The cliffhanger has always been an absolute must in serial television—a narrative “ellipsis” at the very end of an episode as a surefire way to attract a devoted audience for subsequent episodes. Now, in the age of binge watching, this technique is a lot more annoying to viewers who just want to plow through two to three seasons in one sitting. But nothing could be worse than a season finale that ends with a cliffhanger, when there’s no promise of another season!
With the #lastfourwords of the newly rebooted Gilmore Girls finally revealed, fans found themselves conflicted—thrilled to finally solve the mystery but anxious about the future of the show and, inevitably, Rory’s future. Self-proclaimed Gilmore Girls connoisseurs Gilmore Guys have a few theories of their own.
To fans who say Rory’s life is over, they suggest an interesting plot twist. What if Rory’s unborn baby isn’t for her ultra-forgettable, oddly formal ex-boyfriend Paul? And, what if trust-fund, man-child Logan isn’t the father either? Here’s what they think are the possible outcomes, in order of likeliness: “Option A: Surrogacy. Option B: Paul. Option C: Logan. Option D: a Wookie?”
Rory carrying her mother’s child—and her own sister—is a bit of a stretch but, in quirky Stars Hollow, it would hardly be stranger than the town buying Kirk a pet pig to prevent him from procreating.
Still, we’d like to offer an alternative option: Jess. The beloved, nomadic, bad boy returns to Stars Hollow in Episode 3: Summer and one of his very first stops is The Stars Hollow Gazette, where he offers to loan Rory money to buy new underwear! Plus, his departure in Episode 4: Fall drops tons of hints that there might be more going on between him and Rory. We’re not the only ones who picked up on this either; even Luke questioned Jess for old time’s sake.
For now, we don’t know if we’ll ever know who the father is or if we’ll ever return to Stars Hollow. But, we feel pretty confident that Rory Gilmore can handle just about anything with Lorelai by her side.