Richard Gilmore, the protagonist of the Gilmore Girls series played by Edward Herrmann, was usually eminent, wise, and formal. Even though he didn’t get along with his daughter, he enjoyed being a big part of his granddaughter Rory’s life and showered her with attention, money, and books.
Both Richard and his wife Emily are not flawless, and Emily has some issues. Richard’s character journey was somewhat underwhelming over the course of the show’s seven seasons and the resurrection because he barely made any progress in his life or underwent any significant transformation.
He Didn’t Spend Enough Time With Emily
On Gilmore Girls, Richard and Emily are a popular couple, although they never really seemed to spend much time together.
Even though it was obvious that he loved his wife, Richard didn’t put his marriage first, which is one way he deteriorated as the show went on. Due to her husband’s frequent absences, Emily always seemed to be looking for ways to pass the time, whet her it was volunteering or going to lunch with people she didn’t particularly care for. Richard had the opportunity to reverse this, but he seemed to be becoming progressively more egotistical.
He Never Stopped Insulting His Daughter
Richard visited Lorelai in her small village in the season two episode “Richard in Stars Hollow,” and he wasn’t overly fond of the whole thing.
The way Lorelai was reared was a contributing factor in some of her negative behaviour. Even as an adult, she wasn’t certain that Richard thought she was living a fulfilling life because she never experienced his love and affection. Richard never stopped calling his daughter names or letting her know that he didn’t really like her. He would have stopped treating her unfairly and begun treating her better around seasons five or six, at the very least, if he had been written well.
He Was Always Unsupportive And Controlling
Fans enjoyed following Rory’s adventure, which included her time at Yale. However, it appears that she would not have chosen Yale over Harvard if Richard hadn’t persuaded her to do so.
As he affected Rory, Richard didn’t appear to support her decision to go Harvard, which shows that as the seasons went on, this character became more worse. He was frequently unsupportive and compelled to exercise control over the people in his life, including his granddaughter, for whom he did care.
He Was Pretentious And Self-Centered
Richard had as many one-liners as his daughter, wife, and granddaughter combined, thus much of the things he said on Gilmore Girls were intended to be hilarious, but he always came across as haughty and full of himself. The show didn’t change this over time.
Every time Richard cracked a joke, he was actually demonstrating his forgetfulness and conceit. one illustration when he mistook a guy and female employee for one of his own. Lorelai enquired to Richard, “I apologise. How do you confuse Anton with Sophia, Dad?” and kept repeating, “One’s a guy, one’s a lady.” Finally, he responded, “I’ve got a lot to get done today, Lorelai. I don’t have time to keep track of all the individuals your mother hires.”
His Second Health Crisis Was Not As Powerful
Gilmore Girls’ first season had Lorelai visiting Richard as he lay in a hospital bed recovering from a heart attack.
In the opening episode of the first season, “Forgiveness and Stuff,” Lorelai is forbidden from attending her parents’ renowned Christmas party and rushes to the hospital when Richard has heart issues.
Season seven features Richard having a heart attack, although the writing isn’t as strong as it was in the first season. Luke is introduced as a prospective love interest in season one because to this narrative, which enables Lorelai to recognise that he is always there for her. Later, the heart attack plot felt flat because the family had already experienced it. Richard’s second hospitalisation would have been considerably more of a health emergency and would have advanced the plot further if he had been a better-written character.
Richard Had A Weird Crisis In Season 5
It was obvious that Richard was going through some form of crisis or breakdown when Emily and Richard made the decision to take some time apart.
This plot didn’t make sense to fans because he had no justification for wanting to end his decades-long marriage to his wife. Richard should have been reflecting on his life by the fifth season and planning out how he wanted the remainder of it to go, but instead, he was being petty and selfish while disregarding the most significant person in his life.
Richard Was Always Too Competitive
Richard had a history of being aggressive. During Friday night supper, he would frequently get up from the table quickly to make a call to someone he wanted to boast to.
Sure, he would be giving excellent news about Rory, so this might be wonderful. Strangely, he never seemed to stop bragging to friends and business associates about his excellent fortune. Richard never seemed to care about anything other than keeping up with the Jonses and ensuring that others knew he was wealthy and successful, so this isn’t something that grew better with time.
Richard’s Death Wasn’t Handled As Well As It Could Be
While it was heartbreaking to watch Emily deal with her husband’s death, several aspects of the Netflix revival were odd. This storyline perhaps could have been handled in a different way.
The distance between Lorelai and Emily widened after Richard’s passing, and Emily treated Lorelai badly rather than allowing this tragedy to bring them together. As their connection remained rocky, Lorelai also never had the chance to become closer to her father. This is another another instance of Richard on the programme getting worse; it would have been good to see Emily’s behaviour change for the better after his passing. Instead, it was just more of the same.
When He Was Finally Nice To Lorelai, It Didn’t Last
There were a few instances where Lorelai and Emily got along well, but that can’t really be said for Lorelai and her father. Even though Richard was complimentary of Lorelai and her position in Stars Hollow in the season seven finale, this did not result in a strengthening of their bond.
Fans discovered that Richard and Lorelai’s relationship was still pretty damaged when he passed away in the Netflix revival of A Year In The Life because they still hadn’t reconciled their disputes. While Lorelai was still questioning whether her parents actually loved and supported her, Emily was upset with Lorelai for her actions at Richard’s funeral. It’s unfortunate that when Richard did show some kindness to Lorelai, it didn’t stick, and he never learned how to treat his daughter well.
Work Was His Whole Personality
Richard was constantly witty, but other from the fact that he was a workaholic, he lacked much personality.
When Richard wasn’t working, he always turned into a really difficult person to be around. Richard could never fully retire. Although it’s wonderful that he found fulfilment and meaning in his work, it would have been lovely if he had some additional interests and hobbies. Because he was constantly working or talking about work, fans never felt like they got to know him all that well.
