10 Gilmore Girls Workplace Choices That Are Extremely Questionable

The longevity of Gilmore Girls proves that the TV show is iconic for a reason, but as time has passed, it's easy to see some of the characters' deeper flaws. One of the best parts of Gilmore Girls is that all the characters are relatably human, making plenty of mistakes that the audience can empathize with. However, a recurring theme in Gilmore Girls is a constant lack of professionalism and seeing the people in the show define themselves by their work, even when they drop the ball in the workplace many times over. These career-driven storylines feature many character lows.

Many of the most controversial Gilmore Girls storylines arise from poor decision-making on the part of the characters. These workplace moments happen because the characters let their emotions drive them instead of putting that aside when they're doing their jobs. Of course, since Gilmore Girls is a series about every aspect of its characters' lives, the creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino, had to imbue the workplace with as much drama as possible. While many of the characters are talented and competent at their jobs, these weren't their proudest moments.

10 Richard's Fallout With Jason

This career transition brought out the worst in Richard

Richard Gilmore (Edward Herrmann) always had a strained relationship with his daughter, Lorelai (Lauren Graham), but few things exacerbated this more than their opposing relationships with Jason (Chris Eigeman). Throughout the early seasons of Gilmore Girls, Richard's career struggles are a major stressor for his marriage. When he decides to go into business for himself after being humiliated by his old firm, it seems like a great step. Things are complicated by the fact that he goes into business with Jason, the son of his old business partner.

However, Jason proves himself to be a competent partner, even though he's hiding his romance with Lorelai. Unfortunately, all of this comes crashing down when Richard decides to double-cross Jason and cut him out of the business completely, returning to Jason's father. This was an underhanded move from Richard and likely would've had a much bigger impact on his relationship with Lorelai if Jason hadn't escalated things and sued Richard, causing Lorelai to end their relationship.

Series	Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score	Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score	IMDB Score
Gilmore Girls (2000–2007)	N/A	87%	8.2/10

9 Sookie Missed Meetings Without Finding Someone To Cover For Her

Though she's passionate, Sookie isn't always a reliable business partner

There are several instances throughout Gilmore Girl where Sookie (Melissa McCarthy) fails to hold up her end of the bargain in her partnership with Lorelai. Lorelai first notices this in the season 2 episode, "The Ins and Outs of Inns," when Lorelai considers that Sookie's scatter-brained genius might not be cohesive with running a business. However, the two make up and continue with their plan to open the Dragonfly Inn, though this is far from the last hiccup of their friendship and careers.

The reasons that Sookie misses meetings or the installation of a sink are all understandable and stem from being spread too thin personally and professionally. While it's totally fair that Sookie would need to take a step back sometimes, especially as a new mother, the responsible thing to do would be to have someone cover for her and delegate her responsibilities. Many of Lorelai and Sookie's fights could've been avoided if their communication and scheduling had been more effective.

8 Luke Literally Berated His Guests For Enjoying Their Stay

The curmudgeonly diner-owner wasn't always a model citizen

For a lifetime resident of Stars Hollow and one of the most well-known business owners in town, Luke (Scott Patterson) didn't treat his clientele well. Already prone to outbursts and mood swings, Luke let every personal setback reflect on his interactions with his customers, even though they would be well within their rights never to come back to Luke's Diner after this. Treating his friends and strangers so rudely would be inexcusable behavior for any restaurateur in the real world.

The fact that Luke often changes his tune right after he and Lorelai make up after one of their fights makes his motives all too clear.

One of the harsh realities about Luke's character in Gilmore Girls is his temper, which consistently rears its head at work. Though the ups and downs of Luke and Lorelai's relationship would be enough to make anyone cranky, Luke actively yelling at and insulting his customers is unbelievable, even in the fictional world of Gilmore Girls. The fact that Luke often changes his tune right after he and Lorelai make up after one of their fights makes his motives all too clear.

7 Lorelai Trying To Do Other People's Jobs At The Inn

Her micromanaging got worse as the series progressed

Lorelai was always on the ball at work and took pride in the fact that she built her career from nothing, starting as a maid at the Independence Inn and working her way up to the manager. Though Lorelai already struggled to delegate and often took on roles outside her job description at the Independence, things got worse when she and Sookie opened the Dragonfly. Throughout season 4, Lorelai pushes herself to her limits, trying to get the Dragonfly ready to open, but she doesn't slow down much after the Inn is a success.

In season 6, when Lorelai and Rory (Alexis Bledel) are having their worst fight of the series, Lorelai throws herself into her work to compensate for her negative emotions. Though Sookie and Luke both try to get Lorelai to recognize these tendencies and ease back at work, she digs in her heels before she finally takes a breath. While this behavior does make sense, it stems from Lorelai's overly perfectionist attitude and the belief that she must do everything herself, or it won't be done right.

6 Michel's Treatment Of The Customer's At The Dragonfly

Michel's sarcasm and snark might be funny, but they wouldn't fly in a real workplace

Michel (Yanic Truesdale) is one of the most underrated characters in the show and is featured in many of the funniest episodes of Gilmore Girls. However, it's hard to ignore the fact that Michel wasn't always the best employee. Though he was extremely competent and understood the inner workings of running an inn just as well as Lorelai, he had no patience for the clientele. Unfortunately, in a service industry like hospitality, being kind and courteous toward the people staying at the inn is a must.

Though Michel was often hiding his true feelings behind his snark, there were times when he went too far.

While many of his comments went over the heads of the people he was talking to, Michel was shockingly quick to be very snarky and belittle the people checking into the Dragonfly. It's one thing to allow this at the Independence, as Lorelai didn't own it, but at the Dragonfly, every piece of the experience was important, especially as an up-and-coming small business. Though Michel was often hiding his true feelings behind his snark, there were times when he went too far.

5 Mitchum Berating Rory After Her First Internship

Discouraging a young person this early in their career is wrong

It's true that Rory probably needed to be taken down a peg after being almost universally praised her entire life, but Mitchum (Gregg Henry) went about this in the completely wrong way. After giving Rory an internship because he felt guilty about the way his family treated her, Mitchum went on to tell her she didn't have what it takes to make it as a journalist, even though she had been perfectly competent at her work. Saying this to Rory, especially since it was her first experience in a real newsroom, makes no sense.

She was still learning the ins and outs of the business and was only a sophomore in college, not nearly ready to join the industry, and still writing for her college paper. Giving a fledgling intern such negative feedback for no apparent reason is the worst kind of mentorship there is, and it's unclear what Mitchum's motivations were for saying such hurtful things. His comments hit Rory hard, and it took her a long time to recover from this setback.

4 Paris Running The Yale Daily News Into The Ground

Paris' meltdown as the editor of the Yale Daily News was harsh

Paris (Liza Weil) is a Gilmore Girls character who deserved a lot better than many of the tough storylines she was a part of, but her meltdown at the Yale Daily News was especially hard to watch. Though Paris had always been a fearsome leader and unafraid to lay down the law, this got out of hand during her tenure as Editor of the paper. She was treating her staff terribly, not allowing them to take bathroom breaks and over-editing their work, letting it get so bad that the paper almost didn't come out.

This ultimately led to a rift between her and Rory during their later years in college, even though Paris was ultimately able to admit her mistake.

Though many of Paris Gellar's funniest insults in Gilmore Girls came from this arc, it showcased some of Paris' biggest faults as a character. This ultimately led to a rift between her and Rory during their later years in college, even though Paris was ultimately able to admit her mistake. Knowing that Paris already tended to extremes in terms of her leadership style, it's surprising that she was allowed to be the Editor in the first place.

3 Rory Giving Up On Her Dreams After One Setback

This highlights Rory's fatal flaw as a character

Following Mitchum's devastating feedback, Rory goes off the rails and lets his comments fuel her downward spiral. Though Mitchum's actions were inexcusable, getting one piece of criticism shouldn't have been enough to discourage Rory from continuing with her career and dropping out of Yale. Her storyline at the beginning of season 6 is one of the most controversial in the series. Though it's difficult to watch, it does make sense for her character arc.

After nearly twenty-one years of being a model daughter and student, Rory isn't equipped to handle setbacks, and her support system is just as unprepared to help her as she's never needed this type of support before. This leads to a rift with her mother, who won't speak to her until she returns to school, and enabling from her grandparents, who don't want to be cut out of her life since that's what happened with Lorelai. Her reaction to Mitchum's feedback is telling in terms of her long-term career trajectory.

2 Rory Showing Up To An Interview Unprepared

In A Year In The Life Rory's pattern of behavior hasn't changed

When audiences caught back up with the Gilmore girls in the long-awaited sequel, A Year in the Life, Rory's way of looking at herself and her career hadn't changed. While Rory was eventually able to bounce back from hearing Mitchum's negative assessment in Gilmore Girls, in season 8, she's floundering and still doesn't know how to balance her idea of what her career should've been and the reality of it. This results in her showing up to an interview unprepared and empty-handed.

Rory is shocked when she realizes that this position, which she initially considered beneath her, isn't going to be handed to her and is something she has to work for. Though Rory understands academic hard work, this interaction in A Year in the Life is the foretold conclusion of Rory's life as a journalist, which didn't come as easily as she thought it would. Treating a potential job opportunity with contempt and believing that she would instantly land the job demonstrates Rory's core issues.

1 Sookie's Vendetta Against Norman Mailer

Though it's a funny moment, it's unbelievable that Sookie would yell at any guest

In Gilmore Girls season 5, episode 6, "Norman Mailer, I'm Pregnant!", the real author, Norman Mailer, guest stars, demonstrating what a success the Dragonfly Inn has become. Though having Sookie say the line "Norman Mailer, I'm pregnant" is a hilarious part of the series, the fact that Sookie yells at this high-profile guest is shocking. Throughout the episode, Sookie is fighting with Lorelai about cutting lunch at the Dragonfly, as few people have been coming in for the service, and it would help the budget.

Unfortunately, since Norman Mailer has been sitting in the dining room and only ordering iced tea, Sookie lets out all her rage at the famous author, something that would be detrimental for a business so early in its tenure. Though it's later revealed that Sookie has been having elevated reactions because she's pregnant, which feeds into stereotypes, this doesn't excuse the fact that she lets out her displaced anger at a guest. While Sookie has her level-headed moments in Gilmore Girls, this isn't one of them.