18 Years Later, Gilmore Girls’ Final Season Remains TV’s Biggest Fumble

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The show started strong, with consistently good episodes and a cozy, inviting feel that really drew people in. Unfortunately, the quality and warmth faded over time, and by the final season, they were almost gone. While opinions differ on which of the last two seasons was worse, Season 7 stands out as the bigger disappointment, simply because it was the show’s ending.

The final season of Gilmore Girls is widely considered a letdown. After creator Amy Sherman-Palladino left after Season 6, Season 7 felt very different, losing the show’s warmth and charm. It didn’t capture what fans loved about Gilmore Girls, and many character arcs, including those of Rory, Luke, and Lane, were negatively impacted. The revival, Gilmore Girls: A Day in the Life, ultimately showed that these characters never fully recovered.

Gilmore Girls Season 7 Ruined Lorelai and Rory’s Characters and Stories

Look, as much as I love Gilmore Girls, things were already getting shaky before Season 7. Let’s be real, it wasn’t that season that ‘ruined’ the show. They’d started to mess with Luke’s character way earlier, making it hard to root for him and Lorelai as a couple. And honestly, some of the storylines were just getting…weird and annoying. Even Lane’s relationship with Zack didn’t feel as special as her time with Dave. But you know what? Lorelai was still compelling, and hanging out in Stars Hollow with those wonderfully quirky people still felt like coming home – it still had that warm, cozy vibe.

While Season 6 had its problems and some storylines didn’t work, Season 7 was far more damaging to Gilmore Girls. The difference was immediately noticeable with the absence of creator Amy Sherman-Palladino. Stars Hollow, which was inspired by her own life, lost its unique charm and felt less authentic without her direction. Beloved supporting characters seemed out of character, the town itself felt less vibrant, and the cozy, heartwarming feeling that defined the show—even during tough times—was missing.

Season 7 struggles with its main storylines. While Lorelai and Christopher could have been a good pairing, their scenes are difficult to watch, especially knowing Lorelai and Luke are destined to reunite. Unfortunately, Luke isn’t very appealing after the previous season, and most of his storyline, aside from his daughter April, remains frustrating. Despite a central love triangle, Lorelai doesn’t have a compelling arc until the final episodes refocus on her relationship with Rory, leaving viewers unsatisfied with how her story concludes.

Sookie’s story arc in Season 7 doesn’t really add anything to the show, though it’s arguably better than what happened with Lane. Most Gilmore Girls fans agree the first three seasons are much stronger than the later ones. Lane’s storyline, where she’s pressured into becoming a young mother with a husband who doesn’t support her, and never gets to pursue her passions, felt like a disservice to both her character and the audience. The ending of Rory’s story is divisive – some see it as growth, but many now believe it wasn’t the right path for her and that she didn’t truly develop as a character. Even fixing that ending wouldn’t fully address the biggest problem: the show stopped focusing on the central relationship between Lorelai and Rory, which was what made it so popular in the first place.

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life Couldn’t Recover From Season 7’s Fumbles

Because Gilmore Girls remains so popular, the show received a revival season called Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. Many fans were unhappy with the original series’ seventh season, so this revival was seen as a chance to make things right and address the problems with how the show ended. Unfortunately, it didn’t improve things and ultimately damaged any future possibilities for the franchise.

Even with Amy Sherman-Palladino back as a writer, the revival feels surprisingly empty, much like Season 7, and lacks the memorable lines that defined the first three seasons of Gilmore Girls. While Season 7 seemed like a failed attempt to recapture the show’s original charm, A Year in the Life feels like an over-the-top parody of it. The storylines are generally unengaging, except for Emily’s, which finally gives the character a truly satisfying conclusion. Lorelai and Luke’s relationship, however, feels stagnant, with little development despite the ten-year gap since the original series ended.

Many fans are disappointed with Rory’s choices, as she seems to have regressed and is now a jobless mistress to Logan, which contradicts her supposed growth and independent decision-making at the end of Season 7. However, the way Season 7 ended arguably set up these characters and this situation for failure.

This season feels completely different from previous ones, and it doesn’t seem to care about giving its characters satisfying conclusions. While we can’t know for sure, it’s likely Amy Sherman-Palladino could not have made the final season any worse than it was.

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2025-11-13 07:07