The Big Picture
From its quick-witted dialogue to endless pop culture references, there’s no question that Gilmore Girls is one of the shows that has impacted many people throughout the years. Despite being released two decades ago, the show continues to welcome new watchers, joining the fanbase that is still very much alive and active. For a lot of people, it is considered their comfort show — a perfect thing to watch whenever you want to take a breather from reality and whenever you want to feel like a part of a tight-knit town that looks as if it is always autumn.
Gilmore Girls follows the colorful lives of Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) and Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel), a mother-daughter duo. Lorelai is an independent and smart woman who runs an inn while taking care of her daughter Rory, a young girl who’s very academically driven. Throughout the seven seasons, we see them navigate life the best they can, may it be about relationships, careers, and everything in between. But besides these two characters, we also get to see other people which makes the show feel more complete. There’s Luke Danes (Scott Patterson), Paris Geller (Liza Weil), Emily Gilmore (Kelly Bishop), Sookie St. James (Melissa McCarthy), Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia), as well as Lane Kim (Keiko Agena), among many others. All of them hold a lot of significance to the show in their own ways, and their stories are all worth knowing. But for now, let’s talk about the life of Lane Kim and why her development deserves so much better than what was given to her.
Lorelai (Lauren Graham, Evan Almighty), 32 years old, has always done things her way. Raised in a world of money and cotillions, she was wilder than the other girls. Pregnant at age 16, she chose her own path, and, in true style, walked with flawless posture right out the door. With fire and determination, Lorelai has worked her way up from maid to manager at the historic Independence Inn, all while keeping sight of her dream to open her own inn with best friend Sookie (Melissa McCarthy, Samantha Who?), the hotel’s hopelessly clumsy culinary genius. Lorelai’s 16-year-old daughter, straight-A student Rory tries to prove herself at the exclusive Chilton Preparatory School, a daunting new world of girls with attitudes and boys with shiny cars. But when Rory meets Dean, the attraction hits her like a ton of bricks and single mom Lorelai begins to notice in Rory her own dreams and rebellious youth.
Who Is Lane Kim on ‘Gilmore Girls’?
Lane Kim has been Rory’s best friend since they were in kindergarten. They grew up together in the quaint and beautiful town called Stars Hollow in Connecticut, and they have been inseparable ever since. She is this spirited, charming girl who lives a secret life. Living in a pretty strict and religious Korean household, she is not allowed to indulge in things that are perceived as evil by her mother Mrs. Kim (Emily Kuroda). This proves to be a challenge for Lane because her interests incredibly contrast with her upbringing.
Much like any other beloved character on Gilmore Girls, Lane is part of a big community where everyone looks out for one another. Whenever she is not in school, she helps her mother out in their business selling antique furniture. Other than that, she would attend church and Bible studies and accompany her mother around town. She is not allowed to do much else, even going out with Rory is limited and has conditions. Lane essentially is living a life as per her mother’s wishes. But for her, life is about listening to good rock music and playing the drums — things that may or may not give Mrs. Kim a heart attack. So, for years, Lane has had to hide her “secret” life from her mother, confident she will be misunderstood. Lane has gone through pretty impressive ways to keep who she is under wraps, such as having a secret compartment under her bedroom floor where she hides her CDs and other rock-related merchandise. Safe to say that she’s one of the most interesting characters here.
Besides her secret, she is also known for being an incredibly loyal and kind person. Lane has always been there for Rory through her ups and downs, helping her friend out to the best of her abilities. Moreover, whenever Rory isn’t around, Lane is there to lend a hand to the people of Stars Hollow. She is just that bright person who enjoys being with others and pursuing what she loves.
Lane Has a Very Complicated Relationship With Her Mother on ‘Gilmore Girls’
From the get-go, the mother-daughter dynamic between Lane and Mrs. Kim isn’t that great, as they have contrasting personalities. Lane is often a happy-go-lucky dreamer while Mrs. Kim is a serious, practical thinker. At first, Lane would always follow what her mother says and asks. She would be told to go straight back home from school to study. Besides that, Mrs. Kim would control her schedule and clothing, and demand Lane to tell her where she is at all times. It is a rather painful and relatable thing for many people, especially those living in a pretty similar household.
However, from another perspective, Mrs. Kim’s parenting style can somewhat be understandable. Some people might see her as someone who is strict yet ultimately means well. While it makes sense, this specific method is the very thing that made Lane’s life pretty sheltered and miserable, since she is not able to express who she is without being judged. It made Lane scared to open up to her mother. So, no matter how much Mrs. Kim justifies her actions, they don’t seem to have a positive effect on Lane. For instance, in Season 4, Mrs. Kim discovers her daughter’s secret life when she sees the things Lane’s been hiding in her room. Lane offers a compromise, but Mrs. Kim doesn’t want to hear any of it. By the end, Mrs. Kim tells Lane to move out. This move was harsh, especially since Lane is still very young.
Lane, having no choice but to hide her interests from her mother, is just one of the many reasons she deserves better. Her being asked to leave the house because she’s a drummer in a rock band is incredibly cruel, especially because Lane was just a teenager back then. Lane’s interests are more than common; it’s probably what most of us have gone through (many of us certainly had a rock or goth phase). After that, Lane finds herself crashing in Rory’s dorm at Yale, and, eventually, at the Gilmore house — all of this because she likes rock music. It’s unfair. While it doesn’t sound that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things, it is a big deal for Lane. How she’s treated by her mother throughout the years is pretty sad to witness, and it ultimately causes some trauma on Lane’s end. But this story is welcome in the show because many viewers have shared their similar stories and how seeing it on-screen helped them reflect on certain things in their own lives.
On a positive note, by the later seasons, we see Lane learning how to stand up for herself and their relationship surprisingly starts to slowly be repaired. But it’s bittersweet because no matter how much it has improved, it still feels lacking.
Who Are Lane’s Love Interests on ‘Gilmore Girls’?
We know all about Rory’s rather rollercoaster of relationships, but Lane’s love life is also fun to follow. There’s Henry, a guy she met at a party with Rory, but they didn’t last long. Next is Dave (Adam Brody), who’s probably everyone’s favorite match for her. He’s a sweet, shy guy who also happens to be Lane’s bandmate. In fear of being found by Mrs. Kim, Lane and Dave keep their relationship a secret. But along the way, Dave impresses Mrs. Kim by reading the Bible in one night (which, for a lot of viewers, was also very alluring and endearing). The young couple, however, eventually breaks up due to the long distance when Dave goes away for his studies.
Then, there’s Zack (Todd Lowe), one of her other bandmates. These two weren’t too close, but when Dave is out of the picture, we see more interaction between them. Eventually, Lane realizes that she has feelings for Zack, and they end up dating. For some, this relationship doesn’t top the one with Dave, but it still has a certain charm to it. Whatever it may be, Lane is happy because her life is starting to fall into place. For one, she’s independent of her mother. And two, she’s doing what she’s been dreaming of her whole life. It’s amazing to see her pursuing her passion. The band even went on a tour — with the help of Mrs. Kim, surprisingly — and performed on different stages. It’s the life she’s always wanted to have. All of it is going great. Lane is doing great. But then, they somehow erased all of that progress when she married Zack and got pregnant.
Now, the situation is not bad in itself; Zack is actually a pretty decent guy. One of the main themes being tackled in Gilmore Girls is change, how things won’t always go your way. But the thing about Lane’s situation is that she absolutely doesn’t deserve to be the character that goes through this major change just as she’s finally out of her shell and doing what she loves. All she has ever wanted was to get out of Stars Hollow and be a rock star. It would’ve been so satisfying to witness that growth to its full extent because we’ve been following her journey since the beginning, but that didn’t happen.
What Is Lane’s Life Like Now?
While seeing Lane rocking out on stadiums is a missed opportunity, her journey — much like the Gilmores — is grounded and realistic. By the end of the show, we see Lane still married to Zack and taking care of their twins Steve and Kwan. It’s not the life that she envisioned for herself when she was a teenager, but she made it work. In A Year in the Life, the twins are grown up and Lane and Zack are still living in Stars Hollow, and that’s about it. She doesn’t look miserable, but you can’t help but think of how all of it could have played out if they just let Lane pursue her dream because it’s sad to see her lose that fiery autonomy after years of fighting to have it. You can’t help but want to let the creators of Gilmore Girls know that sometimes, it is alright to not make all the characters have a realistic and somehow monotonous ending because Lane deserved so much better.
Gilmore Girls is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
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