Gilmore Girls has remained popular since it’s seven original seasons ended in 2007, and has stayed relevant with it’s Netflix revival A Year In The Life. Although there are mixed opinions on that later addition, fans remember crying and laughing along with main characters Lorelai and Rory through the ups and downs of the show clearly and still love rewatching the original episodes today.
While viewers love seeing what the mother-daughter pair get into each episode, not every storyline is popular. There are some plotlines that fans downright hate, and others that most fans agree are some of the best aspects of the show. A lot happened to the characters throughout the seven season run, and there was a lot more to process after the revival.
Like all shows, there were plot twists that failed and plot twists that were brilliant. Rory’s multiple love interests spawned heavy debates, and social media and discussion boards are still full of posts about these arguments even now. Lorelai’s questionable decisions are talked about among friends during rewatches and Luke’s daughter is always a hot topic.
From unsuccessful love interests to strange character additions, here are the 10 Plot Twists That Hurt Gilmore Girls (And 10 That Saved It).
Hurt: Luke Having A Daughter
While there are a lot of split opinions among fans of Gilmore Girls, one aspect that the majority agree on is how terrible the addition of Luke’s daughter was. April is easily one of the most disliked characters on the show by viewers. Luke and Lorelai were in such a good place in their relationship, and adding a long-lost daughter was just a plot device to help drive the two apart for more drama. His decision to hide his daughter from Lorelai never made any sense, considering he was all about honesty and Lorelai is great with young teenage girls.
Overall, April was a completely unnecessary character who fans were never interested in, and she drove apart a major relationship fans had been wanting to happen for years. If you break up Luke and Lorelai, fans aren’t going to like you.
Saved: Max's Proposal
While Lorelai didn’t end up marrying Max Medina, she came awfully close. She ended up with Luke like most fans wanted, but Max arguably had the most romantic moments on the entire show. While it was all the way back in season one, fans remember the twist well. Lorelai freaks out when Max mentions marrying her, and she makes one of her fast-paced, rambling speeches about how it should be romantic and there should be music and “a thousand yellow daisies.”
Later on, she walks into the Independence Inn only to find it covered in a thousand yellow daisies. Romantic gestures don’t get much grander than that. While their engagement came to an abrupt halt, this remains one of the best surprising moments on Gilmore Girls.
Hurt: Rory Sleeping With Dean
Viewers can think of plenty of Rory moments that they adored. While there are some heavy debates over certain ones, most people agree that her and Dean sleeping together is at the top of bad decisions. Dean was still married when he and Rory got together. While he told Rory that he and his wife were in a bad place, she was smart enough to know better.
Both characters attempt to defend their actions, but no one was having it. The way Lorelai reacted was similar to how fans reacted. It just didn’t fit Rory’s character at all and wasn’t what viewers expected for her first time. It was certainly a surprising twist, but not a good one.
Saved: Jess Telling Rory He Loves Her
Jess is one of the biggest heartthrobs on Gilmore Girls. Fans went crazy for him, so much so, in fact, that he nearly got his own spinoff. When he left for California, both Rory and fans of the show weren’t sure of the next time they would see him. In season four, he comes back into town and keeps trying to avoid Rory. She finally confronts him and he blurts out that he loves her, then quickly leaves again.
Rory was startled, and so were viewers. It was a plot twist that fans of Rory and Jess absolutely loved, as they had been waiting for him to admit that for a long time. “I love you” plot twists typically go over well in television shows.
Hurt: Lorelai Getting Together With Chris
Luke and Lorelai were very obviously endgame from the start of Gilmore Girls. That’s why any time someone came between the pair, fans didn’t take it very well. The biggest upset in their whole relationship was when she got together with Christopher right after a really bad fight with Luke.
Lorelai believed her relationship was over, and immediately ran back into Christopher’s arms and woke up in his bed. Luke came back to try to fix things later, and they couldn’t because she had slept with her ex. If it weren’t for that decision, she and Luke may not have needed to end things. Fans were absolutely livid at Lorelai after this and it’s one of the most hated plot twists in the entire show.
Saved: Rory Telling Dean She Loves Him
It was easy for fans to think badly of Dean after he wasn't faithful to his wife and slept with Rory, but the two did have some cute moments in the earlier seasons. One of the most notable ones was when Rory finally told Dean that she loves him.
Dean had told Rory he loved her but she didn’t say it back, prompting their breakup. Later on, he shows up at her school but believes that she’s already moved on with Tristan. As he goes to leave, Rory begs him not to go and when he asks why, she says, “because I love you, you idiot!” It was one of Rory’s earlier romantic moments and it’s certainly a memorable one.
Hurt: Lane's Pregnancy
One of the biggest complaints among fans about the final season of Gilmore Girls is the ending the creators gave to Lane. Her dream was to be in a successful band, but instead, she married a man who many didn’t think was good enough for her and had children really young. On top of that, it was Lane’s first time ever that led to her pregnancy, and she told Rory it wasn’t even enjoyable to the point that she never wants to do it again.
Instead of making it as a drummer, she ended up married with twins to a subpar guy who performs badly in bed. While she ultimately seems happy in the later revival, fans are still upset with the path her life took.
Saved: Luke And Lorelai's Engagement
It was clear from the pilot episode of the show that Luke and Lorelai have serious chemistry. From that episode on, fans wanted the pair to get together. When Lorelai asked Luke to marry her in season five, viewers were ecstatic.
No one expected Lorelai to ask him during a simple conversation in the diner, which is part of what made it so perfect. That’s where their relationship began, so it was the perfect place for her to ask. While their relationship grows much more complicated after that and endures breaking up and getting back together, the pair did finally get married in the revival.
Hurt: Rory And Lorelai's Long Fight
The best relationship in all of Gilmore Girls is obviously the relationship between the two main Gilmore girls. Rory and Lorelai are the heart of the show, which is why it was so difficult to viewers endure their major falling out in season six.
No one expected the mother-daughter pair to stop talking for so long, and most fans didn’t enjoy it. Some people even refer to it as the worst point in the series. Rory was acting immaturely out of character and Lorelai was being totally stubborn. While their eventual reunion was emotional, without their close knit relationship, the season just wasn’t nearly as enjoyable to watch as usual. Their fight should have ended sooner than it did.
Saved: Rory and Dean's Breakup
Fans are really divided on which boyfriend they prefer Rory with, but she had cute moments with each of them. While she did love Dean, it was clear by season three that the two needed to end things.
By then, Jess and Rory had been flirting relentlessly and it was clear to everyone that the two had feelings for each other, despite dating other people. Most fans were wanting her to act on those feelings, so when Dean broke up with her, it was for the benefit of the plot. While he didn’t have to do it so rudely and publicly at the dance marathon, it was for the best and led to her finally getting together with Jess.
Hurt: Rory Dropping Out Of Yale
Rory has been a good student since the first episode. Being organized, studious, and responsible are central qualities to who Rory is. That’s why it was such a shock when she decided to drop out of Yale. She wasn’t the type of character to let someone tell her what she could or couldn’t accomplish, so letting Mitchum Huntzberger get into her head didn’t make sense.
Rory was always driven by her own goals and by dropping out of school, she was abandoning all she had worked for. Fans weren’t happy with her decision and thought the creators were writing her out of character. She rejected everything she was and became someone viewers didn’t even recognize.
Saved: Richard's First Heart Attack
Emily and Richard have their problems with Lorelai and Rory, but they are always there for each other. Their love for one another is one of the strongest aspects of the show. That’s why when Richard had his first heart attack in season one, fans were shocked and afraid at the idea of losing him. The plot twist was even more powerful because of Emily’s reaction to her husband’s health issues.
Tearfully, she demanded that she should get to pass away first because she can’t live without him. It showed the depths of her devotion to Richard. The moment still makes fans tear up, especially after actor Edward Herrmann passed away, which meant Richard had to pass away in the revival.
Hurt: Chris And Lorelai Eloping
After Luke and Lorelai’s breakup, fans were waiting for them to patch things up and get back together. Instead, though, Lorelai started dating Christopher and then eloped with him in Paris. Eloping was a weird choice for Lorelai considering that Rory wasn’t there to witness her parents getting married. Not only that, but the two jumped into it extremely fast considering their complicated history and her recent split with Luke.
Their spontaneous wedding in Paris was supposed to be both surprising and charming, but it was more of a rushed mistake than anything romantic, which is a big reason why it didn’t end up working out. The twist wasn’t exactly a fan-favorite choice, and even Lauren Graham forgot the pair got married.
Saved: Dave Reading The Entire Bible For Lane
While a lot of the most romantic gestures on Gilmore Girls are attributed to Lorelai and Rory’s significant others, Lane saw her fair share as well. One of the most notable ones was when Dave stayed up all night reading the Bible so he could take Lane to prom.
Ms. Kim had quoted something at him that he assumed was from the Bible. He was desperately trying to take Lane to prom, so he read the entire thing cover to cover in one night to try and figure out what she meant. That’s some serious dedication. A lot of fans agree that Dave was a far better love interest for Lane than Zack, so this scene meant a lot to them.
Hurt: Rory and Logan's Affair
After the final season of Gilmore Girls, it seemed clear that Rory and Logan were not going to continue their relationship. That’s why fans were surprised to see that she was still seeing him in the revival.
Not only were the two still getting together, but they were also being unfaithful to their significant others. This affair was surprising to fans, and not in a good way. Rory kept forgetting she even had a boyfriend, and Logan was engaged to marry someone else. It was more than just a fling -- they an ongoing, serious affair. Fans were not okay with this concept. Both characters were way too relaxed about cheating and it didn’t make them very likable.
Saved: Sherry's Pregnancy
Lorelai and Christopher had an extremely complicated, up and down relationship throughout Gilmore Girls. Despite their chemistry, Christopher never treated Lorelai right, but she would continue to trust him only to be let down.
That’s why as heartbreaking as it was for Lorelai, it was a good thing when Sherry ended up pregnant. He and Lorelai had slept together and were going to try and make a relationship work, but he left to go back to Sherry when he found out about the baby. It was better that Lorelai and Chris didn’t pursue their relationship and that he follow through this time with the raising of his child, which also left room for Sherry and Gigi plots in the future.
Hurt: Jess Going To California
Fans rooted for Jess and Rory to get together for so long, that when they were finally in a relationship, it was hard to watch it end. While Jess did have some good moments, leaving for California without telling Rory was a terrible choice. The entire episode of him in California was strange and didn’t fit in with the rest of the show. While he was originally going to get his own spinoff show, it didn’t pan out, so they had to fit his California trip into Gilmore Girls.
He didn’t fit in at Venice Beach at all, wearing his leather jacket the entire time, and the other characters simply didn’t work well with his personality. It’s like there was an interesting idea there, but the execution was poor. It would have been better to never show him in California.
Saved: Emily And Richard's Separation
Emily and Richard’s relationship is one of the higher points in Gilmore Girls. They are incredibly devoted to one another and have been through many hardships throughout their marriage. That doesn’t mean, however, that their marriage has been perfect.
In season five, the pair revealed that they were separated and had been living apart. While it was hard to see such a strong couple fight and live apart, it led to some of the most emotional episodes with the pair. Viewers loved seeing Richard and Emily reconcile their relationship. Their separation led to the eventual renewing of their vows, and the entire plot line just reaffirmed how much Richard and Emily truly love each other.
Hurt: Rory's Pregnancy
Many Gilmore Girls moments have been discussed by fans at length, but the ending of A Year In The Life just might take the cake as the most controversial one. The last few words will haunt viewers for years to come. Rory asked, “Mom?” Lorelai replied, “Yeah?” and then Rory admitted, “I’m pregnant.” The credits immediately started. Those four words were a lot for people to process, but apparently the creators have had those final words planned for years.
It was meant as a circle-of-life type of moment, but it angered a lot of people and left them with too many questions. The cliffhanger wasn’t satisfying for most people, particularly because it’s unclear who the father was.
Saved: Luke And Lorelai's First Kiss
Fans waited for Luke and Lorelai’s first kiss for a long time after years of tension, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. It happened in a moment of passion and was written perfectly for the two’s personalities. Their will they/won’t they tension was broken on the front porch of the Dragonfly Inn.
He’s angry that her ex showed up to her special inn opening when he thought he and Lorelai had a moment, and she yells back that she thought they had a moment too. Then he finally kisses her. Fans were overjoyed to see the pair finally kiss after one of their typical, tension-filled arguments and couldn’t wait to see what it led to next. It was the start of a long relationship that would eventually lead to their marriage.
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Are there any other plot twists that hurt or saved Gilmore Girls? Let us know in the comments!