Nine years after saying farewell, the cast of Gilmore Girls has reunited to welcome fans back to the beloved town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut. The four-part revival, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, was released to Netflix users on Friday, Nov. 25.

Each of the hour and a half long episodes represent one season of the year, skipping through weeks at a time in order to fit every important event in. The show’s writer, Amy Sherman-Palladino, crammed a year’s worth of events into these four emotional episodes.

Like the original series, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life is set in Stars Hollow, but it also includes scenes of Rory in London. The majority of the actors and actresses returned to the set and were included in at least one scene, even the town troubadour. It seems as if most everyone in the town is the same as they were before, just older, however, Rory appears to have changed a lot.

Rory is unlike her usual self with boxes of her belongings spread throughout the town and her secret affair in London. It’s upsetting to see how much she has changed from her usual organized self, but the transformation allows the ending of the series to be possible.

As the release neared, news got out that the last four words of the series would change everything. The anticipation was high for those last words, and when they were spoken, they did not disappoint.

Overall, the series brings back the love and comfort that the Gilmores have always provided. Seeing a mother and daughter who are as close as Lorelai and Rory is heartwarming. The duo’s banter is unique, adding humor to the realistic struggles portrayed onscreen. But humor isn’t always enough to distract from the heartbreaking occurrences of life, like a death in the family.

The revival addresses the death of Edward Herrmann, who portrayed Richard Gilmore in the original series, extremely well. The acting and emotions toward Richard’s death are genuine, and it is obvious how much both the actor and character meant to the rest of the cast. The emotions flow through the screen and into the hearts of the viewers, causing tears to shed nonstop.

As a whole, the Netflix mini-series deserves 4 out of 5 stars, losing one for the cliffhanger ending. Through the emotion and comedy, the writer of this short revival was successful in restoring the loving relationships and strange characteristics of Stars Hollow residents. The tear jerking and laughable moments and the last four words leave fans wishing the short series would never end.