Rewatching Gilmore Girls today showcases many of the biggest issues with both Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory (Alexis Bledel), especially in their romantic relationships. While the TV show was about the relationship between the mother and daughter, the way they related to their boyfriends and partners throughout the series exemplified their deeper complications as characters. Though A Year in the Life, the short-lived Gilmore Girls revival was controversial for fans and audiences, it did address some of the characters' flaws that couldn't be ignored after the finale.
There are plenty of Gilmore Girls, and the best part of A Year in the Life is that the revival doesn't shy away from these problems. While she's a beloved character for a reason, Lorelai's issues are a large part of what fuels the conflict and action in Gilmore Girls. This makes for great TV, but it's just as exciting to see her evolve and realize how she can change to achieve the happiness she's been seeking. A Year in the Life allows her to address the problems she's been avoiding.
Lorelai's Fear Of Commitment Was One Of Her Biggest Problems Throughout Gilmore Girls
There's No Question That Lorelai Sabotaged Many Of Her Relationships
Most fans agree that Luke and Lorelai had to be endgame in Gilmore Girls, but the road to get there was difficult. From the early episodes, it's clear that Lorelai struggles to commit to any romantic relationships because of her desire for consistency in Rory's life.
However, the deeper reason is her fear of being hurt, rejected, and not accepted for who she is because of the distance between her and her parents in her upbringing. This anxiety causes problems for Lorelai in every relationship, seeing her end things with almost everyone she gets involved with.
Unfortunately, breaking out of this cycle is almost impossible for her throughout the series.
Luke (Scott Patterson) waited a long time for Lorelai to see him and see their relationship's potential, and even when they were on track, Lorelai sabotaged their future at the end of season 6. Lorelai has moments of clarity, and she's not completely oblivious to her actions. Unfortunately, breaking out of this cycle is almost impossible for her throughout the series. In some relationships, like with Max (Scott Cohen), she wasn't in love. However, even with Luke, she struggled to understand why she couldn't go the distance, frustrating herself and audiences.
Gilmore Girls' Original Ending Doesn't Do Enough To Address Lorelai's Relationship Issues
In The Original Series Finale, Lorelai Doesn't Face Her Deepest Issues
Though Luke and Lorelai do end up together in the Gilmore Girls series finale, the patterns that Lorelai perpetuates throughout the show and her self-destructive actions are never directly addressed. Season 7 is almost as hotly debated as A Year in the Life, since the show's creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino, exited the series, and many of the plot and character development in the final season felt starkly different from the other installments. Luke and Lorelai slowly repair their relationship after she ends things with Christopher (David Sutcliffe), but they don't touch upon the root cause of their breakup.
One Forgotten A Year In The Life Character Highlights How Different Gilmore Girls' Revival Was (& Not Just For Rory)
Although they are often forgotten about entirely, one A Year in the Life character perfectly illustrates the Gilmore Girls revival's problems.
When Luke and Lorelai have their romantic moment at the end of season 7, it's implied that they get back together and pick up where they left off, but there's no guarantee that they'll stay together. Neither of them has changed very much, especially Lorelai, and the fact that she left him for Christopher at the start of the season isn't properly explored and hashed out. One of the reasons that Lorelai went off with Christopher is that she knows their relationship will never work, and committing to Luke was a real emotional risk.
A Year In The Life Properly Addresses Lorelai's Commitment Problem, 9 Years Later
This Is One Of The Main Reasons To Watch A Year In The Life
The best aspects of A Year in the Life is the development of Lorelai's character and the fact that the trajectory of her relationship with Luke is realistic. Though they've been together for a long time, when we catch up with them, the fact that they still haven't gotten married and Lorelai still has one foot out the door speaks volumes. While marriage isn't the only way to commit to someone, Lorelai has put their relationship in a holding pattern since the Gilmore Girls series finale, and A Year in the Life forces her to grapple with this.
DID YOU KNOW: Sheman-Palladino knew that she had to take on the intricacies of Lorelai's commitment issues and her dynamic with Luke for A Year in the Life to hit home.
Gilmore Girls, which is part of the reason it wasn't as well-received. However, the emotional journeys that both Lorelai and her mother, Emily (Kelly Bishop), go on throughout A Year in the Life are some of their best moments throughout both series. Sheman-Palladino knew that she had to take on the intricacies of Lorelai's commitment issues and her dynamic with Luke for A Year in the Life to hit home, since the finale of Gilmore Girls sweeps this problem under the rug.
While it's frustrating to see Lorelai continue to give Luke a hard time and play with the possibility of her leaving him again, A Year in the Life had to include this. In the wake of her father's death, Lorelai is forced to come face-to-face with her own mortality and realizes that she's safe with Luke, and the risk of a relationship is outweighed by the reward. It's incredibly satisfying to see her grow in this way, and viewers needed her to be honest about her issues for the revival to have narrative weight.
The Gilmore Girls Revival May Give Lorelai Closure, But It Sees Rory Repeating Her Mistakes
Though Lorelai Grows As A Character, Rory's Arc Is Much More Tragic
In some ways, undid Rory's character development, but it also holds true to the problems she perpetuates throughout Gilmore Girls. Though Rory's commitment issues manifest differently, they're not unlike the patterns we see Lorelai follow throughout the show. Due to her relationship with her father and watching Lorelai freeze in the face of real emotional vulnerability over Rory's entire life, she doesn't have a good model for what a healthy relationship is. This is part of why she continues to cheat in A Year in the Life and treats her off-screen boyfriend terribly.
Rory's Gilmore Girls Ending Is Actually Perfect — Even Though I'll Always Be Team Jess
After Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life, fans were left asking: Who does Rory end up with?
The generational patterns that follow the mother and daughter, and the parallels between them, are a huge part of Gilmore Girls. As an adult, Rory still hasn't shed her childlike view of romance and holds onto the belief that she's uniquely talented and worthy of special treatment. Looking back on how she moves through the world in Gilmore Girls, it's unsurprising that she behaves this way in A Year in the Life. Since Lorelai only just realized her problems in middle age, it's likely that Rory still has a long way to go.
Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
Gilmore Girls (2000–2007) |
N/A |
87% |
Gilmore Girls
- Release Date
- 2000 - 2007-00-00
- Network
- The WB
- Writers
- Amy Sherman-Palladino
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