(Gilmore Girls fan site)
Still watching Gilmore Girls
and still loving it

(SPOILER ALERT) I actually hate the episode “Deer-Hunters.” It’s my least favorite episode, because Rory gets a D on her English paper, and despite all her efforts, the episode still has a sad ending. That sucks. Really sucks.

But it also demonstrates so perfectly why I love Gilmore Girls.

I prefer happy endings. Because happy endings uplift. They show you how you can succeed in adversary. They offer hope for a hopeless situation.

This episode has a sad ending. But in the process, Lorelai tells her to put the D behind her. “What do we have to do to get you an A on that test?” She’s a good influence.

And even after the sad ending, Lorelai admits that going to Harvard is her dream for Rory, and it doesn’t have to be Rory’s dream for herself. She reiterates that Rory can accomplish anything she sets her mind to, whether that’s going to Harvard or whether that involves something else entirely.

Indeed, the world does not actually revolve around Harvard. Sookie never went to Harvard, and it’s hard to see how it could have made her a better chef. Lorelai never went to Harvard, and even though it may have once been her dream, it’s hard to see how she could have ended up happier if she had.

Rory of course does eventually accomplish exactly what she set out to do (including getting accepted by Harvard), by the end of the third season. Knowing what’s coming up, in these early episodes, whenever Paris digs into Rory, I just think “Valedictorian.” (Ha! In yo face, bitch! — Okay, so I have a vengeful streak now and then.)

-TimK

P.S. Words of wisdom for both Rory (in the face of her taunters) and Sookie (in the face of her mostly-positive review): Never worry about what other people think of you, because if you knew how little time they spent thinking about you, then you’d really worry.