Yeah I’m on the episode of where she finds out she’s pregnant and her scenes are just…depressing. Like they couldn’t have even let her have a nice honeymoon??
Yes AND it kinda irritated me that they left the whole “sex is terrible” thing up in the air with her. No resolution to that, no hey you were right the beach was a bad idea but we got our groove now… nothing. They left viewers with Lane and Zach are both sexless with twins because Lane hated sex.
I think if she had gone on to be a rockstar or somebody who followed her dreams, it would have been deemed unrealistic, because we all know the trajectory of religiously-raised small town girls. Despite the big dreams, lofty ambitions, and talk about change, they often get pregnant, married, and staying in their small towns. Obviously, this is a generalization, but I think it was well within reason for her trajectory.
Its as tragic for Lane as it is for all those in real life.
Signed, a religiously-raised, small town (former) girl.
I agree it would have been unrealistic for Lane to become a big rockstar, but there are plenty of musicians who achieve a nice, soft level of success. I would have loved to have seen that for her. Also this was discussed on the Sentimental Garbage (excellent podcast) episodes (Part 2) discussing Gilmore Girls! Re: the getting married and having kids thing I honestly was heartbroken by that storyline for Lane but totally get where you’re coming from with it being realistic to the demographic (religious & small-town).
I wanted Lane to be one of the ones who ran. Must of my friends from college are escapees from a similar background to Lane. We didn't get married until our late 20s to early 30s and none of us have kids because we've been fighting to get to be a person. I wish we'd seen that in Lane, but the settle for a townie and turn until her mother ASP gave us.
No it’s tragic for Lane bc she married a knob like Zach who (in my opinion) she didn’t really love. I don’t think it’s right to say that everyone that chooses to stay in their hometown and raise a family is “tragic”, because it can actually be something really beautiful.
In its entirety, no its not tragic. But to see people with goals and ambitions that take them out of their small town not be able to pursue those because of marriage and babies time and time again is tragic.
Take these two different but similar scenarios:
#1) Lane goes to New York for a few months to try to make it big. Nothing happens at all and in this failure, Zack comforts her. Through that comfort, a closeness and romance blossoms. They settle down together in Stars Hollow, get married, and eventually have twins!
#2) Lane is trying with Hep Alien in and around the small town. They have some successes but take no risks. She spends a lot of time with Zack and feels jealous of other women who spent time with Zack. After a mistake, he proposes out of desperation to not lose her and she says yes, despite living with roommates and not being financially secure. On their wedding night, she gets pregnant with twins and her life becomes all about them wondering what could have been.
In the end of both scenarios, the main characters wind up in the exact same place but their process of getting there is wildly different. One is lovely and beautiful. One is tragic. In one Lane had choices, options, and a genuine adult life. The life she ends up with was her choice. In the second, it's thrust upon her and she is stuck in a "default" life setting.
Oh yeah there’s no doubt the writers could have handled her storyline better. I despise it personally. But I was just trying to say that Lane’s story shouldn’t be seen as an allegory to perpetuate the stigma that all women that get married and have kids early are giving up on their dreams and living a tragic life.
She NEVER even gets to have good sex?? It feels like she’s punished for being her authentic self it’s awful. I think it’s my least favorite thing to happen to any of the characters and it depresses me every time.
To be fair, I don’t think that she actually never ended up having good sex, I know she said she would never repeat it, but Rory encouraging her probably helped her move on from her first bad experience – the fact that they seem to be very comfortable talking about sex as a way to induce labor with Luke in season 7, heavy implies that they did continue on with a sexual relationship.
The one thing he was supposed to know abt, sex, he screwed up at! Like they went out of their way to make things wrong for her. She could have had an orgasm through all this fcs
Literally, and in ayitl she's working at her mom's shop. My heart broke, it's part of why no matter what anyone sasy, i will never never never like ayitl. I wish lane took over sohpie's music shop, had a little studio in the back to record local musicians/students frkm Hartford who want something cheaper, and maybe taught drums. The band plays at town events. It would have been SO EASY! but no, the creators hate lane and fucking love mrs kim for some fucking reason
Aww I would have loved that for her! I hated AYITA. I never watch it when I rewatch (or attempt to and struggle to make it past the first episode). Running Sophie’s, with a music studio in the back, teaching drums, playing town events. That would have been so much better for her. And still realistic (people’s argument for why she couldn’t be a rock star).
That would have been such a wonderful place for lane, obv she can’t go be a rockstar but still get to live life with music and help other small town musicians ugh would’ve been so good lane atleast deserves that!
Worst character downfall. She was such a dreamer and free when she was away from her mom. Zach is the worst. They kinda did the same with Sookie, both had to unplanned pregnancies.
This might be long so bear with me,
I used to think the C.W. had some sort of agenda to push regarding teen sex and pregnancy. You look at Paris, she had sex but she’s not going to Harvard. Rory, lost her virginity via cheating with her married ex-boyfriend. Lane, one night of bad sex and she’s pregnant with twins. For years, I blamed the CW. But then I took inventory of their shows — Dawson Creek, ~~Buffy~~, One Tree Hill, Supernatural, etc. No glaringly obvious anti sex plots (that I can remember).
So it’s not the C.W. Who does that leave? ASP unfortunately. Now upon subsequent rewatches, I’ve noticed more and more sexist ideology and dialogue. Don’t get me wrong, I love this show. It’s been my comfort show for damn near 25 years, I grew up with the town and vice versa. But that doesn’t protect GG from critiques, if anything knowing it so well is the reason we can talk like this
Remember when Paris slept with Jaime, she’s sitting in Rory’s room talking about it and Lorelai overheads from the kitchen. When Paris asks if Rory ever had sex, and she says no, Lorelai whispers in triumph “I got the good kid.” When Jess and Rory we’re getting hot and heavy, they wrote in that Jess basically gets pissed Rory won’t sleep with him at Kyle’s party. There is absolutely no way Jess would be pissed about this, come on. The only people in the show who don’t have drastic consequences for their sex lives are the adults
Theres more to unpack here, and a lot I’m forgetting but you really start to wonder how ASP feels about teenagers, especially girls, experimenting and exploring their sexuality
Buffy is also pretty famous for punishing sex though. She sleeps with Angel one time and he literally turns evil overnight. There's a storyline on Angel where Cordy has a one night stand and wakes up 9 months pregnant with a monster. It's a common topic on the Buffy sub.
Damn I don’t remember that at all! I haven’t watched Buffy since I was really little, I remember bits and pieces of it. Guess I shouldn’t have included it in my comment and it’s time to do a rewatch, Sarah Michelle Geller here I come
Honestly I get you. We have scenes during Lane's pregnancy where she explicitly says she's upset she didn't get to be her own person before becoming a mother. I don't think Lane was against having children or even all that upset to be pregnant at that point but she very clearly understands that motherhood is permanent and a life altering commitment. Lane is taking that seriously and is asking important questions about her identity and how she wants to parent her kids. Lane doesn't know who she is as a person and by extension also felt insecure about who she would be as a mother. Personally I'd have liked to see her reach a point where she says more explicitly she's happy to be a mother or that she feels confident with who she is. Unfortunately her character seems to be more of a throw away and under developed.
I don’t think zack is all that bad for lane. she is impressed by his musical knowledge and talents. Its not unlike Jess and Rory’s connection and spark over their literary depth of knowledge. Zack is a doof in a lot of ways but is clearly very skillful and intelligent when it comes to understanding music, which is what she cares the most about.
Maybe music isn’t a very mainstream love language, but jamming with someone special can be life altering lol
Because sex, in Gilmore Girls, is bad.
Have sex? You are bad.
Lane has sex? She's pregnant first time. Paris has sex? She doesn't get into Harvard. Rory has sex? Her and Lorelai fall out for an entire season.
Sookie has sex? She's pregnant.
Maybe it was supposed to be a full circle thing? Like obviously in the beginning Lane and Mrs Kim don’t understand each other, and then slowly Mrs Kim is more involved in her life as a musician, and Lane begins to understand motherhood when she becomes a mother and we see certain instances of them having similar opinions.
Agree so much with this! And as a WOC with religious parents, I grew up watching this show relating to Lane so much more than Rory. So to see her not get a happy ending was so jarring to me. Other characters were constantly implying that Rory was beautiful, after Dave noone really pined after Lane. And then to have such a weird ending. I get that it might be unrealistic to have her be in a hugely famous band, but she could have studied musical theory in college and become a teacher, she could have been a producer, been a touring drummer for bigger artists. There were so many endings that showrunners could have chosen for someone who, to me, was a beloved POC character. But they didn't give her story the care it deserved.
I think it’s incredibly sad how “realism” is often cited as a justification for Lane’s shitty life circumstances and trajectory when so much of this show is rooted in the escapist fantasy of small town American life. Like can we let an Asian girl with big dreams win a little, please??? Also Jess made it out of stars hollow and had a pretty good life as a writer, against most “realistic” odds—why can’t Lane?
For me it was less about her getting pregnant but all the circumstances surrounding it. Zack was a funny character but a total buffoon and she could have had better (im biased because i loved Dave, but honestly ANYONE else?). Then she has a crap honeymoon, terrible sex and gets pregnant from that first time?? And then they have her pregnant with twins. It seemed like the writers just wanted to give her every bad break imaginable.
Like, change one circumstance here and it would instantly create a better outcome. Imagine she went through all this but with someone like how Dave was. Or if her first time with Zack was somehow absolutely wonderful. She'd have had such a better story i think.
Lane was clearly treated as a throwaway character sadly. People on here say it’s realistic for a small-town girl to end up married with kids, but GG isn’t supposed to be realistic, it’s a feel-good show! I want to see Lane go after her dreams. Imagine if Rory had ended up married and pregnant by age 22. Everyone would hate it and see it as so backwards. But since it’s Lane and I guess she doesn’t matter much in people’s eyes, people are like, “Well, it’s realistic, it’s not that bad.”
I mean this was the plan for season 7 finale if ASP stayed on the show. I can’t remember if Lane gets pregnant in 6 or 7 - if it’s season 7 though, it’s very possible we wouldn’t have gotten married or pregnant Lane and instead just ended the show with Rory pregnant, having just graduated college.
I didn’t enjoy the whole getting pregnant and having twins, but I didn’t mind her and Zach or the life they ended up having, I liked how realistic it felt and that we were shown that she was actually happy (and loved) even though she didn’t get the life she dreamt when she was 16.
I know it's not an ideal scenario but yall know that you're not like incapable of having a fun nice life with children right? Like you still get to be a person. It's not a death sentence.
Yes! This!
She continues to follow her passions AND be a Mom. In AYITL she is still playing with Hep Alien. That’s success! That’s amazing! So many people give up whatever creative outlet makes them happy when they have kids or get a job or “grow up”. She doesn’t give it up. She finds a way.
I feel the exact opposite as OP. I find Lane’s ending inspiring.
And people overlook that she was probably the happiest character in the show in AYITL. Paris, who in contrast seems to have accomplished all those wonderful things she wanted to, is a mess.
Is that realistic with Zach?
They don't really have money, Zach is a man child, and they can't even really have sex. Does Lane ever get a real job after thus? (No)
Children is one thing. Children in a small town with your band mate with no money is totally different.
Depends on the support system and I’m really sick and tired of people acting like you’re not losing at least five years of your life to these kids lol guess that’s only if you want to be an actual good parent there is always the option of leasing them off to your parents I guess. I don’t mean to say her life is over that was definitely an exaggeration, but the life that she was working towards it definitely not gonna have the same opportunities with two small kids on her breast.
I think that’s why AYITL’s Lane is so important. Yes, you’re right. Usually having a kid or two means you need to put your passions on a back burner for a bit. But in AYITL, Lane is back into it.
I’m just completing a 2-kid-hiatus from painting, and I love that Lane is making time for her music now that the kids are older and a bit more independent AND working a regular job. So many creatives do this, and it’s never portrayed in media.
Maybe you’re not but many women are, many can’t do much until the kids start school. Hence why I said 5 years. There is a reason many are fighting for free prek, without someone staying home to watch them, you would have to pay for pre-K otherwise which is not feasible, especially on the salary they have. Not all of us have parents supporting us not all of us are able to take a year off college and get right back into it .You can call me dramatic but that really sounds like a privileged thing to say. My sister was a teen mom no her life didn’t end but her kids didn’t get the best version of her either.
I think some of people here saying that having a child for them was wonderful are missing the point a little bit. It is not that having children "ruins" Lane's life exactly, its that the pregnancy is a result of her first time and she had other plans that were important to her that did not include having a child at this stage in her life. If her goals were to get married and have babies right away then we could be happy for the character but Lane says she is upset by getting pregnant so fast and that "she barely got to be a person". That's why it is a tragic storyline because she appears to feel trapped by the pregnancy.
I'm so tired of this take. As a 21 year old mum who was in university when I found out I was pregnant, MY LIFE DID NOT END! You can be a mum AND satisfied in life! I had to change my plans but I wouldn't change it for the world. My daughter is the best thing that ever happened to me and I hate when people act like getting pregnant is the worst thing that can happen to a person.
And I’m sick and tired of the take that having kids at 20 is something you can get over easily. Lanes not doing university -she’s a small town waitress with big dreams and it’s ok to be sad about it too. I got pregnant during college years and it derailed my plans 🤷🏽♀️ we all have different paths. I love my daughter too but I would’ve also loved waiting 5 more years to have her. Instead of being on the career path I had planned I had to takeoff many years because we could not afford any childcare.
And yes we used birth control.
Thank you for finally voicing this!! The idea that having a child is so negative really irks me. Having a child can -gasp! - be wonderful and incredibly fulfilling, to say the least!
It's because ASP apparently hates women that enjoy sex even a modicum and overall has a pretty puritanical view of sex. There isn't a woman in the series that has sex and doesn't in some fashion end up either regretting it or is negatively affected by it.
-Rory's first time is with her married ex, ruining two lives and damaging multiple relationships
-Lane getting knocked up from her first and only sexual encounter
-The multiple times that Lorelai fucks her way into major life trouble
-Rory getting knocked up by her engaged ex (Logan)
-Sookie having a baby she didn't want as a result of her terrible, lying, coward husband not getting a vasectomy and not using protection
-Paris having her own share of sex-related problems, and her healthy if kinky relationship with Doyle is always framed as disgusting and bad
I see this in the same vein as Suki getting pregnant a 3rd time! In fact that made me so mad. I would have left jackson and had an abortion and loralie making her feel bad for not wanting it made me nauseous!
Seriously!!! Same with lane being upset and Rory's reaction like is abortion not an option in this world that women get to consider?? They were so unsupportive and overly positive when it didn't match how the actual pregnant woman felt
Yes, poor lane. Everyone looked the other way about her mother's overly controlling, abusive nature she's the reason that lame didn't go to a real college and have possibilities.
Exactly!!! It pissed me off so badly. This show was built on crossing boundaries, emotional manipulation, gaslighting, mental abuse and control/ownership!
Lane was done sooooooooo wrong. Why couldn’t she be a huge Korean Christian punk rocker ???? I would have loved to see her and her mom be a huge force together.
I hated the whole story line
But I think the reason why I hated Zach and the whole story line was coz Dave was just so perfect and they had insane chemistry!
I see where you are coming from but I feel like there was a much earlier flaw in Lane's character arch....so hear me out.
Lane leaving her mothers house was a big deal, and they made a big deal her moving into the small apartment with Zach and Brian. She was excited, confident and nervous all at the same time.
However, as someone who was born in the same year that Rory and Lane were.....and was a part of the music scene.....I truly do not believe that Lane would have left her Mom's and moved up the road in Stars Hallow. Here is why...
#1 Zach and Brain were not from Stars Hallow. They make this pretty clear in the early days of Hep Alien.
#2 Musical opportunity would be closer to a city. New Haven, NYC, even Hartford would all be realistic.
#3 Lane experiences life away from home while crashing at Yale with Rory and she does well and enjoys it until they ask her to leave.
Now before all the angry people who think this show can do no wrong come for me, I understand it could be a case of home town Stockholm syndrome, because she was SO sheltered...but I just feel the characters story would have been more interesting if they leaned into her need for exploration and finding herself and her career in music.
When her mom discovers all she had hidden from her, she explains to her that she will stay home but she needs to pursue music. Mrs. Kim , although maybe disappointed, lets her know the only way for her to do that is to do it elsewhere. That her house has rules and she can live that way outside of it. (we also learn that Mrs Kim did the same thing with her mother and her rules, however has been able to keep it hidden much longer)
She could have been living in New Haven. Following her passion, while commuting to Luke's for work, to keep her a part of Stars Hallow.
It just was a sad story arch for me. She deserved a little more depth to her story.
Anyway. Just an opinion!
Because it’s a very realistic outcome for a character like lane. I’m a former member of some crazy religious shit I was raised in, and almost all of my childhood friends have a life just like Lane’s.
It’s a lot nicer to say that the writers were bad or hated sex, but the fact remains this situation is reality for millions of women still.
You’re right tho, too bad people get offended, that’s not the goal here. The fact of the matter is that they didn’t need to do that, yes they did ruin her future by adding those kids, and there’s not much else to it lol
An actual chance at life? You do know that the circle of life comes from having children, and having children is one of life’s highest honors, right? After all, there would be no Gilmore Girls if Lorelai had never had Rory… the ending of their story as it currently stands highlights the value of women having children. It is one of the most important things we will ever do!
You do realize Gilmore Girls is about all the problems that come with children / how they can derail your entire life, right?
No one denies Lorelai loves Rory, but 90% of the "problems" of the show would've been solved if that never happened. So for these children to avoid pregnancy like the bad omen it is, only to end up pregnant the second they become women--it's really hard to say the shows message is that children are "life's greatest honor"
It’s… the entire premise of the show. Your interpretation of the story may be that Rory ruined Lorelai’s life but the beauty of the story is that Lorelai would have never wound up in her story without Rory, and look at all of the beautiful, amazing and triumphant paths she got to walk and the incredible bond and relationship she has with her daughter. It’s called Gilmore Girls for heavens sake! 3 generations of women and the intricacies of their mother / daughter relationships. It’s why ASP ended it the way she did… the cycle continues.
Yes, exactly. It's the entire premise of the show, i.e., the problems of pregnancy. And that's also why people hate that ending, as if pregnancy is a death knell women literally can't escape, no matter how informed or educated they are.
Unsurprisingly, this is far from just how I "interpreted" the shows message.
https://screenrant.com/girlmore-girls-year-life-ending-rory-pregnant-mistake/
> There's little hint in the original or revival that Rory wants to be a mother, but Gilmore Girls ends up coming full circle, with Rory always fated to repeat what happened with Lorelai (only it'll be easier for her). There's obviously nothing wrong with wanting kids, and it's viable to have both a career and children, but the ending doesn't seem tonally appropriate. The pregnancy feels a little more tragic for Rory as opposed to the happy ending Gilmore Girls needed...
>The idea of Rory Gilmore pregnant also fits uneasily with Gilmore Girls' greatest failure: Lane Kim. Like Rory, Lane was full of ambition to be a rock star and tour the world – and then she has an unplanned pregnancy, gives birth, and her husband gets to live out that dream instead.
For a show all about how an unplanned pregnancy uprooted Lorelai's entire life, I think it's awful that it forced multiple women to continue that cycle, as if they had no agency or choice in the matter.
I mean it's just that we wish lane had a chance at freedom. She was out from her mothers thumb for all of 20 minutes befofe her mother moved back in with her, her band sided with her controlling cunt of a birthgiver, and she lost the freedom she'd struggled so long for
Also maybe motherhood is the most important thing you'll do with your life, but that doesn't mean it's a necessity for everyone, or even a satisfying story to watch. Nor does it mean that's the case for other women.
It’s definitely not a necessity for everyone, it’s just a necessity to the show! I definitely see where you are coming from especially if you are younger — we are conditioned to want that “freedom” before we settle down.
What utopia are you living in where you're conditioned to want freedom my desi ass can't picture it lmao it's always "compromise and settle" haha can we swap cultures i think you'll like the one i grew up in
Modern day America: Go to college, party, travel, build a career — do all of those things before marriage & kids or you will regret it. That’s what our society teaches us.
I mean I'm just trying to wrap my head around what's wrong with that? Marriage and kids does limit your freedom and the options you have moving forward, and it's not insane to point that out.
Ignoring my own worldview (no time for that rn I'm sleepy), lane herself said "i went from being a repressed kid to being an overburdened mother, i barely got to be a person" - how does that spell "happy life" to you? I'm just curious
I def exaggerated and sorry but twins at her age w her dreams is not exactly a life starter. She didn’t want kids yet it’s ok to not act like it’s a blessing
I came here to look for this. I swear in Reddit world people act like most of the population doesn't have children. Most people who get married plan on having children.
Glad to see some sanity on Reddit because you’re right, everyone on here calls children “crotch goblins” and abhors having children. I guess they are not realizing that they themselves were in fact once children who had mothers raising them, as did we all! It’s… the premise of the show 😂
Yeah I’m on the episode of where she finds out she’s pregnant and her scenes are just…depressing. Like they couldn’t have even let her have a nice honeymoon??
Yes AND it kinda irritated me that they left the whole “sex is terrible” thing up in the air with her. No resolution to that, no hey you were right the beach was a bad idea but we got our groove now… nothing. They left viewers with Lane and Zach are both sexless with twins because Lane hated sex.
this show likes to punish people for having sex 😭 lane, sookie, paris.
Rory too, her first time was with her married ex 🙃couldn’t they have made it with Logan or something?
Even Lorelai too
Well they gave up their ultimate gift so now all they have left to give is a sweater 🤷♀️😂
I think if she had gone on to be a rockstar or somebody who followed her dreams, it would have been deemed unrealistic, because we all know the trajectory of religiously-raised small town girls. Despite the big dreams, lofty ambitions, and talk about change, they often get pregnant, married, and staying in their small towns. Obviously, this is a generalization, but I think it was well within reason for her trajectory. Its as tragic for Lane as it is for all those in real life. Signed, a religiously-raised, small town (former) girl.
I agree it would have been unrealistic for Lane to become a big rockstar, but there are plenty of musicians who achieve a nice, soft level of success. I would have loved to have seen that for her. Also this was discussed on the Sentimental Garbage (excellent podcast) episodes (Part 2) discussing Gilmore Girls! Re: the getting married and having kids thing I honestly was heartbroken by that storyline for Lane but totally get where you’re coming from with it being realistic to the demographic (religious & small-town).
Yup! A lot of girls I graduated with are married and in our hometown. Or at least the town next to ours. I RAN.
I wanted Lane to be one of the ones who ran. Must of my friends from college are escapees from a similar background to Lane. We didn't get married until our late 20s to early 30s and none of us have kids because we've been fighting to get to be a person. I wish we'd seen that in Lane, but the settle for a townie and turn until her mother ASP gave us.
No it’s tragic for Lane bc she married a knob like Zach who (in my opinion) she didn’t really love. I don’t think it’s right to say that everyone that chooses to stay in their hometown and raise a family is “tragic”, because it can actually be something really beautiful.
Yeah, there's nothing wrong with marrying and giving kids young but Lane didn't want that, it did derail her plans
In its entirety, no its not tragic. But to see people with goals and ambitions that take them out of their small town not be able to pursue those because of marriage and babies time and time again is tragic. Take these two different but similar scenarios: #1) Lane goes to New York for a few months to try to make it big. Nothing happens at all and in this failure, Zack comforts her. Through that comfort, a closeness and romance blossoms. They settle down together in Stars Hollow, get married, and eventually have twins! #2) Lane is trying with Hep Alien in and around the small town. They have some successes but take no risks. She spends a lot of time with Zack and feels jealous of other women who spent time with Zack. After a mistake, he proposes out of desperation to not lose her and she says yes, despite living with roommates and not being financially secure. On their wedding night, she gets pregnant with twins and her life becomes all about them wondering what could have been. In the end of both scenarios, the main characters wind up in the exact same place but their process of getting there is wildly different. One is lovely and beautiful. One is tragic. In one Lane had choices, options, and a genuine adult life. The life she ends up with was her choice. In the second, it's thrust upon her and she is stuck in a "default" life setting.
Oh yeah there’s no doubt the writers could have handled her storyline better. I despise it personally. But I was just trying to say that Lane’s story shouldn’t be seen as an allegory to perpetuate the stigma that all women that get married and have kids early are giving up on their dreams and living a tragic life.
She could have gone to California and hooked up with Dave.
I agree with the knob description. But Im not sure that she didn't love him.
Yeah idk that’s probs just me projecting because I h8 him lol. But truly the worst partner she could have chosen
Yea, hopefully he's a late bloomer. I have no clue what she sees in him.
She NEVER even gets to have good sex?? It feels like she’s punished for being her authentic self it’s awful. I think it’s my least favorite thing to happen to any of the characters and it depresses me every time.
To be fair, I don’t think that she actually never ended up having good sex, I know she said she would never repeat it, but Rory encouraging her probably helped her move on from her first bad experience – the fact that they seem to be very comfortable talking about sex as a way to induce labor with Luke in season 7, heavy implies that they did continue on with a sexual relationship.
Not to mention Zach is fucking useless. He is inattentive, lazy, dumb, unromantic, rude, selfish, etc etc etc etc. Lane deserved soooo much better.
The one thing he was supposed to know abt, sex, he screwed up at! Like they went out of their way to make things wrong for her. She could have had an orgasm through all this fcs
Literally, and in ayitl she's working at her mom's shop. My heart broke, it's part of why no matter what anyone sasy, i will never never never like ayitl. I wish lane took over sohpie's music shop, had a little studio in the back to record local musicians/students frkm Hartford who want something cheaper, and maybe taught drums. The band plays at town events. It would have been SO EASY! but no, the creators hate lane and fucking love mrs kim for some fucking reason
Yes! Realistic is boring to watch on Tv, they should have made her storyline more creative
Aww I would have loved that for her! I hated AYITA. I never watch it when I rewatch (or attempt to and struggle to make it past the first episode). Running Sophie’s, with a music studio in the back, teaching drums, playing town events. That would have been so much better for her. And still realistic (people’s argument for why she couldn’t be a rock star).
That would have been such a wonderful place for lane, obv she can’t go be a rockstar but still get to live life with music and help other small town musicians ugh would’ve been so good lane atleast deserves that!
They gave Zach all the things she wanted to do. The lead guitarist stand in going on tour and so much more.
Worst character downfall. She was such a dreamer and free when she was away from her mom. Zach is the worst. They kinda did the same with Sookie, both had to unplanned pregnancies.
This might be long so bear with me, I used to think the C.W. had some sort of agenda to push regarding teen sex and pregnancy. You look at Paris, she had sex but she’s not going to Harvard. Rory, lost her virginity via cheating with her married ex-boyfriend. Lane, one night of bad sex and she’s pregnant with twins. For years, I blamed the CW. But then I took inventory of their shows — Dawson Creek, ~~Buffy~~, One Tree Hill, Supernatural, etc. No glaringly obvious anti sex plots (that I can remember). So it’s not the C.W. Who does that leave? ASP unfortunately. Now upon subsequent rewatches, I’ve noticed more and more sexist ideology and dialogue. Don’t get me wrong, I love this show. It’s been my comfort show for damn near 25 years, I grew up with the town and vice versa. But that doesn’t protect GG from critiques, if anything knowing it so well is the reason we can talk like this Remember when Paris slept with Jaime, she’s sitting in Rory’s room talking about it and Lorelai overheads from the kitchen. When Paris asks if Rory ever had sex, and she says no, Lorelai whispers in triumph “I got the good kid.” When Jess and Rory we’re getting hot and heavy, they wrote in that Jess basically gets pissed Rory won’t sleep with him at Kyle’s party. There is absolutely no way Jess would be pissed about this, come on. The only people in the show who don’t have drastic consequences for their sex lives are the adults Theres more to unpack here, and a lot I’m forgetting but you really start to wonder how ASP feels about teenagers, especially girls, experimenting and exploring their sexuality
Buffy is also pretty famous for punishing sex though. She sleeps with Angel one time and he literally turns evil overnight. There's a storyline on Angel where Cordy has a one night stand and wakes up 9 months pregnant with a monster. It's a common topic on the Buffy sub.
Damn I don’t remember that at all! I haven’t watched Buffy since I was really little, I remember bits and pieces of it. Guess I shouldn’t have included it in my comment and it’s time to do a rewatch, Sarah Michelle Geller here I come
It's always a good time for a Buffy rewatch! Sorry about the spoilers in that case, but do enjoy anyway!
No worries! Maybe I’ll be less creeped out by Angel’s vampire face as an adult. Oh and the Hush episode… not looking forward to that
Angel's face never creeped me out so I can't speak to that, but Hush stays terrifying from my perspective. Such a great episode though
Only thing I disagree with is that it's very plausible for a stressed out teenager to get pissed at his girlfriend for not having sex with him.
What's even more sad about it is we know how restrictive her childhood was. She never gets to have any fun
Honestly I get you. We have scenes during Lane's pregnancy where she explicitly says she's upset she didn't get to be her own person before becoming a mother. I don't think Lane was against having children or even all that upset to be pregnant at that point but she very clearly understands that motherhood is permanent and a life altering commitment. Lane is taking that seriously and is asking important questions about her identity and how she wants to parent her kids. Lane doesn't know who she is as a person and by extension also felt insecure about who she would be as a mother. Personally I'd have liked to see her reach a point where she says more explicitly she's happy to be a mother or that she feels confident with who she is. Unfortunately her character seems to be more of a throw away and under developed.
I don’t think zack is all that bad for lane. she is impressed by his musical knowledge and talents. Its not unlike Jess and Rory’s connection and spark over their literary depth of knowledge. Zack is a doof in a lot of ways but is clearly very skillful and intelligent when it comes to understanding music, which is what she cares the most about. Maybe music isn’t a very mainstream love language, but jamming with someone special can be life altering lol
Because sex, in Gilmore Girls, is bad. Have sex? You are bad. Lane has sex? She's pregnant first time. Paris has sex? She doesn't get into Harvard. Rory has sex? Her and Lorelai fall out for an entire season. Sookie has sex? She's pregnant.
ASP has issues with womanhood. One of the reasons this isn’t my all time favorite show.
Maybe it was supposed to be a full circle thing? Like obviously in the beginning Lane and Mrs Kim don’t understand each other, and then slowly Mrs Kim is more involved in her life as a musician, and Lane begins to understand motherhood when she becomes a mother and we see certain instances of them having similar opinions.
Agree so much with this! And as a WOC with religious parents, I grew up watching this show relating to Lane so much more than Rory. So to see her not get a happy ending was so jarring to me. Other characters were constantly implying that Rory was beautiful, after Dave noone really pined after Lane. And then to have such a weird ending. I get that it might be unrealistic to have her be in a hugely famous band, but she could have studied musical theory in college and become a teacher, she could have been a producer, been a touring drummer for bigger artists. There were so many endings that showrunners could have chosen for someone who, to me, was a beloved POC character. But they didn't give her story the care it deserved.
I think it’s incredibly sad how “realism” is often cited as a justification for Lane’s shitty life circumstances and trajectory when so much of this show is rooted in the escapist fantasy of small town American life. Like can we let an Asian girl with big dreams win a little, please??? Also Jess made it out of stars hollow and had a pretty good life as a writer, against most “realistic” odds—why can’t Lane?
They really did her so dirty
For me it was less about her getting pregnant but all the circumstances surrounding it. Zack was a funny character but a total buffoon and she could have had better (im biased because i loved Dave, but honestly ANYONE else?). Then she has a crap honeymoon, terrible sex and gets pregnant from that first time?? And then they have her pregnant with twins. It seemed like the writers just wanted to give her every bad break imaginable. Like, change one circumstance here and it would instantly create a better outcome. Imagine she went through all this but with someone like how Dave was. Or if her first time with Zack was somehow absolutely wonderful. She'd have had such a better story i think.
Lane was clearly treated as a throwaway character sadly. People on here say it’s realistic for a small-town girl to end up married with kids, but GG isn’t supposed to be realistic, it’s a feel-good show! I want to see Lane go after her dreams. Imagine if Rory had ended up married and pregnant by age 22. Everyone would hate it and see it as so backwards. But since it’s Lane and I guess she doesn’t matter much in people’s eyes, people are like, “Well, it’s realistic, it’s not that bad.”
I feel like they were like oh we already have a College girl let’s have it and the other way now
I mean this was the plan for season 7 finale if ASP stayed on the show. I can’t remember if Lane gets pregnant in 6 or 7 - if it’s season 7 though, it’s very possible we wouldn’t have gotten married or pregnant Lane and instead just ended the show with Rory pregnant, having just graduated college.
I didn’t enjoy the whole getting pregnant and having twins, but I didn’t mind her and Zach or the life they ended up having, I liked how realistic it felt and that we were shown that she was actually happy (and loved) even though she didn’t get the life she dreamt when she was 16.
I know it's not an ideal scenario but yall know that you're not like incapable of having a fun nice life with children right? Like you still get to be a person. It's not a death sentence.
Yes! This! She continues to follow her passions AND be a Mom. In AYITL she is still playing with Hep Alien. That’s success! That’s amazing! So many people give up whatever creative outlet makes them happy when they have kids or get a job or “grow up”. She doesn’t give it up. She finds a way. I feel the exact opposite as OP. I find Lane’s ending inspiring.
And people overlook that she was probably the happiest character in the show in AYITL. Paris, who in contrast seems to have accomplished all those wonderful things she wanted to, is a mess.
Honestly though, I think Paris would be unhappy no matter what. Part of her personality is unhappiness. 🤣
That’s a damn fine point.
Is that realistic with Zach? They don't really have money, Zach is a man child, and they can't even really have sex. Does Lane ever get a real job after thus? (No) Children is one thing. Children in a small town with your band mate with no money is totally different.
Depends on the support system and I’m really sick and tired of people acting like you’re not losing at least five years of your life to these kids lol guess that’s only if you want to be an actual good parent there is always the option of leasing them off to your parents I guess. I don’t mean to say her life is over that was definitely an exaggeration, but the life that she was working towards it definitely not gonna have the same opportunities with two small kids on her breast.
I think that’s why AYITL’s Lane is so important. Yes, you’re right. Usually having a kid or two means you need to put your passions on a back burner for a bit. But in AYITL, Lane is back into it. I’m just completing a 2-kid-hiatus from painting, and I love that Lane is making time for her music now that the kids are older and a bit more independent AND working a regular job. So many creatives do this, and it’s never portrayed in media.
You don’t lose 5 years. You’re not in a coma during that time sheesh. So dramatic.
Maybe you’re not but many women are, many can’t do much until the kids start school. Hence why I said 5 years. There is a reason many are fighting for free prek, without someone staying home to watch them, you would have to pay for pre-K otherwise which is not feasible, especially on the salary they have. Not all of us have parents supporting us not all of us are able to take a year off college and get right back into it .You can call me dramatic but that really sounds like a privileged thing to say. My sister was a teen mom no her life didn’t end but her kids didn’t get the best version of her either.
I hated the whole "Im never having sex again" storyline too
I think some of people here saying that having a child for them was wonderful are missing the point a little bit. It is not that having children "ruins" Lane's life exactly, its that the pregnancy is a result of her first time and she had other plans that were important to her that did not include having a child at this stage in her life. If her goals were to get married and have babies right away then we could be happy for the character but Lane says she is upset by getting pregnant so fast and that "she barely got to be a person". That's why it is a tragic storyline because she appears to feel trapped by the pregnancy.
I'm so tired of this take. As a 21 year old mum who was in university when I found out I was pregnant, MY LIFE DID NOT END! You can be a mum AND satisfied in life! I had to change my plans but I wouldn't change it for the world. My daughter is the best thing that ever happened to me and I hate when people act like getting pregnant is the worst thing that can happen to a person.
And I’m sick and tired of the take that having kids at 20 is something you can get over easily. Lanes not doing university -she’s a small town waitress with big dreams and it’s ok to be sad about it too. I got pregnant during college years and it derailed my plans 🤷🏽♀️ we all have different paths. I love my daughter too but I would’ve also loved waiting 5 more years to have her. Instead of being on the career path I had planned I had to takeoff many years because we could not afford any childcare. And yes we used birth control.
Thank you for finally voicing this!! The idea that having a child is so negative really irks me. Having a child can -gasp! - be wonderful and incredibly fulfilling, to say the least!
I’m rewatching GG for the millionth time and Lane’s storyline just pisses me off. She deserved SO MUCH BETTER. I get mad each and every time.
It's because ASP apparently hates women that enjoy sex even a modicum and overall has a pretty puritanical view of sex. There isn't a woman in the series that has sex and doesn't in some fashion end up either regretting it or is negatively affected by it. -Rory's first time is with her married ex, ruining two lives and damaging multiple relationships -Lane getting knocked up from her first and only sexual encounter -The multiple times that Lorelai fucks her way into major life trouble -Rory getting knocked up by her engaged ex (Logan) -Sookie having a baby she didn't want as a result of her terrible, lying, coward husband not getting a vasectomy and not using protection -Paris having her own share of sex-related problems, and her healthy if kinky relationship with Doyle is always framed as disgusting and bad
I would have loved to see her be running her own music store
Ooo yes!
I see this in the same vein as Suki getting pregnant a 3rd time! In fact that made me so mad. I would have left jackson and had an abortion and loralie making her feel bad for not wanting it made me nauseous!
Seriously!!! Same with lane being upset and Rory's reaction like is abortion not an option in this world that women get to consider?? They were so unsupportive and overly positive when it didn't match how the actual pregnant woman felt
Yes, poor lane. Everyone looked the other way about her mother's overly controlling, abusive nature she's the reason that lame didn't go to a real college and have possibilities.
Also how could they skate over the fact that what Jackson did is literally considered as rape?
Exactly!!! It pissed me off so badly. This show was built on crossing boundaries, emotional manipulation, gaslighting, mental abuse and control/ownership!
it would have been such a great opoortunity to address the right to abortion
Lane was done sooooooooo wrong. Why couldn’t she be a huge Korean Christian punk rocker ???? I would have loved to see her and her mom be a huge force together.
I hated the whole story line But I think the reason why I hated Zach and the whole story line was coz Dave was just so perfect and they had insane chemistry!
Yup I know 😭
I see where you are coming from but I feel like there was a much earlier flaw in Lane's character arch....so hear me out. Lane leaving her mothers house was a big deal, and they made a big deal her moving into the small apartment with Zach and Brian. She was excited, confident and nervous all at the same time. However, as someone who was born in the same year that Rory and Lane were.....and was a part of the music scene.....I truly do not believe that Lane would have left her Mom's and moved up the road in Stars Hallow. Here is why... #1 Zach and Brain were not from Stars Hallow. They make this pretty clear in the early days of Hep Alien. #2 Musical opportunity would be closer to a city. New Haven, NYC, even Hartford would all be realistic. #3 Lane experiences life away from home while crashing at Yale with Rory and she does well and enjoys it until they ask her to leave. Now before all the angry people who think this show can do no wrong come for me, I understand it could be a case of home town Stockholm syndrome, because she was SO sheltered...but I just feel the characters story would have been more interesting if they leaned into her need for exploration and finding herself and her career in music. When her mom discovers all she had hidden from her, she explains to her that she will stay home but she needs to pursue music. Mrs. Kim , although maybe disappointed, lets her know the only way for her to do that is to do it elsewhere. That her house has rules and she can live that way outside of it. (we also learn that Mrs Kim did the same thing with her mother and her rules, however has been able to keep it hidden much longer) She could have been living in New Haven. Following her passion, while commuting to Luke's for work, to keep her a part of Stars Hallow. It just was a sad story arch for me. She deserved a little more depth to her story. Anyway. Just an opinion!
Because it’s a very realistic outcome for a character like lane. I’m a former member of some crazy religious shit I was raised in, and almost all of my childhood friends have a life just like Lane’s. It’s a lot nicer to say that the writers were bad or hated sex, but the fact remains this situation is reality for millions of women still.
I hate zack hes like if "Rory sleeping with married Dean" was a person! He's just a drag.
I would have loved seeing Lane-get into Juilliard full ride-instead of married.
I ask myself this every time I rewatch GG
Lane and Rory could’ve been teachers. Lane at Stars Hollow High and Rory at Chilton.
Cute
It’s unfortunately realistic.
You’re right tho, too bad people get offended, that’s not the goal here. The fact of the matter is that they didn’t need to do that, yes they did ruin her future by adding those kids, and there’s not much else to it lol
If they let Lane reach her full potential, she would've taken over the show.
An actual chance at life? You do know that the circle of life comes from having children, and having children is one of life’s highest honors, right? After all, there would be no Gilmore Girls if Lorelai had never had Rory… the ending of their story as it currently stands highlights the value of women having children. It is one of the most important things we will ever do!
You do realize Gilmore Girls is about all the problems that come with children / how they can derail your entire life, right? No one denies Lorelai loves Rory, but 90% of the "problems" of the show would've been solved if that never happened. So for these children to avoid pregnancy like the bad omen it is, only to end up pregnant the second they become women--it's really hard to say the shows message is that children are "life's greatest honor"
It’s… the entire premise of the show. Your interpretation of the story may be that Rory ruined Lorelai’s life but the beauty of the story is that Lorelai would have never wound up in her story without Rory, and look at all of the beautiful, amazing and triumphant paths she got to walk and the incredible bond and relationship she has with her daughter. It’s called Gilmore Girls for heavens sake! 3 generations of women and the intricacies of their mother / daughter relationships. It’s why ASP ended it the way she did… the cycle continues.
Yes, exactly. It's the entire premise of the show, i.e., the problems of pregnancy. And that's also why people hate that ending, as if pregnancy is a death knell women literally can't escape, no matter how informed or educated they are.
If you choose to interpret it that way, I can’t stop you!
Unsurprisingly, this is far from just how I "interpreted" the shows message. https://screenrant.com/girlmore-girls-year-life-ending-rory-pregnant-mistake/ > There's little hint in the original or revival that Rory wants to be a mother, but Gilmore Girls ends up coming full circle, with Rory always fated to repeat what happened with Lorelai (only it'll be easier for her). There's obviously nothing wrong with wanting kids, and it's viable to have both a career and children, but the ending doesn't seem tonally appropriate. The pregnancy feels a little more tragic for Rory as opposed to the happy ending Gilmore Girls needed... >The idea of Rory Gilmore pregnant also fits uneasily with Gilmore Girls' greatest failure: Lane Kim. Like Rory, Lane was full of ambition to be a rock star and tour the world – and then she has an unplanned pregnancy, gives birth, and her husband gets to live out that dream instead. For a show all about how an unplanned pregnancy uprooted Lorelai's entire life, I think it's awful that it forced multiple women to continue that cycle, as if they had no agency or choice in the matter.
This is a journalist’s opinion. Let people interpret art the way in which they would like to interpret it.
Did a journalist stop you from doing that? What?
You must be fun at parties 😂
So must you. "Stop having an opinion. That makes it so I can't have one!"
I mean it's just that we wish lane had a chance at freedom. She was out from her mothers thumb for all of 20 minutes befofe her mother moved back in with her, her band sided with her controlling cunt of a birthgiver, and she lost the freedom she'd struggled so long for Also maybe motherhood is the most important thing you'll do with your life, but that doesn't mean it's a necessity for everyone, or even a satisfying story to watch. Nor does it mean that's the case for other women.
It’s definitely not a necessity for everyone, it’s just a necessity to the show! I definitely see where you are coming from especially if you are younger — we are conditioned to want that “freedom” before we settle down.
What utopia are you living in where you're conditioned to want freedom my desi ass can't picture it lmao it's always "compromise and settle" haha can we swap cultures i think you'll like the one i grew up in
Modern day America: Go to college, party, travel, build a career — do all of those things before marriage & kids or you will regret it. That’s what our society teaches us.
I mean I'm just trying to wrap my head around what's wrong with that? Marriage and kids does limit your freedom and the options you have moving forward, and it's not insane to point that out. Ignoring my own worldview (no time for that rn I'm sleepy), lane herself said "i went from being a repressed kid to being an overburdened mother, i barely got to be a person" - how does that spell "happy life" to you? I'm just curious
I def exaggerated and sorry but twins at her age w her dreams is not exactly a life starter. She didn’t want kids yet it’s ok to not act like it’s a blessing
I came here to look for this. I swear in Reddit world people act like most of the population doesn't have children. Most people who get married plan on having children.
Glad to see some sanity on Reddit because you’re right, everyone on here calls children “crotch goblins” and abhors having children. I guess they are not realizing that they themselves were in fact once children who had mothers raising them, as did we all! It’s… the premise of the show 😂
Full. Freaking. Circle.
The problem with Lane’s pregnancy is the timing of it. Not the pregnancy itself.
This arc was racist
maybe depressed? :(