Gilmore Girls is fondly remembered for a variety of reasons - Stars Hollow's wacky array of townsfolk, grueling Friday night dinners, the legendary brawl between Dean and Jess in season three, and countless other iconic characters and moments. But one of the show's best qualities has to be its writing: its distinctive voice, blink-and-you-miss-them pop culture references, and witty dialogue.
Nonetheless, there are some odd writing choices made across the series, particularly relating to storylines that are abandoned as quickly as they began. Multiple times in the show's seven seasons, an arc seems to be developing, only for viewers to never hear of it again. Whether mistakes or deliberate choices, these dropped plotlines still linger in observant fans' minds more than a decade since the show went off the air.
Alex Lesman
In season three, Lorelai begins a brief romance with Alex Lesman. Sookie introduces the pair after she and Lorelai attend a class at the learning annex and run into him there. The sweet coffee shop owner takes Lorelai on a fishing date, which memorably requires Lorelai to get lessons from Luke.
He and Lorelai also go on a double date with Sookie and Jackson to a musical in New York City in "Swan Song," but this is Alex's last appearance in the series. There were seemingly no issues in the couple's relationship, and Lorelai namedrops Alex a few more times in the season, but the couple's apparent breakup is never discussed.
Emily Being Sued By Her Employee
The Gilmores apparently face no shortages of lawsuits for bad behavior. In season three's "I Solemnly Swear," Emily is being sued by Gerta, a former maid, for wrongful termination. It's no secret that Emily is a terrible employer with a generally condescending and rude attitude towards her staff, and the gag of the episode is that she fired Gerta for overly loud walking.
Lorelai is deposed as part of the suit and gives hilariously avoidant answers that Emily reads aloud at Friday night dinner. But the suit, and the part Lorelai's botched deposition played in its unfolding, is never discussed again.
Tristan
Tristan Dugray is something of a bad boy at Chilton, a peer of Rory's who makes a habit of flirting by mocking her. He memorably gets into a fight with Dean at a school dance and after Rory and Dean's breakup, he and Rory finally realize their romantic tension and share a kiss at a classmate's house party.
Tristan's final appearance is in season two's "Run Away, Little Boy," where viewers learn he's being sent to military school by his father after some attempted thievery. Although his departure is explained, it's an abrupt end for a character who seemed to have unresolved chemistry and history with Rory.
Jess Living In California
After Jess' dramatic departure from Stars Hollow near the end of season three, he becomes the central focus of that season's penultimate episode "Here Comes The Son." In Venice, California, Jess manages to track down his father Jimmy, whom he had met during the latter's brief stayed in Stars Hollow a few episodes earlier. Jess meets his dad's partner Sasha, checks out the boardwalk, and manages to convince his reluctant father to let him stay in California.
Fans of the show know this episode was meant to spawn a Jess-focused spinoff that never materialized. But before his temporary return to Stars Hollow the following season, viewers hear nothing of Jess' time in California or how he gets back to the East Coast.
Trix's Love Interest
Early in season four, Richard's mother Lorelai "Trix" Gilmore moves into his Hartford home due to her ailing health, much to Emily's chagrin. Trix inflicts the kind of judgment that Emily usually reserves for others (particularly for her daughter) on Emily herself, and drives her out of her own house shortly after moving in.
When Emily returns to find Trix kissing a mystery man, she can't help but expose the secret affair in front of Trix's dinner guests. Although it leads to a momentary truce between Emily and Trix, the identity of the lover is never explored in detail and he isn't mentioned again.
The Puffs
The Puffs are a secret sorority at Chilton of which Paris's family have been members for generations. In the season two episode "Like Mother, Like Daughter," Rory is encouraged to socialize more at school and inadvertently joins the group. She manages to convince them to let Paris in, and the two participate in an initiation involving breaking into Chilton after hours and ringing the headmaster's bell.
Although the girls are caught in the middle of the hazing ritual, we hear little of the Puffs after that episode despite Paris' desperate desire to be a member. Had the storyline been pursued, it could have functioned as a prologue of sorts to the saga of the Life and Death Brigade at Yale.
Jason Stiles' Lawsuit
One of Lorelai's main relationships takes place in season four when she dates Jason Stiles, her father's (much younger) colleague. After Richard quits the company in defiance of its owner Floyd Stiles, Jason approaches him to form a competing company. Although the venture gets off to a good start, Richard betrays Jason and cuts a deal with the young salesman's father that leaves Jason with no job and none of his old clients.
Jason's desire to file a lawsuit against Richard is understandable, and although it leads to the demise of his relationship with Lorelai, viewers never hear anything of the suit again after Jason's attempt to win Lorelai back in the season four finale.
Dave
Dave Rygalski is one of Gilmore Girls' most beloved supporting characters, with many fans believing he was the superior choice as Lane's main love interest in the show. The sweet musician pursues a relationship with Lane in season three, and though Mrs. Kim initially disapproves, he's able to win her favor by the season's end.
However, the next season we learn that Dave has moved to California for college, and though he's referenced a handful of times as Lane's long-distance boyfriend, we never see him and the dreamy couple breaks it off. Adam Brody was written off the show to star in The O.C., but it doesn't make Dave's abrupt departure any less sad.
Jackson Becoming Town Selectman
One of Jackson's most significant plots in the show took place in the season four episode "Tippecanoe and Taylor, Too" when, fed up with Taylor's tyrannical rule of Stars Hollow, he runs against Taylor for town selectman. With Taylor acting as a nuisance to Lorelai's inn operations and going after Jackson for breaking greenhouse by-laws in that episode alone, it's a shocking and welcome change when Jackson wins the election in a landslide.
It turns out that the job is more unpleasant than Jackson had hoped, and he is frustrated and frazzled by the role. That being said, a few episodes later Taylor has become selectman once again with no word of Jackson even considering resigning.
The Stamford Eagle-Gazette
In the season six episode "The Prodigal Daughter Returns," Rory, having dropped out of Yale, grows tired of living under her grandmother's thumb and moves in with Lane. With renewed vigor, Rory seeks out a job and, despite being told there are no openings, hangs around the office of the Stamford Eagle Gazette all day until she finally lands five minutes with a beleaguered editor.
This tactic actually lands her a job and she celebrates at the end of the episode when she reunites with her estranged mom. But we never hear of the job again, and Rory quickly goes back to Yale and becomes editor-in-chief of the Yale Daily News.