Well, we all knew we would end up here, didn't we?
I have to say that this was possibly my favorite resolution to any romantic storyline on TV ever, and one of the best TV episodes ever, from start to finish. I'm not that worried about Rory's plotline because we've seen it played out already, and it will end exactly this way. Which is the way it should be.
I wasn't that enchanted with Lorelai's nature misadventures, apart from the #Parenthood cameos. It was very kind of Lauren to give half of the cast of her last show a job. Peter Krause in particular cracked me up: it was very amusing to watch Lauren attempt to flirt shamelessly with Lauren Graham's real-life boyfriend (thankfully, they still have no romantic chemistry whatsoever).
Fun fact: Jason Ritter not only played Lauren's love interest on Parenthood but also Alexis Bledel's love interest on the doomed sitcom Us and Them (so terrible they never bothered to show episodes) and Scott Patterson's prospective son-in-law on the doomed The Event (also fairly terrible, though since I stopped watching after four episodes I couldn't tell you if it got better or not). All of this pretty much proves that Sarah Braverman really needed to end up with someone her own age.
I don't have much to say about that early Jess/Luke scene other than the fact that Jess is the real MVP of this revival. Going outside of the context of what his character was like on the show 15 years ago, 2016 Jess Mariano is a catch. He's studly, sensitive, and supportive. He shows up for two minutes and gives his ex-girlfriend direction and passion in her life: he helps out his beloved uncle/father figure with his romantic problems, and runs interference for his crazy mother and stepfather. He's clearly the most stable, well-adjusted person in this entire revival and he accomplishes this all in three scenes.
OK, on to the point . . . this little detour served its point, which is that the nature trail is not where Lorelai needs to be. Everyone else has significant problems they need to overcome, which she doesn't. She's in a stable relationship with a man that adores her, and she's happy. She's successfully running her own business, which was her dream job. What's left in her life to achieve?
One thing that got bandied about on the TWOP forums back in the day is the prospect that Lorelai would lose her independence if she found herself in a stable relationship. The truth is that even though it's been almost a decade, she hasn't been ready to let go of that independence yet, and she hasn't wanted to mess with a relationship that was actually working. It's been happy and settled for many years, but it hasn't been what she's wanted it to be. Despite Luke and Jess's worries, she did not want to leave. She wanted to get closer to Luke, to make their relationship better, but wasn't sure of the right way to do it.
It's not until she comes to a place where she's not able to get coffee that's she reminded of the man that usually supplies to her, and her relationship with him. She's reminded of her father, and the attempts that he made to reach out to the kid he didn't really understand and to comfort her on her terms. Luke had even less in common with her dad than she did, but they've always tried to understand each other despite their differences, and that it's time to stop pretending like they aren't in this for life. They are.
Although it's kind of ridiculous that it took so long for Lorelai to get to this point, it sort of makes sense. She built her whole life on forging an identity that was separate from her parents and finding a safe environment to raise her child in and to give her everything she didn't have while she she was growing up. She found a home there, and she flourished, and eventually got everything that she ever wanted. But the next step is to finally let go of a little bit of that independence, and to fully embrace what she already has. She's running toward something this time, not away from it.
I was pretty pleased with Luke and Lorelai's relationship during this revival. They're settled and fairly happy, and all of the angst of the original series is long gone. The drama seems emblematic of a couple that's been together for a very long time and still has their ups and downs, but in the long run . . . it's pretty ordinary. Their problems may not be terribly dramatic, but they feel real. Their lives perhaps aren't as melded as they should be, but there's time to fix that. I still kind of feel that the writers were grasping at straws to kind of give them conflict in this series, but it made it a fairly stress-free shipper experience for me and that's definitely a nice turn of events.
(BTW, that monologue to Emily? That better be on the Emmy reel that finally pays off for Lauren Graham. This wedding isn't the only thing that's taken too dang long).
I am not unhappy, okay? I am not unsatisfied. You think I'm unhappy and unsatisfied and I can't convince you that I am not! I mean . . . this, right here, is all I will ever need. I never thought in my wildest dreams that it would happen, that you and me, that we would happen, but we did. Listen, I know I am not the easiest guy in the world to build a life with and share a house with but there is no one who will be more here for you than me. I will never leave. I will never think about leaving. I will do whatever it takes to fix what's wrong. I will go to that nutty therapist of yours. I will open up a franchise if that's who you need me to be. I'll run the kitchen at your inn. I'll give you back your entire closet. I only took that half because you insisted that I do it. I just figured that you would take it back eventually, but anyhow . . . you need the space and I need you. God damn it, Lorelai. We have been through so much. I mean, we've watched each other go from person to person. I mean, there was Rachel, and Max, and Christopher! I had to watch you marry that guy. It was awful! But we . . . we made it here. We made it through all of that.
I love that he knows exactly where that ring is in 30 seconds, and has basically been waiting for this moment for nine years. He always did want to marry her: he was just biding his time because he thought that it was a miracle that she wanted to be with him in the first place. He was willing to accept whatever she wanted as long as he got to have her. All he ever needed was her.
I actually really loved Rory's adventures with the Life and Death Brigade. It kind of puts in perspective the attraction that Logan really presented to her: he's fun and charming and adventurous and it's great as long as the ride lasts, but he won't be sticking around in the morning. I still don't understand Logan in this revival, why it had to be like this for him. Does he love that other girl? Why can't he even discuss the option of a relationship? Is his father that threatening to him? Does Rory even want that? If she doesn't, why not? I just don't get it.
Okay, now to the real meaty stuff: Rory's conversation with her father. Obviously, I did not want Christopher to be anywhere near this revival, and I'm glad that Luke and Lorelai's drama had absolutely nothing to do with him and that he's not going anywhere near her. Still, I feel sort of sad for the guy. He doesn't appear to really have any sort of relationship with Rory. His other daughter lives with her mother in another country. He can't get anywhere near Lorelai and he seems to understand that. He's doing what he always hated, which is work for his father's business. He's failed at everything in life and while this is definitely karmic justice for all the damage he's done, I do feel kind of sorry for him.
However, this small scene indicated why it has to be that way for him. Yes, Lorelai made the right decision in not marrying him, and she took the opportunity to establish independence for herself and Rory. But part of the reason that she did that was to protect the two of them from his instability. She never kept Christopher away from Rory, and she even encouraged their relationship after Christopher had broken her heart. Christopher never tried. And even after all this time, he can't admit it and say he was sorry and he should have made the effort. It's just not possible for him. He hurt them too much because he was too chickenshit to step up, and when he did come back, he only succeeded at hurting Rory's mother and surrogate father. I think that's the real reason why Rory is so icy with him: she just can't forgive him for what he did to her mother and Luke when he did show up. There's no way to repair that damage and now even Rory's mostly lost to him. I can't help thinking Lorelai would be a little sad about this: even if she can't be around him because of the tangled romantic history between her and the two men in her life, she would still want Rory to repair her relationship with her biological father. Unfortunately, it seems that it's far too late.
I loved that little moment with Dean. The last time we saw him, he was whining that Rory had ruined his life. Now he's happily married and settled with the wife and kids that he always wanted and is free of Rory's drama forever.
I think the real winner in this scenario is this guy.
The brief Sookie scene was perfect. I'm glad that the writers and Melissa McCarthy got over whatever behind-the-scenes drama was lurking to make this happen. It's not entirely unrealistic that Sookie would want to move on: yes, the inn was her dream, too, but dreams change, and she found new ones for her and her family.
Ah, #reunited.
I loved the pre-wedding antics with Rory, Jess, Kirk, Luke and Lorelai hanging out at the house like the improvised family unit that they are starting to be. The new #TeamJess fangirl in me appreciate how he finds time to appreciate both tight T shirts and literature in the midst of family wedding preparations. I loved how giddy and ecstatic Luke and Lorelai seem to be through all of this. During the first few episodes, people kept asking Lorelai if she was happy and she would claim that she was, but it was clear that something was missing. This time, when people ask if she's happy, she pretty much beams. Her happy ending is finally happening.
And Jess was right: Luke did look hot in that suit.
I think things may be slightly more copacetic with the future son in law.
(On a random note, is Kiefer Sutherland weird enough to occasionally hang out with a small town diner owner? Well, he just spent the summer touring as a country singer and even played at Birmingham's beloved hipster club so um, probably).
I haven't really mentioned Emily that much through all of this, but her ending was perfect. She's lost her lifelong partner, and everything that was part of that life with him means nothing to her now. She's starting a brand new life in a new place, and she wants Luke and Lorelai to be a part of that life. She's moved in her maid and all of her relatives, and has embraced her own form of the community that her daughter and granddaughter cherished so much. And she has an awesome job terrifying children at the whaling museum. Emily Gilmore has found out how to live life right.
Please someone tell me how I can earn a living doing exactly this.
The midnight wedding with the handful of guests was perfect and low-key and everything I dreamed it would be. Seeing Luke and Lorelai and Rory dance as the improvised family unit that they've been all these years was so beautiful. It was wonderful to see Lorelai pause a minute to take in at all as Luke descends with his new (official!) stepdaughter down the gazebo.
It happened. At last. It came full circle for Lorelai, and she finally did get the happy ending she deserved.
As for Rory, we-el , . .
Those final four words have been mythologized for a decade. I have to say that I was not expecting them to be what we heard.
Rory: Mom?
Lorelai: Yeah?
Rory: I'm pregnant.
W. T. F.
Seriously, the writers were going to end the original series with that? There were no Netflix revivals in 2007. Milo started filming Heroes that year, so there would likely have been no Jess to bring this to a full circle and a hopeful happy ending. How insane would that have been? I thought the Sherman-Palladinos really hit the pinnacle of their narcissism with all those shipper complications that drove me so crazy a decade ago, but reading the interviews where they've made it clear they have barely contemplated these plot events beyond their beloved "final four words" have made it clear just how awful they are. As much as I enjoyed this revival, I really don't ever want to hear their interpretation of events ever again.
As I've said before, it's folly to pay attention to writers and showrunners. The characters are just dolls for them to move around, and the rest of us are just playthings in their silly game. That said, this revival in itself did present a thematically consistent ending to their story, and they weren't being too terribly subtle about it, either. So I'm going to focus on what they wrote, and not what they've said afterwards.
If the original series had ended with a 23-year-old Rory pregnant while she was about to embark on a life on her own, it would have been horrific. Likewise, the implication that Luke and Lorelai were doomed never to have children of their own because they were about to become grandparents is fairly sad for a newly reunited couple in their early forties who have contemplated the idea. That ending wouldn't have worked ten years ago, and that gets us back to the crux of the issue, which is that the original ending to the show was perfectly fine. Lorelai and Luke reunited and were set to start a life on their own: Rory goes out into the world and begins a life without her mother: Lorelai would have a relationship with her parents even if Rory wasn't around. There was absolutely nothing wrong with ending the show on those terms, and the fact that the Palladinos didn't get to live out their "vision" wasn't a tragedy. It's exactly why I didn't want them to revisit the issue and screw things up.
Rory did what she set out to do. She traveled the world, met interesting people, worked as a freelance journalist. It turns out that she wasn't that great at it. So now she'll take the skills that she learned and apply them to something she's passionate about, and become a different kind of writer. The international jet-setting lifestyle (and the man that came along with it) won't be suited to that kind of life, but the small town-values that her mother raised her with likely will . . . and so will the man who's set to likely be a big part of it.
Rory is the new Lorelai, and she's set to repeat her mother's habits in life . . . but this time it's not a tragedy or a betrayal. She's lived the life she wanted and now she's in the same position her mother was in, but she's not set to repeat her mother's longstanding control and commitment issues. The eternal Luke/Lorelai/Christopher love triangle lives on with the next generation, but it might not take so freaking long this time. Logan is the Christopher analogue, the charming, irresponsible boyfriend who could never come quite through for her, while Jess is the Luke analogue - the dependable, loyal friend who will become the eventual father to the rich kid's child. We know that Jess gave her the advice to take this step on her own, and that despite his claims to the contrary, he's still not over her. He'll support her in this new stage of her life, and when the time comes in for her to accept a life with him, he'll be ready.
I think Newly Minted Stepdad supports me in this.
In the meantime, Rory's going to need a lot of assistance with that kid. I hope Luke isn't still terrified of jam hands. Lorelai and Luke didn't get a kid of their own, but they're now the matriarch and patriarch of their new family unit, only more loving and supportive. They'll help Rory bring up their grandchild along with the rest of the town, and the new family will be solidified by this arrival. This will be the final step to cement them as a couple, to become the melded unit that they haven't quite become over the past ten years. This couldn't have happened in 2007: back then, it would have depressing to think that Luke and Lorelai could never have kids of their own for this reason, and as a newly reconciled couple, they wouldn't have been ready. Now that they've spent a decade in this relationship, they're ready to move forward and become a real family.
This especially resonates with me because of my own blended family. My parents split up when I was 21, and although I have never blamed my stepfather for his role in how all this happened, it was years and years before I was really comfortable with him and my stepsisters. It's always difficult melding together two different family units under these circumstances: when the relationship lines are blurry and everyone's coming together as adults, it's even harder. We weren't a real family until my nieces were born. That caused us to come together and get over our issues for the sake of the kids. My nieces know I'm not their biological aunt and that my mother isn't their biological grandmother and that I have a father of my own out there, but they also don't care. The dissolution of my original nuclear family wasn't a tragedy: it was a new beginning. The option of being an aunt and a stepsister wasn't open to me if this hadn't happened: I can't imagine what it would be like to be in this same position without them in my life. My family has a deep understanding of this kind of dynamic long before this: both my parents came from blended families, and my maternal grandfather (born in 1912) was the oldest of seven siblings from three different marriages. Perhaps the reality of my probable connection to everyone in the state of Alabama are causing me to overlook the show's prospect that we're now rooting for stepcousins to marry, but I've seen far stranger things happen in real life to my kin. I know Connecutit isn't Alabama, but take it from me: this is not that weird.
After these two, I think our standards on this type of thing are much lower.
In my head, I see the next generation of the eternal love triangle playing out in a much less toxic way. I won't pretend to understand Logan's philandering during this revival, but I think he's still a more decent person than Rory's father ever was. He won't be clueless three decades after the fact: he'll try to make an effort to be a part of his child's life. Jess will be a part of that life, too, but since he's much more emotionally open than his uncle ever was, this love triangle can wrap up by Year 5. Rory will jerk Logan and Jess around for a few years, but she'll ultimately end up with Jess, because his dependable hipster values will be a better match for herself in her new profession and role as a mother. Unlike Lorelai's love triangle, this won't end up as a detente where no one can be around each other. Logan will be still be available for his child, and he, Rory, and Jess will tolerate each other and raise their child together. In real life, it ends up this way more often than not. Relationships end, people move on, and everyone learns to deal. In the meantime, the kid will end up in a hipster household full of books and music and will have the coolest grandparents ever. Everyone will live semi-dysfunctionally ever after, and life will go on.
But when this does eventually end up with a Jess/Rory wedding, I pity the poor person who has to explain to Lorelai IV the twisted ins and outs of the family tree that does not exactly fork.
I think it will probably have to be Kirk.
All in all, it was a beautiful ending and I'm content to leave it where it is.
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