I love Gilmore Girls. I have rewatched the whole series 6 times. I watched it growing up, and into adulthood. Over the years I have noticed some elements of the series that I did not catch the first few times. Gilmore Girls is a Television series created by Amy Sherman Palladino. The show follows the lives of Lorelai Gilmore and Lorelai (Rory) Gilmore. Lorelai is a 31 year old mother of Rory, who at the beginning of the series is 15 years old. Lorelai left her privileged affluent life in Hartford, Connecticut at 16 after giving birth to Rory. The show focuses around the Gilmore girls and their strained relationship with Lorelai’s parents, Richard and Emily Gilmore.
Lorelai resented her parents and their lifestyle and wanted to succeed on her own without abiding by her parents expectations. When she became pregnant her parents expected her to marry Christopher. Christopher, Rory’s father was in love with Lorelai and accepted his role and was ready to marry Lorelai. Lorelai knew he was not ready to get married so she took her and Rory out of the situation. In doing this Lorelai moved to the small town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut. She worked her way up from being a maid to running the Independence Inn in town. In doing so, Lorelai supported her and Rory all on her own. She completely cut contact with her parents and severing their relationship with Rory.
Rory is everything that Lorelia never got to be. Rory is a genius; she is the smartest teen at her high school in Stars Hollow. Lorelai and Rory have always wanted Rory to go to Harvard. Rory has the opportunity to go to Chilton. A private elite high school for students with ivy league prospects. Rory is accepted to this school but Lorelai receives less financial support from the school then she expected. She swallows her pride and asks her estranged parents for help paying for Rory’s school as a loan. Her parents accept her request immediately with the condition that the girls start coming to their home every friday night for dinner. Rory excels at Chilton. She becomes a debutante at her grandmother’s request. Lorelai was supposed to come out to society as a debutante but could not fit in her dress because she was pregnant with Rory. To Lorelai’s disdain, Rory gets along with her grandparents. Lorelai has to face her own internal battles as she grows jealous of the relationship Rory has with her grandparents. Rory even decides to go to Yale instead of Harvard. Yale is Richards alma mater.
Rory has all the opportunities Lorelai did not have. She is beautiful and smart. But she is not perfect. Rory is a bad friend. Rory’s best friend Lane continually takes the back burner to whoever Rory is dating. Lane is literally shipped off to Korea with a one way ticket. Lane isn’t even sure when she’ll come back. When Lane is leaving Rory merely waves without lifting her head from her boyfriend’s shoulder. Rory cannot take criticism. She has trouble adjusting to Chiltons work load. Rory throws a fit because she cannot immediately surpass her peers. Rory has childhood trauma from never having a steady father figure.
This leads to her being a pretty rotten girlfriend as well. She strings her first boyfriend Dean along for a year while she gains feelings for another boy in town. She denies having feelings for anyone else. Until Dean can no longer deny it anymore and breaks up with her to avoid further embarrassment. She then immediately starts dating Jess. Jess has to leave for his own reasons and him and Rory end things. Rory finds no true love at college and learns that she is not this perfect dream girl to all men at Yale. During her first Summer back at home she learns Dean, her first boyfriend, still cares for her. Despite the fact he is married!! Rory loses her virginity to Dean while he is still married. Rory has commitment issues for most of her young adult life, she self sabotages every relationship. The Netflix time jump season ends with Rory 32, telling Lorelai 48, that she is pregnant. Rory does not know the father of the baby allegedly. I think the point of Rory becoming pregnant despite her difference to Lorelai is because she needed purpose and consistency. Just like Lorelai did.