(SPOILERS AHEAD)
Hopefully by now, all Gilmore Girls fans have had the chance to watch Netflix's Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life and are on the way to rewatching the four-episode revival (possibly for the third or fourth time). We laughed, we cried (boy, did we cry), and even indulged our sweet tooth by eating like a Gilmore while watching. We were all waiting for the finale though, where we will finally hear the final four words that writer Amy Sherman-Palladino had planned for the show.
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After almost a decade of journalists and fans badgering Amy Sherman-Palladino on those fated last words, we received them:
Rory: Mom?
Lorelai: Yeah?
Rory: I'm pregnant.
Boom. (Or copper boom?) Every fan's jaw hit the floor, our mouths wide open and in utter shock. My mom and I stared at each other and then grabbed the remote to rewatch the final conversation. How? What? Why?
I was torn, frozen on the couch unsure on how I felt. I moved through the house in a daze. I could not stop thinking about those four words!
In order to process these final four words, I realized I had to work through the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Yes, this may be a bit extreme for dealing with fictional characters, but us Gilmore Girls fans know it's more than a show.
Here are all the thoughts and emotions that I experienced after watching the finale, and I'm sure I'm not alone on them.
Denial
Rory can't actually be pregnant, I must have misheard her. Let's rewind. Nope, still ends with her being pregnant. Maybe she's mistaken?
Anger
How dare Amy Sherman-Palladino make Rory pregnant? She was just starting to get comfortable with life without Logan (assuming Logan is the father). We trusted Sherman-Palladino to give our beloved characters a nice "they lived happily ever after," and now we're dropped with this bomb!? Why would you have Rory say these words to her mom on her wedding day? I know both Gilmore girls tend to be impulsive and even a bit selfish, but come on. This isn't a good look for Rory, let her mother have her day.
Also, please note that Amy Sherman-Palladino would have used these four words years ago when Rory was 22 and fresh out of college. Amy, you were willing to stop Rory from living her own life and pursuing her journalistic dreams, thanks to all of Lorelai's sacrifices, just to make things go full circle? Not okay.
Bargaining
Okay, maybe I can deal with Rory being pregnant, I do appreciate the full circle sentiment now, but you have to give us more episodes then so we can know more details about this situation.
Depression
(Noting that this word is a bit extreme for this situation.)
I can't believe it's over, and this is what we're given as closure. It's not closure. My heart hurts from all the emotions (or maybe that's because of all the coffee, Pop-Tarts, ice cream and pizza from our viewing party).
Acceptance
It is what it is, and it sure is special. Although I would be more than happy to welcome a season two of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, it isn't necessarily needed. Yes, I really want to know what happens to Rory and the baby, and find out who the dad actually is, but ending it this way does make sense. The show, at its core, has always been about the Gilmore Girls, Lorelai and Rory- mother and daughter and best friends. Now we know that the next Gilmore generation is here, and that mother-child relationship will continue on.
These final four words were nothing like anything I expected. I was thinking it was going to be sweet last few lines, like "Mom, I love you" or "You're my best friend, kid." But I was selling Amy Sherman-Palladino short with that.
I'll be honest, I was fine with the ending in season seven. Sure, it wasn't Sherman-Palladino, but it was sweet leaving Rory off to explore the real world, but enjoying one last night with Lorelai in Luke's coffee.
But that was tame. Rory announcing her pregnancy was not. Sherman-Palladino knows that the Gilmore girls are anything but tame. They deserve an ending that will make you think and wonder about their future.
Even if we don't get to find out more about the future, we'll always be cheering on the Gilmore Girls.
