Gilmore Girls/Characters

Lorelai Victoria Gilmore

 * Aesop Amnesia: Lorelai has a tendency to go back to Christopher at the most inappropriate times. Rory calls her out on it, but she doesn't learn. Then again, it's part of her Flanderization.
 * Author Avatar: Take a look at a picture of Amy Sherman-Palladino.
 * Big Eater: It's implied Lorelai eats a lot, and yet remains extremely slender. Other characters comment on this near constantly.
 * Black Sheep: Of the Gilmore family; getting pregnant young and running away from home will do that.
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: Despite her eccentricities she does a good job running first the Independence Inn and later The Dragonfly Inn
 * Deadpan Snarker: In spades.
 * Embarrassing Nickname: "Umlauts", which involved Lorelai as a teen, a particularly cold summer day when she was swimming at summer camp and how a certain part of her body resembled said diacritic after coming out of the water.
 * Feminine Women Can Cook: Type 2. Lorelai sure as hell can't cook, but she can at least brew up coffee and she's a damn impressive seamstress.
 * Genki Girl: Lorelai's perhaps one of the most chipper characters on the show.
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: With both Rory and Sookie
 * Hot Mom: Rory even comments on this once on telling her father that he's being checked out; apparently the same happens to Lorelai.
 * Mama Bear: Lorelai's laid back for the greater part of the time, but if you hurt Rory..
 * Motor Mouth: A Gilmore trait.
 * Ms. Fanservice: The show rarely passed up opportunities to have Lorelai in sexy outfits and lingerie.
 * Must Have Caffeine: Lorelai can't function before her morning coffee, and drinks unhealthy amounts of it during the day.
 * Only Sane Woman: She is the most level-headed between her, Sookie, and Michel.
 * She's also by far the most normal person in Stars Hollow, which admittedly isn't saying much.
 * Parental Substitute: For Lane
 * Rebellious Princess: Lorelai became pregnant with Rory at sixteen but chose not to marry the father, Christopher Hayden. Instead, she left her privileged world and moved to Stars Hollow where she became employed at the Independence Inn. There Lorelai progressed from maid to executive manager.
 * Self Made Woman: Even though she comes from money she ran away from home as an unwed mother, got her first job basically because the inn's owner took pity on her, lived in a tool shed and less than twenty years later owned her own house was part owner of her own inn.
 * Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Played with. She gets drawn back to Christopher each time because she thinks he gets his act together.
 * Teen Pregnancy: Got pregnant at 16 with Rory.
 * Will They or Won't They?: With Luke.

Lorelai "Rory" Leigh Gilmore

 * Beware the Nice Ones: She has a very long fuse but you don't want to be around on the rare occasions she goes off.
 * Big Eater: The two of them can put it away.
 * Bookworm: She's never without a book (until she drops out of Yale) and her relationship with Jess stems from a mutual passion for reading.
 * Brainy Brunette
 * Deadpan Snarker: Although more subtle than her mother or Luke.
 * Heroic BSOD: Being told "You don't got it." causes Rory to give up her dreams and drop out of school.
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: With both Lorelai and Paris.
 * Hollywood Nerd: For a supposed "nerd", Rory's stunning.
 * Left Hanging: Remember during the season 6 finale where Rory begged for a job at her internship? Yeah, it's forgotten during the first episode of the seventh season.
 * Les Yay: With Paris
 * Motor Mouth: Even faster than her mother.
 * Must Have Caffeine: Rory's need for caffeine isn't as extreme as her mother's, but it's there all the same.
 * Fun fact: Rory's actress didn't like coffee, so in any scene in which Rory drinks it, she's actually drinking coca cola.
 * Princess Phase: Rory doesn't want her grandmother to make her into a princess as she thinks of it being something for small children.
 * Replacement Goldfish: A sore point throughout the series is Emily trying to bring Rory up to be the daughter that Lorelai never turned out to be. This comes to a head when Rory is living with her grandparents and Emily refers to Richard as Rory's father.
 * Blue Oni: To Paris
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: Type 2 with Paris

Emily Gilmore

 * Aesop Amnesia: Emily just never learns that she has a tendency to drive away Lorelai and even Rory at times by seeking to control everything.
 * Evil Matriarch: She has her moments.
 * Grandma, What Massive Hotness You Have!: Oddly, in the first few episodes, Emily's wardrobe and makeup were very drab and made her look a lot older.
 * Lawful Stupid: Though it's more a case of Emily only seeing things in black and white.
 * Manipulative Bitch: With Lorelai, Rory, Richard, and various members of her staff.
 * Grandparental Obliviousness: Emily doesn't seem to understand that Rory is her own person, and constantly pushes her own ideals onto them; unlike her mother, Rory doesn't push back so much.
 * Rich Bitch: Rich, check. Bitch, check.
 * Tiny Girl: With 6' 5" Edward Herrmann.

Richard Gilmore

 * Badass Grandpa: Confronting Mitchum Huntzberger and giving him a Shut UP, Hannibal.
 * Cool Old Guy: Specially towards Rory.
 * Deadpan Snarker: Mostly to Emily, who almost never notices.
 * Fake Guest Star: Each season opening lists Edward Herrmann as making a Special Appearance.
 * Huge Guy: With 5' 6" Kelly Bishop.
 * Manipulative Bastard: While no-where near as bad as Emily, Richard does have his moments, especially when he tries to coax Rory into going to Yale.
 * Momma's Boy: Will even ignore his wife for his mother's needs.
 * Morality Pet: Rory.
 * Grandparental Obliviousness: Not as bad as Emily, however.
 * The Patriarch: Very much the head of the Gilmore family.

Lorelai "Trix" Gilmore

 * Evil Matriarch: Worse than Emily.
 * Iron Lady: Trix fits this trope almost perfectly.
 * Kissing Cousins: Her maiden name was Gilmore...
 * Manipulative Bitch: Far worse than Emily.
 * Meddling Parents:
 * Not So Different: She and Emily are not too different after all, but Trix turns out to be a lot more manipulative than Emily could ever hope to be.
 * Obnoxious In-Laws: Trix is this to poor Emily.
 * Pet the Dog: For all of her faults, Trix had a genuinely loving relationship with her son and contributed a lot to charities.
 * Rich Bitch: Very rich, and more of a bitch than Emily.
 * You Look Familiar: Marion Ross would go on to play Richard's cousin Marilyn after
 * You Look Familiar: Marion Ross would go on to play Richard's cousin Marilyn after

Luke Danes

 * Big Brother Instinct: Luke will never pass up an opportunity to help the people he cares about. Jess occasionally will poke fun at him for it.
 * Book Dumb
 * Carpet of Virility
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Embarrassing Nickname: "Butch" Danes
 * Grumpy Bear
 * Only Sane Man
 * Parental Substitute: For Rory and Jess
 * Papa Wolf
 * Perma-Stubble
 * Tall, Dark and Handsome
 * Will They or Won't They?: With Lorelai
 * Tall, Dark and Handsome
 * Will They or Won't They?: With Lorelai

Kirk Gleason

 * Cloudcuckoolander: Even in an entire town of these he stands out.
 * The Fool
 * Have I Mentioned I Am Heterosexual Today?
 * Momma's Boy
 * Promotion to Opening Titles
 * Why Do You Keep Changing Jobs??
 * It was eventually revealed he isn't changing jobs as often as you'd think, and is maintaining several of them. As a result he has more money in the bank than anyone else in town.
 * You Look Familiar: Sean Gunn had minor roles in early episodes before he was established as Kirk.

Sookie St. James

 * Beta Couple: With Jackson
 * But I Can't Be Pregnant
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer
 * Cute Clumsy Girl: Part of some early awkward characterization. The perfectionist side of her gets more developed in the later seasons.
 * Girlish Pigtails
 * Happily Married
 * Shipper on Deck
 * Supreme Chef: At least when she's not being clumsy.
 * They Do
 * What Could Have Been: Sookie was played by Alex Borstein in the unaired pilot, but she couldn't dedicate her time to the series proper because of her commitments to Mad TV.

Jackson Belleville

 * Beta Couple
 * The Danza
 * Happily Married
 * Nice Guy
 * They Do

Michel Gerard

 * Ambiguously Gay / Camp Straight
 * Butt Monkey: Frequently to Lorelai, Rory, and Sookie.
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Effeminate Misogynistic Guy: A possible interpretation.
 * French Jerk
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold
 * Momma's Boy
 * Morality Pet: Davey, and later his two chow dogs.
 * National Stereotypes
 * Real Men Wear Pink
 * Ted Baxter
 * Token Minority: Twofer Token Minority if he is indeed gay.
 * Well, he would be a Twofer either way, seeing as how he is Black and French.
 * Several characters, Drella in particular in season 1, bring up the whole Cheese Eating Surrender Monkey thing.
 * Urban Legend Love Life
 * With Friends Like These...

Lane Kim

 * Beta Couple: With Zach
 * But I Can't Be Pregnant
 * Can't Get Away with Nuthin'
 * Cultural Rebel
 * Dawson Casting: Keiko Agena was 27 at the start of the series playing 16-year old Lane, but hit the role perfectly.
 * Fake Nationality: Japanese-American Keiko Agena playing Korean-American Lane Kim.
 * Genki Girl
 * My Beloved Smother: Has one.
 * Nerd Glasses
 * The Power of Rock
 * Producer Avatar: Lane was inspired by Helen Pai, creator Amy Sherman-Palladino's best friend and show producer.
 * Significant Anagram: Lane's band Hep Alien is an anagram of Helen Pai.
 * The Chick: She's the glue that helps keep Hep Alien together.
 * They Do
 * Token Minority

Mrs. Kim

 * Asian Store Owner
 * Defrosting Ice Queen
 * Education Mama
 * The Fundamentalist
 * Fake Nationality: Again, Japanese-American Emily Kuroda playing Korean Mrs. Kim. Another pitch-perfect performance.
 * Generation Xerox: A heartwarming example; Mrs. Kim hides her Christian lifestyle from her traditional Buddhist mother.
 * The Ghost: Her husband, Mr. Kim.
 * Hidden Depths
 * My Beloved Smother
 * Team Mom: Evolves into this for Lane's band.

Dean Forrester

 * Betty: To Jess's Veronica.
 * Nice Guy: Initially.
 * Chuck Cunningham Syndrome
 * Crazy Jealous Guy: He gets angry towards Rory when she declines to spend time with him in favor of school or town activities and therefore in the vicinity of Tristan, Jess or Logan.
 * He also dumped her after she blanked on saying "I Love You" back after gifting her with a car and telling her he loved her. Rory eventually did say it several episodes later.
 * Mr. Fanservice
 * Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: 6'4" Jared Padelecki and 5'7" Alexis Bledel definitely qualify.
 * Romantic Runner-Up
 * Tall, Dark and Handsome
 * Your Cheating Heart: He gets married to Lindsay in season 4 but convinces Rory to rekindle their relationship, leading them to have an affair.

Zach van Gerbig

 * Chick Magnet
 * The Slacker
 * Manly Man: To Brian's Sensitive Guy
 * Surfer Dude

Brian Fuller

 * Sensitive Guy: To Zach's Manly Man
 * Ship Tease: With Kyon
 * The Smart Guy

Taylor Doose

 * Authority in Name Only -- He's the town selectman and for the most part, he's seldom taken seriously.
 * Control Freak -- Hooboy, is he a stickler for the rules.
 * Jerkass
 * Obstructive Bureaucrat
 * Pet the Dog -- Taylor realizes just how unpopular he is when Jackson decides to run against him as town selectman. Jackson can't handle the insane amount of pressure and realizes just why Taylor is perfect for the job.

Babette Dell

 * Cloudcuckoolander -- A serious example even among eccentric neighbors.
 * Gossipy Hens
 * Tall Guy Plump Girl
 * No Indoor Voice
 * Hey, It's That Guy! -- Gloria Bunker remarried a jazz musician and moved to a tiny town in Connecticut.
 * Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl

Patricia "Miss Patty" Lacosta

 * Dirty Old Woman
 * Gossipy Hens
 * I Was Quite a Looker

Paris Eustace Gellar

 * Badass Princess: Paris is born to wealthy parents but she fights to earn everything she gets.
 * Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Doyle
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Defrosting Ice Queen
 * Heel Face Revolving Door: Rory and Paris usually find a way to work things out, though.
 * Hollywood Homely: She looks downright plain and frumpy when standing next to Rory. Then again, this might have to do with her abrasive and antisocial behavior.
 * Hollywood Nerd
 * Les Yay: With Rory
 * Jerkass: In Season 1, defaulting to Jerk with a Heart of Gold in later seasons
 * May-December Romance: With college professor Asher Fleming. She seems to have a thing for older men as well, including Richard. Both squick out Rory.
 * Parental Abandonment: Technically she still has her parents but not only do we never see them neither does she (we do see Paris's mother once played by the mom of Kelly from Beverly Hills, 90210, but she's on for less than a minute to lecture her about her acne regimen). They're rarely even in the same country as her and she was functionally raised by her nanny. Later they forget to pay their taxes, leave the country to avoid charges and leave her penniless.
 * Promotion to Opening Titles
 * Red Oni: With Rory
 * Unknown Rival: Again, with Rory.
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: Despite trading snark with each other, Rory and Paris have become close friends and will stick up for each other. Paris, in a way, becomes Rory's closest confidante during the periods of time when Rory's relationships with her family became strained.

Doyle Mcmaster

 * Belligerent Sexual Tension
 * Beta Couple
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Hey, It's That Guy!: Jonathan Levinson became the editor for the Yale Daily News.
 * Lovable Nerd: Who else but Danny Strong?
 * The Smart Guy

Logan Huntzberger

 * Brilliant but Lazy
 * The Charmer
 * Handsome Devil: His first few appearances
 * Handsome Lech
 * Jerkass, later becoming a Jerk with a Heart of Gold
 * Ladykiller in Love
 * Screw the Rules, I Have Money
 * Spoiled Brat
 * Third Option Love Interest
 * Troubled but Cute
 * Upper Class Wit
 * "Well Done, Son" Guy

Marty

 * The Bus Came Back: Just in time for Rory to reject him again in the last season.
 * Derailing Love Interests
 * Dogged Nice Guy
 * Just Friends. He might have even used the phrase itself during his confession.
 * Meet Cute
 * Naked First Impression

Tanna Schrick

 * Cloudcuckoolander
 * Fish Out of Water: She's even more socially awkward than Rory.
 * Hey, It's That Voice!: It's Ty Lee!
 * The Quiet One
 * Princess Curls
 * Teen Genius

Christopher Hayden

 * Bumbling Dad
 * Disappeared Dad: For the most part
 * Glorified Sperm Donor
 * Romantic False Lead
 * "Well Done, Son" Guy
 * Veronica

Jess Mariano

 * Black Sheep
 * Bookworm: Rory's massive book collection prompts him to steal and annotate her copy of Ginsburg's "Howl" so that he can attempt to actually talk to her. Their mutual love of reading forms the basis of their relationship.
 * Brilliant but Lazy
 * The Bus Came Back
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Mr. Fanservice: Well it is Milo Ventimiglia... Hell he even provides the trope's image.
 * Hands-Off Parenting / Parental Abandonment: His mother is the former and his father is the latter.
 * Jerkass / Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Starts out as a Jerkass but becomes the Jerk with a Heart of Gold in his last appearances.
 * Self-Made Man: Season 6 reveals that he's published a short book and is very involved with the local independent arts scene.
 * Tall, Dark and Snarky
 * Troubled but Cute
 * Veronica: To Dean's Betty.

Jason Stiles

 * Derailing Love Interests
 * Embarrassing Nickname: "Digger" Stiles. A lot of the characters call him that simply to annoy him.
 * Hilariously Abusive Childhood: Most of the time his childhood is brought up, it's for laughs.
 * Put on a Bus
 * Third Option Love Interest
 * "Well Done, Son" Guy
 * What Happened to the Mouse?: Nothing ever comes from the storyline dealing with Jason suing Richard.