Friday Night’s Alright For Fighting

Shresta Nibhanupudi (she/her)

Editorial Team Member

Every fall, starting in sixth grade, I have watched the same exact show. I have watched this show over fifteen times in its entirety. I tune into every episode, have memorized monologues, and know the exact names of iconic episodes. I might go so far as to say it is my ultimate comfort show. And that show is Gilmore Girls. 

Gilmore Girls is my show. I know everything about it. And so when online discourse inevitably arises about it, I feel it is my duty to tune in and add my own opinion. I have listened to every Dean, Jess, and Logan discourse with enthusiasm. I have listened to people antagonize every single character in this show, and my opinion on every discussion is the same: Gilmore Girls was never supposed to be a satisfying show; it was simply supposed to be a realistic one. 

Gilmore Girls might be one of the most realistic sitcoms to ever exist. Every decision they made in the show, from the dialogue to character arcs, made sense in terms of life. So today, I want to discuss a couple of those decisions and how they are actually indicative of life. First, Gilmore Girls never has a consistent villain. It demonstrates complicated familial, romantic, and platonic relationships in a way that makes it virtually impossible to point a finger at anyone. And that makes it irritating for a consumer, because there never is anyone to hate or to root for. But that is incredibly realistic. In life, we all go back and forth between liking and disliking people. People develop and then devolve at the next inconvenience. Realistically, no one character is either likeable or evil. They all have flaws, but they all have merits. I think the best example of this is the relationship between Lorelai and Emily. There is no one person in the wrong. Emily did horrible stuff to Lorelai, but as she tries to make up for it, Lorelai, in turn, shuns her back. Additionally, another example is Rory as a character. Though she has incredible flaws, it is difficult to truly hate her as she grows and demonstrates regret for each misguided decision that she has made. 

Another decision made by the writers was the decision to have Paris Geller not get into Yale. People often claim this as the most unrealistic decision made by the writers. But, this decision is in fact very realistic. Paris Geller was a high-strung, overachieving, stressed out highschooler. Her life was school. She never quite developed social skills at all. So it makes sense that she would fumble the most stressful interview of her life. Similarly, it also makes sense that Rory got into every school she wanted to. Rory is the typical innocent high school girl who is beloved by everyone she meets. Paris may have been more accomplished but as the show displays, being likeable gets you farther than being smarter. 

And now, we arrive at the decision I loathe but understand: Lane’s ending. Lane’s ending is incredibly heartbreaking. But as heartbreaking as it is, it is exactly what would’ve happened in real life. Stars Hollow is an incredibly small town. And most people in small towns don’t make it outside small towns. The only reason Rory was able to make it out was because of her connections with her grandparents. Lane never had that. Lane, in fact, was more disadvantaged, as her mother held her back from pursuing her passions. It makes complete sense that Lane ended up a washed up musician with a subpar husband. She accepted the life that she felt was at her ceiling. Though we as the readers know she was an intelligent woman, she never got to feel that she was worth more than what she had. 

I’m also going to quickly cover a couple of Rory’s decisions that were deemed controversial. First, her decision to sleep with Dean while he was married. In Rory’s character, she has gotten everything that she has wanted and has been consistently told that this will be true for her forever. So, it makes sense that she would view relationships in this way as well. Rory has never had to deal with someone not wanting her presence, so she broke a significant boundary to prove that Dean still wanted her more than he wanted Lindsay. Second, Rory’s choice to drop out of Yale also makes sense with her character. Similar to what I said before, Rory has never dealt with true hardship. And she is also extremely susceptible to what people say to her. But previously, this susceptibility has benefited her, as the people around her have only praised her. So when Mitchum brings her down, she doesn’t know how to handle it. And the way she goes back to Yale also goes along with this trait. She had to be told by Jess to go back, and that was what made her do it rather than self- determination. Lastly, Rory’s decision to be Logan’s mistress in The Year In The Life is also in accordance with her character. The reasoning for this decision is the same as it was for Dean. She needs to prove that her presence is always wanted. 

I apologize for how long this is; it’s simply something I enjoy talking about. I think Gilmore Girls is a show that is often looked at as frivolous. But it actually has great depth. Each character is not a monolith, and each relationship is fleshed out. For every plot hole, there is witty dialogue to cover it up. Anyway, I love Gilmore Girls, and it’s currently in the background as I write this. So, Netflix, please bring it back!