Summary
- Lorelai needed to try romance with Christopher before ending up with Luke to get closure and confirm her feelings for Luke.
- Lorelai’s relationships would have been ruined if she didn’t try with Christopher, as he would have always been in the back of her mind.
- Fans were divided on who Lorelai should end up with, but ultimately, they were happier for Lorelai to end up with Luke because he was more dependable.
Luke and Lorelai are an iconic Gilmore Girls couple, but Lorelai needed to try romance with Christopher before ending up with Luke. Audiences first met Christopher in Gilmore Girls season 1, and his and Lorelai’s chemistry was palpable. Christopher even proposed to Lorelai, but she turned him down, as she believed he wasn’t ready yet. Even when Lorelai was about to marry Max Medina, she called Christopher the night of her bachelorette party, proving she still couldn’t let him go. The show’s central couple, Luke and Lorelai, had viewers rooting for them for seven seasons, so when Lorelai married Christopher, it felt like a betrayal.
Even though audiences’ hated the final season of Gilmore Girls‘ having Christopher and Lorelai get married, it was the right decision, as it gave Luke and Lorelai the perfect happy ending. Once a TV couple gets together, drama and conflict soon follow. Having Luke and Lorelai get together at the last minute allowed them to end the show with their happily ever after intact because the audience could then decide what happened to them—until A Year In The Life. Lorelai trying and failing at a real relationship with Chris was essential to her ending up with Luke because she needed closure to confirm that she and Luke were meant to be.
Lorelai And Chris Had To Try And Fail
Lorelai often did things that Gilmore Girls‘ viewers hated, but one situation stands out in particular. When Emily was trying to set up Christopher, Lorelai got jealous, despite being with Luke. Even though she loved Luke, Lorelai couldn’t help thinking of Christopher. Not being able to try with Christopher would’ve continued ruining her relationships, because he would’ve always been in the back of her mind.
Lorelai’s reason for turning down Christopher’s season 1 proposal proves that, as Rory said in season 5, Lorelai was just waiting for Christopher to mature. Not to mention, Lorelai’s parents, specifically Emily, wouldn’t have been able to accept any man for Lorelai if she and Christopher didn’t try first.
Could Lorelai & Luke Have Worked Instead?
Lorelai and Luke wouldn’t have worked for long, because she would’ve inevitably cheated on Luke. After their breakup, she immediately ran to Chris, proving she still wondered, “What if?” While Lorelai is the bravest Gilmore Girls character, a large part of that is due to her impulsiveness. Luke and Lorelai would’ve worked for a bit, but the second Chris came along, Lorelai would’ve left Luke to be with him. Or Lorelai would’ve ended up resenting Luke because she and Christopher never got to try. It also gave Luke peace of mind because he knew nothing was holding Lorelai back when they did get together. Otherwise, Chris’ presence would’ve constantly loomed over their relationship.
Another indicator that Luke and Lorelai wouldn’t have worked out until she and Christopher tried is how Amy Sherman-Palladino wrote Lorelai and Rory’s relationships. The girls’ relationships and decisions mirrored each other. A Year In The Life, keeping Gilmore Girls‘ original ending for Rory, confirmed that Jess is Rory’s Luke and Logan is Rory’s Christopher. Lorelai and Rory consistently ignored the men they should be with – Luke and Jess – for the emotionally unavailable men they were expected to be with: Christopher and Logan. Rory being pregnant, likely with Logan, confirmed Lorelai’s inability to fully commit because of Christopher, as Rory couldn’t let go of Logan and continued to ignore Jess.
How Fans Felt About Lorelai’s Relationship With Chris
Though it’s made very clear in the series that Luke and Lorelai would be the end-game couple, there are points in Gilmore Girls where it seems like Lorelai could end up with Chris. Fans were even divided on who Lorelai should end up with at points. Even Lauren Graham said that one “wish-fulfillment” aspect of the show could make her lean toward wanting Lorelai and Christopher to end up together, but she believed Lorelai and Luke together was more gratifying for the long-term audience of the show since they had watched them together for years.
A decade of comments on forums like Reddit show that while some fans liked the idea of Lorelai and Chris together, they liked them better as friends. The point is made in the forum discussion that Lorelai and Chris might have worked if they had been able to get together and grow together early in the series. By the time they elope in the final season, however, most fans were not on board. One member of the forum points out, “getting back together with Chris is just trying to recapture something that’s already gone” in the final season.
The dependability of Chris, or lack thereof, is actually what made fans dislike him. As much history as Chris and Lorelai had together, he wasn’t there for Lorelai when she needed him. Chris continually dropped back into Lorelai’s life with no warning, would have fun with her, and then would disappear again, despite the two of them having a daughter together. Fans wanted Lorelai to have someone she could count on as her romantic partner.
Lorelai and Chris could maintain a strong friendship in the end, but ultimately, Gilmore Girls fans were happier for Lorelai to end up with Luke.
