In the beloved seriesGilmore Girls, a deleted scene from season 3 offers a fascinating glimpse into thedynamic between Lorelai and Rory. I’d never seen this footage before, which showsa young Lorelai and Rory exploring the empty Independence Inn, a place that holds significant personal history for both characters.
The scene takes place afterRory graduates from Chilton to study journalism at Yale,a time of transition and newfound freedom. As they walk through the familiar halls, Lorelai reminisces about their past life at the Inn, a period when they faced financial hardship. The scene highlights Lorelai’s resilience and her unwavering determination to provide for her daughter independently. While this deleted scene may not have made it into the final cut, I think it offers valuable insight into Lorelei’s hard work to build their life.
Gilmore Girls' Deleted Scene Of Lorelai & Rory At The Inn Explained
The Deleted Scene Shows Lorelei And Rory At The Inn
In the deleted scene from Gilmore Girls season 3, episode 22 “Those Are Strings, Pinocchio”, Lorelai and Rory are visiting an empty Independence Inn. Lorelai is telling Rory about plans for the building now that it has closed down. While the two walk through the spacious, empty lobby, the camera pans toa young Lorelai in a maid’s uniform alongside Rory as a child. Lorelai promises Rory that they will eventually have their own place and that Rory will have her own room, emphasizing that at one point they did have to live at the Inn where Lorelai works.
This takes place when Rory graduates from Chilton, theGilmore Girlsschool based on real life. In that episode, Lorelai and Rory make one“final stop”on their way home. In the episode that aired, they stopped inside the school itself, which is“not so scary anymore”,to havea moment of closure and say goodbye. In contrast, originally, they presumably stopped at the Inn to say goodbye since Lorelai had just made a successful bid on the Dragonfly. The deleted scene may have been cut because the graduation is front and center, so it makes more sense to primarily close that chapter of Rory’s life.
Why I’d Have Liked Gilmore Girls To Include Its Young Lorelai & Rory Scene
While Not Perfect, It’s A Touching Throwback To Their Laying Down Roots
I would love to have seen more flashbacks of Lorelai and Rory’s past. Their relationship evolves throughout the show, with the pair being both mother and daughter and best friends. This blurred line heightens their conflicts, especially as Lorelai is overcorrecting for her own upbringing by Emily and Richard with herparenting choices inGilmore Girls. Lorelai is fiercely independent andworked her way up at the aptly named Independence Inn, so this glimpse into a time when she wasn’t yet managing the place and had to live there was a reminder of Lorelai’s resilience and self-sacrificing nature as a parent.
In the pertinent episode, Lorelai accuses Emily and Richard of being“master manipulators”for lending Rory her tuition fees for Yale, which Rory orchestrates so that Lorelai can put her bid in at the inn. Lorelai initially argues with this deal because Emily and Richard have written the return of Friday dinners into the deal, which makes her appear to me rather stubborn and ungrateful, especially as the money going toward the bid was also Richard’s money. A reminder of how hard Lorelai worked to not be beholden to her parentswould have put her defensiveness in context.
Gilmore Girls Did Have A Great Lorelai Flashback
Earlier In Season 3 There Are Flashbacks To Lorelai’s Labor
Elsewhere in season 3, Gilmore Girls does a great job of juxtaposing Lorelai and Rory’s past with the present day. In episode 13, “Dear Emily and Richard”, Sherry’s labor allows flashbacks to Lorelai’s labor tocontextualize her conflicted feelings in the episode. I think it’s a testament to her character’s strength that she can show up and be there for Sherry and Christopher and put this major event in their lives first, even though the flashbacks showLorelai’sGilmore Girlsbackstorygoing through childbirth with nobody accompanying her in the delivery room.
…Emily’s presence in the episode, both in the flashback and in the present day, does a lot to contextualize the conflict and emphasize Lorelai’s strength of character.
I think Emily’s presence in the episode, both in the flashback and in the present day, does a lot to contextualize the conflict and emphasize Lorelai’s strength of character. Emily cannot fathom why Lorelai would want to be there for Sherry’s labor, but this is because she cannot let go of the dream of a future where Lorelai and Christopher get back together and become a traditional family. Christopher and Lorelai talking about their backpacking plans before the pregnancy in the flashback scenes also ties nicely into Lorelai and Rory’s backpacking plans throughoutGilmore Girlsseason 3.
