For nearly a decade, Gilmore Girls fans everywhere, including myself, had been anxiously awaiting the show’s arrival in the form of four 90-minute movies. Following the end of the seventh and final season of the original series, writer Amy Sherman-Palladino hinted of a piece the show was sorely lacking: the last two words she had always dreamed would end the show. While, overall, the show brought back the colorfully witty characters fans have grown to love over the years, the plot and the ending lines did anything but deliver.

With the revival came nearly every original character: Lorelai, Rory, Luke, Babette, Ms. Patty, Kirk, Jess, and even Sookie! Each actor brought their character to life once again and it felt like they never left. Lorelai (Lauren Graham) was as quick-witted and determined as ever while her partner in crime, Rory (Alexis Bledel), brought back her classic conscientious work ethic. Upon first glance, these colorful characters were initial signs of the revival’s success. However, looking deeper has proven to reveal the kinks in the plot and the show’s hamartia that was delivered in just two words.

The plot of the revival is filled with events that are both unnecessary and, in some cases, completely out of character. First of all, Rory now does tap dance exercise videos?! While this is only a small detail, a major characteristic of the beloved Gilmore Girls is their lack of coordination and desire to exercise. The movies are filled with similar details, some more important than others, that show serious discrepancies between the original characters and the revived characters. One element that sent many fans into a rage is Rory’s relationship status. In the revival, Rory’s love interest is revealed to be a poor soul whose name she cannot even bother to remember. This in and of itself is out of character, as Rory had always been the more considerate and thoughtful Gilmore Girl. To make matters worse, Rory is also engaging in an affair with previous love interest Logan Huntzberger (Matt Czuchry), who is now engaged to another woman. This detail is yet another aspect of Rory’s life that viewers would never expect from her. While it can be argued that she was in a similar situation with Dean Forester (Jared Padalecki), she was much younger and much less mature. By this time, viewers would expect Rory to be able to make thoughtful and moral decisions when it comes to her relationships.

Although many aspects of the movies are unnecessary, out of place, or damaging to the show’s integrity, viewers stuck it out to hear those last two words they had heard so much about. For years the series felt incomplete to everyone, including the writers. Amy Sherman-Palladino had these two words on her mind since season seven ended, and viewers were on the edges of their seats for their great reveal. However, those last two words fell short of any sort of completion and even angered many of the viewers. Uttered by Rory, the line was “I’m pregnant.” Fans everywhere were speechless. While most could understand the meaning of the line, making the story come full circle since Lorelai’s unexpected pregnancy with Rory, they did anything but close the series. Not only is this predictable and a cliché, it leaves the viewer wanting more. Although this would be a clever tact to keep viewers hooked for the next season, the writers confirmed that this was it for the Gilmore Girls. In this way, the Palladinos fell short of creating any sort of conclusion to the Gilmore Girls empire that they had spent so many years building.

While the return of Gilmore Girls fed feelings of nostalgia through witty lines and dialogue at a mile a minute, it did not come to the satisfying close that viewers had hoped for. Specific aspects brought back memories of the original series and temporarily made viewers feel whole, major pieces of the puzzle simply did not seem to fit. With unsettling plot elements and those upsetting two words ending the series forever, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, was ultimately a disappointment to its loyal fanbase.