At first, Gilmore Girls fans knew Lane Kim as Rory Gilmore's best friend. They attended Stars Hollow High together, Rory helped Lane hide her true hobbies from her strict mother, and they chatted about music, crushes, and their lives.
As viewers got to know Lane more, her music dreams and inner life came to the surface. Whether changing into cooler clothes on the way to school, hiding records under her bedroom floorboards, or dating secretly, Lane always had a lot going on. But while fans loved Rory's creative and cool best friend, only some of her storylines were compelling and enjoyable.
Best: When She Felt Neglected By Rory And Touched Her Crush's Hair
In the season 1episode "Love and War and Snow," Lane felt like Rory was neglecting their friendship, and it was a tricky moment for both of them. She touched her crush's hair and was comforted by Lorelai.
This was one of Lane's best story arcs, as she told Rory that she didn't like being ignored just because she was so happy in her new relationship with Dean. This kept the lines of communication open between the friends and they realized that they had to put more effort into hanging out more. It was nice to see Lane being honest and open about her feelings and letting Rory know that something was wrong.
Worst: When She Worried Her Mom Was Sending Her Away
At the beginning of the second season, Lane's mom gives her a ticket to Korea, and since the ticket was one-way, Lane wondered if this wasn't just a summer trip and she was going to move there permanently.
Lane always had to follow her family's rules but this wasn't one of her best storylines. Instead, it suggested a big problem between her and her mother: they didn't talk very often. Why couldn't Lane ask her mom what was going on and how long she was going to be visiting relatives?
Best: When She ed A Band
Lane's band Hep Alien was a lot of fun for Gilmore Girls fans to watch and it was wonderful to see Lane following her dreams. After years of hiding music under the floorboards in her bedroom, she was finally creating her own sound, and it meant so much to her.
She put a lot of effort into finding some bandmates to make music with. It was also a huge deal since she had been keeping this part of herself secret from her family. This was one of the best things that Lane ever did, and it was inspiring to watch.
Worst: When She Got Married And Had Kids At Such A Young Age
Rory's life might have been pretty messy in the Netflix revival A Year In The Life, but Lane's was moving in a fairly traditional direction by the sixth and seventh seasons.
She married Zach and they had twin boys, and they settled down while they were still very young. While they were clearly in love and it was cool that Lane had finally found her soulmate, many fans wondered why Lane couldn't have had another storyline to close out her time on the show. It would have made more sense to see her traveling and making her own music instead of being tied down in Stars Hollow.
Best: When Her Mom Learned About Her Secret Life And Kicked Her Out
Lane always rebelled against her mother and it seemed like Mrs. Kim would never learn that Lane was keeping records and trendy clothing hidden in her bedroom.
Of course, she found out after Lane went off to play with her band in season 4, and it created a lot of drama. She told Lane to stop living at home, and this was one of the greatest story arcs for her character, as it was difficult but necessary. It was good for Lane to be on her own and away from the rigid rules she had been living with.
Worst: When Her Relationship With Henry Turned To Disaster
If Rory had never gone to Chilton, maybe she wouldn't have gotten into Yale. She experienced so many ups and downs at this fancy school and it was also because of Rory's private education that Lane met one of her love interests.
Lane met Henry at a Chilton party, and the two characters really liked each other in the first and second seasons of the show. They mostly chatted on the phone, since they weren't able to see each other in person, and Rory helped them talk to each other. It was very romantic and sweet, but unfortunately, Henry broke up with Lane as he couldn't take the secrecy anymore.
Best: When She Dated Dave In Secret And Then Things Went Better Than She Thought
Lane was head over heels for Dave and the two dated in secret until Mrs. Kim learned about them. As it turned out, Lane's mom loved Dave, as she assumed he was a religious musician.
Many fans also adored Dave as he was charming and kind. It wasn't always obvious that things could work out between him and Lane, since they weren't being completely open, but it was good to see Lane in a happy and healthy relationship. She had lived in Rory's shadow since forever and it was a good reminder that Rory wasn't the only person who could have a love life.
Worst: When Her Mom Convinced Her To Go To College, Then She Left
It always seemed like Lane would finish high school and keep going after her musical dreams.
While music continued to be something that she cared deeply about, her mom wanted her to go to Seventh-day Adventist college, and so she went. This wasn't a great story arc for Lane, as this wasn't a path that she wanted to go down, and she ended up leaving early. It felt like yet another example of Lane living her mother's life instead of her own.
Best: When Lane Worked At Luke's Diner And Impressed Him
Many episodes of Gilmore Girls had Luke's diner as a main setting and it always seemed like the best place to sit down, have some coffee and pie (or a burger), and chat with the other residents of this charming small town.
In the season 4 episode "The Nanny and the Professor," Lane started working at Luke's diner and he was amazed and impressed by how good she was at the job. It was nice to see Lane excelling as the attention was often on how smart and capable Rory was, and now Stars Hollow was getting a chance to know Lane, too.
Worst: When Lane Said She Liked Zack And He Couldn't Handle It At First
There are reasons to root for Lane and Zack, but they didn't have a great start to their romance.
In the fifth season, Lane told him that she liked him as more than a friend and bandmate. He couldn't deal with it at first and it took a few episodes to it that he felt the same way. This was one of the worst story arcs that Lane could have had. She was an incredibly cool, smart, and special person, and she deserved someone who knew how they felt immediately. It seemed to suggest that things might not be so smooth between them, and that was a shame.