It's been a good week for binge watchers everywhere. Because Black Friday marked the release of Netflix's Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, which brought back all the characters and settings from WB/The CW's comedy Gilmore Girls. Fans have been transported back to Stars Hollow, where they soon realized that things are exactly the way they left it when the series was cancelled back in 2007. But aside from catching us up on Paris, Sookie, and Michel (he has a husband!), there were a few loose ends that were finally fixed through the four episode long season. Namely, Lane's father was finally seen.
Throughout the original seven year run of Gilmore Girls, the audience came to know and love Lane's neurotic and strict mother Mrs. Kim. And while we knew that there was a Mr. Kim and he was occasionally referenced, we never actually saw the guy. Through Lane's wedding, baby shower, and various hijinks in Stars Hollow, we never once saw her father. Until now.
There he is, people: the silent partner of Mrs. Kim has finally been revealed. And he's a total dork.
It's important to note that the reveal of Mr. Kim's identity is little more than fan service. In the nearly ten years that Gilmore Girls has had to percolate and run on syndication, Lane's father's absence has become a bit of a recurring joke. Obviously, Mrs. Kim is married, but where the hell was this dude during all of his daughter's events?
Mr. Kim is just one in a long list of unseen characters that have had a role in popular TV shows. Back in the 90's we had Wilson in Home Improvement, who was only shown dispensing advice from the eyes up. The game of keeping Wilson's identity hidden was a recurring joke in the Tim Allen sitcom, and it made way for other unseen characters in TV. There's also a mystery character currently (not) seen on The Big Bang Theory. While we never seen Howard's mother on the sitcom, her shrill voice and belittling of her son are a highlight of the series.
Mr. Kim's debut in the second episode "Spring" is just one of many fan service moments in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. Because the community is still so passionate about the series, it's clear that the producers attempted to squeeze in as many moments and characters as humanly possible. We saw this with Digger's strange cameo, the inclusion of so many Stars Hollow residents, as well as the completely bonkers return of Francie. No stone was left unturned, and we got to see everyone and everything we loved about the original series. Except maybe Chad Michael Murray.
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life is currently streaming in its entirety on Netflix.
