‘Gilmore Girls’: 3 Totally Obscure Stars Hollow Mysteries

Gilmore Girls is something of a phenomenon. The series, considered a moderate success during its original run, has more staying power than most other shows. Fans rewatch the series repeatedly, largely thanks to the cozy vibes of Stars Hollow, the Connecticut hamlet where Lorelai and Rory Gilmore live. Despite its comfy atmosphere, Stars Hollow does have some secrets. In fact, several mysteries involve the tiny hamlet. We’ve collected three obscure Stars Hollow mysteries that we still haven’t solved, despite numerous rewatches 

Who ran Weston’s Bakery following Fran’s death? 

In season 3 of Gilmore Girls, Fran Weston died. The elderly Stars Hollow resident didn’t just own Weston’s Bakery. She also owned the property that Lorelai and Sookie St. James later turned into the Dragonfly Inn. Despite Fran’s death, Weston’s Bakery continued to operate.

 Sure, that might not seem strange. It would be easy to assume that a relative of Fran’s came in and took over the established bakery, but Fran didn’t have any relatives. Fran once explained to Lorelai and Sookie St. James that she was the last of the Weston family. In theory, the bakery should have been shuttered when Fran died. It surely would have been mentioned if someone new had purchased the bakery from her estate. 

Who gave Max and Lorelai the ice cream maker? 

In season 2 of Gilmore Girls, Lorelai called off her wedding to Max Medina. The end of the relationship was shocking, but what happened in the aftermath gave rise to one of the biggest Stars Hollow mysteries ever. After her engagement ended, a gift arrived at Lorelai’s door with no gift tag or sender information. 

Lorelai’s goal was to return the ice cream maker to its rightful owner since the wedding was not happening. Despite spending an entire episode trying to figure out who sent the ice cream maker, she never found the giftgiver. It was never mentioned again. We want to know who gave Lorelai Gilmore and Max Medina a luxury ice cream maker as a wedding gift. Over the years, some fans have suggested Lorelai and Richard Gilmore gifted the couple the kitchen equipment. Surely, Emily would have expected it returned had it been her, though.

How could Rory Gilmore possibly not know who Jess Mariano’s girlfriend was? 

In season 3, Rory Gilmore absolutely lost it when her side piece, Jess Mariano, showed up in Stars Hollow with his own love interest. Rory instantly hated Shane, but something was strange about every interaction, however brief, the two girls had. Neither Shane nor Rory seemed to know each other. 

Presumably, Shane was the same age as Rory and Jess. If that’s the case, Shane was in the same high school class as Rory until she transferred to Chilton. Considering the size of Stars Hollow, the class sizes at Stars Hollow High School could not have been so large that Rory and Shane wouldn’t know each other, even if only in passing. Did Shane also go to a different school or did she move to the Connecticut town suddenly? It’s a Stars Hollow mystery that will never be solved.