We Need To Talk About Rory Gilmore & The Gilmore Girls Revival | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

We Need To Talk About Rory Gilmore & The Gilmore Girls Revival

Warning: Spoilers Ahead

50
We Need To Talk About Rory Gilmore & The Gilmore Girls Revival
Houston Chronicle

Warning: If you have not watched Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life yet, I'd hit that back button real fast if I were you.


I used to live for weeknights with my mother, huddled around the television in the kitchen as we waited for the latest episode of Gilmore Girls to air. She was my Lorelai, just a little bit older and less full of coffee.

So, naturally, summer 2016 was spent binge watching the series in between pool hopping and late night Eat N’ Park runs with my friends. Every episode, all seven seasons consumed in a mere three months as I prepared myself for Netflix’s upcoming revival. I let myself become awfully personally invested so, naturally, these last few months were spent in agony as I let my mind wander over where the Gilmore’s lives would be ten years later.

So was I excited this Thanksgiving? Yes.

Was I thankful for the opportunity to tag along on one last caffeine fueled year with Lorelai and Rory? Of course.

And how did I feel about the revival?

Insanely disappointed.

Here is where the spoilers start, so if you haven’t heeded my warning I suggest you back out now if you haven’t gotten a chance to binge watch A Year In The Life yet.

I wouldn’t necessarily call the whole thing predictable, as I certainly did not see some of it coming. Lorelai and Luke’s story ended exactly as I assumed it would, with Lorelai almost screwing everything up but then fixing it and casually changing up everyone’s plans at the end of the day to make things work for herself. I never really held Lorelai Gilmore accountable for her selfishness throughout the series until now, when not knowing what she wanted began to affect Rory’s life as well.

Which brings me to our dear Rory Gilmore, the cause of my heightened anxiety as the credits began to roll and I realized just how cheated I felt.

So, Rory, I just have to ask:

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!

When we left Rory, she was on her way to work for ‘Senator' Obama’s campaign. She had a job, she loved what she was working towards and she had left her relationship with trust-fund baby Logan Huntzberger behind. And now, ten years later she has regressed. She is not the Rory Gilmore that we once knew. The girl in this revival is honestly a complete and utter mess.

The last time we saw Rory this lost, she was getting arrested and dropping out of Yale. But, like any true Gilmore, she got herself back on track and pulled through. She worked hard and was rewarded with success. She had always worked hard, ever since she was younger. She took the route Lorelai had chosen to stray from, graduating top of her class from a prestigious private school and then from Yale University as well. She took advantage of the opportunities she was given and was thankful for each and every one of them. While seeing Rory lost, once again, may make her seem human, it just does not seem right.

Rory spent her entire life worshipping her mother, but knowing not to follow too closely in her footsteps. And then we find ourselves at the end of the revival, Rory in the same place as Lorelai: unable to let go of the guy with bad timing and about to become a single parent. I understand the metaphor behind this, I think that we all do. She is her mother’s child, and Gilmore women are strong. They can do anything, and overcome any odds. But for Rory to have worked as hard as she did to be left at the end of the revival with no job or plan? That did her complex and dedicated character absolutely no justice. If those four words were what Amy Sherman-Palladino has been saving all of these years then I am surprised, as it almost seems like she doesn’t know her characters at all. Rory Gilmore deserved more than an uncertain future. Lorelai deserved more than to watch her daughter battle with the same avoidable issues she previously faced. And us fans deserved more than an open ended second series finale that left us with more questions than answers.

I have no doubt that Rory Gilmore can conquer anything. Growing up, she was my role model. She made me proud to love books and thankful to have my mother as a best friend. No matter where Sherman-Palladino placed her on the path of life, I feel that she will touch greatness at some point. I believe just as much as Richard Gilmore did that she is destined for it.

I don’t know if I’ll ever be ok with how it ended, but I’m still glad that I got to watch it. I missed the town, the characters, and everything in between. The Gilmore Girls will always be the best of the best to me, and some very powerful female role models. I just can't help but feel slighted in the end, as Rory's outcome made me question my own. Where will I be in ten years? Will I be able to find a job after spending all of this money to attend the private university of my choice? While I have found someone or will I still be hung up on the same boy who already broke my heart? She became less of a role model and more of what fans who grew up with her might see as their future nightmare. If Rory Gilmore can't do it, how can we?

And, thanks to that cut-off ending, we'll have to wait to watch our own futures unfold like episodes in a series to find our own answers to these questions. If this revival taught us anything, it is that nothing is for sure and nothing is forever. And at lease we can accept that as the Gilmore Girls' final lesson to us true and devoted fans.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
friends
Photo by Elizeu Dias on Unsplash

If I have learned one thing in my lifetime, it is that friends are a privilege. No one is required to give you their company and yet there is some sort of shared connection that keeps you together. And from that friendship, you may even find yourself lucky enough to have a few more friends, thus forming a group. Here are just a few signs that prove your current friend group is the ultimate friend group.

Keep Reading...Show less
ross and monica
FanPop

When it comes to television, there’s very few sets of on-screen siblings that a lot of us can relate to. Only those who have grown up with siblings knows what it feels like to fight, prank, and love a sibling. Ross and Monica Geller were definitely overbearing and overshared some things through the series of "Friends," but they captured perfectly what real siblings feel in real life. Some of their antics were funny, some were a little weird but all of them are completely relatable to brothers and sisters everywhere.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Types Of Sorority Girls

Who really makes up your chapter...

2316
Sorority Girls
Owl Eyes Magazine

College is a great place to meet people, especially through Greek life. If you look closely at sororities, you'll quickly see there are many different types of girls you will meet.

1. The Legacy.

Her sister was a member, her mom was a member, all of her aunts were members, and her grandma was a member. She has been waiting her whole life to wear these letters and cried hysterically on bid day. Although she can act entitled at times, you can bet she is one of the most enthusiastic sisters.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

10 Reasons Why Life Is Better In The Summertime

Winter blues got you down? Summer is just around the corner!

1962
coconut tree near shore within mountain range
Photo by Elizeu Dias on Unsplash

Every kid in college and/or high school dreams of summer the moment they walk through the door on the first day back in September. It becomes harder and harder to focus in classes and while doing assignments as the days get closer. The winter has been lagging, the days are short and dark, and no one is quite themselves due to lack of energy and sunlight. Let's face it: life is ten times better in the summertime.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

10 Things That Describe You and Your College Friends

The craziest, funniest, and most unforgettable college memories are impossible to create without an amazing group of friends.

1555
College Friends
Marina Lombardi

1. You'll never run out of clothes when you have at least four closets to choose from.

2. You embrace and encourage each other’s horrible, yet remarkable dance moves.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments