Spoilers ahead!

I think we are all familiar with the jaw-dropping moments in cinema. Plot twists, shocking reveals, and even characters making the wrong decision are what bring entertainment to television. This article is not about those moments, but rather the moments when characters surprise you in a disappointing way. While watching TV shows, we get to know our favorite characters very well. We know them so well that we can often identify when a character makes a choice that does not align with who they are.

Here are my top three moments the characters and the writing did not align in Gilmore Girls.

1. Luke Not Telling Lorelai About His Daughter, April

Luke’s character is sarcastic, direct, loyal, and truthful. Although he might be reluctant to ask for help, he turns to Lorelai when he needs guidance. She is the one he calls when he is arrested for vandalizing a car. He turns to her when he is at his most vulnerable after Jess insults his good intentions.

It makes no sense to me for Luke to hide that he has a daughter for two months. If he was hiding an affair, or if he knowingly abandoned April, I might understand that choice. However, Lorelai is great with kids, she has had her fair share of boyfriends and past relationships, and they were engaged. I think if Luke’s character had been written consistently, his loyalty to Lorelai would have prevented him from even imagining keeping this truth from her.

On that note, I think it was very out of character for him to suddenly not want to be married. We establish throughout their relationship that he has been pining for Lorelai for years. He tells her he is “all in” on their first date. While I understand how shocking it must have been for him to learn he was a father, I do not understand how his role as a dad would affect his ability to be a husband. He is no longer involved with Anna Nardini (April’s mother), and at the time did not have any custody of April.

Luke’s character is quite logical and down to earth. This plot point was incredibly frustrating to me. I also think it is crazy to assume that no one would notice April in the diner spending time with Luke. They live in a small and nosy town. It seems more plausible to me that Kirk would have told Lorelai about April by accident.

2. Paris’s Demeanor Freshmen Year of College

Paris has been an intense character from the start. But, when we saw her at Yale for the first time it felt like her entire character was rewritten.

Paris is strict on deadlines, anxious about building up her academic achievements, and ruthless when it comes to revenge. In high school, she is clever about the ways she chooses to strike at her enemies. She is easily annoyed when people fail to reach her academic standards or match her intelligence.

However, when we see her with her life coach in the Yale dorm rooms, she is much more dramatic. Not only is she intense, but she seems almost violent. This happens especially when she gets annoyed and says she wants to “wring the neck” of one of her roommates. She becomes angry over small inconveniences and lacks the same problem-solving abilities her character was established to have. For a while, her character seemed to take on a comedic-relief role.

I think her character would have been much more rational as a roommate. I don’t think she would turn off Rory’s alarm in the morning when she wasn’t awake yet. I don’t think she would fight with her roommates in such childish ways. I think the high school Paris would have been far more clever about her revenge, rather than resorting to petty arguments in the common room.

By the time she is a sophomore, we see more of the Paris we know from high school. As the show progresses she becomes more and more like a thoroughly developed character we grow to love in the first few seasons.

3. Sookie Misunderstanding the Kid’s Birthday Party Menu

Sookie is a chef and culinary genius. Along with her ability to make fabulous, unique, exquisite dishes, she also is used to catering to both Lorelai and Rory. She makes them dishes like mac and cheese, tacos, and chili fries. In the beginning of season one, she makes a birthday cake with Rory’s face on it. In all these instances, Sookie establishes herself as an intelligent and intuitive chef. She seems to understand what foods comfort people and how to bring emotion into her dishes.

In the later seasons, she and Lorelai start a catering company, and their first gig is for a Lord of the Rings-themed birthday party. At the party, Lorelai discovers that Sookie has not made any food for the children. She had jalapeno-chipotle cream-sauce mac and cheese and a fancy fruit cake (both of which are too fancy for the kids).

I thought it was very strange for her not to understand what food was needed for a birthday party. She makes crazy and fun cakes for Lorelai and Rory all the time! She bakes cookies, muffin tops, and pies for all kinds of events. She has attended several, if not all of Lorelai’s birthday parties for herself and Rory. I felt like it was a silly way for her to discover her fear of being a bad mother (since she was pregnant at the time).

The discussion that comes from this mistake is important and very relevant to Sookie’s plot. However, I think her character understands people (even kids) on a deeper level. Sookie would have made the most amazing Lord of the Rings Cake and a spread of the most delicious comfort food for this birthday party.

If you can think of any moments where the Gilmore Girls characters truly weren’t themselves, comment below! I would love to continue writing about this topic.