WhileA Year in the Life’s Logan/ Rory affair storyline was infamously divisive, theGilmore Girlsrevival’s unpopular plot did have an established basis in season 7’s similarly controversial character arc.The cast ofGilmore Girlsmight have come back for 2016’s revivalA Year in the Life, but that alone didn’t guarantee the success of the miniseries. In many pivotal ways,A Year in the Life’s four episodes failed to recapture the tone and mood of the original series, feeling either too cynical or too comical depending on the storyline.
There were plenty ofstorylinesGilmore Girlscould have done withoutin the original seven seasons, butA Year in the Life’s shapelessness felt new. The miniseries revival jumped from one plot to another without much purpose or structure, mirroring Rory’s disappointing career. Much like Rory muddled through her uncertain adulthood throughoutA Year in the Life, Lorelai embarked and subsequently abandoned an ambitious hike,Gilmore Girlscharacters like Sookie and Deanappeared without any real purpose, and Logan strung Rory along without any intention of committing to her.
Rory and Logan’s A Year in the Life Relationship Mirrored Lorelai and Christopher’s Gilmore Girls Story
Rory and Lorelai Dragged Out Unhealthy Relationships With Privileged Love Interests
It was the last of these storylines that felt most out of tune with the originalGilmore Girlsfinale. Shortly before the show’s original run ended,Rory and Logan broke up as she wanted to prioritize her journalism career over settling down with him. Logan offered Rory a life of privilege and wealth, but it would have come at the expense of her career. Rory chose independence, breaking up with Logan before embarking on the exciting job of covering Barack Obama’s campaign. At the time, this seemed like the end for the couple.
Logan and Rory’s relationship was a flat, tired rerun of an earlier story.
However,A Year in the Liferevealed that Rory and Logan were still sleeping with each other a decade later. Although Logan is engaged and Rory is dating a nondescript side character named Paul, the pair seem convinced that they can keep this toxic dynamic alive. WhileA Year in the Life’s Emily storylinewas a refreshing change of pace that fleshed out the original show’s most underused Gilmore girl, Logan and Rory’s relationship was a flat, tired rerun of an earlier story. Their failed romance was also awkwardly reminiscent of Lorelai and Christopher’s marriage.
Lorelai and Christopher’s Story Explains Rory and Logan’s Affair
Although Lorelai and Christopher flirted with the idea of a romantic reunion throughout the first six seasons ofGilmore Girls, this didn’t become a reality until after Luke and Lorelei’s explosive breakup in season 6.Lorelai and Christopher’s short-lived relationship and marriage was always a terrible idea, but it was one that ensured the original series could end with a happy reunion between Lorelai and Luke. Moreover, Lorelai and Christopher had an unhealthy dynamic for years before they finally reunited.
Lorelai and Christopher’s inability to get over each other resulted in them finally getting back together later in life.
As such, it makes sense that Rory would repeat these patterns even if it was annoying to watch. Lorelai and Christopher’s inability to get over each other resulted in them getting back together later in life, allowing Lorelai to finally move on and end up with Luke. Similarly,Rory’s chaoticGilmore Girlslove lifecould have felt unfinished if she never gave life with Logan another shot. After all, the reason the couple broke up in the first place was her focus on her career, and that career was floundering whenA Year in the Lifetook place.
Rory’s Affair Was Still A Year In The Life’s Lowest Point
The Gilmore Girls Revival Failed To Make Rory’s Mistakes Compelling
That said,it was hard to watch Logan and Rory waste each other’s time inA Year in the Life. It was transparently obvious that Logan had no intention of leaving his fiancée in the revival, and Rory was ostensibly dating someone else as well. The couple knew that they couldn’t make their romance work without radically reorganizing their lives and neither of them planned to do so, which meant the entire subplot felt like wasted screen time. This was largely because Logan had already fulfilled his purpose.
As a figure in Rory’s life, Logan was a walking avatar of the carefree, privileged lifestyle she could enjoy if she left her independent career aspirations at the back of her mind and joined high society. This would have delightedGilmore Girls’ Emilyand horrified Lorelai, but it eventually proved unappealing to Rory. Since Rory had already considered this option and decided against marrying Logan in the originalGilmore Girlsseries finale, it was hard not to feel likeA Year in the Lifewas revisiting well-trodden territory.
Lorelai and Christopher’s Relationship Ruined Logan and Rory’s Gilmore Girls Chances
Their Gilmore Girls Season 7 Marriage Proved Rory and Logan Would Never Work
Logan was too fundamentally insulated from normality thanks to his wealth and privilege for him and Rory to work out. Although he did make a stab at fitting in when he visited Stars Hollow, his entire appeal as a character came back to his wealth, his privilege, and the feckless attitude that this granted him. He may have raged against his father’s demands, but he always eventually conceded to Logan’s expectations of him because he was unwilling to give up the privileges that his family’s wealth afforded him.
Gilmore Girls mocked the silliness of life in Stars Hollow, but Lorelai preferred it to the world of wealth that shaped her childhood.
Christopher’s character is defined by the same basic flaw as Logan, namely an inability to leave behind the trappings of wealth and meet Rory and Lorelai in the small-town reality of Stars Hollow. This was what made Luke a more appealing match for the independent, self-reliant Lorelai. Some of thefunniest episodes ofGilmore Girlsmocked the silliness of life in Stars Hollow, but Lorelai preferred it to the world of wealth that shaped her childhood and adolescence. Rory’s choice was clear.
Either she could date Logan and return to the world of wealth his family represented, or she could break off their affair and return to Stars Hollow. The problem was that Lorelai had already faced this exact same crisis when she and Christopher got married in season 7, when she couldn’t abandon Luke and Stars Hollow to prioritize her new husband. Although Rory revisiting the same life decision as her mother could have made for a compelling drama, the over-familiarity of thisGilmore Girlssetup made her and Logan’s story fromA Year in the Lifefeel like a tired retread.
