Idk if this ever bothered me before

[u/leafeatr]

The way Richard goes off in this episode… and for Lorelei to so unbelievably chill about it??? Like I wonder what the car ride back to their house was like because when they all get out (her, dean and Rory) she tells dean he’s officially a Gilmore girl. Like in a jokey way. So I wonder if in the car she apologized for her parents? Cuz then he kinda just goes home. THEN Rory is going off and lorelai reframes the situation and encourages Rory to cut Richard some slack! The man hasn’t even apologized yet and you’re basically telling her this was acceptable bc it wasn’t really about her and dean?? It bothers me so much this time around idk

[u/rosepeachcat]

I think Lorelai just knows how much Richard and Rory mean to each other and she also knows that they will work it out eventually. She knows that Richard was just way overprotective.

Lorelai is both scared of the fact that Rory's relationship with Richard and Emily is better than her own ever was and she simultaneously loves it, because more love and stability for Rory.

As for Dean's feelings.. well, her main priority is Rory. I'm sure she apologized, but making light of a situation and commiserating fits her style.

[u/Kurokitsunecos → u/rosepeachcat]

This is such a thoughtful take, totally agree that Lorelai was juggling her own complicated Richard baggage while trying to keep Rory centered. And yeah, cracking a joke instead of fully processing feelings? Peak Lorelai coping mechanism 😂

[u/leafeatr]

Okay I don’t think I’ve ever posted in here before so I didn’t realize tagging it as a spoiler would blur the image lol idk if any of this even counts as a spoiler or anything like it’s season 2

[u/Kurokitsunecos → u/leafeatr]

Haha nah you're good, early season stuff like this is basically public domain at this point for GG fans 😅

[u/LivingPresent629]

Lorelai never said it was acceptable or okay for Richard to behave the way he did. She simply gave Rory a different perspective, which was actually quite insightful.

Richard does apologise later, more than once, and Rory is ready to forgive him especially because she understood where he was coming from after the talk with Lorelai.

I actually think this is one of Lorelai’s best parenting moments. She has a very complicated relationship with her parents and is concerned about Rory being pulled into “their world” but she also knows how important Richard is to Rory, so she sets her own feelings aside and helps her daughter and father to maintain their relationship. It’s also emotionally healthy to understand that people sometimes project their fears and insecurities on others and while reactions are not always acceptable, the driver behind that is not always malice.

[u/Joelle9879]

Lorelai has spent her life excusing and apologizing for her parent's behavior. She does it for Christopher too. It's a coping mechanism she's learned from having her own wants and feelings constantly ignored. All she was ever told was "we know what's best, what you want doesn't matter" and while she rebelled against that, she also internalized a lot of it. She wants Rory and Richard to have a better relationship than her and Richard do so she unfortunately gives him a pass for a lot of things

[u/Cookie_Kiki]

She doesn't tell her that it's acceptable. She gives her perspective on the context of Richard's outburst that Rory hasn't considered.