I Wanted to Be Rory Gilmore Growing Up. Watching "Gilmore Girls" Now, I Cringe. 

rory reminds me of that kid that was “gifted” in elementary school simply because they were a little better at english or math than most and then by the time they’re in high school they’re nearly illiterate. ....it’s me.

I liked the way this show portraits different kinds of parenting skills and how it affects child. Lorelai grew up with parents that were brutally honest, unempathetic, emotionally distanced, disapproving. She grew up to be very independent, prideful, strong-willed, but very insecure in relationships, always fearing she might get hurt. Rory on the other hand grew up with very supportive, understanding parent that showered her with complements, but she grew up to be very self-centred with unrealistic views of the world. Always blaming someone else and never realising her mistakes. It shows you just how hard parenting really is.

A cautionary tale. Don't tell your child "You're Special!!!" all the time, and expect them to be able to cope with a world that does not see them as special.

I find it interesting that rory was too good for jess in seasons 2/3 and she was trying to guide him onto the right path but later on its him who is too good for her and is showing her what she should do

gilmore girls made me realize that a good college wasn’t going to ensure a successful life for me

You guys always wanted to be Rory? Lol, I loved Laine. She is such a kind and caring friend, living for her passion despite all her obstacles. Paris is a riot though, too.

Here is the thing. The reboot is fundamentally flawed because it does't take place when the show says it does. Canonically the reboot takes place when Rory is 32, 9 years after the original series ended. However, when you look at what happened it only feels like 2 maybe 3 years has passed. Look at the relationships, Luke and Lorelie have been together 9 years and still haven't talked about the future or possibly having kids, Rory is still sleeping with her college ex boyfriend, Paris is still panicked about seeing some guy she had a crush on in high school. It feels very obvious to me that Amy Sherman Palidino wrote "day in the life" as her season 7, even with the same ending she always had in mind. The problem is 32 year old Rory comes off so much worse than a 24/25 year old Rory would.

Well when Rory cheated on Dean with Jess then slept with a married Dean, I lost respect for her.

I loved and adored the show until Rory went to college

You know... The thing about Rory is that I understand not having all your dreams come true and things not working out. She "peaked" too early and, yes, was incredibly spoiled by her mum, grandparents and everyone in that town. All that is part of her character's journey. What I CANNOT stand is the constant cheating. Kissing Jess while dating Dean, sleeping with Dean while he was married to Lindsay (and pouting when Lorelai called her on it), kissing Jess when she was still with Logan and then cheating on bf Paul with Logan (who's engaged) in the revival and not giving a damn about any of it. I'm all for having an active sex life and fully against slut-shaming, but the way she treats the men who love her is absolute garbage. She never ever learnt from it. Can't forgive that.

I never liked how Rory treated her boyfriends; when she was with Dean she had her eye on Jess, when she was with Jess she had her eye on Dean, she slept with Dean knowing he was married, when she was with Logan she went to Philly to see Jess etc. And isn't it ironic that in the episode "teach me tonight" Jess doesn't think journalism is for her and in this clip it proves it.

Rory is portrayed as privileged in the later series because that's how she was portrayed in the original. It's just a bit cuter when you're young. She has always been told by her mom that she can't do anything wrong, because Lorelai was raised by generally unencouraging parents. In Lorelai's eyes coddling your kid is better than what she ever got as a child, and while she is an admirable single mom, it just shows that all parents make mistakes. The reason Gilmore Girls is so relatable is because it's about a mom and a daughter who have never truly fit in anywhere and who don't conform to the social cliques and cliches they were raised in. While Lorelai rejects her born-rich status to move to a small town and falls for a local diner owner, Rory rejects small town living and is constantly traveling to big cities with rich men. Rory is also shown as being more loved by her grandparents because everything Rory is is everything they wanted Lorelai to be. Which makes Lorelai resent her parents even more thoughout the show. The show is groundbreaking because it's accurate to life. It shows a strong mother daughter bond between two very different and realistic characters, despite all of their flaws and mistakes unhealthy relationship dynamics

Gilmore Girls aka "mildly inconvenient things happening to beautiful, wealthy people"

I have to say it. Pre-Yale Rory was simply an aesthetic (to me, at least). That's why most people wanted to be her. She's bookish, beautiful, witty, and intelligent, while managing to capture the attention of cute boys without needing to put in any effort. Everything I wanted to be, but the idea of achieving that kind of thing is easier than actually trying to do it.

We all wanted to be rory until they ruined her character in like season 4/5

Lorelai was the kid and Rory was like the mother. Then Lorelai grew up and Rory became the daughter she kept bottling up in the years.

Before she goes to college I was like “she’s so amazing I wish I was like her” But then during & after college I started to like her less and less. Kind of like Serena from gossip girl. The first 2 seasons she this amazing sweet, kind girl and then she turns into a ruthless bitch lol

Good thing I always wanted to be Paris tbh

I realized how sheltered Rory was when Jess and her got in an accident and she got a hairline fracture in her wrist and she says "I've never been apart of something so horrible in my life" I laughed. XD Oh honey

I really don't think anyone really understood this show. I've seen this show straight through probably 10 times and I've recently come to some realizations. Firstly, Lorelei is actually not that great of a mom. The premise on the surface tells us that Lorelei is this fantastic, best friend first mom second kind of mom... When really she's no better than the mother that she hates. She's extremely judgemental of Rory, especially when she feel like Rory is straying from some arbitrary path that she set out before Rory could talk. The way she behaved when Rory slept with Dean and definitely when Rory dropped out of Yale seemed so harsh to me, like right up there with Emily harsh if not worse. As for Rory, I think her character is misunderstood. She was told all her like how smart she was and how she could do anything she wanted, but really Lorelei kinda pushed her into this role of overachiever. I felt like the whole series Lorelei was kinda trying to make Rory into the person she thought she would have been if she'd never had her. Richard and Emily also want Rory to be that to some degree. They push her to be the Lorelei that they always wanted. And I think in actuality Rory is nothing like the character we think we know. I think we never really see the real Rory because she never got to figure out who that was, she was always under this pressure to perform, to please her mom and her grandparents. I'm not saying that Rory is a complete fake because I do truly believe that there's a part of her that loves Books and learning and all that but I think it's really interesting that the happiest we ever see Rory is when she's doing small town things, going to festivals, editing the Stars Hollow Gazette. In truth Rory is more like the Lorelei in the show than the Lorelei that everyone wants her to be. I think that's why Jess was her best boyfriend. I mean, I loved Logan but he really was pretty much exactly like Christopher, hence his being the father of her baby (probable). Jess was really the only person who saw her fully. I think he realized that she was very confused about who she was. Remember when he asked her to leave with him? He wanted to get her away from Yale and Stars Hollow and all the things that were forcing her to be something she's not and in turn forcing them apart. There's a reason why he was the only one who could talk her out of her season 6 stupor, there's a reason why he was the one who gave her the idea of the Gilmore Girls book. Logan is Rory's Christopher and Jess is definitely her Luke. I also should say that this really makes sense as to why her name was also Lorelei. I also think Amy Sherman was making a bit of a comment about that generation (of which i am a part), that we were all told that we could be anything we wanted and that all we had to do was dream it, and then we all got out into the world and found out that we aren't actually special. Not more so than anyone else and the world doesn't owe us anything. We don't always get to be all that we dream we can be and in truth not all of us should be either. There you go... my two cents... sorry for the novel.

Yeah watching the reboot ruined Gilmore Girls for me. I honestly don't know if I'll ever watch it again. My brother had randomly started watching it and he asked "why Lorelai and Rory such jerks?" and when I thought about it, I realized that if I actually knew these two characters in real life I would probably hate them. They are so judgmental and think they're literally better and more hard working and more deserving than everyone. It's kind of annoying and the reboot just made it worse. Anyways that's my rant lol.

The problem with Rory in the reboot is everyone has grown up except her. She still acts like she is in HS or in college minus the drive she had in both areas of her life. She turned into Madeline or Louise and doesn't even see it herself. And the WORST part is she got pregnant with a guy who is engaged to someone else so she can be hated even more than she already was by that family and 2 forcing her to actually get a real job now to take care of this kid she is going to have (aka income for house or apartment and a job) Which is actually really sick if you think about it because if Logan is the father he can provide that for her without her having to do anything for herself. So basically she turned into her mother minus the work ethic.

the second rory slept with dean, her character went so downhill and she became so morally wrong, i was fine with the worst thing she had done to be to cheat on dean with a kiss and string him along because dean would be okay and they weren't compatible to begin with

I think Rory was always intended to be written as a bad journalist or at least someone who can't cope with the real world when she no longer has people singing her praises constantly. Lorelai rushes home in season 1 to comfort her when she finds out she got a D, she freaks out in season 4 (?) when a professor suggests she drop a class and she drops out of Yale completely and STEALS A YACHT in season 5 when Mitchum says he doesn't think she has what it takes to be a journalist. There's even a scene in season 3 when Jess jokingly asks Rory if she thinks she can manage the lifestyle of a Cristiana Amenpoor type journalist and she instantly doubts herself and he has to tell her he thinks she can do it. She is unbelievably coddled. I feel like the revival was written as what season 7 was originally meant to be just with everyone 10 years older and so the idea would always be that Rory didn't actually have what it takes to be a journalist. Having her do what she does in the revival in her 30s rather than her 20s though is infinitely sadder. Also in regards Rory's finances making no sense in the reboot what about Luke's finances in the original? He can afford to spontaneously buy the building next to the diner so Taylor can't have it, he invests $30,000 in the inn and he buys the Twickham house - how much money does the diner bring in?

Well her whole relationship with Logan is representation of her failure to understand her reltationship with her priviledge. Rory wasn't raised as some spoiled trust fund kid. She was raised a single mother(at 16)'s wages from working as a hotel maid. At one point they lived in a house that had no bathroom. Not a very good condition to live in growing up. Lorelai legitmately made a success of herself as a business person if we look at it from the end of the original series. Rory on the other hand had discovered her priviledge life in highshool, the reason that Lorelai never wanted her to have ties to her grandparents becomes painstakingly obvious in "A year in the life". She never quit her addiction to that life once it happened. Her life in Stars Hollw prior to college: words Id use to describe her Hardworking, diligent, focused, driven, kind, compassionat her negative qualities were mere flaws that can be seen in just about any person. After Yale that changes. Whereas in the second series we see her and its hard to even like her, she's dating a guy that she's failed to break it off with for a very long time and refuses to remember his name, and the relationship with Logan that was always unhealthy shows she's now been reduced to being his mistress while he's married and wont leave his wife for her. In college while with him she was getting drunk, throwing up crying because he didn't accept her, waiting for his approval constantly, and eventually drops out of Yale and follows his lead as he bar hops and gets pass out drunk as well because "Woe is me! I'm so spoiled and rich, I can't lead my own life." Rory became a spoiled rich kid by choice. Her mother gave up that life by choice. Why did Rory choose it? Her grandparents constantly made Lorelai feel she'd done something wrong by raising a kid not to be spoiled, rich, and snobby so Rory eventually becomes convinced that the life she lived prior to Yale was not enough due to their constant meddling. Lorelai gave up that live because all that money could not buy her happiness and her parents constantly hijaked her life and denied her choices. She took her life in her own hands. Rory is privileged? Maybe, but that has always been a choice. As soon as trust fund became in option she acted like something that is not truly who she is. Hardworking journalist she should be but is not, because she lost sight of who she is. There is something that keeps reminding her who she is, but I'll save that for everyone else's interpretation.

Rory stopped making any sense after she graduated highschool.

Do y’all remember when Will Smith on the Fresh Prince of Bellaire cried out wondering why his father didn’t want him. We forget Rory had the same abandonment issues with her Dad. He constantly bailed on her and Lorelelai. Her issues didn’t come from the town and her mom telling her she was special, they came from her father not doing so. If you go back, every time Christopher shows up, she does something reckless. The girl had daddy issues. And y’all just gloss over it.

i feel like everyone wanted to be rory just because she was pretty, smart and had boyfriends but shes actually a really bad person:/

I think Rory's coddled character acts as a contrast to Lorelai's character. Lorelai had to believe in herself 100% if she wanted to pave her own path. It says something about people who have their self worth tied up in what other people think of them rather than what they think of themselves. Rory is a perfectionist. She thrived under the school environment because you can reach perfect. Generally, at school, if you work hard, you will be successful. However, life is more nuanced than that. Rory couldn't deal with this. She wanted everything handed to her on a platter, like it had been for most of her life. There's a particular scene in season 6 when Logan and Rory are fighting. She is acting as if she doesn't have opportunities open to her. (For goodness sakes, she is a financially well-off white person attending Yale.) Even though Logan's an asshole in this scene, I actually agree with him. Rory: You have every door open to you! You have opportunities that ANYONE would kill for, including me! Logan: No one's stopping you from making whatever you want happen! Go into journalism, go into politics, be a doctor, be a clown, do whatever you want! Rory: It's not as easy when it's not HANDED to you! This was following her breakdown after Mitchum Huntzberger tells her she "doesn't have it." It's painful to watch how easily she crumbles when she is criticised. I too, have idolised Rory's life and have been quite envious of it. But maybe the revival highlights the truth: that it is better to be a Lorelai. To not have the desired life to begin with but to have the courage to go out and chase it. Maybe people who have the "perfect" life handed to them, become complacent in chasing their goals. They expect their hopes and dreams to come to come to them as easily as other things have done. They expect everyone to love them. Rory is far from perfect, in fact, honestly, she is a compulsive people pleaser, who doesn't have much of a back bone. My days of idolising Rory are over.

I guess this an unpopular opinion, but I actually liked how the original series ended. Rory turning down Logan's proposal and going off to this exciting job as a journalist (what she always want to do) just felt right. I wish they hadn't made the revival.

I always admired Loreali more than anyone else the way she went from teen-mom to successful business owner was really inspiring to me!

Rewatch seasons 6 and 7. She's been going down that road since she met Logan. The revival was an extension of that

after logan was introduced, the whole show + rory's character came crashing down

I had this theory about the revival that the whole show is from the perspective of Rory’s novel that she writes where her life and story are kind of glamorized and that the revival is the reality of their life. That honestly ruined it for me. I wish they hadn’t made the revival in all honesty. The only character that’s well done is Emily. Her growth is really heartwarming to watch and her story made sense. Both Lorelei and Rory were portrayed as petulant and ungrateful and indecisive privileged white people. It was pretty disheartening to see how their characters, especially Rory, were torn down.

Rory is the worst. The revival was great in many ways but it made all the flaws with her character all the more obvious. She's entitled, she cheated with ex-boyfriends (twice), and her ego is through the roof. Lorelai is a far better role model in my book. Plus, Jess had a great transformation, too.

I was heartbroken during the first time I watched Gilmore Girls because I related to Rory so much until she got to college and I was rooting for it to be a show I could relate to. After watching it a second time, I realized it does a really good job of following the theme of how excessive money can destroy a person's character.

So Rory became more realistic basically

I didn't like how Rory behaved in the new season but I like that I didn't like how she behaved. Rory was always so "perfect" that in the begining of the show I loved her but in the end I was started to feel a little bit sad about myself when seeing her and comparing her to me and my life (crazy, I know). Now the show is really showing that she has flaws, real flaws, like everyone else.

I agree that privilege was a long-standing theme - but I always thought the driving force of the tension is: will Rory break the mould or will she replicate her mother?

So there's a huge disconnect between the reboot and the original series. I firmly believe Amy Sherman Paladino originally intended the plot of the reboot to actually be the very last season of Gilmore Girls scheduled for 2006ish. She then re-adapted it when Netflix picked up the special. But 2006's fingerprints are all over it: (the I drink your milkshake activity, for example. There Will be Blood came out in 2006) SO its re-release is 10 years later than it was originally written. This adds a completely different dynamic and audience expectation in relation to Rory. *SPOILERS* A 22 year old just graduating from college and trying to break through into journalism has completely different implications as far as Rory's pregnancy is concerned than a privileged thirtysomething that can't seem to get her life together. The stakes aren't as high, and the final line isn't as devastating (or circular) as a younger rory faced with the same dilemma. Rory choosing between pursuing her career in journalism (touring with Obama) and keeping/raising a child is a more compelling scenario than Rory starting a local paper and a family. She's not required to give anything up, and so the reveal kind of falls flat.

I think the most important thing in this show, and that I noticed from the beginning; is that ''it won't last forever" I've seen Rory in the beginning of the Original series being cute and studious and loved by everyone, but I always thought it was unrealistic and was bound to change eventually. I personally like when these " Like a rolling stone " (Bob Dylan's song) scenarios happen, I never thought that she was bound to succeed nor to fail for that matter, and I'm not surprised she did. Because when you think of it she was not really the protagonist of the story (for me) but Lorelai was. I found her evolution very plausible because she really "did not have it" in life in general, she never lived an emotional shock, she never was belittled, bullied or frustrated and watching the show I always anticipated these things to happen to her, but it seems they took time to do so. In real life, we often cross people who seem to have it all together because they did not have a difficult adolescence or because they are not sensitive to life enough, but it eventually has to happen in order to grow up. After all it's merely a TV show with a funny script and an interesting story line, that's all. Peace :)

I feel like the grandparents are too likable and generous in this show. They are always ready to help Rory and spoil her at the drop of a hat, all they ask is for once a week dinner which Lorelai acts like is the end of the world but they are paying for the brat's ivy league education and private schools. It would have been more of a class struggle if the grandparents had another grandkid who they helped and they ostracized Lorelai and her daughter. But like the narrator said here Rory was incredibly entitled and privileged, despite her "struggling single mom" (who also spoiled the heck out of her).

The show is really about Lorelai, anyway. Lorelai is a fascinating character, Rory never was.

“Rory not just entitled, she’s also a bad journalist.” I literally screamed

Honestly had she married logan when she asked I wouldn't have been as upset about a revival. Because her whole revival was wanting to be with someone who she left for a career. Her career didnt go in that direction and then she back peddled to logan. Who is she? I realized she was entitled and naive when she lost her virginity to a married man and then continues to have affairs did she learn nothing from the dean thing. And the last episode was horrible all the musical numbers 😂

I always admired Lorelei more than Rory, to me she was always made more of a life then Rory did. Even in the original show Rory had issues with growing up and choosing what really made me happy unlike Lorelei that this and more.

I think the reboot deserves some criticism yes but the original run viewed through a modern lens is unfair. At the time it was so groundbreaking and adored. It reflected society in the early nougties so looking back now with a keener and more politically conscious eye is unjust. One thing I did like about the reboot was that eternally 'special' Rory was struggling with her career and that kind of made me feel okay about my progress in my own thus far. Selfish and self serving yes but still comforting.

I don't really understand the problem here. Rory isn't perfect? Why should she be? I guess my relationship with Gilmore Girls was different to yours because I watched it when I was in my early thirties (I'd read an article listing all the books she'd read and thought it was interesting to have a bookish character who actually read a ton of books you could name), and I always recognized the privilege she (and Lorelai as well, really) had from the connection to Lorelai's rich parents. But that's nothing more than an accurate depiction of how the world works. I agree that it was kind of sad to see Rory's potential being wasted by her unrealistic expectations, but that doesn't make the story bad.

the only reason this happens is because of her life growing up. her grandparents and even her own mother wanted her growing up so fast, so she peaked in high school, having this “perfect life” set out for her, and eventually supported by emily and richard. her mom, boyfriends, and the entire town treated her like a perfect queen who can do no wrong. in chilton, she was made out to be this prodigy. but when you take her out of the small town environment, she simply can’t function. when you take her out of a school system, she can take criticism. all because lorelai coddled her for the longest time, and never had her own experiences.

Am I the only one who disliked Rory right from the start? The later seasons and the comeback only confirmed what I always saw in Rory. From the start she was a spoiled only child stereotype filled with cliches, trying to be as funny and colourful as her mother, as daring and bold, insecure in everything she stood for and looking to her mother for confirmation and reconfirmation along the way. She didn't have a single thought or opinion in her head that wasn't her own and she was filled with tired cliches. I far preferred Lorelei, although I'm not sure I liked the sometimes unnecessary bitchiness/judginess in her - but she had a solid backstory to back it all up. Rory just wanted blind approval from everyone she met and was totally unoriginal. She would get mad st and discard the people who didn't think she was perfect. I'm not sure whether she was written to be so empty and vapid or if it just came across like that in the story line, but I sure as hell wouldn't tolerate a Rory in my life. One of the most boring, one-dimensional teenagers ever to be seen on T.V.

I don't think you can judge the show based on the revival though. It sucked, and the last two seasons of the original show kinda sucked too, but they still are better than the revival.

I only wanted to be Rory because she got all the best boys 💀

I didn't like how Rory was raised. The whole town acted like she was a complete angel who could do no wrong. Lorelai also raised her to believe that she could have and do anything. Lorelai kept her parents out of Rory's life even though they had been ready to support Lorelai and Rory. They paid for Chilton and Yale, and only asked for one night of dinner a week and Lorelai and Rory acted like that was a punishment, when Richard and Emily supported Rory completely. It had been Rory's other grandparents that had wanted Lorelai to abort Rory and Richard and Emily had protested against this. They had always supported her. But because they were entitled because they were rich, Lorelai always looked down at them and taught Rory to do the same

Although her life looked like a fairy tale from first episode and everyone was pining to be a part of it, Rory was not perfect. That's why we liked her. Because we aren't perfect ourselves. Am pretty sure most people if not all have made mistakes they knew they shouldn't have. Just because you're not rich doesn't mean your own mistakes are somehow considered more reasonable. Also, she's only 30ish - take it easy, her life is not over.

I loved Gilmore Girls. I still love Gilmore Girls even after re-watching as an adult. Rory is trash sometimes but I knew that watching the show the first time. She would do certain things, cause drama then act like she was innocent. I don't know anyone who didn't do stuff like that as a teen. One thing that did bug me as mentioned was Rory's denial of being a "rich kid". No, her mother wasn't rich but her grandparents had her back. That does count. it was like she wanted to struggle but not really. And let me also add that Logan's father was right. She didn't have what it took to be a journalist. I had been saying that since she was in HS. I get that you don't want to dash people's dreams but come on. Logan's dad was rough but I feel he got too much a bad rap. He was hard on Logan but I understood him. He expected a lot from his son because he didn't want Logan to become a ne'er do well. Mitchum worked hard even though he was born to privilege. He was distant and perhaps cold sometimes...but he wasn't all bad.

I think by the end of the story we realize Rory always wanted to live the simple small town thing and be a teacher, she would nail it, she is all about journalism at the beggining but we you pay attention she would be a really great teacher, she is all about the academy, she likes to study and teach thats all.

Please keep in mind that season 7 was made by a replacement creator with that new person's desired plot. Anything that happened in that season wasn't the originally intended story. For that reason, I prefer to just not watch the last season and maybe even season 6. Here's my opinion on the entire series as a whole. I saw Gilmore Girls as the story of a character's fall. That's evident by season 4 or earlier. It looks more like a lesson on what not to do. That gradual downward spiral shows how small decisions lead to a person making bigger wrong decisions later. We could speculate that maybe Rory was never meant to be a perfect hero. I'm still a big fan of the show. It explored flawed characters. Having seen videos of the creator, I can conclude the premise of Gilmore Girls was a mother and daughter relating as friends. It also showed the flaws in other relationship dynamics. Every argument in a Friday night dinner reflected the generation gaps in life. I wish more fans could see all characters in Gilmore Girls as imperfect fictional characters messing up in the chaos of life.

I see everyone in the comments hating that Rory’s character changed, but isn’t that what we all do? Specially in teenage years no one ever stays the same. if you look back at yourself ONE year ago you’ll find that you became different so I find it realistic that she dramatically changed over 7 years

I completely agree. In the first few seasons it seemed like it was going to be an awesome story of girl power. But Rory took such a turn and I honestly despise her character. I love the scene in season 6 when Jess calls her out on it but hate that it really doesn’t change anything. I hated her in the reboot. It’s so bad. She’s a spoiled little snot rag who believes she is entitled to things she hasn’t earned and Lukes constant praise of her little New Yorker article makes it so much worse to a point where she feels she’s too good for Stars Hallow (a town that treats her like a queen). She’s horrible.

Anyone who watched the original show knew Rory had at least 2 other trust funds, one from Richard's mother, "Trix" from the first or second season . I remember that episode because there was a big fuss about Rory taking that money because it would've freed Lorelai from Emily and Richard's debt. The other fund was from Christopher who set aside money for Rory after receiving an inheritance when one of his relatives died, not to mention whatever money Richard probably left Rory when he passed. So, it made no sense why she had to move back home or couldn't get her own place because she was probably a paper millionaire off of inherited money alone. And the fact that Rory was still sleeping with inappropriate men in her 30's . . . The nerve of her getting upset when Logan told her that she was going to have to stay at the hotel because his fiance was coming through. But see, that was vintage Rory, and we were all too busy fan-girling over her on the original show to admit it. She just couldn't leave married Dean alone back in the day, either.

You didn't really connect your points together coherently to show why this is bad. I kept waiting for you to get to the point, and it never happened. It should have been as simple as "Character Flaw > Consequences" and then maybe something about how it could have been resolved better or what you would have changed.

I agree with the idea that they took all of the nuance out of the class struggle aspect of the original show in the revival, which is hard because that’s what felt so groundbreaking about the original. They took the bite out of Rory and Lorelai’s characters as well, especially Lorelai - the Lorelai of the revival was so sanitized and mild that I didn’t even recognize her. And Rory was so... cruel... I kind of understand why? In so much of the original series she was praised for being so smart and successful. I remember one time she asks Lorelai to read one of her Chilton papers and tells Lorelai to be honest or she’ll just grow up to think she’s amazing or something. I think Rory’s character is a result of always being told how smart she is. She definitely settled in to her privilege and stopped being so rigorous and disciplined with herself, and her career and personal lives really suffered for that. It was strange to see Lorelai just observing that without offering support or advice, but I guess at that point Rory was meant to be a grown woman and figure it out? I hope my mom is still giving me advice when I’m that age, though.

“WHY DID U DROP OUT OF YALE”

A decade makes a hell of a difference in terms of how we view societal dynamics. This is true of any show we loved as kids and outgrew with experience and perspective.

honestly ever since season 1 as a sixth grader ive always wanted to be lane lmao

I still want to be the OLD her. The one who had ambition. No matter what she became.

*spoilers* I think this dialogue is a little lost on the true intention of the show and underlying themes. Yes, Privilege is something that is thematic in the show however it's not necessarily enough to pick up and commentate on in my opinion. It didn't play a big enough role in the show and wasn't the basis. With Rory being raised by her mom primarily until she is 16 in borderline poverty which is highlighted in many episodes dialogue in the early seasons. The whole point of the original show is Lorelai's struggle with Privilege not Rory's and how even being born into it she (Lorelai) never truly identified with that world or felt at home but when she leaves at 16 with Rory and becomes a maid working from the ground up she was happy. She found a life and her freedom, in her choices, and happiness which by extension she gave to Rory. Rory only ever knew poverty. They lived in a shack/garden shed behind the Inn, and she often made Rorys clothes by hand. (They even had to get their home fumigated and worked on from termite damage which Lorelei couldn't afford or even get a loan. Further highlighting the lengths she'd go to just to avoid assistance from her parents and her level of financial struggle.) Rory didn't get or receive privileges until she was "done" as Lorelai had stated to Max when he asked what role he'd have in raising Rory. "She's done, she's raised." and by stating to Logan her house wasn't silver spoon it was "Spork City". Which the show completely supports this idea. When Rory turns 16 and finally gets acceptance into a Prep school which they cannot afford (being low income) Lorelai begrudgingly goes to her rich parents for the finances for Rory thus creating the whole format of the show to be needed. Otherwise it'd be a pointless following of a mother daughter friendship with no needed follow through or weekly episodes. So the weekly friday night dinners formulate a weekly need for a check in and also a reoccurrence of following the characters back stories while giving conflict. The new revival series on netflix is supposed to correct the previous original run. In which Rory in the original series was SUPPOSED to get pregnant and replicate her mother however the show was so successful they kept it running. Yet in the middle seasons the original writer and producer had threaten to quit because they weren't getting enough assistance to produce the show. The heads of the studio rejected the assistance requests so the original creators quit thinking the show would be canceled however the heads of the studio saw how successful the show was doing and just hired a new, larger staff than previous. (which Amy Sherman Palladino the creator, writer, and co-producer had been VERY open about this story supporting this and the basis of the show. While her husband was the other Co-Producer who quit, and they have stated they did the show almost alone with very little assistance.) The new writers and producers who took over after Amy didn't know of Amy's proper original ending and they didn't know the show was going to be canceled. Amy has come forward and said the show is supposed to be a reflection of real life, it always was. Just with the idea built around "A mother and daughter that are best friends." She said she just had that one sentence alone to sell the idea to a studio and built the show around it. She then went away to a small town retreat much like Stars Hallow and cringed the whole trip. Not believing places like this really existed and what would happen if a woman like her or who she wanted to be lived there. The Town, the dialogue, and the messy unstructured surprises of real life. All reflected in her work. Rory's privilege wasn't meant to give or guarantee her job placement. It was meant to show the paths a person. Any person can take regardless of privilege or not can take. Rory always made the right choices. However in the end she exhausted herself by over working, about work she was not passionate about. Which in the end failed her. It failed her because it wasn't right for her and that was I believe "life" speaking to her giving her a gift that led her to writing at the Stars Hollow Paper where she loved her home but also lead her to write the "Gilmore girls" story itself about a beautiful bond she created with her mother and giving viewers the ending shock and wonder of figuring out if she will have that experience with her own baby, how she will struggle to support it, and who the father is. I think the highlighted theme is rather her family struggles more than her privilege. She would rather avoid her privileged life and family than receive benefit because it broke her spirit. It was a woman who had strength, freedom and courage. Who built a life of her own outside of everything she ever knew just to be happy and have peace of mind and sanity but also a mothers love for her child. Making a reflection of real life dynamics in modern families but also, Encouraging others to do the same. Be independent, be themselves and have close real relationships. That's why Rory writes the story. For her mom and for others to relate. While the true creator, Amy pulled from her real life. Possibly being Lorelai herself, while her own mother was Emily and dreaming up a perfect mother daughter relationship brought into reality through this work.

Dean wasn't so bad he Just happened to be in a relationship with a horrible person. Rory sucked and here are some reasons. 1. She threw away her expensive education. 2. She behaves like a spoilt child. We all know Lorelai isn't just any mom-she's a cool mom. But the friend/parent dynamic often gets blurred, and Rory takes advantage of their relationship. Whether she's inviting her grandparents to Lorelai's graduation or going to Anna Nardini's store after being asked not to, Rory's like, Boundaries? What are those? Not only does she not respect Lorelai's limits, but she's selfish and hypocritical. She throws tantrums when her mom doesn't take her dating advice-remember when she told Lorelai to slow down with Christopher (David Sutcliffe) in season seven, then got mad when they married in Paris?-yet freezes Lorelai out when she voices concerns about the many, many questionable decisions Rory makes with her own love life. 3. She can't make it in the real world despite a yale education and yuppy connections. 4. She had a poor upbringing with a flaky mom who was more intrested in being a "cool mom". 5. Her mother gives her a poor example of being in a relationship with a man what with her Dad Christopher being a dead and the conga line of deadbeat would-be stepfathers that followed. Rory like her mother wasted her twenties on the cock riding carousel until she got the wall after reaching her thirties and got pregnant to Logan hoping to trap him and get him to leave his fiancee. After turning Logan's marraige proposal down years ago she basically wants him to provide a life of comfort now that she has failed to make it in the real world. She will try for the guys that weren't good enough for her in her teens and twenties like dean or jess or maybe the guy who's name nobody can remember if she fails to steal wealthy alpha male Logan from his fiancee. 6. she's a homewrecker. She sees nothing wrong or immoral with sleeping with a married or engaged man. Obviously the cheater is the most immoral then again Rory cheated on her then current boyfriend with Logan. 7. She is a criminal. She Stole a Yacht and Dropped Out of College Just Because Her Boyfriend's Dad Told Her She Was a Crappy Journalist. Being told you suck at your dream job is a bummer for sure, but let's be real-Mitchum was right. While all her friends were making moves to score internships over summer, Rory headed off to Europe with her grandmother. When she finally did land a gig (and only because of her boyfriend), she spent the whole time playing personal assistant and brown-nosing the staff, instead of going out in the field and actually finding original stories to write about. 8. She's the Poster Child of White Privilege One of the most infuriating aspects of Rory's character is her inability to recognize just how privileged she is. Both Rory and Lorelai like to believe they're more connected to the working class because of Lorelai's effort to distance themselves from Richard and Emily's money through the years, but they have no problem taking family money when it's needed or given- like paying for prep school, getting a new car, tuition at Yale, trips to Europe-the list goes on. When we left Rory at the end of the series, she was taking off on the campaign trail to cover then Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign, but only after she disappointedly had to tell her grandparents she couldn't take them up on their offer for a free apartment in New York City when she was rejected for the New York Times fellowship. Both her and the Gilmores were so blinded by entitlement they didn't even consider the idea Rory wouldn't receive the prestigious fellowship, they just assumed she would get it "because she's Rory." This time around, will Mitchum's intuition about Rory "not having what it takes" to be a notable journalist reveal itself to be true? Will Rory have worked hard to make it on a traditional journalist's low income over the past decade, or will she have relied on her grandparent's money to bankroll her along the way? Rory turned down Logan's proposal at the end of the show in favor of independence, yet it seems unlikely she'd ever divorce herself of similar privileges she has received from her grandparents, or her also-incredibly-rich father. It's like when Logan reminded Rory in season seven: "Wake up, Rory, whether you like it or not, you're one of us. You went to prep school. You go to Yale..." Your grandparents are building a whole damn astronomy building in your name." The privileged lifestyle Rory feels so uncomfortable identifying with is the very thing that's made her who she is. She is a hypocritical, ungrateful, spoiled, mediocre journalist with lame taste in men and bad taste in books.

I think that it needs to be said that being privileged is not a bad thing and, likewise, lacking privilege is not a virtue.

I kind of like the concept they went with- showing how you have to make your own way and acknowledge privilige, rather than do what Rory did- it kind of shows about ‘gifted’ kids becoming demotivated as they get older. I like that they showed the problematic sides of Rory- it’s refreshing.

I always liked Rory, but I grew to dislike her in the final 2 seasons.... and obviously the reboot. They changed her character so much I didn't even recognized her by the end. I was never a Lorelai fan. She was horrible to her mother and always acted entitled and self-absorbed. The reboot was awful, Rory becomes this angry entitled brat who thinks everyone has to cater to her needs. I did like Lorelai's arc and her finally making peace with her life and parents. Emily was the only part that I loved, she found a job and a life after the loss of Richard and I was truly happy for her. I think one's perspective changes a lot through the years, for me it wasn't GG but Sex and the City. I used to think Carrie was a great friend and I was a huge Carrie/Big fan but then came to realize Carrie was a terrible friend, extremely selfish and had a constant need to make every little thing about her.

We have to remember that empathy is key when we watch and rewatch some of our favorite shows. Determining what Rory's "privilege" is comes from our own background and we shouldn't impose our real life narrative to a fictional character's one since the idea of fiction is to put ourselves into their shoes instead, hence empathy. Also, a lot of our favorite shows growing up were made in a specific time and if we judge them through today's lens, it will be drastically different in all aspects of life. Admire them for what they were back then and move on.

This video felt more like a thesis and I’m left waiting for the substance. Why wasn’t this video 15 mins long?

I had a friend who had the exact same look on her face that rory had when Logan was telling her to admit her priviledge. She just didn't want to hear it. It is not their fault that class differences exists but it is important to acknowledge they exist so we can tackle the problems that come with it.

I loved Lane ( and wanted to be her as well). She's way much more kind and grateful than Rory

Rory's problematic character is the reason I prefer Paris.

I think the reboot has changed the balance in which I see the original series as well, though. I always hated Logan. In my view, Rory being with Logan was everything Lorelai fought AGAINST and now Rory was just wallowing in it... and in my memory somehow I told myself that the majority of the series was pre-Logan... but it really wasn't when you look back.

Ok i like lorelei, i like how she knows and understands her privilege but chose to not use it to get by as a single mom on her own and tried giving her daughter the best life she could, BUT i hate rory, she thinks shes so special just because she went to an ivy league, she wasnt thinking realistically whrn she picked her major, as an adult she expects jobs to fall from the sky and expects everyone to give her support and not to mention she is sleeping with someone who is engaged and is cheating on her own boyfriend!!! I was hoping that she would end up with jesse, but jesse is too good for her, rory doesnt deserve him, looking back at past gilmore girls episodes, rory was an entitled brat, that one where she had to work at a grocery store and she was so ungrateful, made me angry, its unbelieveable how selfish she is.

I didn't mind so much that Rory's love life was an utter mess, that keeps the show interesting. But It would have been nice if they actually turned her into an accomplished journalist and gave her unique challenges regarding being a female journalist. It would have been nice to see a female role model have a successful career in journalism since it's so rare for girls to see that in the way Rory's journey started.

In my opinion it's true that this show has several flaws, but I can't ignore the fact that I learned a lot through this show, obviously Rory failed especially when she slept with Dean while he was married, but I think the Beautiful essence and what marked me a lot in this show was the pain that Emily and Richard endured, the patience that Lorelai had, it was the experience that Rory, after being many years around people that told her she was perfect, finally realized that life is not going to hand us all over, and this show helped me in hard times and for that I'm thankful . I don't want to be a Rory or a Lorelai I want to be a Gilmore because let's see the immensity of things these women have gone through!!!

Well you know it's just a story after all, and the evolution of it was quite predictable, I understand some people feel bad when a character they relate to truns out to be a complete failure, but it had to turn out this way, I personally never sympathized with rory's character even before her degradation, because she simply didn't feel realistic, and felt very shallow. The whole story revealed itself after all to be partly about how children can be ruined by being overprotected and living in an exremely friendly world for the years of their emotional formation; it now really makes sense how she turned out to be if you remember her teen years, never at odds with anyone; everybody loves her, so many boys fall for her for no reason, and expecially a mother who by being alledgedly "cool and free spirited" was actually more controlling than her own parents, she monitored rory through out her life, and managed to prevent her from major disappointments which make up a person, the recipe for a successful person is dealing with at least a part of your life completely on your own without having a backup from anyone, and rory did not get that. I love gilmore girls, it's one of my absolute favourite tv shows, but everyone should stop evaluating a 2000 show with the current cultural norms, it is to be taken for its face value, and take the good from it, and in my opinion there should be closure for this story once and for all because it's apparently getting all over the place.

The thing is this show like most Hollywood doesn't show what it's like to be a true member of the working class. I grew up working class in a house that we couldn't afford to heat in the winter even if we had a working heater. My family went out to eat once a month at most and when I got into a private school for people with my disability my parents couldn't send me as the tuition even with my scholarship wasn't. It was getting into uni but having to go to community college instead. It was waiting to go to the doctor because we didn't have insureance.

oh good lord. this video is made by a person of privilege complaining about a person of privilege. struggles are all relative. I find the struggles that Rory faced are multifaceted, universal, and relatable (eg. family, academia, relationships) despite she and i coming from very different socioeconomic background. To dismiss or diminish one's experience (in this case, a fictional character) simply based on their "privilege" seems to be quite an immature way to view the world, and make me wonder how the producer of this video look down on personal experiences of real people.

I still haven't watched the revival, but what I always felt watching the original series especially as the seasons go by, is that the characters Rory and Lorelai were not intended to be perfect, Alexis herself said once in an interview that Rory was unintentionally looking perfect they had to think about stuff to make her look less perfect. I personally found her evolution very plausible, kids who were believed to have it all together grow up to face real struggles in later life.

I actually like the way every character grew up Cause people grow up and a lot of us are trash but can’t see/admit that. Same thing with Rory: she’s not aware of how many defects she has. It would be so much harder, personally, to see Rory growing up as a a perfect human being when the truth is people in the real world is not like Rory of season 1/2.

To be pretty honest here... I loved Rory in seasons 1-3 (and part of 4) but in time her character became so annyoing, so "mainstream" that it wasn't the same anymore. She did some... stupid things that made me stop relating to her character (of course we all make mistakes but some of them were very dumb). Much different from Lorelai who from time to time did things you couldn't understand but she never fell out of the pattern of her character. This is probably the reason why I didn't hate the revival. At that point Rory's character already seemed plain for me so I did not mind as much as before. Sometimes I just wished the would have continued the show like they did for 4 seasons. I don't blame Logan... since for me she started to change much earlier.

Lorelai spent all her life telling Rory and everyone how perfect Rory was, that must be exhausting in real life don't ever do it

"Why don't they think I am good enough?! I am a Gilmore! Do they know that?! My ancestors came in the Mayflower". I have no idea why they don't think you're good enough, Rory. Especially after finding our about the past of Logan's mom. I am glad Emily put her in her place!

When Rory slept with a married Dean, I lost my love and respect for her

i think rory went from a girl who really tried in life (like her mom) then she realized that there was an easier way to get what she wanted. (her grandparents money) after figuring that out i think she felt like she didn't need to try to get what she wanted and so she started to struggle a lot because she wasn't trying. and i think as watchers we don't like to see it on tv. but it is actually very realistic to what some of us might do. i do think that they shouldn't have made the revival. the end of the original show gave us the choice to imagine she started to try and stop relying on her grandparents. after relying on her grandparents that's when everything started to go wrong for her.

I remember in the original it was a big plot point of how Lorelai and Rory didn’t want Emily and Richard to help pay for Rory’s college and the way they portrayed it was so tone death. Like they didn’t acknowledge at all how privileged you would have to be to even have the option of having your rich grandparents pay for your college and to be able to graduate (from Yale no less) debt free

I’m rewatching the show. It’s interesting how complex it really is… the cycle of generational trauma is beautifully portrayed in the original show. I adored all the women, despite their flaws, for trying and trying over and over again to have a good relationship with one another. My family is fighting desperately to break generational trauma as well.

Original show was certainly better than the new one. It definitely showed just how shallow money and wealth can be, and it was all made clear that their life in a small town with a bunch of low to middle class people was more fun and personal, while also showing that success and financial security is great and being careless with your money is foolish. It really showed both sides of the matter.

Scott Patterson - (Luke Danes) has gone on the record saying that he didn't like what they did to Rory's character and made her a loser in the revival. He also said that he didn't like that they made Luke look like an idiot. Not knowing how surrogacy works, etc. I completely agree (and not having back bone). His character was so different from the original series :( I read a line recently and it really clicked with me: Gilmore Girls romanticized infidelity. So true. The best seasons were seasons 1-5. And if they "needed" to continue to season 7...it should have stopped right there.

I just started watching this show on Netflix i actually really love it I’m obsessed with it! Currently on season 5

I see quite a few comments decrying viewers’ inability to accept flawed characters. Character flaws are a part of how we relate to characters, but mostly because of how those characters keep going despite the flaws. And let’s face the facts: some flaws are more relatable than others. Viewers can rally behind a protagonist who doesn’t know how to fix a broken relationship with a loved one; that’s drama, that’s a plot goldmine, that’s what we all can relate to. But a protagonist who’s given so many opportunities but throws them away? I can’t even relate to getting an opportunity like story gets, let alone going to job interviews unprepared. This is not the same Rory who color-coded her class notes.

Oh and to add on to th at, Rory was CHEATING on Paul with Logan her rich ex boyfriend who can be an idiot. I like him better in the original show

How about Rory doing a million things in a day? In later seasons she returns to Yale, gets the job at the Standford Newspaper, is a member of the Yales newspaper, is still finishing up her comunity service, is still in the DAR, spends time with her mum and attends every Stars Hollow event, spends time with Logan (when she moves in with him he says she's over there half of the time anyway like rly?) AND has time to study to be the best student even though she skipped a semester

The picture of the narrator in the beginning ( 0:06 ) gives me lana del rey vibes🍒🌸

This video makes some good points, but just because Rory has flaws it doesn’t make her problematic. They are part of what makes her relatable to actual people.