Gilmore Girls: Why Rory Gilmore Was The Worst Character

It’s been a while since Gilmore Girls last aired. Although the original series ended in 2008, a revival called Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life came to Netflix in 2016. And since quarantine has made us do a lot of crazy stuff. I decided to give in to the long-forgotten hype of the show and binge watch it. And boy, was I delighted. This show was exactly what I was looking for. A perfect blend of funny and realistic and uplifting and just extremely positive. However, there was one character that was well-loved but I just couldn’t bring myself to look past the serious flaws. And that was Rory Gilmore, played by Alexis Bledel.

Rory Gilmore And Friendship

Rory was the daughter in the show. Loved by everyone and cared for by many. However, there were times when she displayed a serious lack of sympathy and selfishness. For example, her entire relationship with “best friend” Lane looked all nice and sweet but upon further inspection, you would notice Rory only used her when she needed her. Her entire time at Yale and while she took the semester off, Rory didn’t even keep in touch with Lane.

Rory’s Childish Tantrums

Rory Gilmore was also pretty selfish. She had all these rules and principles that applied to everyone else except her. Maybe it’s because she was an only child with only a 16-year difference with her mom, making her less a mom and more a friend. Lorelai Gilmore, Rory’s mother spoiled her and never said no to any of her crazy demands. And at times when she didn’t agree with her, Rory didn’t have the calmest response.

When she decided to drop out of Yale, Lorelai told her not to. This resulted in Rory running to her grandparent’s house. She also stopped speaking to her mother for months. Just because Lorelai didn’t agree with her. And this was just one tantrum. There are many like this. Including when Lorelai told her what she was doing with Dean while he was married was wrong. Rory still couldn’t take no for an answer and fought with her mother. And that just opens up a whole new box.

Rory’s Relationships

Rory Gilmore wasn’t always the most stable girlfriend either. She had no problem cheating on her first boyfriend (Dean) by kissing someone else (Jess). She also didn’t have a problem sleeping with Dean. WHILE HE WAS MARRIED. And then she kissed Jess again while she was with her college boyfriend, Logan. And in the revival, Rory strung along with her boyfriend while she slept with Logan who was engaged to someone else! I mean, talk about dysfunctional!

And while this was the state of her relationships, Rory lost her temper and punished her mother for sleeping with her ex, Christopher AFTER she had broken up with Luke. We get it, it was the same night and everything with Chris ends up being a mess. But how is this in any way similar to what Rory does?

Rory Gilmore And Her ‘Holier Than Thou’ Attitude

Throughout the show, Rory Gilmore has insulted and made fun of her grandparent’s lifestyle and wealth. She criticized Republicans and the upper class yet used that same privilege whenever she needed it. Rory ran to her grandparents to pay for Yale. She had no problem with them buying her a car. She was fine with them paying for high school. Also, she used Logan’s (who also belonged to a wealthy family) money and favors. And stayed in his luxurious apartment without paying rent. And she would still badmouth the upper class. Not to mention when Logan took her to a party where she ended up using him to make contacts and came home and wrote an article thrashing every single person in that room for their privilege. Talk about hypocrisy.

Oh and not to mention, she immediately asked her father for tuition when he got the money. Lorelai couldn’t think of something for him to pay for but Rory didn’t miss a beat.

All in all, Rory Gilmore was extremely selfish, self-centered, couldn’t hear the word “No”, couldn’t stand criticism, and thought she was too perfect for words. Maybe it was because of all the coddling she received. Someone was always there to save her. She always had financial security. And even when Mitchum Huntzberger told her she didn’t have what it takes to be a journalist, she threw a huge tantrum about it too instead of working to prove him wrong. Also, he wasn’t wrong when he said that. She didn’t make it as a journalist quite as she had hoped. And even at 32 was lost in her career.

So that’s that. That’s my analysis of the person Rory Gilmore was. There’s a lot more I’d like to add. Maybe about how Rory slept around and got knocked up at 32 with no clue as to where her life is headed. But we’ll save that for some other time.