On the surface, the unexpected pregnancy of a 32-year-old woman who has an extensive support system, emotionally and financially, is no big deal. And I believe the confession would have actually been better had it come when Sherman-Palladino expected it to, on the heels of Rory's graduation from Yale at the end of the seventh season. Sure, a pregnancy at 22 would have been a shock to Rory, but who the character was in that moment could have taken it in stride; she probably would have gone into labor on the campaign trail press bus and gone on to start a popular mommy blog, becoming a family features writer for the Times by 30. Motherhood, something for which Rory's character never expresses a desire, would have just been one part of her.

However, introduced in the final words of this four-part series, when Rory seems not just lost but also completely unwilling to do the work necessary to get where she wants to be, motherhood seems like the worst possible "solution." While Rory's pregnancy could be seen as bringing the show about mothers and daughters full circle, it's worth noting that Lorelai's pregnancy got her unstuck — pushed her forward. It seems unlikely Rory's will do anything but tie her to a role she never seemed interested in — a disappointing ending for one of the most ambitious young female characters of the past 15 years. And she's definitely going to drop that kid off at her mother's, without asking first, constantly. New Rory is the worst.