The One 'GG' Scene That Sums Up The 2016 Election

You might not think a show that aired 16 years ago would have much to say about our country's current political climate, but when it comes to Gilmore Girls, the series always seemed lightyears ahead of its time. Take for instance the one Gilmore Girls moment that perfectly sums up the 2016 election, as pointed out by Twitter user Rebecca Shapiro. Even though back then it was likely not a thought in Amy Sherman-Palladino's mind that Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton would both run for president one day— and against each other, no less — this moment in the show’s history proves that Gilmore Girls is utterly timeless.

The moment is from Season 2, when Paris Geller is deeply entrenched in her own campaign to be elected student body president. When her minions (aka her friends) come back with poll results from her fellow Chilton classmates, they have some distressing news. It turns out that when it comes to competency, Geller is leading the pack at 90 percent. Same goes for smarts. But when it comes to likeability, Geller doesn’t stand a chance. And that, for reasons that confound Paris in the moment, will inevitably cost her the election.

Of course, Paris gets crafty and recruits the much beloved Rory Gilmore as her running mate, but in the real world, presidential candidates don’t exactly have that as an option. But doesn’t this moment in Gilmore Girls history sound a little too much like the current presidential race to be comfortable? So much so, that when Shapiro tweeted the clip and pointed out the criticisms that Paris was facing as a female candidate were awfully similar to the ones that Clinton faces today, a number of Gilmore Girls fans retweeted in solidarity. Similar to Paris, Clinton has been criticized — criticized — for being too prepared, too competent, and too presidential. As if those are bad things.

Clearly not much has changed between 2002 and 2016. When it comes to women in politics, competency and intelligence don’t seem to matter nearly as much as the other areas. Voters are still suspicious of powerful women, and Paris and Clinton are perfect examples of that.

Image: Warner Bros. Pictures