This year on Thanksgiving, loyal fans of the Gilmore Girls series had much to be thankful for. Nearly a decade after bidding adieu to our favorite residents of Stars Hallow, show creator Amy Sherman-Palladino opened the town gates and welcomed us back into the wondrous world of Friday night dinners, love-triangles, over-caffeination, and limitless junk food. It might be a small town, but Stars Hallow has the biggest heart, and it is one that we missed so very much.
A plethora of fan theories have been circulating on the Internet ever since news broke of the revival, but did Sherman-Palladino's four 90 minute episodes fall below par, or exceed our wildest dreams? It's fair to say that several questions were answered and many doors were closed - or opened and then closed, in Emily's case - and the revival was beautiful and tastefully implemented. But there is still no denying the fact that the final four words of the series, a phrase fans have always been promised and have had the highest hopes about for years on end, introduced a startling and slightly unsettling yet oddly satisfying cliffhanger that only few could have predicted.
[Major spoilers ahead]
After wedding her beloved Luke in true Lorelai fashion - a spontaneous and intimate ceremony in the town square - Lorelai and Rory sat in the gazebo admiring the loveliness that is Stars Hallow, a unique gem that has felt like home for Gilmore Girls fans ever since 2000. And thus, in enjoying Lorelai's storyline come to a gratifying close, it became clear that only minutes of the revival remained, and fans realized that Rory's final suitor would not be revealed. So this is it. It must be time for the end.
Anticipation was rising and suspense was building. Personally, I was sitting inches away from my laptop and sweating profusely (sorry for the visual). The final four words. It's finally time. I won't lie, I've flirted with the idea of the series ending with a brand new Gilmore in the picture. Perhaps the final words would take us even further into the future in a delivery room with Rory and Logan, and Rory telling Lorelai, "Mom, it's a girl."
I wasn't far off, but to Sherman-Palladino's credit, it was much more obvious and not as subtle as I had predicted. In a truly shocking conclusion, it all ends with Rory saying, "Mom?" Lorelai responding, "Yeah?" and Rory finally revealing, "I'm pregnant." As Lorelai's mouth dropped and the credits rolled to our favorite theme song, our brains instantaneously flooded with inquiries. Logan? Jess? Wookie boy? Paulr/Peter/Pete/Patrick? Who is Rory's baby daddy, and are we ever going to find out?
While these questions may remained unaddressed (hopefully temporarily), we can temporarily comfort our confusion by creating an alternative ending! So Amy, if you're reading, here are four other ways the four final words could have drawn the Gilmore Girls franchise to a close.
1. "I love you, Ace" - Logan
2. "Oy with the poodles" - Lorelai
3. "Will you marry me?" - Logan
4. "I love you, Kid" - Lorelai
No explanations needed! In the back of my mind I knew that Sherman-Palladino likely always had big plans and would want to go out with a bang, but I secretly hoped it would all end with a quirky yet obviously lovable Lorelai line, or an end to Rory's love triangle granting closure from her last separation with Logan. Nonetheless, whatever happens next and whatever more Sherman-Palladino gives us in the future - if at all - one thing will always remain certain...
Where the Gilmore Girls lead, we will always follow.
