It’s officially fall season again, which means I’ve hit play on Gilmore Girls season 1, episode 1 for what feels like the millionth time. Set in Stars Hollow, Connecticut, the show follows the mother-daughter relationship between Lorelai and Rory Gilmore.
Rory is a young adult who starts high school on a clear path to success. From getting into prestigious Chilton Preparatory School to becoming valedictorian and attending Yale, Rory showed resilience and passion for her journalistic dream.
Once Rory finally got to college, though, that drive seemed to slip away. She became careless and comfortable, and after receiving a single harsh critique from her boyfriend’s father, she decided to stop pursuing journalism and dropped out of Yale. Later in the season, Rory gets a visit from her ex-boyfriend Jess, who says what every viewer at home was thinking.
“Why did you drop out of Yale?”
What could have been an inspiring story about a small-town girl following her dreams despite hardships turned into a less enthusiastic tale of a girl dropping everything because one person criticized her. As an avid fan of the show, it was frustrating to see her spiral so steeply, because this wasn’t just a phase; she was revealing herself as what she once fought against.
One of the hardest parts of this segment was the fractured relationship that followed with her mother, Lorelai. Lorelai raised her as a single mom and always wanted her to have the life she didn’t get, and for a while, she did. However, after she firmly decided to stop attending Yale, her mother couldn’t support it. Rory then went to her grandparents, who coddled her until she felt ready to return to school. In an interview with “Hey Dude… The ’90s Called!,” hosted by Christine Taylor and David Lascher, Lauren Graham, who played Lorelai Gilmore, said even she felt the storyline didn’t make sense for the show.
“I don’t think people like this and … it’s hard to justify,” Graham said.
This segment of the series will always feel forced and uncomfortable. Rory symbolizes resilience and the pursuit of dreams despite obstacles. For example, when Rory first got to Chilton, she received a “D” on her first English assignment. After being frustrated and disappointed, she channeled that into studying rigorously for the next Shakespeare exam.
However, another barrier arose after Rory slept in, missed the bus, and was forced to drive to school, where a deer hit her. Rory explained her situation to the teacher, but it wasn’t until Lorelai furiously went down to Chilton to speak with Rory’s professor that he allowed her to complete extra credit to make up for the missed test.
The comparison between Rory’s high school years and college years is striking. In high school, not even a failed assignment, missed exam, or car accident could stop her from getting what she wanted, but in college, one un-praising comment was enough to make her abandon her goals.
Rory eventually rejoined Yale, but it will always feel disheartening to see a character so independent and capable reduced to the latter.