When viewers return to Stars Hollow for Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, many will no doubt want to watch Rory reconnecting with each of her ex-boyfriends in separate and meaningful ways. It’s hard to know this far in advance just how her former romances will be referenced, we now know a little more about how first love Dean Forester will appear in the story. Here’s how actor Jared Padalecki put it, in understandably as few words as possible.
Dean has a cool scene in the market he used to work in. It’s a really nice scene that gave me closure.
Even though not much information was delivered there, it offers so much by way inciting hopeful speculation. As fans know oh so well, Dean was employed by Doose’s Market, run by the high-horse-riding town leader Taylor Doose. This grocery-filled setting was, of course, where Dean and Rory shared their first kiss, which was her first kiss in general. We’re talking Huge Moment here, guys. And if this moment is the one that’s being looped back around to, that scene could be one for the tissue boxes. Assuming the dirty air of their affair and succeeding relationship has dissipated in the years since Dean was around.
Padalecki shared this info recently at the Italian fan convention JIBLAND, where he also talked about how it all came together. Apparently creator Amy Sherman-Palladino contacted him and said his scene was written and all that would be needed from him is just to show up on the day and film it. (Similar to Sherman-Palladino’s pitch for Melissa McCarthy’s return.) She assured him that it was a set that was under their control, and that “it’s an actress that already is working every day.” Is the actress in question Alexis Bledel? Will we relive this?
Of course, Dean did work at Doose’s for quite a while, and there are quite a few people for him to run into while in town. And Lauren Graham is obviously also going to be an actress working every day, so maybe Dean and Lorelai will get an official goodbye. That would be fine. I guess.
Jared Padalecki also mentioned during the panel that the closure he referred to was also for him as an actor, since his transition from Gilmore Girls to Supernatural was abrupt and didn’t offer a proper farewell for a character he’d spent so many years playing. So hopefully that sentiment gets passed on to audiences as well. I really hope Dean is not a sleazeball in his adult years.
Netflix has yet to come up with a specific date on which to premiere Gilmore Girls: Year in the Life, but it’ll likely debut before the end of the year. In the meantime, take our Gilmore Girls quiz to see if you’re prepped enough for the revival.
