WhileA Year in the Lifeundoubtedly had its flaws, Netflix’s 2016Gilmore Girlsrevival also offered one of the show’s best moments in its final episode. To say that 2016’sGilmore GirlsrevivalA Year in the Lifewas met with mixed reviews would be putting it mildly. Fans and reviewers alike had waited almost a decade to see more fromGilmore Girls’ cast of charactersand everyone had a fan-favourite who they hoped would get sufficient screen time. TheGilmore Girlsrevival barely including Sookie and Deanalone was enough to anger some viewers.
Two Of Gilmore Girls' Most Unloved Stories Were Virtually Identical
April Nardini’s arrival and Rory’s relationship with Marty and Lucy both arrived around the same time and highlighted the same Gilmore Girls problem.
No revival could have perfectly recaptured the unique charms of the dramedy’s original run, but it wasRory’sA Year in the Lifechangesthat earned the most pronounced ire. Rory has been at the center of some interminable storylines before, but theGilmore Girlsrevival felt like a betrayal of the ambitious character, according to some viewers. I disagreed and, like a lot of other fans and critics, felt that Rory’s aimless thirty-something malaise was well foreshadowed in the original series. However, the scene that completely redeemedA Year in the Lifedidn’t even involve Rory.
Why Lorelai & Emily’s Phone Call Is Easily A Year In the Life’s Best Moment
The Flawed Gilmore Girls Revival Nailed This Pivotal Moment
In AYear in the Lifeepisode 4, “Fall,” Lorelai’s attempt to hike the Pacific Crest Trail leads to an unlikely epiphany that finally brings some hard-won peace to her relationship with her mother. During her father’s wake in an earlier episode, Lorelai froze when asked to recall a pleasant memory of Richard and ended up upsetting Emily by instead recounting a story about family fights. Although she doesn’t get far into the Pacific Crest Trail,Lorelai calls Emily as she looks out on the mountains and shares a precious memory of a birthday. The ever-acerbic Emily seems genuinely touched.
WhiletheGilmore Girlsrevival’s problemsare impossible to ignore, the phone call in “Fall” between Lorelai and Emily allows Lorelai to share her fondest memory of her dad and provides one of the most beautiful, poignant moments in the show’s history in the process. It is an all-time great scene, a sweet final tribute to Richard, and a really powerful message about dealing with grief. Loss is not a straightforward process and people like Lorelai and Emily process it differently, at different times. Lauren Graham and Kelly Bishop’s dynamic peaks in this moving, perfectly judged scene.
Lorelai & Emily’s Phone Call Was What They’d Struggled To Do For Decades
Lorelai and Emily Finally Saw Each Others’ Perspectives During Their Call
It is rare to see Emily truly content after an interaction with Lorelai, even though she may sometimes celebrate temporarily getting one over on her daughter. Their relationship is defined by antagonism and a shared inability to see the other’s perspective, which is what makes the call in “Fall” such a great achievement.Lorelai and Emily finally see eye to eye when Lorelai shares this anecdoteand, for a moment, the pair are at peace and capable of healthy communication. Whilethe originalGilmore Girlsfinalehas its high points, it doesn’t include a similarly cathartic scene.
At times, Richard’s death means that Lorelai and Emily are more at odds than ever.
The tenuous relationship between the mother and daughter duo drives much of the original series, and it becomes even more central inA Year in the Lifethanks to the off-screen passing of Richard. At times, this loss means that Lorelai and Emily are more at odds than ever, but their changing perspectives also allow for welcome surprises like Lorelai’s call with her mother. It is a shame that Rory’s story is less deftly handled but, in its own way, the conclusion of her character arc is just as fitting as Emily and Lorelai patching up their differences in “Fall.”
I Think “Fall” Was A Near-Perfect Ending To Gilmore Girls
A Year In the Life’s Best Episode Was Better Than Critics Claimed
“Fall” isn’t perfect, but it isn’t far off. The final episode of theGilmore Girlsrevival is the strongest of its four installments, andRory’sA Year in the Lifeplanto write a memoir does seemingly put her all-important career back on track. Moreover, the revival nails the characterization of Luke, Emily, and Lorelai, and I’d argue it also gets Rory right even if this displeases some viewers. Whether it was her inability to take Mitchum’s advice on board or her body-shaming review of a ballerina, Rory was never as flawless as Stars Hollow believed her to be.
Gilmore Girlsand its revivalA Year in the Lifeare available to stream on Netflix.
As such, it is not all that surprising that the complacent protagonist ended up in a professional rut in her thirties. Furthermore, her consistent struggles with fidelity mean that it isn’t too shocking to discover that Rory is cheating on her largely unseen boyfriend with Logan throughoutA Year in the Life. This all aligns with her characterization in the original run, even if it highlights her less pleasant side. As such, it is hard to deny that theGilmore GirlsrevivalA Year in the Lifegot its main characters right, for better or worse.
