‘Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life’: Scott Patterson Says Luke Never Wants to See Paris Again After Their Last Interaction
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life brought the characters from the original series together for one last round of episodes — and for the most part, their reunions were heartwarming. Of course, after seven seasons of Gilmore Girls, some of the characters were bound to grate on one another in the Netflix revival. And although Luke (Scott Patterson) and Paris (Liza Weil) weren’t outwardly hostile, Patterson confirmed that his Gilmore Girls character never wants to see Rory’s friend from Chilton again. After their last uncomfortable interaction, that’s probably no surprise.
Luke and Lorelai consult Paris about surrogates in ‘Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life’
Paris and Luke don’t exactly run in the same circles, but Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life reveals Paris has become a fertility doctor. When Luke and Lorelai (Lauren Graham) consider having a child, they consult Rory’s old friend about finding a surrogate. Luke’s hesitation about the whole process mixed with Paris’ matter-of-fact personality quickly turns their meeting awkward. And that’s not even the last impression Paris leaves on Patterson’s character.
After Luke storms out of her office, Paris stops by his diner with two potential surrogates. Her goal is to close the deal, but Luke just becomes more flustered by her arrival. And while Rory breaks up the awkward encounter, it seems it left its mark on Luke. In fact, Patterson says his character would prefer not to see Paris again.
Scott Patterson says Luke doesn’t want to see Paris again
After watching Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, fans probably assumed Luke and Lorelai wouldn’t visit Paris again any time soon. However, Patterson confirmed as much, emphasizing how uncomfortable his character felt after his trip to her fertility clinic. During a 2016 interview with People, the actor went so far as to say Luke doesn’t want to be in the same room as Paris again:
“He’s never going back there. He doesn’t want to see Paris ever again. As great as she is as a character, he’s just not interested in being in the same room with that, not at all!”
Fortunately, they aren’t likely to bump into one another unless Rory (Alexis Bledel) hosts some major event. And with Rory’s pregnancy revealed, Luke and Lorelai will have their hands full with a baby without having to conceive one.
But even if everyone won in the end, many Gilmore Girls fans weren’t thrilled with the revival’s surrogate storyline. And both Luke and Paris might have had something to do with that.
The surrogate storyline from ‘Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life’ was heavily criticized
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life received quite a bit of criticism following its debut, whether it was from fans who disliked Rory’s ending or those who didn’t love the direction some of the relationships took. And one component of the revival that rubbed viewers the wrong way was actually the surrogate storyline. As many pointed out, the series didn’t get much right about the process.
For one, Paris commenting on and rating the surrogates — arguably offensive, accurate or not — would never have happened. As Surrogate Parenting writes, fertility experts don’t divide and recommend surrogates like that. The genetic qualities of a surrogate also don’t impact the child.
But in addition to not getting the process right, Luke’s protests paint finding a surrogate in a negative light. And while Paris corrects him, the sarcastic back and forth doesn’t add much to the conversation. It leaves this storyline feeling half-baked with a questionable message.
For that reason, it’s easy to see why fans might not feel fond of this particular part of the revival. Thankfully, it didn’t continue all that long. And even if Gilmore Girls returned again, it doesn’t sound like the show would revisit it.
