Fan theories seem to be all the rage right now. Every show from Game of Thrones to Stranger Things hav tons of bizarre and convoluted theories, some of which actually end up being true. But this is a relatively new trend, leaving generations of past TV shows without any interesting interpretations. But there is one unexpected series that has a wild fan theory of its own: Gilmore Girls. The WB/CW comedy may have been cancelled close to a decade ago, but it actually has a fan theory that was finally addressed for the first time.
You see the guy in that picture? Fans of Gilmore Girls will know him as Caesar, the valued (and hyperactive) cook at Luke's Diner. But the same actor, Aris Alvarado, can also be seen as a background actor in the Season 1 episode "Rory's Dance". This led to the theory that Caesar actually went to Chilton with Rory, before landing his job at Luke's. It turns out the theory was right, as Alvarado recently confirmed:
That was Caesar. It's funny because [the internet] just discovered that. I've been waiting, I never wanted to say anything [so I could] see who was going to find me one day! Three years later, you see me working at Luke's, so I'm like 20 years old, 21 at the time.
Mind blown. This news comes to us from a recently Gilmore Girls fan event in Connecticut (via Hello Giggles) that was held to help increase fan excitement for the upcoming Netflix series Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. Don't remember seeing Caesar at Chilton? Check out the below image, complete with Aris Alvarado on the left edge of the frame.
Yup, that's definitely Aris Alvarado. And now it's been confirmed that Caesar the cook is a Chilton alum just like Rory.
Although its a fun little tidbit that Caesar apparently went to Chilton with Rory, it doesn't make much sense. To start, the annual cost of Chilton is similar to a state college. Lorelai and Rory were lucky enough to have Richard and Emily paying for her education, but everyone else in the school was extremely privileged. We can assume that former students usually don't get service jobs afterward, especially since Chilton usually connects their alumni with great higher education opportunities.
Additionally, Stars Hollow is a little town that nobody from the Hartford area had ever heard of. Rory would have to take a bus or two and from Chilton, which adds to her general isolation from the rest of her classmates. So how would Caesar end up finding Stars Hollow and applying for a job as a cook in a small diner? It's a bit bizarre.
And finally, Chilton had extremely small classes, so there's no way that he and Rory wouldn't know each other from school. When Rory graduated as valedictorian in 2003, she was one of just 45 students. So although I can suspend my disbelief to a certain degree, the fact that he and Rory never interact or seem all that friendly toward each other is a little far fetched.
Alas, Aris Alvarado has confirmed this theory, so I guess my opinion doesn't matter much. But now that Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life is about a month away, we'll just have to wait and see if Rory and Caesar address their childhood past in any of the 90 minute episodes. Alvarado is set to appear in all four additions, so who knows?
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life will premiere in its entirety November 25th on Netflix.
