Rory Gilmore is not just somebody’s girlfriend in “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life,” and it’s refreshing

One of the most interesting changes that we noticed in Netflix’s Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, is Rory Gilmore’s attitude toward romantic relationships. Diehard Gilmore Girls fans will remember Rory as a loyal girlfriend who believed in love and kindness above all else. Even though she had some complications in her relationships (and some brutal breakups) she always tried to treat everyone with the love and respect they deserved.

However this is weirdly not the case with Rory Gilmore in the new Netflix revival.

This of course makes sense. The starry eyed, romantic Rory we remember was only 22 years old. When we catch up with her, she’s 32. That’s a lot of time and space to develop dating experience.

 When we pick up with Rory in the beginning of the series, we’re introduced to her boyfriend Paul. While being totally sweet and loving towards Rory, it is very apparent that she does not share the same feelings toward him. She is constantly forgetting that he is in the room, that she needs to meet him, and that she is even dating him. She even continual forgets to break up with him.

 Beyond that, Rory even carries on an affair with Logan, and has a one-night stand, all while dating Paul. The old Rory would never forget about a boyfriend. Although she’s cheated in the past, she’s always felt super guilty about it afterwards.

To see a version of Rory where she is completely unburdened by these actions is honestly a little weird.

Although it feels a little harsh at times to see 32-year-old Rory treating someone she’s dating so callously, in a way it is also empowering. The old Rory maybe worried about her relationships a bit TOO much. Despite having big ambitions for school and her career, she would often put them on hold or change them to accommodate her boyfriends. Those who remember the finale will realize that this “new” Rory matches her decision in the finale – to turn down Logan’s engagement for a career.

 This is of course further solidified in the last episode of the revival, where Rory is completely single and moving on to the next stage of her life.

Logan of course comes by with the Life and Death Brigade and takes her on an amazing impromptu adventure. During their trip Logan offers her a key to his family’s cabin up in Maine for her to write and work on her book. Old Rory would have definitely taken him up on it, despite the fact that he is about to marry another woman. New Rory however maturely declines, and returns to her life in Stars Hallow.

Later, Rory’s boyfriend Paul breaks up with her over text, which is something that Rory had been neglecting to do the entire revival. And she is of course pregnant, so she is about to go into a crazy new stage of her life without being tied to any man. However right before Rory tells Lorelai she’s pregnant, Lorelai drops some really great advice about Rory’s love life (and honestly everyones):

"It didn't fit. It needs to fit, believe me."

And the end of the revival we see this new Rory completely come full circle. No longer worried about her relationships to men as much as herself and her life, she is ready to move forward and be completely independent. And we are totally cool with that.