To many of the young female aspiring writers, myself included, of the 2000s, Rory Gilmore was one of the few de facto role models that television had to offer.
She was intelligent, ambitious, poised, and held the perfect pop-culture reference for every situation in her back pocket. So obviously, once rumors were confirmed for a Gilmore Girls revival, I was overwhelmed with anticipation to see what impressive credentials my childhood idol had managed to secure after covering the 2008 Obama campaign. Surely, with a Yale degree, powerful connections, creative editorial, and whit, the revival would give us a snapshot of a year in the life of CNN’s next Christiane Amanpour, Rory Gilmore.
SPOILERS AHEAD…
When I finally sat down to binge Netflix’s new four installments of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, you can imagine the whirlwind of emotions I experienced in the short time of 6 hours. I loved it. I hated it. I cried. I cheered. And I came to the harsh realization that my fictional role model had fallen from grace.
BREAKING IT DOWN
Let’s get real. Any freelance writer is familiar with the struggle of landing their next project, especially in today’s competitive job market. The show humanizes the ostensibly successful girl of seasons past, by showing Rory floundering to snag her next writing gig. Not to mention, it highlights a concerning trend that many Millennials are facing when entering the workforce. In fact, this issue becomes a major focus of the show with the “30 Something Gang,” a group of college educated young adults who have had to return home after prospective careers have fallen through. But we never imagined the young Gilmore would be associated with this group.
This isn’t to say that she hasn’t had her fair share of success. She manages to rack up a series of notable bylines in publications such as The Atlantic and Slate Magazine. And there is no forgetting her Talk of the Town article that Luc prints on the back side of his menus. But she never actually succeeds in landing a full-time job. Is this a sign that she’s peaked? Has Rory’s status of being ‘special’ been a farce this entire time, built up by the characters in her small town as a result of the ‘big fish small pond’ conundrum?
As a freelance writer, this was especially difficult for me to stomach. Like Rory, I have had an article in a major publication before, and also like Rory, my friends and family held me on a pedestal when it reached their newsstands. Was this my peak? Will I also flail in finding new and equally as impressive of projects to fill out my portfolio? These are the questions that haunt any aspiring writer, especially those who have earned modest success on school publications, and are now entering the cut-throat arena of mainstream media.
It doesn’t help that during the span of the four episodes, Rory continues to make poor decisions that do little more than transform her from a role model to a cautionary tale. She clings to a book proposal even though months of meetings with her muse have only produced notebooks of drunken babble. She shows up for an interview without preparing story pitches, believing that she is too good for the position anyways. Most alarming of all, she is so desperate to add to her handful of high-profile bylines, she convinces herself that she can write a thought provoking story for GQ on the topic of standing in line.
It’s easy to see that Rory has lost focus. You can even question her passion for journalism, especially after she falls asleep while interviewing a source, and sleeps with another. Yet, she’ll accept a non-paying position as the editor of the Stars Hollow Gazette so its doors don’t have to close. What are you thinking Rory? You’ll write for free no problem, but you won’t prepare for an interview that offers salary? You seriously still haven’t made any other connections in the editorial field beyond Logan’s father? And why do you need so many cell phones?
I know what you are thinking. It’s only a show. Rory is a fictional resident of a quirky yet charming town. Don’t think much of it beyond another let-down to add to the basket of unnecessary reboots. That’s all true. But I’m heartbroken because this glimpse into Rory Gilmore’s future essentially shatters everything she once represented.
She is educated. She had internships. She was valedictorian, editor of the Yale Daily News, and raised by the dictionary definition of ‘independent woman.’ Despite every opportunity being at her fingertips, her career flops. This reality is crushing to us less privileged Rory cheerleaders who dreamt of following in her journalistic footsteps. Not because we mourn a fictional character’s failure, but because it shines a light on the real possibility of our own failure.
But maybe this harsh reality check was the point of the show’s creators. Maybe Rory’s journey is supposed to teach us that it doesn’t matter what privileges are afforded to us, you still need to put in the hard work. You must humble yourself and except the opportunities that come your way. Pride won’t get you anywhere aside from couch surfing. Make sure that you are pursuing a career path that you are passionate about.
Or maybe the creator had always intended for the young Gilmore’s story to be one of tragedy, and I’m only rationalizing her behavior to preserve the image of my childhood hero. Either way, even if my professional writing career goes south like Rory’s, thanks to the show I have a fallback plan. Write a book…
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