So, did you love them? Hate them? Or did you predict them from the beginning?
We speak, obviously, of the final four words of Gilmore Girls.
The backstory: In 2006, creator Amy Sherman-Palladino gave an interview to TV Guide where she confirmed that she already knew the last four words of the show. Of course, that was right after she exited the series before its seventh and last season, so fans assumed they would never get to hear them.
In the last decade, as more viewers discovered Gilmore Girls through cable reruns and Netflix, the "final four words" have reached near-mythical status. Then, when Netflix decided last year to resuscitate Gilmore Girls for a revival with Sherman-Palladino at the helm, people rejoiced: The four words would be revealed!
Fans will either love or hate the show's final four words. Photo / Saeed Adyani - Netflix.
The show takes these four words very seriously; the actors even filmed a PSA for Netflix urging fans not to spoil them on social media. But for those who saw that bombshell final scene of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, which was released on Friday . . . well, you probably have some feelings to work out right now. So let's discuss.
The final scene finds mother-daughter/best friend duo Lorelai and Rory sitting on the gazebo in the middle of the Stars Hollow town square, on the day of Lorelai and Luke's wedding - even though the couple secretly got married the night before. Lorelai jokes that Rory should tie the knot so they can do "married lady things" together, like dye their hair blue and go bowling.
Suddenly, Rory gets an email from Paul, her boyfriend. He breaks up with her, which is a relief, because she kept meaning to break up with him, except she kept forgetting he existed. "I can't believe how I treated him," Rory says. "I suck."
Alexis Bledel, left, and Lauren Graham star as Rory and Lorelai in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. Photo / Saeed Adyani, Netflix
"No you don't. He didn't fit. It needs to fit, believe me," Lorelai comforts her. "He'll find someone amazing one day. And so will you." She notices Rory isn't saying anything. "Hey, what's going on in there?"
"I want to remember it all. Every detail," Rory says, a little distracted. Then, the final words:
That's it. End of series. Goodbye. Cue the theme song Where You Lead by Carole King as the credits roll.
So: How do we feel about this? On one hand, this means everything comes full circle in the Gilmore Girls universe. Rory is now 32, the same age as Lorelai (who got pregnant at age 16 and dropped out of high school) was when the series started.
The choice to end with Rory getting pregnant is a fascinating one, as a major theme of the show was Lorelai trying to protect Rory from making the same mistakes she did when she was younger. See: Lorelai's meltdown in the first season when 16-year-old Rory stayed out all night with her boyfriend, Dean; or in the fifth season, when 20-year-old Rory wanted to drop out of Yale.
Now, although Rory is an adult, she's going to be a single mother, just like Lorelai. On that level, it's a very fitting ending for two women who are so alike and shared so much of their lives together. Yet it's hard to find a deeper meaning when the show just . . . ends abruptly on that note.
So that bring us to the other point of view: What kind of insane cliffhanger is this?! Not only do we not get to see Lorelai's reaction (something tells us it won't be "thrilled"), but we'll never know how things will work out for Rory, who just got her life back on track after going through a rough patch.
Hey @GilmoreGirls you can't leave it like that! You just can't!!
Plus, not to mention the question on many minds: Who is the father? Is it Logan, given that the two were having an affair? Paul, her elusive boyfriend? Again, who ends a show like that?!
Overall, it's kind of a brilliant move by Sherman-Palladino. We thought the whole point of the Gilmore Girls revival was to get closure - now, it ends in a way that ensures that fans will never stop talking about the mystery.
As of Friday morning, mere hours after the revival was released on Netflix, fan reaction appeared split between "I called it!" and "Are you kidding me?" and "OK, so there has to be a sequel to the revival, right?"
