‘Gilmore Girls’: 3 Things About Luke Danes That Would Never Fly Today
Gilmore Girls fans largely agree that Luke Danes was the perfect guy for Lorelai Gilmore. The character, as a whole, is largely beloved by viewers. Luke, however, did have moments where he wasn’t a great guy and more than a few moments where he said completely inappropriate things. At least three things about Luke Danes wouldn’t go over well if the show were filmed today.
Luke’s disdain for breastfeeding in public would no longer be acceptable
Gilmore Girls fans can deal with the fact that Luke was surly and didn’t seem to like many people, but his disdain for breastfeeding in public would be a serious problem today. During one scene, Luke complains that a group of parents and their kids show up at the diner and take up much-needed space. His tirade was interrupted when he realized one of the mothers in the group was breastfeeding.
Luke’s freak out might have been considered normal back in the early 2000s, but it is cringe-worthy today. First, he shamed a mother for doing the very natural task of feeding her child. Then he was so freaked out by the activity that he asked Lorelai to figure out a way to make her stop.
Luke was very homophobic
For all his good qualities, Luke displayed moments of toxic masculinity and homophobia. In Season 3, he mocked Kirk Gleason for carrying a dog carrier bag. He calls the bag a ‘gay bag” in an attempt to poke fun at Kirk. Later in Season 4, Luke makes a comment that, once again, indicates he has an issue with the LGBTQ community while on the phone with a wheat purveyor.
To be fair, Luke wasn’t the only character who came across as incredibly homophobic. Lorelai made similar jokes and troubling comments during the show’s run. Reddit users point out that mean-spirited comments about the LGBTQ community are peppered throughout the series.
Luke was possessive and controlling
While many fans think Luke was the perfect knight in shining armor for Lorelai, he was possessive and controlling if you look at their relationship more closely. His attempts to control what Lorelai and Rory ate were initially seen as good-natured. Fans took it as a sign that he cared about the duo. If you look at it in a different light, it’s the first indication that he was controlling and a little possessive.
Later, when Luke and Lorelai end up together, he attempted to control her relationship with other people. When Luke heard a message from Christopher Hayden on Lorelai’s answering machine, he got angry. That’s understandable, but his admission that he would never be OK with Christopher being in Lorelai’s life is pretty possessive. Christopher and Lorelai shared a child, and thus, Luke had to be OK with the pair having a relationship.
