The pilot of Gilmore Girls is as close to a perfect episode as anything could be. Fans are introduced to cool Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and her sweet daughter Rory (Alexis Bledel), along with all the major locations in Stars Hollow, from Luke’s diner to the nearby Independence Inn where Lorelai and Sookie (Melissa McCarthy) work.
Before the end credits, it’s clear that this mom and her kid are different from other TV characters and that they have a truly special relationship. Many storylines from season one are a big problem today, and as it turns out, there are some scenes from the very first episode that wouldn’t work in 2020.
10 Rory Chats With An Older Guy Hitting On Her
In the opening scene of the pilot, Lorelai begs Luke (Scott Patterson) for coffee—she says that she’s had “none… plus five” cups that day—and then gets approached by a young guy “passing through” the town while heading for Hartford.
When Lorelai leaves the table for a minute to get Rory some caffeine, the guy hits on Rory. Sure, he doesn’t know that she’s only 16, but Rory smiles and doesn’t send him away. It seems like she would be less friendly with strangers, especially older guys who were hitting on her. Rory becomes less naive later on in the series, but, in the pilot, she seems very young.
9 Lorelai Doesn’t Explain To Rory About Paying For Chilton
Lorelai and Rory are very similar, and they each have moments of maturity and innocence. But, when Rory gets into fancy school Chilton in the first episode of Gilmore Girls, Lorelai knows that she can’t afford it. She handles this situation really badly, though.
While Lorelai is smart to ask her parents for the money, she is wrong to exclude Rory from the discussion. Instead of explaining to her daughter what’s happening, she doesn’t tell her until Rory hears Lorelai and her parents fighting. This would never fly today, as it’s disrespectful to Rory, who is old enough at 16 to understand what’s going on. It also makes no sense because the characters are supposed to be so close.
8 Lorelai Jokes About Sex In Front Of Rory
While fans know that this mother and daughter are best pals, it’s still problematic that Lorelai jokes about sex so freely and in front of Rory.
In the pilot episode, Lorelai has talked about sleeping with the Chilton headmaster enough times that when Rory finds out that she got into the school, she asks, “how did this happen? You didn’t… with the principal, did you” and Lorelai says, “no, honey, that was a joke.” This joke definitely wouldn’t fly today.
7 Rory Doesn’t Tell Lorelai She Has A Crush
Later on in the first season, Lorelai invites Dean over for movie night, totally embarrassing Rory. But, in the pilot episode, she doesn’t even know that her daughter has such a big crush.
From the start, Dean was very sweet and romantic to Rory, and it’s strange that Rory isn’t comfortable talking to her mom, who is super cool about this topic. This wouldn’t fly today because, if Rory and Lorelai are supposed to share everything, they would share this, too.
6 Rory Makes An Offensive Comment
Rory and Lorelai have a great sense of humor, but, sometimes, they can snap at each other, and it’s not very funny at all.
In the pilot, Rory says that she needs lip gloss and Lorelai asks what kind she wants, explaining that she has many flavors ranging from vanilla to chocolate. She adds that she has gone without a smell that changes color. Rory quips, “God, RuPaul doesn’t need this much makeup,” which is definitely an offensive comment.
5 Michel Is Rude To Customers
Yanic Truesdale’s Gilmore Girls character Michel has great, witty dialogue, but, even though everything that he says is hilarious, it wouldn’t all fly today.
This character is super rude to customers at the Independence Inn in the first episode. Michel says on the phone, “no, I’m sorry, completely booked… Yes, life is full of disappointments… No, I don’t know what the point of living is… Yes, well, at least you’re taking it well.” Sure, Lorelai jokes about how fun people are to talk to at the unemployment office, but he still keeps his job and also keeps up his bad attitude.
4 Lorelai Jokes With A Chilton Employee About Robbing A Bank
When Rory gets into Chilton, it’s exciting for five minutes, and then Lorelai realizes that she can’t exactly pay for it. She calls someone who works at Chilton to find out about any payment plans or any help, and she jokes about robbing a bank.
While fans love that Lorelai has her signature wit intact in every scene, it doesn’t help her here, and it wouldn’t fly today. The employee would have harsher words for Lorelai, and this would have been a bigger deal. This doesn’t seem like an appropriate way for the parent of a student to act.
3 Sookie Is A Menace In The Kitchen
Everyone loves Sookie, Lorelai’s funny friend, although the character has some issues later on. Yet, she has problems in the pilot episode, too, as she is a total mess in the kitchen at the Independence Inn.
From ruining a stove to opening her stitches and bleeding near the food that she’s cooking, it seems strange that she’s allowed to cause so much mayhem. It definitely seems like this would become a big problem, but Lorelai and the other characters act like they’re so used to it that it’s no big deal.
2 Lorelai Swears While Talking To Rory
Rory and Lorelai don’t have a ton of tension between them, but, when they do, the mother/daughter duo have tough fights. Lorelai swears while talking to her daughter in the first episode, and it’s so awkward to watch. Lorelai tells Rory “Hey, I had dibs on being the b*tch tonight,” and Rory asks, “just tonight?”
It’s hard to imagine this flying today, as Lorelai shouldn’t be swearing at her daughter. Sure, Rory is definitely old enough to know the word, and it’s not the biggest deal, but it does seem inappropriate and mean. It’s also not particularly funny.
1 Lorelai Is Rude At Friday Night Dinner
Near the end of the pilot episode, Lorelai and Rory attend their first Friday Night dinner, and Rory is nervous about seeing the grandparents who she hardly knows.
Instead of being kind and supportive, Lorelai is super rude. She says that she’ll get a Coke “or a knife” from the kitchen and makes little remarks the whole time, which is unfair since she should appreciate that her parents are paying for her daughter’s education, which they definitely don’t have to do.
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