Paris Geller had a lot of enemies over the course of Gilmore Girls. She was brilliant, tough, intense, and took no crap from anyone she ever came into contact with, so why would viewers expect that that would change in Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life? Past that hard candy center, though, Paris had a gooey interior, and she really just wanted to fit in, especially with the Puffs while at Chilton. SPOILERS for Episode 1 ahead: True to form, Francie and Paris have a showdown in the Gilmore Girls revival, and it just goes to show you that high school insecurities follow you no matter how old you are.
Because of Paris’ intensity and focus and well, bullying nature, she didn’t make many friends, but she so desperately wanted to be a Puff when she was at Chilton. The Puffs were an all-girl secret society at Chilton, and only the coolest, most popular girls at school were invited to join. Francie was the head, and to get in with Francie, Paris made Rory tag along in trying to join the Puffs so that Francie would like Paris just by association. After an ill-fated initiation where the group broke into the headmaster’s office at Chilton, Paris’ dreams of being a Puff ended — badly. During their senior year, Francie was angry that Paris had so much power as president of the student body, and she trying to manipulate everyone so that they would ignore Paris and go with what she wanted to do. Again, this didn’t work out so well, and the two remained mortal enemies.
Flash-forward a decade to Chilton, where Paris and Rory were asked to visit their alma mater and talk to the students about what they liked about Chilton and about their lives today. Paris saw Tristan in the hallway, and it sent her into a panic attack tailspin (longtime viewers know that Paris is quite susceptible to these) in the bathroom. Did Tristan see her? Does he love her? Does she love him? Is everyone against her? As Rory tries to calm Paris, in walks Francie, at Chilton for the same reason. Oh, boy. Let’s pick the worst person to trigger Paris’ high school neuroses and have them walk into the room, huh?
Seeing Francie doesn’t help Paris’ panic attack, and soon she thinks that Francie is with Tristan and her ex-husband and I don’t know, Paris just starts yelling a lot of things. The whole encounter ends with Francie and Paris screaming at each other and Francie landing the final blow as she left the bathroom by rubbing it in Paris’ face that Paris was never a Puff in high school. The more things change, the more things stay the same.
Eventually, Rory gets Paris out of the bathroom, and they go about their day. Just as fast as Francie is there, she is gone, and I think it’s safe to say that these two won’t be bonding over too many drinks at their 20th high-school reunion. No one would survive if they did.
Images: Neil Jacobs/Netflix; Giphy; lorelaigilmore/Tumblr
