I think Rory Gilmore is copying my life.
Grew up an only child with a single mom, has an emotional attachment to books, passionate about journalism and even more passionate about cable-knit sweaters.
I was just describing me — not Rory.
Lorelai, though her whimsical personality is doubled on screen, eerily represents my mother. Single mom, entrepreneur, prefers unhealthy snacks over a nutritious meal and is always running late.
Together, the mother-daughter duo on screen is almost too spot-on. Rory’s touchy temper at the ripe age of 16, Lorelai’s insistence on learning every detail about her life: it was all too much for us, our mouths were constantly left agape.
My mom and I have always been freakishly close, but I guess that’s just what happens when you only have each other. Both my best friend and mother, we could’ve sworn up and down that our story was uniquely ours. Until it wasn’t.
One day, we both sat in awe staring at a show recommendation meant to represent our relationship. That night, we gathered our typical snack line up (chips for my mom, candy for me) and nestled underneath a blanket. I was in the eighth grade, my mother was 47.
Season 1, Episode 1: Pilot
We are both immediately struck at the location of the show being set in such a small town – because we live in a small, close-knit town. Characters were introduced, flying on and off the screen. We begin connecting characters to real people in our lives: Lane, Rory’s childhood best friend, closely matches my own childhood best friend. Sookie St. James, Lorelai’s best friend, resembles Mom’s beloved (and zany) sister.
But that was just one episode out of seven seasons; surely there would be some discrepancies.
Season 1, Episode 14: That Damn Donna Reed
Mom and I are already two bags of popcorn deep, each, when Rory’s dad is introduced: Christopher. Much akin to my own father, he screeches onto the T.V. frame on a motorcycle. Unfamiliar with Rory’s current life in school and otherwise, she gladly updates him. The similarities are becoming uncanny.
Partially watching the show for entertainment and partially watching the show to see what other details they stole from our lives, Mom and I are getting through four episodes a night.
Season 2, Episode 4: The Road Trip to Harvard
By this point, it’s more fun to see what parts of the show don’t relate to us — this episode does not serve as a good example. I was dedicated to attending UC Berkeley my entire high school career and frequented many trips to the campus with my mom during college application season. I was set on a career in journalism, much like Rory, and tried to keep up with her remarkably fast reading habits.
Mom and I still laugh about the only missing detail being matching Lorelai’s engagement. To quote my mother, “I would never date your teacher — so that’s a plot hole.”
Season 3, Episode 6: Take the Deviled Eggs …
The theme song is ingrained into our bones; we hum it to each other daily. The shock and awe of the similarities between us and them has worn off, but new episodes still prove themselves worthy of a reaction. My father has his own version of Sherry, and upon our first watch, we couldn’t immediately relate to it. That’s the beauty of the show — you grow up with the characters. About two years later, during one of our many rewatching sprees, we ran into this episode with a new sense of relevance.
It’s like the writers knew what was going to happen to us before we did. Our own personal Magic 8-Ball, our own fortune teller.
Season 3, Episode 17: A Tale of Poes and Fire
Originally 14 when I first watched this episode, the “Gilmore Girls” gods yet again did their work. While I was set on UC Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara was set on me. The dramatic change of colleges, while not Ivy Leagues, felt eminently similar as I walked the halls in the second semester of my senior year.
Editor of my high school newspaper, student body secretary, top 10% of my class … and the only person to thank is Mom. Without her, what is there?
Season 4, Episode 2: The Lorelais’ First Day at Yale
Though a more widely relatable experience, college move-in day did prove itself eventful. Thankfully not in the form of a mattress move-in (and move-out and move-back-in), and even though I did not ask Mom to sleep on the floor with me, the goodbye felt painfully familiar through the screen. It’s one of those episodes we originally watch to laugh and end up crying about 45 minutes later.
One of our favorite phrases, “Copper Boom!” was born from this episode — and has translated itself into a form of “I love you!” to one another.
Season 5, Episode 17: Pulp Friction
This is what my household calls “A Returner.” This is the kind of episode you relate to again and again. While Lorelai and Rory grapple with concepts of “casual dating” in college, I consistently feel Mom’s glares from the left side of the couch onto my cheek — nonverbally asking the same questions as Lorelai.
Typical questions that arise after viewing: “Where is your Logan? Are you going to find love in college? Why is casual dating so popular?”
Typical responses that arise after the questions: “I don’t know. I don’t know. I know, right?”
Season 6, Episode 7: Twenty-One is the Loneliest Number
Despite what I said about relatability, seasons five and six are what we refer to as “The Dark Years.” We were distraught upon our first watch and now almost exclusively skip over these seasons when we rewatch, otherwise we’d end the night in a puddle of our tears.
Our claim to fame might be our otherworldly connections to the “Gilmore Girls” plot, but I can assure you that Mom and I will be spending my 21st birthday together.
Season 7, Episode 20: Lorelai? Lorelai?
Mom and I find solace that we still haven’t finished our Gilmore Girls plot in real life. If we had to pinpoint it, we would be somewhere around the end of Season 5, but ending the series always gives us a warm feeling — like watching loved ones leave out of your driveway after an extended holiday stay.
Despite our lack of a linear episode timeline, Mom and I spend our time together connecting past anecdotes to episodes we may have missed on our tenth time rewatching.
By our second time watching the show fully through, we’re convinced the only thing we don’t have in common with the two is their last name. And “Logan Ladies” doesn’t sound as eccentric.
Discovering this show, our show, in my adolescence — the usual time for a pre-teen girl to hit her rebellion “I’m-too-cool-for-my-mom” phase — made me want nothing more than to be near her. Finding commonalities of Mom with Lorelai and me with Rory was like our own personal game of Spot the Difference.
Much like Lorelai, Mom did anything she could to make our house seem special — and boy, did she outdo herself. She filled our rooms with books and drawings and stuffed animals and unlimited hugs. She filled me with self confidence and kindness and selflessness every day as I got ready for school. I would watch her get ready for the day with pure admiration, each drop of makeup sat glowing on her face and each new jewelry piece she put on seemed glamorous. I’ve wanted nothing more than to be exactly like Mom — the strongest, most dazzling woman I know.
We may have stumbled upon this show by accident, but it has served as much more than just a show, especially in the upkeep of the closeness of our relationship. While I’m away at school, all I need to do is play “Season 5, Episode 7: You Jump, I Jump, Jack” (my mom’s favorite episode).
After stepping inside my baby blue house, to the left of the front door I see an etched sign that says “Copper Boom!” drawn together about three years ago. Nonsense to some translates into love for others.
You cannot quantify a mother’s love, especially not my mother’s; her kind-heartedness precedes her.
I may hold many typical prestigious titles, like an undergraduate student, editor or writer, but my favorite and most sought-after title I hold is “Gena’s daughter.” What an honor to be born in the timeline where I grew up with her unlimited care and love for me; what an honor to be related to greatness.
My mother can be anything you want her to be. She’s been her fair share of princesses, students in my faux classrooms, an audience member for my Broadway debuts, but most of all, she can be strong. She can be your best friend. She can be a good listener. She can be your Lorelai.
Kira Logan prematurely enters herself and her mother in any upcoming Gilmore Girls game show trivia, as they will win.
A version of this article appeared on p. 9 of the May 15, 2025 edition of the Daily Nexus.
