Rory's journalism career doesn't amount to much in change from Gilmore Girls season 1 to A Year in the Life, as the youngest Gilmore begins to act more entitled as she immerses herself in the world of Chilton and then Yale.
This is one of the harsh realities about Rory Gilmore, and it affects more than the audience's response to the character. It also changes her trajectory as Gilmore Girls continues, impacting her journalism career for the worse. A Year in the Life sees Rory struggling to get ahead in her field. While this is a realistic depiction of young adulthood, especially in the arts, it's not just external circumstances that contribute to Rory's career problems. Gilmore Girls tries to tell fans that Rory won't make a good journalist multiple times, and A Year in the Life confirms it.
Rory Made The Exact Same Journalism Mistake Twice While At Yale
Her Writing Is Consistently Cruel & Insensitive
It's no surprise Rory's career doesn't take off after Gilmore Girls, as she makes the same journalism mistake twice during her time at Yale. Rory has a tendency to be unnecessarily mean and insensitive in her writing, something she shows during Gilmore Girls season 4. Rory writes a ballet review during the episode "Die, Jerk," and she gets significant backlash from one of the performers. To be fair, the criticism is warranted. Rory's reasons for bashing the ballet are petty and not well-thought-out, and she even goes as far as to insult the performer's weight.
Rory's cutthroat approach to reviewing the ballet just isn't good reporting, and she doesn't even learn a lesson from it.
Rory's cutthroat approach to reviewing the ballet just isn't good reporting, and she doesn't even learn a lesson from it. In Gilmore Girls season 7, she repeats this mistake when she writes a piece about Logan's party. She's incredibly harsh on the privileged students she goes to Yale with, and she fails to acknowledge the fact that she's just like them. Logan calls her out on this afterward, and Rory is unwilling to accept she's in the wrong. This is a major issue throughout Rory's journalism journey, and it directly leads into A Year in the Life.
Gilmore Girls Tried To Tell Us Rory Might Not Make It As A Journalist
There Were Signs Throughout Her Time At Yale
The aforementioned incidents hint that Rory won't make it as a journalist, and they aren't the only times Gilmore Girls alludes to this. They do showcase Rory's poor writing skills, as well as her inability to accept criticism of her work. And this extends beyond these two mistakes. Rory can't handle from her editor at the Yale newspaper, and she even gets her mother involved on one occasion. She also completely shuts down when Mitchum Huntzberger tells her she doesn't have what it takes.
A Year In The Life Made Rory's Biggest Gilmore Girls Mistake A Whole Lot Worse
Rory had many flaws throughout Gilmore Girls but her biggest Gilmore Girls mistake is made even worse in Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life.
All of these Gilmore Girls moments reveal Rory to be extremely thin-skinned, which isn't ideal for a journalist. It's not surprising she doesn't get the NYT fellowship, as her unwillingness to accept criticism and improve likely prevents her writing skills from evolving. There are many cracks in Rory's pursuit of journalism throughout Gilmore Girls, and they all confirm she isn't as perfect or competent as the earlier seasons suggested. Given how well Gilmore Girls sets up her adult storyline, A Year in the Life could easily have been season 8.
Rory's Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life Story Would've Made More Sense As Season 8
It Would Be More Believable In Her Early 20s
Rory's A Year in the Life story would actually have made more sense as Gilmore Girls season 8, as the events of the earlier outings directly lead into it. Additionally, Rory's struggles would have been more believable if she was in her early 20s and just getting out of college. While writers can struggle at any stage of their career, Rory's response to the situation remains immature. It makes Rory look worse, as she still hasn't learned how to handle setbacks into her 30s.
Gilmore Girls was canceled after season 7 in 2007.
Of course, this just cements the fact that Rory's character changes for the worse as Gilmore Girls continues — and A Year in the Life suggests she never returns to her old self. While some rebellion at Yale makes sense, it's a shame Rory never actually addresses her mistakes from that time period. Doing so could have set her up for a far more interesting career in Netflix's revival.
Gilmore Girls
- Release Date
- 2000 - 2007-00-00
- Network
- The WB
- Writers
- Amy Sherman-Palladino
WHERE TO WATCH
In the fictional town of Star's Hollow, single mother Lorelai Gilmore raises her high-achieving teenage daughter Rory. Mother and daughter rely on each other throughout their own life changes, romantic entanglements, and friendships.
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