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His frustrations illustrate one of the main themes of A Year in the Life, the passage of time. And it also mirrors some of the doubts that Lorelai is having about her relationship with Luke. Michel's words resonate with Lorelai, perhaps even more than she realizes. When she shares this with Luke, she conveys a level of understanding for Michel. But Luke is quick to dismiss it. He explains that “If something is good, keep it the same.” Although not expressed verbally, it seems pretty clear they aren't just talking about the Dragonfly Inn.

Luke has always been resistant to change, whereas Lorelai has been known to get restless. And it seems that Luke's philosophy has been shaping their relationship. They have been essentially stuck in the same place for the past nine years. But like Michel, Lorelai may have reached a point that she wants more out of her life.

Rory (Alexis Bledel), on the other hand, has become untethered and is struggling to find her footing. Back in London, she watches her hopes for the Naomi Shropshire (Alex Kingston) book fall apart. Naomi proves to be as unhinged as Rory was warned she'd be. And Rory's love life isn't faring any better. But perhaps her bad luck is karmic for the way she treats Paul (Jack Carpenter). Yes, they are still together even if she has, again, forgotten about him. The Paul storyline always seemed like a bad idea but it's even more baffling that it's still going, even if it's in the background. Instead of eliciting the laughs the show seems to be aiming for, it just makes it harder to sympathize with Rory and her situation with Logan (Matt Czuchry).

Despite her adamant claims to the contrary, Rory isn't all that happy with her loose arrangement with Logan. In fact, in a not so subtle way, she hints that she wants to stay there longer. Unfortunately, for her, that's not possible because Logan's fiancée is coming back. And as usual, Rory compromises what she wants and settles for what she can get.

This represents one of the most frustrating aspects of Rory's story arc. At times it seems that she has not only failed to grow in the past nine years but also actually regressed. But if her situation with Logan mirrors the past, Rory's next trip actually takes her there.

She has an alumni function at Chilton and gets to visit her old prep school. There she reunites with Paris (Liza Weil), who is a delight as usual. Paris instills fear in both students and the headmaster, but the show has always been great at mixing the lighthearted moments with genuine emotion. And that's a big part of the reason why Paris has always been such a popular character. Had she just been an intimidating tyrant, audiences wouldn't have connected with her in the same way. It was always clear that her single-minded drive and bossiness were motivated by insecurities that she kept beneath the surface.

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