‘Gilmore Girls’: Richard Gilmore’s 3 Worst Moments
Richard Gilmore is a mostly beloved Gilmore Girls character. The family patriarch was stoic, serious, and family-oriented. By and large, he was the most even-keeled member of the Gilmore family. That doesn’t mean he was perfect, though. Richard could be difficult and unyielding, too. Do you remember these three times that Richard acted badly?
Richard didn’t treat Emily’s contribution to the family with the respect it deserved
While Richard and Emily were largely considered relationship goals by fans, there were plenty of moments when Richard behaved badly toward his wife. He seemed to have almost no respect for Emily’s contributions to their family. He also did little to stand up for her when she needed it the most.
Richard allowed Trix to admonish Emily for everything from the time that meals were served to how she presented snacks. Richard also suggested Emily’s events were silly, and he didn’t notice when she brought new things into the house. Mostly, it seemed like Richard thought his contribution because it was monetary, was more important than Emily’s, and that just wasn’t the case.
Richard badmouthing Jason Stiles around town was completely unnecessary
In Season 4, when Richard found out Jason Stiles was dating Lorelai, he backed out of their business partnership and returned to his old insurance firm. While he argued that he made the decision because Floyd Stiles threatened his financial well-being with his lawsuit, his behavior made it clear there was more to it than that.
Richard was angry that Jason was dating Lorelai behind his back, and he went out of his way to be vindictive. Badmouthing Jason to clients and around town was the quickest way to make his former business partner suffer. Lorelai suffered because of it, too. The entire situation made Richard look petty.
Richard flipped out on Lorelai when she stood her ground
In season 5, Lorelai took a stand when it came to Rory’s education. She did not support Rory leaving school but also didn’t want to force her to return to campus unless she wanted to. Richard, who originally endorsed Rory’s decision to take a break, eventually grew concerned that she would never return. To move the process along, he approached Lorelai about bribing Rory to go back to school. When Lorelai took a stand against the idea, Richard flipped.
Richard’s proclamation that Lorelai was an “impossible girl” was misogynistic. It also indicated that Richard never took Lorelai seriously as an adult. Calling a grown woman, who had spent almost 20 years out on her own, a “girl” felt dismissive. The moment appeared to sum up the crux of Lorelai’s issues with her father.
