‘Gilmore Girls’: 3 Things About the Pilot That Make Absolutely No Sense
Gilmore Girls premiered in 2000. Fans followed along as Rory Gilmore and her mother, Lorelai Gilmore, navigated life, straddled between the upper-class world that Lorelai was born into and the middle-class lifestyle she picked when she settled in Stars Hollow. The pilot laid the foundation for the next seven seasons, but there were a few issues. Do you remember these three moments in the Gilmore Girls pilot that just don’t make any sense?
Richard Gilmore was shocked at how tall Rory Gilmore was in the Gilmore Girls pilot
When Rory and Lorelai went to dinner at the Gilmore house in the pilot, Richard Gilmore couldn’t get over the fact that Rory was tall. The comment was clearly meant to infer that Richard hadn’t seen Rory in several years. Later, the Gilmores revealed that while Lorelai and her parents had a strained relationship, they were not completely estranged. Both Lorelai and Rory and Richard and Emily mentioned seeing each other on holidays. Rory and Lorelai suggested that, at the very least, they attended the Gilmore family Christmas dinner each year.
Even if Rory and Lorelai only went to Hartford for Christmas, Richard would have seen his granddaughter at least once a year. Since Rory started Chilton in late September, he would have seen her no more than nine months before. Surely, Rory didn’t grow enough in nine months for him to be so surprised.
Rory was accepted to a prestigious prep school after the school year had started
Rory’s acceptance into the Chilton School was the event that propelled Gilmore Girls forward. Based on what was said during the pilot, Rory had applied to the school at some point. Still, the school didn’t accept her until three weeks into the marking period. The timing of her acceptance makes almost no sense.
If Rory had applied to the school the previous year, the admissions department would have likely reviewed all applications long before the school year began. All accepted students should have started at the beginning of the school year, not three weeks into the first marking period. Sure, there is always room for a student to start school mid-year, but based on how her acceptance was presented in the pilot, Rory applied during the previous year. Her acceptance letter would have come in the mail over the summer, not randomly in the middle of September.
Lorelai Gilmore’s shock at the price of Chilton seems a bit far-fetched
Chilton is the reason Lorelai had to reconnect with her parents. She went to Richard and Emily when she realized she didn’t have the money to pay the tuition at Chilton. Richard and Emily agreed to help put Rory through high school on the condition that both Rory and Lorelai appeared in Hartford each Friday for a family dinner.
Lorelai’s need for financial help isn’t a problem. The fact that she was seemingly unaware of Chilton’s tuition until Rory’s acceptance letter arrived is, though. Lorelai would have been made aware of the tuition during the application process. Even if the cost wasn’t explicitly stated, as someone who attended similar schools, she would have known the general price tag attached to prestigious prep schools in the Northeast. Her shock just doesn’t make a ton of sense.
