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femfebruary: rory gilmore
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ultra_fic: Gilmore Girls / Rory Gilmore / what would you have liked her life to be in the revival?
I'm not sure what I was expecting when I watched the revival, but it definitely wasn't whatever that was. I think there were some positive and realistic aspects and certain ideas that were good in theory but poorly executed. Rory's arc about struggling with her career and life was one of them.
I've said this multiple times and still feel this way: the Revival came off as the showrunners attempting to create the version of s7 that they didn't get to, but the problem was that it doesn't work ten years later. I'm assuming I'm not alone with wanting Rory to a successful journalist and seeing her struggling was probably tough. It's the same reason people were disappointed with the later seasons of the show when it seemed as if her personality changed, while it was just her making some more mistakes. Years later, I do think that her struggling and having doubts was in character.
Sure, in the early years, Rory was determined to be a journalist, but at the same time, she had her insecurities. Back in season 2, "Teach Me Tonight", the moment Jess suggested that he thought her career choice might be too rough for her, she began to panic and worry that he may be right. For Rory, just like with the way she only applied to prestigious schools (and Lorelai's whole "apply only to Harvard" was absolutely ridiculous), there was no back up plan. It was this or bust. So her being lost was understandable. She got a job after college but didn't get the big time one right off the bat, so while she was obviously excited, it was going to be an uphill climb.
I don't think Rory is incapable of that - after her fall post Mitchum's criticism (and I think it was the right message, but wrong person delivering it, just like every time Logan try to claim she was privileged - should've been someone who didn't seem to have ulterior motives), she did show fight.
So back to the Revival. First off, I would cut out the Paul storyline completely. It was unnecessary and the whole "forgot he existed" running gag got old immediately and made them all look like jerks, especially Rory. She's not that person, no matter how far she's sunk. If they had to have her hooking up with Logan, he shouldn't be engaged - I'm fine with the idea of them having a "casual, hook up when they're in the same place" type of relationship, but not that he's engaged. I can believe them having a casual relationship and then they could've thrown in the *beginning* of Logan being pushed toward another more "suitable" woman and Rory, deep in her insecurities, being all "oh yeah, you should totally do that because we're not serious" and it goes from there. Even as a biased Rory/Jess shipper who wants them together more than anything, I thought the most realistic ending would've been for her to end up with someone new and the most likely one was that she was going to end up with Logan. Plus, it could still end with them realizing they're holding on to the past and move on.
Career-wise, I can see Rory being at a stalemate. She could still have a few hits, like the New Yorker piece, but not find the fulfillment she was looking for, and go back to Stars Hollow feeling lost. With the loss of her grandfather so recent, it could also be grief and guilt that she feels like she wasn't a huge success like he believed she would be and feels as though she let them all down. Emily and Rory having a meaningful conversation about Richard would be a comfort to both of them in that regard and Rory could move past the fear.
Minus the whole "Paris freaking out about fake!Tristan" bathroom scene, I would even keep the Chilton visit. Rory feeling comfortable in a classroom and then being suggested it as a career is a good moment. She refuses it right away but it stays in the back of her mind. If she does go for that job interview, she is prepared like she canonically always is, and maybe even gets the job, but again, finds lost in it.
I love that Rory/Jess scene where he suggests she writes the book so I'd keep that because that could still be a viable option, but I would also like to see her decide to go back to school for her Masters and even take the teaching route seriously. I don't know how I feel about the running the local paper - maybe she could still do that when she's working on her book and applying for school, and maybe finding someone who is as passionate about it as she is, and pass it on. And of course, she's definitely not pregnant at the end. Or if she still is a journalist, her arc could've been about learning to relove it and even that job that she initially dismissed and takes as a fallback could somehow remind her why she wanted to be a journalist and she finds her way back.
Now that I've had years to process, I still think she'll be okay in the long run but I wish it could've been shown as a bit more concise and she was a little more in charge. It could've been better.
ultra_fic: Gilmore Girls / Rory Gilmore / what would you have liked her life to be in the revival?I'm not sure what I was expecting when I watched the revival, but it definitely wasn't whatever that was. I think there were some positive and realistic aspects and certain ideas that were good in theory but poorly executed. Rory's arc about struggling with her career and life was one of them.
I've said this multiple times and still feel this way: the Revival came off as the showrunners attempting to create the version of s7 that they didn't get to, but the problem was that it doesn't work ten years later. I'm assuming I'm not alone with wanting Rory to a successful journalist and seeing her struggling was probably tough. It's the same reason people were disappointed with the later seasons of the show when it seemed as if her personality changed, while it was just her making some more mistakes. Years later, I do think that her struggling and having doubts was in character.
Sure, in the early years, Rory was determined to be a journalist, but at the same time, she had her insecurities. Back in season 2, "Teach Me Tonight", the moment Jess suggested that he thought her career choice might be too rough for her, she began to panic and worry that he may be right. For Rory, just like with the way she only applied to prestigious schools (and Lorelai's whole "apply only to Harvard" was absolutely ridiculous), there was no back up plan. It was this or bust. So her being lost was understandable. She got a job after college but didn't get the big time one right off the bat, so while she was obviously excited, it was going to be an uphill climb.
I don't think Rory is incapable of that - after her fall post Mitchum's criticism (and I think it was the right message, but wrong person delivering it, just like every time Logan try to claim she was privileged - should've been someone who didn't seem to have ulterior motives), she did show fight.
So back to the Revival. First off, I would cut out the Paul storyline completely. It was unnecessary and the whole "forgot he existed" running gag got old immediately and made them all look like jerks, especially Rory. She's not that person, no matter how far she's sunk. If they had to have her hooking up with Logan, he shouldn't be engaged - I'm fine with the idea of them having a "casual, hook up when they're in the same place" type of relationship, but not that he's engaged. I can believe them having a casual relationship and then they could've thrown in the *beginning* of Logan being pushed toward another more "suitable" woman and Rory, deep in her insecurities, being all "oh yeah, you should totally do that because we're not serious" and it goes from there. Even as a biased Rory/Jess shipper who wants them together more than anything, I thought the most realistic ending would've been for her to end up with someone new and the most likely one was that she was going to end up with Logan. Plus, it could still end with them realizing they're holding on to the past and move on.
Career-wise, I can see Rory being at a stalemate. She could still have a few hits, like the New Yorker piece, but not find the fulfillment she was looking for, and go back to Stars Hollow feeling lost. With the loss of her grandfather so recent, it could also be grief and guilt that she feels like she wasn't a huge success like he believed she would be and feels as though she let them all down. Emily and Rory having a meaningful conversation about Richard would be a comfort to both of them in that regard and Rory could move past the fear.
Minus the whole "Paris freaking out about fake!Tristan" bathroom scene, I would even keep the Chilton visit. Rory feeling comfortable in a classroom and then being suggested it as a career is a good moment. She refuses it right away but it stays in the back of her mind. If she does go for that job interview, she is prepared like she canonically always is, and maybe even gets the job, but again, finds lost in it.
I love that Rory/Jess scene where he suggests she writes the book so I'd keep that because that could still be a viable option, but I would also like to see her decide to go back to school for her Masters and even take the teaching route seriously. I don't know how I feel about the running the local paper - maybe she could still do that when she's working on her book and applying for school, and maybe finding someone who is as passionate about it as she is, and pass it on. And of course, she's definitely not pregnant at the end. Or if she still is a journalist, her arc could've been about learning to relove it and even that job that she initially dismissed and takes as a fallback could somehow remind her why she wanted to be a journalist and she finds her way back.
Now that I've had years to process, I still think she'll be okay in the long run but I wish it could've been shown as a bit more concise and she was a little more in charge. It could've been better.
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We also completely agree on the romance stuff. I'm with you on shipping Rory/Jess, but I accept that may not have been realistic. I could've lived with her being with Logan, but her being the affair while he was engaged, and her just constantly forgetting she had another guy? It was all so out of character and weird! Also, the pregnancy at the end? Um, no, thank you.
And seriously, what even was that whole bit with Paris freaking about over fake!Tristan? I was so confused by that.
So cool to read your thoughts on this. Sorry I didn't read and comment sooner - it's been a crazy-busy couple of days! I know I also need (want!) to read your piece on Lois Lane...
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I think there was a lot of room for Rory/Jess to happen, but I thought with the reasons that Rory and Logan broke up in the first place, it might lead back to them. Of course I didn't think about the showrunners wanting to make Logan Rory's "Christopher". It was definitely OOC for both of them to be cheating, at this stage of their lives though. The pregnancy sucked - I was always wondering what the hinted final four words were and to find it out it was that? No thank you.
I didn't understand that either! It was so random and out of place! "I'm still in love with Tristan!" Uh, she never was in the first place? I get she's having her own problems but yikes.
Thank you! I appreciated the question - it was fun to think about, and you definitely didn't need to apologize. I knew you would get to it when you had a chance. :D
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Yes, I know, you're very understanding and I appreciate it, but I have a compulsive need to get to stuff immediately or I feel guilty. I'm aware of it and I'm working on it, but there you go, you still got an apology, because I couldn't help myself! lol
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I didn't like that she kept forgetting her b/f. That was just not funny and didn't fit her character. I didn't like Logan being engaged and still hooking up and hung up on Rory. I agree with you I didn't understand Paris freaking out bathroom scene. I get they wanted them to go back to the Chilton roots, but I felt they also did a disservice to Paris' character too with the revival and was out of character for her too.