Gilmore Girls || On Rory's Pregnancy & Lorelai's Reaction

When Rory announces she's pregnant, Lorelai isn't just surprised. She's horrified, shaken in a way that can't be construed as positive. It was a shock to the system, not the final four words - but Lorelai's reaction which suggests Lorelai & Rory may face another bump in their relationship. I spent a few days trying to fully understand the reaction - because didn't believe it was an accidental choice on Lauren Graham's part, yet I hadn't completely figured out why.

Lauren Graham & Kelly Bishop are absolute stand outs in the revival - fully re-inhabiting characters that they've spent the last 9 years not being - and they do it outstandingly. It's a tribute to their acting ability that they seamlessly return to these characters - but they return to them with the raw loss of Edward Herrmann (Richard Gilmore) sitting on their shoulders. 

So, Lorelai's reaction wasn't accidental. The facial expression was intentional - and it wasn't until I read some analysis of others that it began to click. Lorelai was not happy to hear this news - because Rory wasn't supposed to end up like her.

"Being pregnant at 16 is very different to being pregnant at 32," some will say. And I won't disagree. But before the revival aired, I was already drawing a contrast between Lorelai's life at 32 vs. Rory's life at 32 (read here - posted after revival but written immediately after trailer release).

If you don't feel like reading - here's the gist: Lorelai has a steady job & is steadily raising her daughter despite all the detours she had, whereas Rory is rootless and lost despite all her life plans and ambitions. 

When the revival ends, Rory's still at a crossroads. The book gives Rory purpose and something to fill her time, but it remains to be seen whether anything will come from it. Furthermore, Rory has never mentioned wanting to write about her life. It's not an indictment of her choices, but this is the same character who's had a life plan since she was born. It's clear that this book - while potentially an avenue for success - is not where Rory intended to be. And it's normal to have moments of uncertainty in your life - but Lorelai never really expected this. Their relationship was always a friendship, but one that was built on the mutual understanding that Rory would do better than her. Is that a thought pattern that would be damaging when Rory was young? Potentially. But the reality is, that thought exists, and while Lorelai holds onto that - and Rory, for that matter - both feel this potential child is a suggestion that Rory ended up just like her mum.

While that may have been Rory's dream once upon a time (3x22) - it's not exactly a compliment anymore. If the revival is it, I'm not sure what to think.

Life apparently comes full circle, but the reality is, Lorelai and Rory's paths are incredibly different and only bear some milestones of similarity. 

Unlike Lorelai, Rory finds satisfaction & joy in her travels - in the bigger world beyond Stars Hollow. Wealth and opportunity has never suffocated her - only the fear of failure, and that she can't live up to expectations. A child for Lorelai gave her the opportunity to find home - it won't have the same impact for Rory because Stars Hollow was never meant to be her landing point. So, what's next?

Is it Lorelai & Rory learning to embrace the mother/daughter dynamic over the friendship? Is is Lorelai learning to shake the expectations she had for her daughter? Is it Rory stepping up and proving to herself (and her mum) that she can regain control of her life, even with a baby? Or would it be about Rory's right to choose and how that shapes her familial relationship? 

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