10 'Gilmore Girls' Characters You Need to Revisit Before Watching 'A Year in the Life'
The residents of Stars Hollow aren't done with you yet.
On May 15, 2007, "Gilmore Girls" fans thought they'd seen the last of Lorelai, Rory, Emily, and the rest of Stars Hollow when the series signed off after seven seasons. Now that Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life," which hits the streaming service on November 25, we'll finally get to see the continuing adventures of our beloved Gilmores and their quirky friends and family. Here, we've provided a refresher course with a brief breakdown of the major returning characters, and where we left off with them at the end of the show's original run.
Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham)When we last saw Lorelai Gilmore, she was bidding farewell to Rory, who was off to start her journalism career. As she grappled with the thought of going months without seeing her daughter, Lorelai decided to extend an olive branch to her parents, and continue the Friday night dinner tradition in Rory's absence. With business booming at the Dragonfly (hello, celebrity guest Christiane Amanpour), Lorelai was in a great place professionally. And after her "I Will Always Love You" serenade, she and Luke officially rekindled their relationship with a big, romantic kiss.
Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel)After some false starts (and fresh off a painful breakup with Logan), Rory finally landed her first post-college journalism job, covering then-Senator Barack Obama's burgeoning presidential campaign for an online magazine. The gig required her to crisscross the country -- and leave her mom and Stars Hollow behind on only a few days' notice. The town came together to throw her a surprise going away party, complete with heartfelt tributes from all of the colorful characters fans had come to know and love over the years. She and Lorelai ended the series (for the time being, anyway) the way it began: Laughing over a cup of coffee at Luke's.
Emily Gilmore (Kelly Bishop)To say that Emily and Lorelai didn't have the greatest relationship throughout the series is an understatement, but the Season 7 finale saw the Gilmore women at a sort of peace with each other. Though Emily was still nagging Lorelai about making changes to the inn (she and Richard thought Lorelai should add a Dragonfly Spa), she seemed pleased that Lorelai wanted to continue Friday night dinners. And though she wasn't the one to say it, Richard told Lorelai he was proud of her -- a sentiment we're sure Emily shared, even if she'd never tell Lorelai herself.
Luke Danes (Scott Patterson)The gruff diner proprietor wasn't the best at expressing his feelings, but throwing together a last-minute surprise going away party for Rory said a lot: How much he cared about Rory, but more importantly, how much he still cared about Lorelai. His over-the-top efforts to make sure the party still happened despite the rainy forecast (including stitching together -- by hand! -- a giant tent to cover the town square) were beyond sweet, as was his declaration to Lorelai that he just wanted to see her happy (which led to their passionate kiss). And he opened the diner early so the girls could have one final goodbye breakfast together, proving that he understands the importance of mother-daughter bonding (and coffee -- so much coffee). Luke also ended the series with joint custody of his daughter, though the less said about April, the better.
Sookie St. James (Melissa McCarthy)Quirky chef Sookie St. James was also enjoying the success of the Dragonfly, and still (adorably) squabbling with her husband, Jackson. Earlier in season seven, Sookie discovered she was pregnant for the third time, the result of Jackson hiding the fact that he didn't get a vasectomy as promised after their second child was born. Despite that breach of trust, their marriage was still going strong at the end of the series, as was Sookie's desire to see Luke and Lorelai reunited. She worked with the diner owner to help stage Rory's surprise party, and in one final bit of successful matchmaking, gently coaxed him into thinking about how Lorelai would respond to the thoughtful gesture – and later spilled the beans to Lorelai that it was Luke who spearheaded the effort.
Lane Kim (Keiko Agena)Many fans were disappointed by Lane's Season 7 storyline, which saw the young newlywed suddenly saddled with twin boys after getting unexpectedly pregnant on her honeymoon with Zack. The overwhelmed new mom was initially planning on going on tour with her husband, who was offered a lead guitarist gig by another band, but ultimately bailed when she realized caring for two newborns on a tour bus would be impossible without constant help. While she seemed at peace with her decision, we couldn't help but feel a bit sad for the formerly rebellious Lane, and hope she gets to live out her rock'n'roll dreams when "A Year in the Life" debuts.
Paris Geller (Liza Weil)The ruthless work ethic of Rory's high school frenemy turned college roommate paid off at the end of Season 7, when she had her pick of prestigious post-grad options. While deciding between attending law school or med school, Paris ultimately landed on the latter, and enrolled in Harvard Medical School. (It helped that she already knew several of her fellow incoming classmates, having sized them up -- and deemed them weak competition -- during pre-med courses in their undergrad years at Yale.) And Paris found her true match in Doyle, whose devotion to her was one of the sweetest developments of the show's later years. He took a cue from Carole King's theme song, and promised that wherever Paris led, he would follow.
Logan Huntzberger (Matt Czuchry)The Huntzberger scion was on a bit of a professional rollercoaster in Season 7, when his once successful business dealings failed in epic fashion, leaving him completely broke and embroiled in a lawsuit. Despite that setback -- and a brief return to his hard-partying ways -- Logan eventually rebounded and decided to cut ties from his father for good, seeking a job at a startup in San Francisco. He wanted Rory to come with him to the west coast, and proposed to her; after thinking it over, Rory decided she wasn't ready for marriage, and turned him down. She suggested that they try long distance again, but Logan didn't want to continue their relationship without taking a step forward, and the pair broke up.
Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia)After his departure at the end of Season 3, Jess only pops up a handful of times throughout the rest of the series. But Luke's nephew really grows up in that time period, finally admitting he's in love with Rory (even if he doesn't do it in the best way), helping found a small publishing company in Philadelphia, writing a short novel, and, finally, thanking Luke for everything (and giving him a check to pay back his kindness). When Jess meets up with Rory again early in Season 6, during her separation from Lorelai and her hiatus from Yale, he attributes his success to her, and helps her to realize she's on the wrong path. Our last glimpse of him came later in Season 6, during a rough patch in Logan and Rory's relationship. Rory visits Jess in Philadelphia, where they share a brief kiss before Rory admits she's still dating Logan. Jess is initially upset, but they end things on good terms.
Dean Forester (Jared Padalecki)Things didn't end well with Rory's first boyfriend, with Dean ultimately dumping her three times over the course of the series. The pair rekindled their failed high school romance at the end of Season 4, when a married Dean cheated on his wife by sleeping with Rory. Lindsay eventually discovers the transgression and kicks him out, and he and Rory begin dating again, though the relationship is short-lived. They have trouble coordinating their schedules with Rory living at school and Dean working several jobs, and then Dean abruptly breaks up with Rory at a party at her grandparents' house, citing the fact that he'll never fit into her world. His last appearance in the series comes late in Season 5, when a bitter Dean tells Luke that Lorelai will never be satisfied with him, because the Gilmores want more than Stars Hollow -- and they -- have to offer.
"Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life" premieres November 25 on Netflix.