Like any show, Gilmore Girls has high points and low points. While the series has remained popular for almost two decades, not every episode is a winner, especially as the show came to an end. There is much debate about the Gilmore Girls’ finale, but the series had issues before that, as seen by the fan reaction to the final season of the original series. Season 7 struggled after Amy Sherman-Palladino‘s departure, and though we eventually got her intended ending in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, it took several years. While fans have a lot to say about Season 7 as a whole (and the revival, for that matter), one episode that receives a lot of hate is Season 7, Episode 7, “French Twist,” and it’s not hard to see why.
The major issue with this episode is that it is the beginning of what might be the worst storyline in the entire series: Lorelai (Lauren Graham) marrying Christopher (David Sutcliffe). It’s not just that the relationship is widely disliked, but the situation makes it worse. In the episode, Lorelai and Christopher elope while in France, selfishly cutting even Rory (Alexis Bledel) out of the event. This development is why “French Twist” is the lowest-rated episode of Gilmore Girls, according to IMDb. But, ignoring the egregious Lorelai parts of the episode, “French Twist” actually serves as an important part of a different and more subtle story. In fact, one often-ignored scene is vital for Rory’s character. Rory’s storyline forces her to face her building emotions as she nears her college graduation, resulting in the most relatable and revealing moment for the character throughout the series.
What’s Going On With Rory in “French Twist”?
Rory’s storyline in this episode picks up in her final year at Yale. Her tenure as the Yale Daily News’ editor-in-chief has just ended, signaling to Rory that her life is about to face drastic changes that she isn’t equipped to handle. However, she chooses to take advantage of her newfound free time to visit Stars Hollow with her friends Lucy (Krysten Ritter) and Olivia (Michelle Ongkingco). Their low-key girls’ trip is a great bonding moment for the three of them, as these new friends get a window into Rory’s childhood, but it also leads to Rory having a long-overdue breakdown.
Rory has several emotional moments in the series, but this one stands out because there is no way to solve it. It’s not a bad grade or breakup that she can move on from, but a very real fear. While joking about becoming a girl band, Lucy and Olivia bring up the Yale Daily News, triggering an emotional response from Rory. She expresses her fears about the uncertainty in her future. The lighthearted fun ends as Lucy and Olivia support Rory and reassure her that she’s not the only one who feels that way, but that only reinforces the significance of Rory’s breakdown. As she speeds toward her college graduation, Rory’s life has no clear path for her to achieve her goals, leaving her feeling lost. This moment in “French Twist” is so crucial for Rory’s character because it shows her struggling to live up to the expectations placed on her and her own ambitions, revealing the hard part of being a gifted child.
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Rory’s Breakdown Makes Her More Relatable
One thing that makes Rory’s “French Twist” storyline so important is the fact that it is relatable. For much of the show, Rory is almost too perfect. She excels in every subject, is a leader in each extracurricular activity she tries, and studies constantly. Though she does have a rebellious phase, by Season 7, Rory is back on track, just in time to reach the end of the road. “French Twist” is Rory’s existential crisis that was bound to happen. Rory’s character is too often idealized, but this moment humanizes her in a heartbreaking way. As her friends tell her, anxiety about what will happen after graduation is something many students face, especially the ones whose academic performance has become part of their identity. By showing this aspect of Rory’s senior year, Gilmore Girls forces Rory to face a fear that many fans can relate to.
For Rory and those like her, graduation is a scary thing. The character is so often seen to hold the Gilmores’ expectations for both herself and her mother, and usually, she manages that without complaint. She gets into Chilton, goes from being months behind to the top of her class, and has her choice of Ivy League schools. She’s ambitious and has always known what she wanted and how to get there, but with the end of school, there is no longer a clear path, and that is what causes her breakdown. Rory has always followed the rules and done as she was told, so having to go off into the real world without instructions is utterly terrifying.
‘Gilmore Girls’ Should Have Shown Rory’s Uncertainty More
Through this breakdown, Gilmore Girls shows a part of the character that is rarely explored. This moment allows Rory to feel lost. As she matures throughout the series, Rory becomes less perfect, which fans often complain about. However, the same fans ignore this scene, which helps to explain her choices. When Rory starts crying, she talks about facing the abyss that is her future. She doesn’t know what will happen or have a plan, leaving her totally lost and unsure how to cope with those feelings. This emotional scene shows how lost she feels, explaining her previous reactions to change, like when her plan falls apart due to Mitchum Huntzberger’s (Gregg Henry) comments, and she blows up her own life by dropping out of school and stealing a boat. Rory cannot handle change or feelings of inadequacy, and her breakdown exemplifies that more sympathetically than any other moment.
While this is touched on in “French Twist,” the revival explores it further, showing her struggling several years later as her life has not panned out as she imagined. This goes into more detail, but Season 7 set up that conflict with her doubts. If Gilmore Girls had focused on this aspect of Rory, perhaps the A Year in the Life storyline wouldn’t have felt so jarring. By showing Rory’s uncertainty and fear in “French Twist,” Gilmore Girls makes Rory more complex and interesting, and it’s a shame she didn’t get more moments like this one. While this may be an unpopular episode, it is worth watching for Rory’s arc, even if you have to skip the Lorelai and Christopher of it all.
Gilmore Girls is streaming on Netflix in the U.S.