‘Gilmore Girls’ Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino Addresses Revival Flak, Final 4 Words
If you, like we, had some — *ahem* — issues with Netflix's Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life revival series, show creator Amy Sherman-Palladino is addressing 'em all, from critique of Rory's professional aimlessness (man, was she floundering...) to those very controversial final four words.
In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sherman-Palladino explains that Rory's inability to keep a stable job as a reporter was meant to signal a sign of the times. In the four episodes, Rory seems to rest on a recent New Yorker blurb, but struggles to make ends meet elsewhere. A book deal falls through, too, and while she eventually has an idea for a new story, there's not indication of whether it will pan out.
"You know, it's a tough time to be a journalist!" she said. "So we had to look at the choice that she made and then reflect it in these shows and it helped, in a weird way, because she is floundering and we didn't want to say that she wasn't a good writer and she wasn't able to break in because of her abilities. We wanted to say that she, unfortunately, picked the exact wrong time to pick this career choice and reflect a little bit of what's going on in the world with journalism where, unfortunately, news is getting muddied and it's a tough road for somebody like her."
(Side note: Did ASP forget Rory ended the origin series covering then-Sen. Barack Obama on the campaign trail...?)
And, when it comes to those final four words (SPOILER: Rory's pregnant!), Sherman-Palladino said the plot twist felt right, especially now that Rory is 32. Sherman-Palladino originally meant to wrap up the WB/CW origin series with Rory's admission, but left the show ahead of its seventh and final season in 2006-07 in light of contract disputes.
"[Rory and Lorelai are] very tied and to me, that history repeating itself and daughter following in mother's footsteps, where you lead, I will follow — we took the [theme] song very seriously," she said. "When we picked those words and we went down that path, it just felt right then and it actually feels even more right now especially because Rory is older. She's the same age Lorelai was when the show started. It really does feel a little Lion King-y, the whole circle of life."
Oh, and as for the identity of the father — let it remain ambiguous. As far as Sherman-Palldino's concerned, the men of the show aren't meant to have a huge bearing on its plot, she said. And that would have been a fine justification if she hadn't made Dean, Jess and Logan Rory's explicit, enduring guideposts.
"...It really wasn't about the boy because, quite frankly, one of the things that's always been a little weird is how obsessed with Rory's love life everybody got when the point of the show was never about their love lives," she said. "Their love lives were a part of their lives but these were women really grappling with who they were as people and when they talked about their paths forward, especially Rory, it was usually about getting in The New York Times or breaking into journalism so it felt like the moment was on Rory and her future and not on, 'Gee, which boy is this?'"
More episodes coming?
"We pitched this as close-ended," Sherman-Palladino said. "So there really haven't been any more discussions about: Is there going to be anything else? I don't know."
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