Gilmore Girls has begun its phenomenal 6th (!) season. I'm now caught up on the first 2 episodes and am already caught up in the drama of the show again.

In the first 3 seasons, we were introduced to Lorelei and Rory Gilmore, a very close - in age and in terms of relationship - mother and daughter who faced the world together. There were some difficulties in their relationship (eg. Rory's boyfriends and Lorelei's meddling parents) but at the end of the day they were always there for each other.

At the end of the 3rd season when Rory graduated from high school, it not only signaled the end of her pre-University education but also the end of premise that shaped the 1st 3 years of Gilmore Girls. Sure there was still the Stars Hollow antics and "topical and edgy" witty banter, but in the 4th season Rory wasn't living with Lorelei anymore. Despite the television convenience of Yale's nearness to Stars Hollow, the tight mother-daughter bond was fractured by the actual physical distance between Lorelei and Rory.

As a result of this, the show faltered in it's 4th season as it became clear that the show runners were struggling to redefine Gilmore Girls. Unfortunately this meant we got stories about finding a good study spot and lots of unmemorable episodes. However as the season drew to a close, it improved as the show refocused on it's strengths: the difficult dynamics between Lorelei and her parents, the possibility of a Luke and Lorelei relationship, and, of course, the relationship between Lorelei and Rory.

When Rory slept with Dean - her married ex-boyfriend - and Lorelei confronted her afterwards about the wrongness of this behaviour Gilmore Girls grew up as a show. Rory didn't just lose her virginity, she also stopped being the adorably precocious (and sometimes more mature) daughter that made it easy being a mother for Lorelei. This action began a lengthy seasons' spanning arc which continues in season 6: Rory's rebellion against her mother as she struggles to develop her own identity separate from her mother (it's no accident that Rory's real name is Lorelei).

The rift between Lorelei and Rory at the beginning of the 5th season turns out to only have been a foreshadowing of problems yet to come. Although they reconnected early in the 5th season, their connection had been damaged. Lorelei became hesitant to give Rory any feedback that Rory didn't want to hear, particularly regarding her affair with Dean and then her burgeoning relationship with rich party boy Logan. Rory also began to associate with a group of wealthy risk-seekers, exactly the type of people Lorelei despises, and actually enjoy herself with them which is something she didn't tell her mother. Unfortunately their lack of communication - between a previously over-communicating duo - culminated in an inability to see eye to eye around Rory's decision to drop out of school (after getting arrested for stealing a boat and being told she had no future in her chosen career path).

I suspect that Lorelei's pent-up frustration about not being able to tell Rory what she actually feels clashed with Rory's desire to be a separate entity and break free from her early maturity (a result of Lorelei's immaturity because she had Rory when she was 16). Although some of Rory's "rebellions" seem a bit bizarre (who steals a boat?!), I suspect this is a result of Lorelei's cool attitude to more traditional forms of rebellion. How do you rebel against a super cool and hip mom? By accepting the very things that she rebelled against in her youth: her parent's and their friend's wealth. Rory's relationship with Logan was the first betrayal of Lorelei's values but the ultimate action which alienated Lorelei was Rory bypassing Lorelei and going to her parents for help instead. If there's one thing Lorelei doesn't want Rory to be, it's like her own parents.

The great thing about the 1st 2 episodes of season 6 is that instead of stumbling the way that season 4 did, the show is excelling as it shows us how unhappy, lonely and lost Lorelei and Rory are without each other. Lorelei has already proposed to Luke (who is a really good match for her, so fingers crossed) and bought a dog, whereas Rory has clearly been starved for conversation and containing anger which came out in her fight during community service.

It's great to see Rory struggling to forge her own identity apart from her very close mother. It is hard to watch a character that I love really mess up, but if I recall correctly that's something most of us do when we're around Rory's age. As much as I want Lorelei and Rory to work this out, their rift has resulted in some heart-wrenching scenes.

The final scene of Fight Face (6:2), after Rory has found out from Luke that he and Lorelei are engaged is one of those painful - but good painful - scenes:

Rory: "You hurt me."
Lorelei: "Right back at you." (end of episode)

Although Gilmore Girls is no longer the cosy and reassuring dramedy it used to be, it's now successfully exploring the painful issues of becoming an adult and how this changes family relationships. I - like Lorelei - may not be thrilled that Rory is living with her grandparents and joining the DAR, but these stories sure make for some of the best episodes on television right now.