Love on the B-Side: A Lane Kim + Dave Rygalski Retelling

Many of you reading this probably have watched the cult hit TV show Gilmore Girls about 80 times. And with every rewatch, you grow increasingly frustrated with Lane Kim’s storyline. Don’t get me wrong—I’m deeply grateful for Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino’s massive contribution to pop culture. There’s no telling where I’d be without the fast-talking mother-daughter duo Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, their messy entanglements, and the cast of colorful characters in Stars Hollow to anchor me during my darkest moments. At the risk of sounding dramatic, the Palladinos and Helen Pai (who Lane Kim is loosely based on) have quite literally saved my life.

That said, Lane’s life trajectory is straight-up basura*.

The spunky music aficionado and only daughter of strict, religious Korean immigrants Mr. and Mrs. Kim, Lane mirrored my own lived experience. I’m also the only daughter of hardline evangelical Haitian-Dominican immigrants. However, instead of knowing every indie rock band under the sun, I can recall an obscure TV show reference like it’s second nature. Needless to say, Lane and I have a lot in common. She was both a source of representation and a beacon for bold first-generation daughters determined to find their way despite the lottery of their birth.

In Season 3, Episode 4, 17-year-old Lane is suddenly inspired to dye her hair bright purple. Her makeshift hairstylist, Rory, not-so-subtly hints that the sudden makeover is romantically inspired. After a couple of half-hearted attempts to explain that she’s asserting her own identity and finally doing something “punk” in the face of Mrs. Kim’s authoritarian rule, Lane eventually caves and admits she wants Dave Rygalski to think she’s cool. While it’s inadvisable to make radical appearance changes for a boy, Lane’s a high schooler, so we’re giving her some grace. Also, if you’ll allow me to be a touch regressive, Dave’s the kind of guy you want to look pretty (punk) for. Played by eternal cutie pie Adam Brody, Dave was the perfect counterpart for Lane. He shared her exact taste in music, he played lead in the band she secretly formed behind her mom’s back, and, speaking of her mom, Dave knew exactly how to charm Mrs. Kim.

After a bit of will-they-won’t-they, the two friends do, in fact, become lovers. And I cheered! Their romance was earnest—the perfect foil to Rory’s tumultuous love triangle with Dean and Jess (a convo for another day). And then, in the blink of an eye, it was over. Granted, it’s due to Adam Brody’s move to The O.C., yet hearts still broke across the nation when we realized we’d never see Dave on our screens again after Season 3. Lane valiantly continued her rock-and-roll dreams, but the band fizzled out—not before she started dating Zach Van Gerbig, Dave’s best friend and replacement. And we know what happens from there: Lane essentially becomes a townie, marries Zach, and gets pregnant literally two seconds after losing her virginity on the beach.

Yes, I heard your collective groans (because I did the same while writing that traumatizing recap). But it was necessary to underscore the sheer bullshit our girl went through. Without a shadow of a doubt, Lane and Dave were meant to be endgame! And you know what? They will be.

Part creative writing exercise, part manifestation of the Lane Kim spin-off we deserved, I’m writing a retelling where Lane and Dave do end up together. Alongside the novella is a living playlist of songs that, hopefully, will make Lane, Dave, Amy, and Helen proud.

If you made it this far, thank you for being a real one. Follow me as I sharpen my writing skills doing what I love: yapping about Gilmore Girls.

I post semi-frequently on TikTok @d_anaisremy

*basura means trash in Spanish