Gilmore Girls found a way to secretly predict Rory’s controversial A Year in the Life storyline 13 years before the revival was released. Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life was released in 2016 and gave audiences an inside look at life in Stars Hollow years after the original show came to an end. Though the 4-episode revival provided answers to many questions that remained after Gilmore Girls, it also remains quite divisive.
There are a number of harsh realities about Rory’s character in Gilmore Girls, and A Year in the Life really hones in on them. Rory’s adult life is shown to be one that neither she nor viewers would have expected for her. While many felt blindsided and frustrated with Rory’s fate in A Year in the Life, Gilmore Girls predicted it years prior and set the stage for it to come to fruition.
Paris’ Comment On Valedictorians Predicted Rory’s Gilmore Girls: AYITL Career Struggle
In the season 3 finale of Gilmore Girls, Paris presented her research on valedictorians’ future success to Rory. She explained “They don’t necessarily do too well in later life… a lot of business failures, crumbled marriages, suicides, obesity… A bunch died in car crashes, several did time, one suffocated when his cat fell asleep on his face“. While things didn’t go nearly that badly for Rory, she did see a significant downturn in her life following high school.
Through her somewhat snarky delivery of her research to Rory, Paris predicted her fate. She knew that it was possible that Rory peaked in high school and that she would not find the same success later in life. Viewers saw that Rory began making bad decisions at Yale when she decided to drop out and that pattern continued in A Year in the Life. She’s forced to take on the role of the Stars Hallow Gazette editor-in-chief, despite having big dreams in high school to become a well-known journalist at a big-name publication.
Why Rory’s Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life Story Was So Divisive
Despite being highly anticipated, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life ended up being incredibly divisive for viewers. Throughout the early seasons of Gilmore Girls, Rory is portrayed as an ambitious and driven student. The revival turns this upside down, making Rory aimless and indecisive when it comes to her career. Her decision to completely abandon journalism after years of trying to pursue it left viewers questioning her growth, maturity, and ability to overcome adversity.
Rory’s romantic relationships, especially her rekindling with Logan and unresolved feelings for Jess, felt messy and unfulfilling. Her negative qualities are emphasized in A Year in the Life, and she ends up coming across as entitled, self-centered, and lacking in empathy. Ultimately, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life did more harm to Rory’s character than good, which has caused division among viewers. While some believe having Rory be seen as imperfect is relatable, others feel that now Rory just serves as a cautionary tale instead of the role model she once was.
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.
- Cast
- Lauren Graham , Alexis Bledel , Scott Patterson , Aris Alvarado , Sean Gunn , Frank Gallegos , Keiko Agena , Matt Czuchry , Yanic Truesdale , Kelly Bishop
- Release Date
- November 25, 2016
- Seasons
- 1
- Streaming Service(s)
- Netflix
