‘Gilmore Girls’: Was Mitchum Huntzberger Right About Rory?

Rory Gilmore insisted she was going to be a foreign correspondent or journalist from the moment she steps into Chilton for high school. While her lofty goals were a great way to showcase Rory’s ambition, it became pretty obvious, pretty quickly, that she wasn’t cut out for the task. Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creator of Gilmore Girls, proved that in A Year in the Life, but Mitchum Huntzberger, the father of Rory’s college beau, Logan Huntzberger, saw it sooner than most fans. So, was Mitchum right about Rory all along?

What did Mitchum Huntzberger say about Rory’s journalism pursuits

When Rory visits Logan’s family for the first time, they attack her. The family patriarch and Logan’s mother quickly deem Rory unsuitable for Logan because she wasn’t “bred” for life within the upper echelon of society. Instead of simply apologizing for his family, Mitchum offers her a job at a local paper, but as her internship winds down, he sits down with her to assess her strengths and weakness.

He admits that Rory is organized, does a great job of anticipating needs and clearly is a quick study, but he also informs her that she doesn’t have what it takes to excel as a top journalist. Mitchum, while a bit insensitive, gives Rory the news in a straight, no-nonsense fashion. None of it sat well with Rory, and she embarked on an emotion-fueled spree that included stealing a yacht and dropping out of Yale.

Rory’s idols were far more driven than Rory

Rory insists she wishes to be just like Christiane Amanpour. Amanpour has had an illustrious career, and while journalistic talent can take someone a long way, finding your way to the frontline takes a unique personality, one that Rory never seemed to possess. While Lorelai insisted that Rory was just like her, there was a fire in Lorelai that Rory severely lacked.

The quiet, bookish Rory was risk-averse to a fault, a quality that wouldn’t propel an investigative journalism career. Rory was prone to analytical thinking and list-making. While her organizational skills are enviable, they would be more beneficial in a research capacity than a real-time journalism capacity. Her timid nature, and need to think and rethink decisions also wouldn’t be considered a positive trait for a journalist interested in breaking big stories.

While Mitchum didn’t deliver his assessment in the most sensitive way, it would seem that it was spot on. The revival season, streamed by Netflix, more or less proved his point. After a stint on the campaign trail, Rory was just as lost as she was the day Mitchum told her that she didn’t “have it.” While Sherman-Palladino may not have filled fans in on what happened between Rory’s graduation and her current place in life, journalistic greatness was clearly not part of her path.

What would have been the best path for Rory?

Mitchum was purposefully vague when he told Rory she didn’t have what it took to be a journalist, but fans can assume he was picking up on her fear and lack of tenacity. With her personality traits, several career paths would have likely been a better fit.

If Rory wanted to stick to writing, she likely could have excelled as a writer focusing on think pieces. According to Vice, a think piece is a piece of writing that focuses on giving background information while also offering opinion and analysis. Rory was incredibly analytical and likely would have excelled in writing such articles. Writing novels also would have been a solid fit, considering she enjoyed reading and researching so much. In fact, her quiet, thoughtful nature seems to almost beg Rory to pen a novel, something she eventually decides to do.

Outside of journalism, Rory likely could have had a fantastic career as an event planner. During her detour from Yale, she planned several events for the DAR that went off flawlessly. Her penchant for lists, attention to detail, and natural need to ensure everything is just right would translate well into event planning. Rory could likely have taken the career path a long way if she wasn’t so set on being a writer.