It's hard to believe that Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life was released just a month ago. The four episode miniseries was a pop culture event, which validated and satisfied the tons of fans who had been anxiously waiting the return to Stars Hollow for the past 9 years. A Year in the Life was chock full of easter eggs and reprisals from the original series, but it also introduced a handful of new characters into the canon. And none was as surprisingly delightful as Mr. Kim, the husband of Mrs. Kim and Lane's father who had been unseen throughout the show's original seven year run.
This little easter egg was fun, because fans had long wondered where the heck Mr. Kim was during the original series. He was occasionally referenced, but never seen. Luckily for us, Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino opened up to TV Line as to why it took so long for Mr. Kim to appear on screen.
We didn't have a dramatic necessity for him. The dynamic was between Lane and her mother. The show is about mothers and daughters, and this was a different mother and daughter. If we had broken a story and went, 'It would really help to have Mr. Kim here,' we would've done it. But we didn't. That dynamic was very clean between the two of them. And sometimes when you add another person to the mix, it gets muddy.
Honestly, this makes a ton of sense. For all you naysayers who found it suspect that Mr. Kim wasn't in the original series, let's break down what Amy Sherman-Palladino is talking about.
To start, Lane's story within the confines of Gilmore Girls has always been one of the more supporting roles, rather than a character who really drives the overall narrative forward. Her friendship with Rory was beautiful and sisterly, and Lane also had to deal with being a rebel in a strict Korean household. Mrs. Kim's tough exterior was a hilarious juxtaposition to her daughter's, and you could tell how much the women truly loved each other.
But adding Mr. Kim into the series definitely had the ability to water down the Mrs. Kim/Lane storyline. Their specific relationship would no longer be the focus, but Lane's relationship to both characters. And Gilmore Girls generally didn't have enough time to feature Lane, her mother, Zack, and the band. It would have just been too much.
Of course, Mr. Kim's absence in the original series was definitely felt. We saw a ton of Lane's important life moments, from her wedding, baby shower, and eventual birth of the twins. Mrs. Kim was always involved in her affairs, but where the hell was her father? I guess we'll never know.
Every episode of Gilmore Girls, old and new, are currently available on Netflix.
