There is a lot to celebrate about ‘Gilmore Girls.’ It showed that mothers and daughters can be best friends, build a life with love and laughter, and have similar habits – from drinking gallons of coffee to binging on junk food and maybe going for questionable men. No wonder it’s still the comfort show for many people.
Yet, there was one particular storyline that didn’t sit well with ardent fans of the show. Yes, the one that dragged on for too long between Lorelai and Rory. Now, we know it bothered actress Lauren Graham, too.
Lauren Graham Reveals She Was Bothered By The Worst ‘Gilmore Girls’ Storyline
Lauren Graham was a tour de force on ‘Gilmore Girls.’ Sure, Lorelai wasn’t an imperfect mother, but she was perfect in her own way. She was fierce and fun. She brought up Rory, played by Alexis Bledel, on her own as a teen mother and created a sanctuary for them in the charming town of Stars Hollow. Episode after episode, it was endearing to see their bond. It helped that the actresses had terrific chemistry. But that cosy bubble burst big time on screen. Fans raged, and it seems Graham protested against it too.
On Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast, the actress admitted that she couldn’t wrap her head around the falling out of Lorelai and Rory. What’s worse? It went on for too long.
Related: ‘Gilmore Girls’: Why Luke And Lorelai Belong Together
She said, “There’s a year when Alexis and I were in a fight. Rory and Lorelai were in a fight for a long time, and we would talk about it. And Amy [Sherman-Palladino, ‘Gilmore Girls’ creator] was like, ‘You know, you can’t do a show for this long and not have conflict.’ I forgot what the conflict was, but it went on for a while.”
In fact, Graham had explained her state of mind in her memoir, ‘Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls.’ She wrote, “I have to admit I struggled with the Lorelai/Rory separation. It went on for a while, and Lorelai was so crabby with her for several episodes, not to mention that I missed my favorite scene partner…I remember talking about it with Amy, who felt it was important developmentally that this always-close relationship hit a significant growing pain. Still, I felt bad in scenes where I kept holding a grudge.”
Lorelai And Rory: A Strange, Extended Period Of Estrangement
How uncharacteristic was it for Rory to sleep with her married ex-boyfriend, Dean? Of course, Lorelai chastised her. Hence, a shouting match ensued. Rory’s string of bad decisions kept mounting up. Maybe the most heartbreaking one for Lorelai was when she dropped out of Yale University. This is the girl who had lived her life preparing for Harvard but pivoted to Yale.
In case you missed it: ‘Gilmore Girls’: Milo Ventimiglia Wanted Jess Mariano To Have A Brutal Death
Then, embracing her journalism aspirations, she pursued an internship at a local newspaper owned by the media mogul Mitchum Huntzberger. He belittled her talent at every turn but kept her around since she was dating his son, Logan. Amidst all this chaos, only Lorelai could’ve given Rory perspective, but she was immune to all good sense.
Once Huntzberger told Rory she didn’t have what it took to be in the cutthroat world of journalism, she just quit. Sure, it was believable that she was pampered all her life, so a little criticism would break her. But what was beyond all reason was that Lorelai couldn’t get through to her beyond her insecurities and self-loathing. Rory left her studies and abandoned her mother, choosing to wallow at her rich grandparents’ house. She went against everything her upbringing had entailed, every value Lorelai had imparted, and became a disappointing character in the end. Graham agrees to all the backlash fans threw at this storyline, admitting it was “the one that I would hear from people that they didn’t like.“
From a creative point of view, though, it’s understandable why the showrunner took that path. The Gilmores couldn’t have kept going season after season without major conflicts. It’s too good to be true, which might be the point of such a drama series, but after a point, it can get repetitive and crummy.
Graham Answers Rory’s Boyfriend Question
Years after ‘Gilmore Girls‘ concluded its seven-season run, there was much debate among fans about who was the best guy in Rory’s life – Dean, Jess, or Logan? As Rory’s TV mother, Graham hopped onto the boyfriend debate on the podcast. She had a mic drop response: “They were all a good fit for her at the time because they were a learning experience.” Well, it makes sense since Dean was the best first boyfriend a mother could hope for, according to Lorelai. Jess might’ve had a dark edge and pushed Rory to dangerous zones, but he also gave her the courage to break out of her shell and try new things. Lastly, Logan helps Rory find who she is as a bridge between her independent inn owner mother and her old-fashioned grandparents who are beacons in high society.
As far as the story is concerned, ‘Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life‘ brought the mother-daughter duo back, even if it left us on a big cliffhanger about Rory’s future. Graham certainly enjoyed it. She revealed the revival was the greatest news: “It just made me so happy. I was like on a little cloud the entire time because it was an opportunity that you don’t get very often. Not a do-over, but like get to return to something with people feeling enthusiastic and you know it’s gonna be completed…it was the most fun I’ve had at work.”
