Gilmore Girlsseason 7 completely ruined the mother-daughter drama show’s best redemption arc, erasing six seasons of character growth. When it comes to redemption arcs, fans always talk about Emily Gilmore. By theend ofGilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, Emily has drastically changed for the better, coming into her own.
However,up untilGilmore Girlsseason 7, another character was on track for the title of best redemption arc. Mrs. Kim is one of the most morally complex characters on the show, and her redemption arc is beautiful. Until it isn’t. Unfortunately, things don’t go as expected in the final season ofGilmore Girls.
Mrs. Kim Was Set Up For The Best Redemption Arc In The Original Gilmore Girls
From the start ofGilmore Girls, Mrs. Kim and Emily Gilmore have the most room to grow in a positive way. They’re both oppressive, controlling mothers who punish their children when they don’t conform. They try to restrict their children’s behavior, interests, and personality. They both also believe they’re doing the right thing for their children based on their experiences and backgrounds. However,a few moments from earlyGilmore Girlsmake Mrs. Kim seem worse than Emily in my eyes.
Mrs. Kim still shows a few moments of compassion and flexibility towards Lane that hint that she’s willing to grow, unlike Emily, who constantly digs in her heels.
When Lane gets in trouble, Mrs. Kim takes her out of school for two weeks, which is not only probably illegal but actively harmful to her child. Plus, it takes away her daughter’s perfect attendance record. Mrs. Kim also admits that she locked her daughter in her bedroom after Lane broke the rules by going on a double date. Later, she
Unfortunately, many viewers excuse Mrs. Kim’s harmful behavior as “cultural” rather than recognizing the nuance thatMrs. Kim can both mirror the authoritative parenting style she experienced because of her culture and still be mentally abusive. Generational trauma exists in this situation. That being said, Mrs. Kim still shows a few moments of compassion and flexibility towards Lane that hint that she’s willing to grow, unlike Emily, who constantly digs in her heels.
How Mrs. Kim And Lane’s Relationship Changed Over Time
Mrs. Kim & Lane Found A Way To Understand Each Other Better
Mrs. Kim and Lane’s relationship is a prime example of the idea that things get worse before they get better. BetweenGilmore Girlsseasons 1 and 3,Lane does extreme things to avoid her mother’s outragewhile still rebelling, and Mrs. Kim refuses to budge in almost any situation except for Dave Rygalski. Their relationship hits its worst when Mrs. Kim forces Lane to move out of the house halfway throughGilmore Girlsseason 4 after learning that her daughter is a music-obsessed drummer in a rock band who wears makeup and clothes Mrs. Kim doesn’t like. The mom rejects her daughter’s attempts to compromise.
Luckily, the relationship improves by the end ofGilmore Girlsseason 4 becausethe distance makes both of them realize they miss each other and aren’t happy with the situation.Mrs. Kim’s love for her daughter starts to outweigh her hurt and rigidity. She panics about Lane living with boys, but Lorelai helps her come to terms with it. The mom doesn’t like that her daughter is in a rock band, but she refuses to let her daughter give up on her dream. Using her connections, Mrs. Kim even puts together Hep Alien’s first tour.
InGilmore Girlsseason 6, Mrs. Kim shines as the best version of herself. When Hep Alien breaks up, she gives Lane a place to live, and she doesn’t degrade her daughter for her surly attitude. Mrs. Kim puts aside her motherly pretenses and drinks with Lane at the kitchen table, which is a particularly impactful moment. She still has her beliefs, but she doesn’t shove them down her daughter’s throat. Mrs. Kim even helps Zach write music to make sure that he’s capable of supporting her as a musician, knowing that the band is her daughter’s dream.
Lane’s Wedding Episode Is The Peak Of Mrs. Kim’s Redemption Arc
Lane’s Wedding Shows Just How Much Lane & Mrs. Kim Have Grown
Ultimately, I think Mrs. Kim’s character arc reaches its highest point duringGilmore Girlsseason 6, episode 19, “I Get a Sidekick Out Of You.” The once distant and strict mother is actively involved in planning Lane’s wedding.The actual wedding is the perfect moment of healthy, happy compromise between Lane and Mrs. Kim. Even before they learn Lane’s grandmother is coming from Korea, the mother-daughter duo plans for Lane to marry in a church, even though this doesn’t seem necessary to Lane. Lane appears to make this concession because she knows it matters to Mrs. Kim.
In exchange, the reception is for Lane.Mrs. Kim doesn’t try to control what Lane does after the wedding, ignoring the fact that there will be alcohol and dancing. This might seem small, but alcohol and dancing are against Mrs. Kim’s religion, so it’s actually a significant step. She even tells Lane that she’ll put on noise-canceling headphones when she goes to sleep so that she doesn’t see or hear anything that Lane is doing. This freedom would’ve been unimaginable from Mrs. Kim inGilmore Girlseason 1.
On top of this, Mrs. Kim’s conversation with Lane about sex might have been extremely stigmatizing and sex-negative. It’s definitely not one ofGilmore Girls’ finer moments. However, the mom’s statements still felt like they came from a place of genuine care and concern. Mrs. Kim didn’t feel like she was trying to shame her daughter, which is a massive change from earlyGilmore Girls.
Mrs. Kim’s Redemption Arc Was Ruined By Lane’s Pregnancy In Gilmore Girls Season 7
Mrs. Kim Regressed As A Character During Lane’s Pregnancy
HadGilmore Girlsended with season 6, Mrs. Kim’s character arc would’ve ended with beautiful growth and redemption. Unfortunately, the last season bothruined Lane Kim’s storyand backtracked on Mrs. Kim’s character growth. When Lane gets pregnant with twins,Mrs. Kim becomes controlling, judgmental, and oppressive again, though not quite as bad as she was in season 1.
[The Palladinos] didn’t have enough time to completely undo the damage from season 7 in A Year in the Life, leaving Mrs. Kim with an almost perfect redemption arc that failed at the last second.
Mrs. Kim restricts Lane’s food against her will to the point that Lane has to hide a Snickers bar under the floorboards. She moves into Lane’s apartment and kicks Bryan out, never considering what Lane wants. The mom even demands that Lane raise her children in exactly the same religion she raised her daughter, lest she refuse to attend the baby shower. This is a major step back from Mrs. Kim’s willingness to look the other way about the alcohol and dancing at Lane’s wedding. She retains the slightest bit of her character growth when she helps put on the baby shower anyway. However, she’s far from the person she was inGilmore Girlsseason 6.
Ultimately, this dramatic shift can be chalked up to the fact that Amy Sherman-Palladino, creator ofGilmore Girls, and her husband, Daniel Palladino, an executive producer and writer, left before season 7 after unsuccessful contract negotiations. Mrs. Kim in theGilmore Girlsrevival, which they wrote, feels much more like Mrs. Kim from season 6. Unfortunately, the creative duo didn’t have enough time to completely undo the damage from season 7 inA Year in the Life, leaving Mrs. Kim with an almost perfect redemption arc that failed at the last second.
A previous version of this article mistakenly stated ASP and Daniel Palladino were fired. This has been corrected.
