Lorelai and Rory Gilmore have a lot of things in common, but not all of them are pleasant. They both have to deal with Christopher Hayden, Rory’s dad. Some argue that he has a positive arc of character development, but others think he gets worse throughout the series.
Christopher lives life on his terms, and he often disregards the needs or desires of other people. He loves his daughter, Rory, and at times, he seems to love Lorelai. Whether fans love him or hate him, Christopher certainly has his flaws on Gilmore Girls.
He Ignored Lorelai’s Rules From The Start
Christopher is a controversial character from his very first appearance on the show. He rides up on a motorcycle saying he is visiting his parents in Connecticut. He then commits two humongous offenses. First, he persuades Lorelai to let him stay at her house, right in front of Rory. This was a no-no because he hasn’t been around Rory in the past 16 years, and it was presumptuous to stay there just because he was her dad.
Then, he gets Rory excited about going for a motorcycle ride. Lorelai tells her to “hop off.” Christopher continues to press the issue and makes Lorelai look like the bad guy. He should have respected Lorelai’s wishes for Rory’s safety, especially since she was the primary parent. This was the start of Christopher’s bad-boy behavior that didn’t sit well with fans and made him one of the worst characters from the start.
Christopher’s Return Made Things Difficult
Christopher’s first appearance in Stars Hollow is the talk of the town. Fans learn a lot about Chris’s transient nature as he claims that he wants to be a bigger part of Rory’s life. Fans weren’t sure what was to become of this young family, but it didn’t sit well with many since Lorelai and Rory had such a strong bond.
Emily and Richard Gilmore loved Christopher and set up an awkward family dinner, which introduces Rory to the paternal grandparents she hasn’t seen since she was a baby, Straub and Francine. It was then that Rory realized how problematic her birth was for her dad and his side of the family. At this point in Lorelai and Christopher’s relationship timeline, they were in no place to act as a happy family with so many issues behind closed doors.
Christopher Was Unreliable
Even though Lorelai didn’t want to date Christopher again, he continues to be somewhat in and out of Rory’s life. True fans debate his merits, but it’s clear that Christopher will never be as involved in Rory’s life as Lorelai is. He isn’t there to help his daughter through many of her problems and only shows up when it’s good for him. This makes a big difference in some of her life choices throughout the series.
Even though Christopher has his positive moments, his inconsistencies with his daughter and ex made him unreliable. When Lorelai was stuck between choosing Luke or Christopher, fans knew both Lorelai and Rory needed stability and consistency (i.e. Luke), not someone who showed up when he wanted (Christopher).
He Was Too Pushy When He Didn’t Get His Way
Along with his selective time and support, Christopher can be very pushy. He tries to make himself a more attractive option by offering financial support at times.
People have different readings for this. Some think it’s nice, but many think it is a poor excuse to get Lorelai and Rory in his control and favor. Worse, Christopher can push himself into Rory’s life. Going to Yale was the right choice for Rory, but things got complicated when her dad tried involving himself in her day-to-day. He tried funding her education, which was a kind gesture, but he also over-did it by showing up at her door uninvited and unannounced. In short, Christopher was pushy.
Christopher Handled The Sherry Vs. Lorelai Scenario Horribly
Christopher’s involvement with Lorelai and with Sherry makes him look like a two-timer who hopped around whenever he got bored. After he sleeps with Lorelai and tries to start anew with her and Rory, Christopher finds out that he got his ex-girlfriend Sherry pregnant.
Instead of remaining with Lorelai and Rory while supporting Sherry, Christopher ditched the Gilmores quicker than needed. He chose Sherry, and left Lorelai and Rory behind because he wanted a chance at a fresh start with a new child. While it was a hard decision, Christopher handled it poorly.
Christopher Was In And Out Of The Gilmores’ Life
Christopher is not present for Lorelai unless it is convenient for his life. He drops in when he feels like it, and he usually stirs up some drama during his stay. The worst consequence of his and Lorelai’s on-again, off-again romance is Lorelai’s suffering relationship with Luke.
In season five, Rory even tries to warn her dad against hurting her mom. In the episode ‘Norman Mailer, I’m Pregnant,’ Rory tells Christopher that his entrance into Lorelai’s life always ends the same way: “Mom’s crying, and you’re not being there.” In the end, Luke was the right one for Lorelai because he was the rock she needed. Christopher was always up and down.
He Was Consistently Irresponsible
Rory and Lorelai aren’t the only ones affected by Christopher’s decisions. When he and Sherry have a daughter, Christopher has no idea what he is in for. Gigi becomes Christopher’s responsibility when Sherry decides to stay in Paris, leaving him in a similar situation he left Lorelai in when they were teens
Christopher whines to Lorelai about being a single parent, which bothered her since she’s been through it too. He panicked at the thought of raising Gigi without a partner, but when Lorelai interjected with advice, Christopher rejected it. Their differences in reactions proved Christopher and Lorelai weren’t soulmates. He loved to complain about his issues without solving them properly.
Christopher & Logan Parallel Each Other
One of the worst things about Christopher is his influence on Rory’s dating taste. She is used to her father’s immature behavior, so she doesn’t see that she is walking right into a problematic relationship with Logan.
Even though Christopher doesn’t always agree with Logan, Logan and Christopher are strikingly similar. There are quite a few character parallels throughout Gilmore Girls, and Logan and Christopher parallel each other. Both are privileged and come from well-off families. They also act like their decisions don’t affect those around them.
His Behavior At The Vow Renewal Was Unacceptable
There is more than one social situation with Christopher that went wrong. The worst is definitely at Emily and Richard’s vow renewal.
Rory and Logan sneak off for an intimate moment, and Christopher burns with jealousy as he watches Lorelai and Luke dance. Christopher becomes a terror at the party, and he and Luke get into an all-out brawl over his paternity role of Rory. In more ways than one, Luke was more of a dad to Rory than Christopher was. When times were tough, Christopher acted out due to frustration instead of handling them maturely.
I Do, I Don’t
Christopher and Lorelai act in haste when they get married in Paris. Christopher wants to be a good dad and husband, but even he later recognizes that getting married isn’t right.
If he hadn’t spent so much of the series meddling in the lives of the Gilmore girls, they might never have gotten into such a messy and heartbreaking situation. There weren’t too many episodes to rewatch for fans of Lorelai and Christopher’s because most moments together ended in mayhem.
Christopher Will Never Trust Lorelai Fully Because Of Luke
Even when Lorelai and Luke were friends, Christopher was threatened by his place in her life. He hated how close Luke was to Rory and hated how much Lorelai trusted him. Christopher tried to be the man that Luke was naturally, but it didn’t work.
One of the things that led to Lorelai and Christopher’s divorce was his distrust of Lorelai. When the two were married, he didn’t want her getting coffee from Luke’s or even talking to him because he was threatened. When the two divorced, there was a part of Christopher who still hated the idea of Lorelai being friends with him, which showed how immature he was.
