the first few seasons because of Rory’s conflicting character development, as she begins an affair with a married man and body shames a ballerina in an article for the “ Yale Daily News.” Although it has its flaws, “Gilmore Girls” is the perfect show for viewers looking to take a break from the stress of school.
“Gossip Girl,” which began in 2007, is about an online blogger who posts about the lives of a group of high-class teenagers in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York as they trek through young love, betrayal and scandal for all of the world to see. This show hooked me as soon as I started watching because of its outlandish plot lines and the fact that it is undeniably fashionable. Blair Waldorf, played by Leighton Meester, the witty and manipulative best friend of Serena Vanderwoodsen, played by Blake Lively, seems to sport the most iconic outfits throughout the show. Blair is most often seen wearing only the trendiest, yet timeless, clothing items for the time.
The plot lines and the endless supply of money dispensed by their parents, although unrealistic, create a bingeable show that keeps watchers on their toes.
“Anne with an E,” which was released in 2017, tells the story of Anne Shirley, played by Amybeth McNutly, an orphan who gets mistakenly sent to live with two siblings, Marilla, played by Geraldine James, and Mathew Cuthbert, played by R.H. Thompson. As Anne attends school in Avonlea, the fictional town where the show takes place, she juggles fitting in whilst being extremely different from her peers and facing the weight of gender roles that are heavily prominent within the late-1800s. Anne’s blooming romantic relationship with her classmate, Gilbert Blythe, although cut off short, was one of the components that made the show even better.
The cinematography stands out to me because it uses the seasons and weather to convey different emotions. For instance, the warmer seasons are often used to represent Anne’s imaginative and happier side whilst the colder seasons showed Anne’s struggles and hardships.
Seasonal shows such as “Gilmore Girls,” “Gossip Girl” and “Anne with an E” not only have a unique appeal with their cinematography and binegable episodes, but they also contain worthwhile narratives and themes that hold true to real life.
