Every fall, Gilmore Girls is one of the most rewatched shows due to its charming New England backdrop and whimsical soundtrack. This year also happens to be its 25th anniversary, giving extra incentive to return to Stars Hollow. So, Alexis Bledel (Rory Gilmore) and Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore) honored their beloved show by reuniting onstage at the Emmys last month, despite never receiving the coveted award during its run on TV. Now, the last time the mother-daughter duo appeared together on our screens and in character was during the finale of Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life, and nearly a decade later, Lauren Graham is sharing her take on that polarizing final scene.
Fans were thrilled when Netflix revived Gilmore Girls for a four-part limited series in 2016, until they reached those four final words. Some fans didn’t like being left on a cliffhanger and still pretend the scene doesn’t exist to this day. All these years later, Graham tells Variety she still is confused by the mixed reviews:
But I don’t exactly understand why. I was having the time of my life. I was on clouds every single day at work, and I felt like the work was really good and the episodes were really beautiful.
I have no doubt it was wonderful to return to Stars Hollow with the original cast and creator to film A Year In The Life, and Lauren Graham must have been just as thrilled to see her Gilmore family reunite to support her last week as she received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
As someone who has watched all of Gilmore Girls, I personally agree with the Mighty Ducks actress. I thought A Year In The Life was the perfect addendum to their story, and that the entire storyline, including the ending, was very full circle. There are plenty of fans who feel the same way, and I think many of the negative reactions stemmed from fans feeling frustrated over the shocking ending. Had they been promised another season, with answers as to who Rory’s baby daddy is, then I don’t think there would have been much backlash.
Despite trying to avoid negative reviews on her work, Graham did recognize that fans only react so strongly because they care so much about Gilmore Girls.
I certainly think writer Amy Sherman-Palladino knew what she was doing, though. Creating discourse among fans, whether it’s good or bad, is free publicity. The ending of A Year In The Life is certainly more memorable than the original Gilmore Girls ending, and I think that could have been her intention, for fans to never stop pondering the what-ifs. To me, it’s an iconic television mic drop.
Personally, I don’t feel the need to seek answers on the fate of the Gilmore Girls. It seems pretty clear to me that Rory is to be a single mother just like Loralei, with the father (who I think could be Matt Czuchry’s Logan) who is in and out of both his daughter’s and Rory’s lives, similar to Rory’s own father, Christopher. Only this time, Rory has her mother, Loraelai, to lean on.
However, there are fans still seeking closure over the matter, and the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel creator and Twinless actress recently provided a sliver of hope to hang onto. Sherman-Palladino has repeatedly said that she will never close the Gilmore Girls door, with Graham also saying she would always “welcome coming back,” hinting that perhaps the end of A Year In The Life could also be seen as a new beginning. This would be the obvious angle for a reboot, seeing Rory’s child going through her own teenage angst, alongside Rory’s adult storyline. I’m here for it, but as of right now, there is no confirmed reboot in the works.
Until such a time, you can always get your nostalgic dose of autumn by rewatching both Gilmore Girls and Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life with a Netflix subscription.