30 Iconic Fictional Proposals To Make You Believe In Love Again
By Emily Scott
Lorelai and Luke in Gilmore Girls, Image via the CW
Lorelai and Luke – Gilmore Girls
The Setup
Lorelai and Luke have a long history. So long, in fact, that this one is a two-parter! Two different proposals, same couple! At first, Luke is your everyday, curmudgeonly, coffee-slinging supporting character to our protagonist Lorelai. But boy, that really doesn’t last long. He proves very early to be a consistent and important part of Lorelai’s life. And when they finally started dating in season 5, it was every fan’s dream.
Part 1
But not long after, the lives of both Gilmore girls became exponentially more difficult. After being put down professionally and facing a run-in with the law, Lorelai’s daughter Rory decides to drop out of Yale. When Lorelai tells Luke about it, he is distraught. He immediately launches into a rant about how they can’t let her do it and how he can help her get Rory back on track. In the middle of his monologue, Lorelai just simply asks, “Luke, will you marry me?”
Luke has always been a father figure to Rory, and seeing his investment in her wellbeing really affected Lorelai. Luke treats Rory with as much love and concern as if she were his own child. Which is why Lorelai, whose major priority in life is her kid, was moved to propose to him. It was amazing. Until various other circumstances (e.g. Luke’s actual child April “ASP’s greatest mistake” Nardini) drove them apart.
Part 2
Thankfully they get back together before the series finale. Their story has most recently continued in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, which began with Luke and Lorelai happily together – but not married – for almost ten years. The question of whether to get married factors prominently in their story arc. But after Lorelai takes some time away to find herself, so to speak, Luke gets worried. And when she comes back, he immediately launches into a monologue about why she shouldn’t leave him.
Again, Lorelai interrupts him with a proposal. She never planned to leave him. It’s just that being on her own made her more sure of what she wanted. Getting more in touch with herself didn’t weaken their relationship. It strengthened it. And then they get married and all is right with the world.