The current buzz surrounding Gilmore Girls is whether the revival will get a second season or not. In 2016, fans of the series were treated to 4 episodes that sought to answer a few questions that it’s premature end in 2007 left unanswered. The miniseries on Netflix was well received by fans, who had petitioned for a comeback, maybe a reunion movie.
Majority of the original cast reunited in the reunion, allowing showrunner Amy Sherman-Palladino to finally end the series on her own terms. Still, some fans seem not to have had enough of the drama in Stars Hollow, wondering if the revival will get a second season. Netflix’s VP of original content, Cindy Holland, gave a hint that this could be a possibility, at the Television Critics Association press tour over the weekend. While she might not have directly confirmed working on the second season yet, she confirmed that everyone at the network is a big fan of Gilmore Girls.
The reception of the second series of Gilmore Girls is partly dependent on the storylines that the writers have had so far. Some saved the show while others hurt it. In Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life, a critic pointed out a few things that made fans wish that the revival was never made. Lorelai did some really un-Lorelai things, Rory was no longer interesting and there’s a chance that Jess and Rory might never get back together.
Here are 10 Storylines That Hurt The Show (And 10 That Saved It).
hurt - Christopher Inheriting Money
When Lorelai discovered she was pregnant, she refused to marry the father of the child and left her rich parents to start life on her own. In season 5, after a while away, Christopher came back to Rory’s life, after inheriting a bunch of money, offering to take care of Rory’s school fees at Yale.
This storyline was unnecessary as Christopher was hardly in Rory’s life, and suddenly had money to pay for her fees? We also had to deal with the mother going back to her rich parents for financial help, yet the story was about how she broke loose. There are better ways to find schools fees than the writers jumping on an inheritance story.
saved - Luke Becoming A Main Character
Luke played such a huge role in defining Lorelai’s life at Stars Hollow, that we cannot imagine that the role was originally supposed to be a minor female character. The first version of the story was about the female diner owner that Lorelai bantered, whom we’d probably never see again.
The network noticed that women dominated the series, so this minor female character was replaced by a major male character, Luke, who could deal with a strong woman. Just like that, Scott Patterson was hired, and he served us amazing relationship goals, becoming the best choice that Lorelai Gilmore could have ever made.
hurt - Rory Drops Out Of Yale
Despite Lorelai’s financial struggles to keep Rory in school, she dropped out. This was after Rory and Logan stole a yacht, got punished with 300 hours of community service, then got into an argument with her mum. So big was the fight that the two stopped speaking for a while, and Rory went to live in her grandparent’s pool house.
Her mother had worked hard and sought financial solutions to keep her daughter in school, while Rory worked extremely hard at Chiton just to get into Yale, only to drop out because of a rebellious phase? This storyline just did not add up, although rebellion is a teenage thing. At least, she got to do her community service while at the pool house.
saved - Rory Getting Pregnant At 32 Instead Of 22
Amy Sherman Palladino’s original plan was to get Rory pregnant right after college, at about 22 years old. She wanted the story to end to show that life repeats itself, a daughter following the mother’s footsteps. This was supposed to be an interesting ending to women so tied to each other and making slightly different choices than normal, hence it made sense to get Rory pregnant at 22. At least, a teenage mum was not considered.
That option would have been badly received by the fans. A pregnant Rory at 32, although jobless, immature and aimless, was the best of the 3 choices.
hurt - Jess Heading To California
Jess was the troubled love interest of Rory. Although he was incredibly smart, he was not academically motivated. Jess was dealing with an absentee father and a mother that didn’t show parental support, causing him to feel very alone and scared of the world. As a result, he lashed out at most people, distancing himself. This is what led to his eventual breakup with Rory.
In season 3, Jess went to California in search of his absentee father, and that was the last we saw of him. Instead, he should have remained in Stars Hollow to better develop his character, as, despite his shortcomings, he was Rory’s best ex-boyfriend.
saved - Dave Reading The Whole Bible For Lane
Lane had the most stringent and toughest mother in Stars Hollow, and Mrs. Kim rarely approved of the boys Lane liked. This meant that Dave had to do business unusual if he at all loved Lane. He had to seek Mrs. Kim’s approval, singing praises of her sandwiches, and creating an elaborate story about his parents and Bible study. (Remember Mrs. Kim was very religious).
To further prove his religious side, Dave played hymns for the Kims’ luncheon, later retrieving a pocket bible. He also read the Bible cover-to-cover in one night, something Mrs. Kim achieved only thrice. The effort paid off, and Mrs. Kim liked the young man. The story could have ended better with Lane and Dave pursuing music later in Campus and getting married.
hurt - Emily Sabotaging Luke and Lorelai
We at first liked Emily for her courage to speak her mind, making her one of the funniest characters on the show. She, however, evolved into an opinionated difficult woman, becoming very mean. The writers, however, lost it when the Emily ride took them to sabotage Luke and Lorelai’s relationship.
Convinced that Luke was not good enough for her daughter, she actively tried to stop Lorelai from pursuing the romance, scheming on how she would get Lorelai and Christopher back together. Although Lorelai was evidently happy with Luke, her mother sabotaged their relationship, leaving us with a bitter taste in our mouths.
saved - Emily And Richard Separating
Emily and Richard were relationship goals, although they were awful parents to Lorelai. They perfectly balanced each of their characters, Emily offering daily liveliness while Richard was her neurotic stable center.
Despite her manipulations, we admired a lot from the couple. Their vow renewal was perfect, their display of affection towards their granddaughter Rory was admirable when they sang at her Yale graduation party, Emily’s genuine fear of living alone after Richard suffered a heart attack and attending Lorelai’s business school graduation were a few of their best moments. Their separation was the best moment that saved the show when they realized that they could not live without each other, and Emily asked Richard to come back home. It was beautiful!
hurt - Lorelai Getting Together With Chris
Lorelai getting together with Chris was an ill-informed storyline, just like Emily’s attempt to hook up the two. After a really bad fight with Luke, Lorelai seemed to run to the most-familiar man to her, Chris, waking up in his bed. After things cooled down, Luke tried to fix things but was disappointed when his lady had slept with her ex.
The two had not actually broken up, but Lorelai thought that their relationship was over, hence why she ran to Chris. This misjudgment led to a breakup. Such a breakup annoyed the fans because Luke and Lorelai were the perfect couple. In fact, anyone who tried to get between them was hated immensely.
saved - Dave Dating Lane
As much as Dave’s disappearance hurt the show, he relationship with Lane kept us hook for most parts. Just like Jackson and Sookie, Luke and Lorelai, Emily and Richard, Dave and Lane served major relationship goals, with Dave being the perfect portrayal of how far a man can go when he’s genuinely in love.
They had a deep connection with regards to music, the cause of their instant bonding the first time they met. Dave sacrificed a lot just to spend time with Lane, even spending Thanksgiving playing hymns to Mrs. Kim, Lane’s mum, just to be around Lane. He knew that being on the bear mama’s right books would save their relationship, reading the Bible in one night and comprising an awesome speech on why Mrs. Kim would let him date her daughter. Turns out Mrs. Kim had a soft spot, and he liked Dave. Also, Dave brought out the best in Lane, causing her to dream bigger and find a way to channel her passion. They should have ended up together.
hurt - Dave Disappearing
Dave Rygalski is the guy that Lane should have ended up with. We first met him in season 3, episode 3, and he and Lane fell in love almost immediately, becoming the best couple ever. They both shared similar interests, as Dave was a nerdy gentleman that was a musical genius.
We never saw this relationship mature though, thanks to some behind-the-scenes career changes that forced Dave to disappear. On screen, Dave simply left for college in California, had a long distance relationship with Lane until they fought over the marriage jug, leading to their breakup. That’s the last we saw of him.
saved - Paris And Doyle
Paris and Doyle first crossed paths when she and Rory tried out for staff positions at the Yale Daily News. Doyle, the editor-in-chief, was impressed by Paris’ tenacity, an attraction that led to a no-strings-attached relationship when Paris lost Asher Fleming.
Although not the best couple to be around, they were good for each other, as the perfect college couple. Unfortunately, as it was revealed in Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life, they divorced. Despite being a sad ending for the two, their relationship saved the series as they were the epitome of hope. Even in the middle of their divorce, their fights were entertaining.
hurt - Rory’s relationship With Logan And Dean
Dean was Rory’s first boyfriend, before leaving Stars Hollow High School. They dated for the most part of season 1 before Dean broke it off. They later got back together, until Rory found a new love interest Jess, and they broke up again. Dean broke up with her again, proceeding to marry Lindsay. The two however remained friends, and Rory ended up losing her virginity to Dean, a married man. This did not go down well with both her mother and we the fans.
The writers then repeated the storyline despite the fan backlash, this time both Rory and Logan being unfaithful to their partners! Quite sad.
saved - Sookie And Jackson Falling In Love
Lorelai and Rory’s love lives were unpredictable and most times a mess, and Sookie and Jackson’s relationship was a much-needed break from the drama. They met as employees at the Independence Inn, constantly bickering over the quality of Jack’s produce, while still respectful of each other’s culinary abilities.
The relationship was different from most Gilmore Girls relationships. Sookie asked Jackson out, there was a third wheel in their first date, Jackson casually proposed after a commitment argument, and they got married at their workplace. These two were hilarious to watch, with funny marital fights. Overall, they were among the most stable couples in Stars Hollow.
hurt - The April Storyline
The April storyline is arguably one of the ill-conceived Gilmore Girls storylines. In season 6, fans were treated to Luke’s surprise daughter, whom he had kept secret from Lorelai. Luke and Lorelai had decided to have a relationship with no secrets, hence Luke’s decision to say mum spelled doom for the two. When their breakup coincided with April’s introduction, fans were quick to blame her for breaking up the couple.
We don’t have a problem with Luke having a child with a different woman before meeting Lorelai, but we have a problem when he remains silent, while Lorelai was open about Rory. After all, Lorelai was not the kind of person to hate a young girl who was intelligent!
saved - Rory’s Teacher Proposing To Lorelai
Max Medina and Lorelai’s relationship was a bad plot from the beginning. Nothing about this idea was exciting, putting in mind the difficult situation it put Rory in. that said, however, there was still some good about this awful choice that saved the show.
Although they never ended up married, Max proposed! This showed some level of stability and seriousness in the relationship, that could have benefited Rory. The biggest save was Max’s romantic moments, which were the best in the entire show. Although we all rooted for Luke and Lorelai to end up together, Max was the more romantic of the two.
hurt - Lorelai Dating Rory’s Teacher
Max Medina was Rory’s English teacher at Chiton in season 1. He, however, crossed the line when he began dating his student’s mother, getting engaged, breaking up and messing around again, until he got tired of the roller coaster.
This was a bad storyline as the relationship started when Rory was just a new student at Chiton, trying to fit in and having a hard time while at it. Max also gave Rory her first D. This was enough torture to the young girl, and the writers did not have to expose her to more discomfort in form of her mother’s confusing relationship with her English teacher.
saved - Jess Mariano Being Too Good For Rory
Jess Mariano was a troubled child who dated Rory, hence initially seemed like another bad boy that Rory could have dumped and termed a bad decision in her past. When the plot changed, making Jess Rory’s voice of reason, we were impressed!
Even after breaking up, he was there for her. He was mad at her when she dropped out of Yale, was the voice of encouragement when she was feeling low about her career and was always a shoulder to cry on when Rory needed one. Jess was to Rory what Luke was to Lorelai. Who would have thought? Suddenly, the bad boy had evolved and was now too good for Rory.
hurt - Lane Getting Pregnant On Her First Time
Lane was a character who the writers did not quite think about well. First, she had to deal with an overly strict mother, then got married really young right after college. This was wrong as she was an interesting girl, who had a good chance to follow her dreams to become a musician.
As if the writers had not had enough of hurting this character, they decided that she would get pregnant on her first time! The experience was awful, that she told Rory she never wanted to do it again. Married young to a man who doesn’t perform in bed? Why give such a bad ending to a very promising character?
saved - Luke’s and Lorelai’s First Kiss
Luke and Lorelai’s relationship was explosive. It was one of the reasons some fans kept going back for a dose of Gilmore Girls. Their relationship milestones were waited upon with bated breath, their first kiss being one of them. The writers did not disappoint on this one!
After 4 seasons of beating about the bush, Lorelai and Luke realized they had feelings about each other. Their first kiss was in the doorway, after a pretty heated night. Luke was mad after Jason showed up at the inn, and reminded Lorelai that they had a moment at Liz and TJ’s wedding, what followed was what every fan will never forget. Luke stepped forward, Lorelai leaned back a bit, but he still went for the head shot and kissed her! That was hot!
What do you think about these storylines that hurt and saved Gilmore Girls? Let us know in the comments!
