While some character arcs in theGilmore Girlsrevival took viewers by surprise, manyA Year in the Lifestorylines were either foreshadowed or directly set up in the original series. Though the CW drama ended 17 years ago, Gilmore Girls has remained one of the most beloved TV shows of the early 2000s. Nine years after the series finale,Netflix released a limited series that follows the main characters’ lives over a one-year period.
Despite being produced by the creator, Amy Sherman Paladino,Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Lifefailedto meet expectations andresulted in many divisive storylines that fans still hate years later. Some character arcs, like Paris and Doyle’s divorce, are downright shocking based onGilmore Girls’ending. However, other stories from the revival were actually set up in the original show, making them logical upon later reflection.
8Rory Writing A Memoir About Her Life With Lorelai
Rory And Lorelai Repeatedly Joke About The Daughter Writing A Tell-All Memoir About Lorelai
Many viewers were shocked by Rory’s decision to write a memoir inA Year in the Life, but the character may havesecretly teased this life plan inGilmore Girlsseason 1, episode 8, “Love and War and Snow.” When Lorelai repeatedly listens to a voicemail from Max, she accidentally wakes up her daughter.She apologizes, and Rory responds, “It’s all fodder for the tell-all.”Considering Rory dreams of being a foreign correspondent, her statement seems more like a comedic bit than an actual plan. The young Gilmore never expressed a genuine interest in writing a book.
The joke about Rory writing a book about her and her mother continues throughout the first few seasons. The pair also reference the bookMommie Dearest, which is a tell-all memoir about Christina Crawford and her mother. Considering how often they joked about Rory writing a memoir, it’s possible that the jokes could have made her more receptive to Jess’ suggestion in Netflix’s limited seriesA Year in the Life.
7Rory Struggling To Sustain A Career As A Journalist
Paris And Mitchum Warn Rory About Her Future As A Journalist
One of the major discrepancies betweenGilmore Girlsand Netflix’s revival is Rory’s drive to pursue her dreams of a journalism career. Rory is deeply unprepared when going to a job interview and has no pitches prepped, showing her irresponsibility. She is also living off the fame of a single article inThe New Yorkerand brushing off job opportunities with less prestigious publications. While thisA Year in the Lifestoryline doesn’t fit with Rory’s original characterization, it was set up on two different occasions.
11 Harsh Realities About Rory’s Character In Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls is filled with iconic characters and Rory Gilmore is one of them, but there are some sides to her character that can’t be overlooked.
Firstly, Paris tells Rory that she’s not upset about the latter being top of the class, spouting off facts about Valedictorians having unstable relationships and failed careers in adulthood – both of which came true in the revival. Secondly,Mitchum Huntsburger informs Rory inGilmore Girlsseason 5that she doesn’t have what it takes to be a journalistafter her internship at theStamford Eagle Gazette. Unfortunately, despite his being a terrible person and bluntly delivering his opinion, Mitchum wasn’t wrong about Rory. Based on herA Year in the Lifebehavior, she only had some of the traits necessary to be a journalist.
6Mrs. Kim Running A Korean Choir Group
Mrs. Kim Has A Musical Background Established In Gilmore Girls
One of the most entertaining character arcs fromA Year in the Lifeis Mrs. Kim managing a Korean choir group. The outcome may seem out of left field considering her strictness, butGilmore Girlsactually dropped hints at this storyline starting at the end of season 5. Firstly, Mrs. Kim knows enough about music to say that the “E” string is flat when going over to Lane’s apartment. Noticing a flat string and being able to identify the specific one when four musicians are playing requires solid music theory knowledge and ear training.
Secondly,Mrs. Kim is the only reason that Hep Alien goes on tour inGilmore Girls, booking all the venues, arranging host families, and getting the van in shape for the tour. On top of that, she reveals she was in an all-girls tambourine band. Then, when Zach wants to propose to Lane, Mrs. Kim listens to his songs, evaluating all of them. She proceeds to help him write a hit song with her musical knowledge. With so many hints about Mrs. Kim’s musical background, it’s no wonder she becomes a musical group manager inA Year in the Life.
5Lorelai Attending Therapy
Lorelai Mentioned Therapy Many Times In The Original Show
The Gilmores’ degradation of therapy throughout the series is one of theGilmore Girlsstorylines audiences want to forgetbecause it’s so problematic and terrible. The depiction of therapy inA Year in the Lifeisn’t much better in terms of accuracy, but it’s positive to know that Lorelai found individual talk therapy sessions helpful enough that she continues going for quite a while. Surprisingly, Lorelai attending and enjoying one-on-one therapy is set up subtly throughout the original show and distinctly at the end ofGilmore Girlsseason 6.
Many therapists, therapists-in-training, and therapy attendees have taken toRedditto criticize the depictions of therapy in both the original show and theGilmore Girlsrevival.
Throughout the show,Lorelai recommends therapy and psychiatry for Richard and Emily at different points in time. This indicates she has a more positive attitude about it than the others, opening up the possibility of her attending therapy at some point. Additionally, inGilmore Girlsseason 6, episode 22, “Partings,” Lorelai has an impromptu therapy session with Christopher’s date, Lynnie, in the back of her car. She seems to gain a lot of clarity through this session. These two elements foreshadow Lorelai’s attending therapy and enjoying it (at least when she isn’t with her mother) inA Year in the Life.
4Jess Becoming A Successful Author
Jess Publishes His First Book In Gilmore Girls Season 6
While many of the storylines inA Year in the Lifeare only teased subtly, Jess’ career in the revival is very overtly set up inGilmore Girls. After Jess leaves Stars Hollow for California, he only returns to the show a handful of times. During hisGilmore Girlsseason 6 return, he comes to Emily and Richard’s house to give Rory his first published book,The Subsect. After getting his novella accepted by the small Philadelphia publishing house, Truncheon Books, they hired him to work there. Realistically, one published book doesn’t mean anything about future publications.
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Gilmore Girls is a feel-good show, but some storylines have made viewers feel quite the opposite, and a potential revival show needs to fix them.
However,Gilmore Girlsrarely follows the rules of reality. As such,The Subsectgetting published essentially set him up to be a successful author who makes a living writing books inA Year in the Life– a fact that’s confirmed in his conversation with Rory in the office of the Stars Hallow Gazette. It’s unclear whether he’s still working at Truncheon Books, though.
3Luke Wanting To Have A Child With Lorelai
Luke Tells Lorelai Directly That He Wants Kids
The fact that Lorelai doesn’t know that Luke wants to have a child with her inA Year in the Lifeis baffling becauseGilmore Girlsset this storyline up all the way back in season 3 and reaffirmed it in the season 5 finale. The first reference occurs at the 24-hour dance marathon. After Lorelai tells Luke he doesn’t have to want kids, he says this:
I know, but – although I’m quite happy going an entire day without having to deal with somebody else’s bodily functions, if I ever happen to meet the right person, well, it would be a discussion… What about you? You ever think about having another kid?
Because of his feelings for Lorelai, his conversation implies that he wants kids with her. While this reference is subtle, he directly addresses the subject in theGilmore Girlsseason 5 finale. After learning that Lorelai is considering selling The Dragonfly and traveling for work, Luke asks her, “What about the kids?” The two then have a conversation about it while laying in bed together. Once again,Luke tells her he wants kids with her, but he ensures she knows there’s no pressure. With this in mind, Luke wanting to have a kid inA Year in the Lifemakes perfect sense.
2Michel Being Part Of The LGBTQ+ Community
Gilmore Girls Season 2 Hints At Michel’s Sexuality
Michel’s sexuality inGilmore Girlshas long been a subject of debate, as he displays traditionally feminine interests and is a super fan of honorary LGBTQ+ icon Celine Dion. While the series explores the romantic lives of almost every other side character, Michel’s relationships are almost never touched on untilA Year in the Life, when he’s married to a man named Fredrick. The only direct references before this are him mentioning that the ladies already know how great he is and, a few times, stating he has a date without providing a name or any defining information.
However, one scene early inGilmore Girlssuggests that he could be part of the LGBTQ+ community or exploring his sexuality. When everyone goes to a drag club to celebrate Lorelai’s bachelorette party,Michel dances with drag queens and later tells Lorelai that he spent the rest of the night with them.Considering the network wouldn’t approve of Sookie being a lesbian (viaHuffPost), this is likely as overt as they could be about Michel’s sexuality in the original series.
1Paris Working As A Fertility Doctor
Paris Goes To Medical School At The End Of The Original Series
The most overt storyline set-up forA Year in the Lifeoccurs at the end ofGilmore Girlsseason 7. When Paris gets ready to graduate from Yale, she applies to various medical and law schools, unsure of which direction she will go in her future. Shockingly, she gets accepted into every school, forcing her to make a decision. Ultimately,she decides to attend Harvard Medical School, setting her up to work as some sort of doctor in the future.
The series doesn’t explicitly set up her fertility specialty, but there is one hint that she could pursue that path. When Doyle gets sick and shows up in her dorm inGilmore Girls, she gets Nanny to take care of him because sick people freak her out. As such, her job as a fertility specialist running a surrogacy clinic inA Year in the Lifemakes perfect sense. With this job, Paris doesn’t have to work hands-on with sick people.
Gilmore Girls
Cast
In the fictional town of Star’s Hollow, single mother Lorelai Gilmore raises her high-achieving teenage daughter Rory. Mother and daughter rely on each other throughout their own life changes, romantic entanglements, and friendships.
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life
Acting as a follow-up to the original series, Gilmore Girls, A Year In The Life is a comedy-drama series. Having completed her stint on the Obama campaign trail, Rory now finds herself as a freelance journalist with an inconsistent life. Meanwhile, Lorelei finds herself lost in life before her upcoming marriage to Luke. This four-part mini-series follows the titular mother-daughter duo as they continue to navigate their mother-daughter relationship in Star’s Hollow.
