Warning: Spoilers for Gilmore Girls ahead!
Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects Gilmore Girls is the series’ portrayal of complex and subtle life decisions. Gilmore Girls filled with significant events in the lives of all the main characters. The series’ story suggests a series of broken engagements, cheating scandals, last-minute college decisions and more, all of which play into the show’s conclusion. Some of these choices were made as a result of years of character development, while others were simply mistakes made out of pure impulse.
After my annual review Gilmore GirlsI can’t help but wonder about some of these points in Gilmore for girls seven seasons, considering some could have easily been avoided. If different decisions had been made, some characters in Gilmore Girls could lead completely different lives, creating all sorts of interesting “what if” scenarios.
10
When Rory Almost Got into Harvard Instead of Yale
All her life, Rory wanted to go to Harvard.
If Rory Gilmore had gone to Harvard University, her lifelong dream school, her role on the show would have looked very different. If Rory had gone to Harvard, she would never have developed a close friendship with Paris Gellar (Liza Weil) after graduation. She would also never have met her last boyfriend, Logan, whom she is still dating many years later. Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. Although Yale gave Rory two very important novels, it also changed the course of her life in potentially negative ways.
Logan Huntzberger’s father, Mitchum, is a powerful media mogul who gives Rory a local internship after learning of her journalism aspirations. Even though he gave her this opportunity, he also told her that she “it just wasn’t there” make a career in journalism. If she hadn’t gone to Yale and dated Logan, I think Rory could have continued her journalism career at Harvard if not for her family’s influence.and without harsh criticism from Mitchum. At the same time, if it weren’t for Rory at Yale, Paris might never have met Doyle, whom she would later marry, and Logan Huntzberger might have become a playboy for life.
9
When Lorelai Almost Marries Max Medina
If Lorelai had married Max, she would never have realized her feelings for Luke.
Lorelai Gilmore dated Rory’s teacher at Chilton Academy, Max Medina. When he first proposes to her, partly out of jealousy over her friendship with Luke, Lorelai, in her typical fashion, dives into long-winded, hyperbolic explanations of what a proper proposal should look like, including “A thousand yellow daisies.” To make up for his hasty proposal, Max literally plants 1,000 yellow daisies all over the town of Stars Hollow, including Lorelai’s workplace at the Independence Inn.
This grand gesture ultimately wins Lorelai over and she accepts his proposal, but later abruptly cuts him off. While I thought this breakup was devastating, it also gave way to Lorelai’s strongest relationship on the show, her later romance with Luke Danes (Scott Patterson). Luke has been a wonderful friend to Lorelai and father to Rory for a long time, and if Lorelai married Max, and she may not have found her way back to Luke after all. On Luke’s part, he could have stayed in a loveless marriage with Nicole or remained a single man living above his diner.
8
When Christopher returns to Sherry because she is pregnant
Lorelai could have married Christopher much earlier if he had not returned to Sherry.
Christopher Hayden, Rory’s father, has a difficult relationship with Lorelai. When Lorelai becomes pregnant with Rory, her family insists on supporting them while she marries Christopher. Feeling the pressure, Lorelai flees to Stars Hollow, moving up the Independence Hotel and finding support among the townspeople. The pair reunite in season two when Christopher vows to be a more present father to Rory, and his newfound desire to get his life in order attracts Lorelai.
As their relationship progresses, his ex-girlfriend Sherry calls Christopher while he is with Lorelai to inform him that she is pregnant. Regretting not raising Rory, Christopher immediately decides not to make the same mistake and returns to Sherry. If Sherry hadn’t been pregnant, I still think Christopher and Lorelai would be a bad couple despite their history. Although Christopher and Lorelai were briefly married later in the series, I think a marriage at this point in the series would have resulted in a much more volatile and meaningful breakup, given that Rory was still in high school.
7
When Jess goes to California
If Jess had stayed in Stars Hollow, he could have ended up with Rory, but with less character development
Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia) comes to Stars Hollow as a troubled teenager from New York. His mother sends him to live with his uncle Luke Danes in a small town to straighten him out. Despite his rebellious tendencies, he is very intelligent and demonstrates literary prowess, apart from his poor school attendance. His interest in literature and willingness to understand Rory is what draws her to him – while she is still dating her first boyfriend, Dean Forester (Jared Padalecki), causing them to break up.
After Rory begins a relationship with Jess, he supports her Ivy League dreams and initially enjoys spending time with her. However, she quickly realizes that his lack of respect for his future and ultimately lack of effort in their relationship are deal breakers. When Jess’s father tracks him down to Stars Hollow, Jess leaves for California to meet him, leaving Rory behind on graduation day. Jess returns to Stars Hollow a year later to confess her feelings for Rory.
If Jess hadn’t gone to California, the couple might have ended up together since Rory wouldn’t have pursued Logan to Yale instead, and the couple might have ended up on the same emotional playing field. However, Jess’s time in California also provided much-needed character development as Years later, he returns to the East Coast as a published author living a stable life in Philadelphia. If he had never left, he would have remained deeply emotionally immature and would never have realized his dreams of becoming a writer, a trait that Rory retains due to her lack of perspective.
6
When Logan proposes to Rory before Yale graduation
If Rory had said yes to his proposal, she would have had a happier ending.
When Rory and Logan are about to graduate from Yale and Logan has the opportunity to continue working at his tech company in San Francisco, he proposes to Rory and encourages her to join him in California to start her own career in journalism. Rory ultimately turns down the offer as she does not want to make any commitments after graduation and wants to have the opportunity to advance in her career. “wide open” and is not attached to Logan and his family.
How do viewers learn from A year in the lifeRory’s career is unstable and unstable, and she struggles to maintain meaningful relationships. Years later, she is still having an affair with Logan, despite his engagement to someone else. If Rory had accepted this offer, I think she would have been more successful and lived a more fulfilling life. With Logan’s family connections and a change of scenery, Rory could have a chance at the success she always sabotages.
5
When Luke divorces Nicole
Luke might agree to her
After a neighbor’s dispute with grumpy town deputy Taylor Doozy, Doozy hires a lawyer to settle it. That lawyer is Nicole Leahy, who begins a relationship with Luke that ends in a drunken wedding on a cruise ship. Although the couple tries to mend their relationship, it is obvious that Luke still loves Lorelai, and his marriage to Nicole ultimately falls apart when she cheats on him. If Nicole hadn’t cheated, I think Luke might have tried to deal with her due to his honor and stubborn nature. which would prevent him from ultimately finding happiness.
If his character hadn’t gone through a divorce and figured out what he really wanted from his relationship with Lorelai, the show’s most beloved couple would never have become.
Luke’s divorce was also another sign that his relationship with Lorelai, at that point platonic, had always been his priority. If his character hadn’t gone through a divorce and figured out what he really wanted from his relationship with Lorelai, the show’s most beloved couple would never have become.
4
If Lorelai had never asked her parents to fund Rory’s education at Chilton
Friday night dinners are one of the hallmarks of the show.
The show begins with Rory entering the prestigious Chilton Academy, where tuition is very expensive. Lorelai can only cover part of the cost of tuition and is reluctant to ask her parents to help pay the expenses. Lorelai has a difficult relationship with her parents, especially her mother Emily (Kelly Bishop), who often expresses disappointment in Lorelai’s life choices, but Lorelai turns to them for Rory’s sake.
If Rory had stayed in public school, the show would have lacked character development and plot. The centerpiece of the show explores the generational trauma caused by Lorelai’s teen pregnancy and the different life she hopes to give Rory, and the Chilton era of the series exemplifies this. The series would also not have the infamous Friday night dinner scenes, which are often key moments in the show’s plot and are full of poignant dialogue.
3
If Emily and Richard had never gotten back together
The couple separated for a short period
Emily and Richard break up briefly, which ultimately allows Emily to find her purpose after feeling so connected to Richard her entire life. A breach of trust over a business decision, coupled with Emily’s frequent feeling of being overlooked, prompted a much-needed time apart. When the couple reunites and renews their vows, Rory becomes her grandfather’s best woman, where Logan Huntzberger is also present.
This wedding was a turning point in Rory and Logan’s relationship and a moment of growth for Emily and Richard. The couple’s reunion also made Richard’s death during the reunion even more devastating, but also led to the beautiful conclusion that, although Much of Emily has been defined by her marriage, her purpose extends far beyond. If this period of separation and subsequent renewal of vows had never occurred, the storyline about the strength of the Gilmore women would not have had the same impact.
2
If Dean had never married Lindsay
Dean could have kept Rory from her ambitions.
Dean had never understood Rory’s academics as much as her other boyfriends, and their breakup after Jess had been a blessing in disguise. Dean then marries his high school sweetheart Lindsay (Ariel Kebbel) at a very young age and proceeds to cheat on her with Rory, whom he has never been able to forget. In the process, they both severely wounded Lindsay, who publicly learned of their affair, which the entire town knew about.
At the same time, if Dean had never married Lindsay, there is a chance that Rory would have stayed with him and never pursued his dreams due to his fragile masculinity and jealousy issues. Although Rory was also involved in the affair, Dean’s emotional immaturity far outweighed Rory’s and I think their relationship would have taken a big toll on her life. Rory was always looking for a life partner who would support her high vision for the future, and Dean wouldn’t be that person.
1
If Jess hadn’t come to visit Rory many years later
Jess encourages Rory to return to Yale after vacation
When Rory steals a yacht with Logan on a drinking binge following Mitchum’s harsh journalistic criticism, she takes a leave of absence from Yale to complete her court-ordered community service. During this time, Rory goes to live with her grandparents in Hartford, where she helps Emily with her Daughters of the Revolution (DAR) activities and continues to date Logan. During this period when Rory is losing himself, Jess returns to Connecticut to visit Rory while he is in town to see his Uncle Luke. Jess looks much more mature than when he left Stars Hollow.
Since he has always supported Rory’s academic endeavors, he is shocked and upset that Rory dropped out of Yale and is dating Logan, who allows his ego to get the better of him when meeting Jess. In the famous dinner scene, Jess delivers a monologue that is now much quoted.
I think if Jess hadn’t swooped in and pulled Rory out of it at that point, Gilmore Girls, she could give up completely. Rory has experience dealing with criticism, but Jess remains the only person who can get through to her, making this a major turning point in the series.