In the wake of the Gilmore Girls revival, there have been many stories picking apart every piece of the show. However, there is one aspect that has been completely overlooked: Amy Sherman-Palladino's drawn out destruction of Rory.
ASP always wrote Rory with the intention of her being different from typical female characters on TV. A point she still stresses today. Rory was focused on reading, her academics, getting a great career. She was not supposed to be framed by her relationships with men, but that is EXACTLY what ended up happening. This starts as early as the pilot episode when Rory meets Dean, an act that sets off an argument between her and Lorelei and put Rory on the course to be every other typical female TV character.
So I have to ask, why, ASP? Why?
Do not read this as an "in defense of Rory" piece, because it is far from that. Rory is the worst. But she didn't have to be. ASP held Rory's fate in her hands, yet instead of turning her into a brilliant young woman that embraced her quirky differences and chose to stand out from the crowd, she turned her into a whiny spoiled brat that even her own mother couldn't stomach at times.
The beginning of the end
Rory meets Dean. This starts off innocent enough. He's an outsider, has good hair, he's athletic, and intelligent, which are things that make him a good fit for Rory, yet different enough for her to grow. Things start to go bad after they get back together and Dean's hidden jealous streak comes out when he doesn't trust Rory around Tristan. Ugh. Really? This was unnecessary drama that put our attention DIRECTLY ON HER BOYFRIENDS!
Solution: Rory gets into a literary rap battle with Paris. Paris would have owned her, but at least the attention would be on Rory's rhyming talents and not her men.
The spiral into commonality continues
Yes, bring in the 'bad boy.' Jess wears a leather jacket, listens to loud music, and is mouthy, so this clearly makes him.... every. teen. ever. Adding in more man drama for Rory continues to put our attention on that and not on her. Yes, there was a Harvard interview here, school stress there, but it was never the focus of the viewers attention.
Solution: Rory still breaks up with Dean (he was so wimpy by now) and Jess turns into her beatnik friend that she goes to slam poetry meetings with. Leave out the caveman chest beating battle of Dean and Jess and life goes on.
The end. Aka, Logan
Please note that the original idea of Rory was long gone by the time she met Logan. But there was no turning back for Rory after she became surrounded by the glitter that is Logan and the Life and Death Brigade. And there was no turning back for the viewers, either. Fast forward to her being taken care of by his family money and now being pregnant with his child. ASP - WHY!?!?!
Solution: Rory is a normal college student who has normal college student issues. Stick to more kegs and naked kids in the hall and stay away from jumping off of platforms in formal wear and jet setting.
For the record
What is the purpose of Rory needing to repeat Lorelei's life? This is the biggest offense to Rory being a smart and independent woman! Rory is supposed to be smart enough to make her own life choices and decisions, yet ASP decides to write her to be living Lorelei's life?
