Although there are plenty of imperfect Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life episodes feel like bad fan fiction, vaguely recapturing the show’s style but missing its heart.

However, there are few Gilmore Girls episodes I could live without entirely. Even the show’s weakest outings tend to have a couple of fun scenes, be it a great bit of comedic relief from Kirk or Sookie or an emotionally charged encounter between the main cast . That said, I can think of one episode that has no place in the show’s canon. Surprisingly, this outing isn’t part of the divisive revival. Unsurprisingly, it does arrive in the middle of the widely disliked Gilmore Girls season 7.

Why I Always Skip Gilmore Girls Season 7's "That's What You Get, Folks, For Makin' Whoopee”

Lane’s Pregnancy Was The Worst Gilmore Girls In The Show’s History

Season 7, episode 2, “That’s What You Get, Folks, For Makin’ Whoopee,” is the worst Gilmore Girls episode of all time and I don’t even think any other outings come close. The episode’s primary plot follows the fallout from Lorelai sleeping with Christopher after finding out that Luke was hiding April's existence from her throughout season 6, a plot that was tiresome at best. However, it is another subplot that truly drags down this outing. For all of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life’s flaws, the end of Lane’s character arc in this episode might be its worst moment.

After spending years establishing Lane as a rebellious woman who yearns for independence after a traditional upbringing, Gilmore Girls dashed her ambitions in favor of motherhood that she resented before her baby was even born.

Lane returns from her honeymoon having lost her virginity, and she informs Rory that the sex she had with Zach was traumatically painful. This scene is played for laughs, a bizarre choice that already puts me on edge, but the punchline is that Lane becomes pregnant from this unpleasant experience and feels compelled to carry this pregnancy to term. After spending years establishing Lane as a bright, rebellious young woman who yearns for independence after a strict traditional upbringing, Gilmore Girls dashed her ambitions in favor of motherhood that she resented before her baby was even born.

"That's What You Get, Folks, For Makin' Whoopee" Shows Why Gilmore Girls Season 7 Is The Weakest

Lane’s Inexplicable Fate Seems Precision-Engineered To Upset Fans

While not every character needs to have a happy ending, the outcome of Lane’s story seems designed to be as upsetting as possible. This is a show that, after the heroine slept with a married Dean in one of Rory’s worst Gilmore Girls moments, went out of its way to clarify that Dean ended up content and happy in the revival. In contrast, Lane loses touch with her music and ends up becoming a beleaguered, unfulfilled mother with an immature partner in her final appearances.

Lane gradually turns into a clone of her bitter, close-minded mother as this plot progresses, a revelation that the show plays for laughs but that lands more in the realm of tragedy. Gilmore Girls pulled off some intentionally devastating moments throughout its run, but depicting this storyline as anything other than a deeply sad situation makes it the worst plot in the show’s history. As a result, I’d tell anyone re-watching Gilmore Girls to skip this one.