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.
an image of taylor swift standing center stage surrounded by her backup dancers in elegant peacock esque outfits with a backdrop of clouds and a box rising above the stage the image captures the vibrant aesthetics and energy of her performance during the lover era of her eras tour
StableDiffusion

A three-and-a-half-hour runtime. Nine Eras. Eleven outfit changes. Three surprise songs. Zero breaks. One unforgettable evening. In the past century, no other performer has put on an electric performance quite like Taylor Swift, surpassing her fans ‘wildest dreams’. It is the reason supporters keep coming back to her shows each year. Days later, I’m still in awe of the spectacle ‘Miss Americana’ puts on every few days in a new city. And, like one of Taylor’s exes, has me smiling as I reminisce about the memories of the night we spent together.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

These powerful lyrics remind us how much good is inside each of us and that sometimes we are too blinded by our imperfections to see the other side of the coin, to see all of that good.

80702
Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

The song was sent to me late in the middle of the night. I was still awake enough to plug in my headphones and listen to it immediately. I always did this when my best friend sent me songs, never wasting a moment. She had sent a message with this one too, telling me it reminded her so much of both of us and what we have each been through in the past couple of months.

Keep Reading...Show less
Zodiac wheel with signs and symbols surrounding a central sun against a starry sky.

What's your sign? It's one of the first questions some of us are asked when approached by someone in a bar, at a party or even when having lunch with some of our friends. Astrology, for centuries, has been one of the largest phenomenons out there. There's a reason why many magazines and newspapers have a horoscope page, and there's also a reason why almost every bookstore or library has a section dedicated completely to astrology. Many of us could just be curious about why some of us act differently than others and whom we will get along with best, and others may just want to see if their sign does, in fact, match their personality.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

20 Song Lyrics To Put A Spring Into Your Instagram Captions

"On an island in the sun, We'll be playing and having fun"

8747
Person in front of neon musical instruments; glowing red and white lights.
Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash

Whenever I post a picture to Instagram, it takes me so long to come up with a caption. I want to be funny, clever, cute and direct all at the same time. It can be frustrating! So I just look for some online. I really like to find a song lyric that goes with my picture, I just feel like it gives the picture a certain vibe.

Here's a list of song lyrics that can go with any picture you want to post!

Keep Reading...Show less
Chalk drawing of scales weighing "good" and "bad" on a blackboard.
WP content

Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.

We are all born to do something great. Whether that be to grow up and become a doctor and save the lives of thousands of people, run a marathon, win the Noble Peace Prize, or be the greatest mother or father for your own future children one day. Regardless, we are all born with a purpose. But in between birth and death lies a path that life paves for us; a path that we must fill with something that gives our lives meaning.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments