Christopher Hayden

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Christopher prepares to escort Rory at the Daughters of the American Revolution Debutante Ball.

Christopher Hayden is a fictional character on the television series Gilmore Girls, played by David Sutcliffe.

[edit] Background

Christopher Hayden is the son of Straub (Peter Michael Goetz) and Francine Hayden (Cristine Rose). He is the the recently-separated husband of Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) and is the father of Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel). He was a periodic love interest of Lorelai's before they were married. Not much is known about his childhood and teen years, other than he was a childhood friend of Lorelai and later he was Lorelai's first real boyfriend, and that he was kicked out of several elite private schools. Like Lorelai, Chris disliked how his parents tried to control every aspect of his life and future. Having a similar sense of humor, Christopher joked that when he graduated, he was going to skip college for a year and take Lorelai backpacking across Europe. When Christopher and Lorelai were sixteen and Lorelai had just given birth to Rory, Christopher proposed as Lorelai's and Christopher's parents had agreed. However, Lorelai did not accept his proposal, saying they were too young, and went on to raise their daughter Rory alone. Christopher ended up not going to college, and his parents were very upset about this and blamed Lorelai for ruining their son's future (although Chris himself claims that even if he had gone to Princeton, his father's school and the family school of tradition, he would not have graduated anyway). How involved he was in Rory's early life is not clear, but when he makes his first appearance in the series, Rory recognizes him instantly and is very glad to see him, so it can only be assumed that he was around enough for Rory to develop a liking for him. We do know that she saw him at Lorelai's parent's Christmas parties every year. In flashbacks, the young Christopher is played by Philip Van Dyke.

Lorelai had always kept "the door to Rory" open for Christopher, but he had a track record for not taking advantage of it, due to his many failed business ventures and multiple relocations. Despite his lack of stability, Emily (Kelly Bishop) and Richard Gilmore (Edward Herrmann), Lorelai's parents, have come to like Christopher and repeatedly pushed Lorelai to pursue a relationship with him so their family can finally be together. As Emily put it, "When you get pregnant, you get married. A child needs a mother and a father." Over the seasons he has proven to actually be working at becoming more dependable, by demonstrating his ability to settle down, keep a job and have a family, as well as making it clear that he genuinely feels bad about having not been a better father to Rory (and has gotten to know her better in more recent seasons).

[edit] Christopher Throughout the Seasons

[edit] Season 1

Christopher first comes back in Season One, saying that he is ready to play a more active role in Rory's life. Rory is overjoyed to have him stay with them for a few days. He comes back with news that he has broken up with his girlfriend and has finally established a successful business. Lorelai lacks faith in him, but her father is very proud of him. Christopher tries to buy Rory an expensive book after bonding with her, but his credit card is declined. Lorelai finds out about this and inquires how his business is actually doing and he admits that it is not doing as well as he led them to believe. Christopher's parents are invited to have dinner with him, Rory, Lorelai, Richard and Emily, but it is quite clear that Christopher's father Straub feels nothing but contempt for Lorelai and Rory, and the dinner ends with Richard angrily throwing Straub and Francine out after they insult Lorelai. Lorelai and Chris remember their childhood hanging around her home, spying on people from the balcony where, according to Chris, they conceived Rory, and unexpectedly make love there again. The day after, Christopher proposes to Lorelai, and she rejects it, again, saying that they are not ready for it and that she doesn't know him anymore. He understands and reluctantly leaves. Lorelai later confides to Rory that even though she will always love Christopher, he is not ready to be a part of their family yet.

Lorelai: I've known you since I was six, Chris. You're the guy that crashed his Porsche two hours after his parents gave it to him for his 16th birthday.

Christopher: And you were the girl in the Pinky Tuscadero t-shirt sitting right next to me.

Lorelai: Horrified.

Christopher: Think again.

Lorelai: Alright, having a blast then horrified.

—Gilmore Girls, Season 1 Ep. 15, “Christopher Returns”

[edit] Season 2

During Season Two, Christopher reappears when he is invited to escort Rory at her coming out party, and brings her a copy of the book he tried to buy before as a gift. While in town, he proves that he is more capable of settling down than before, having gotten a steady job as a consultant for a computer company in Boston. Lorelai and Chris share some romantic moments dancing and talking. However, Lorelai is devastated and feels misled when Chris reveals he has to get home to his girlfriend, Sherry (Mädchen Amick). Christopher attempts to bond further with Rory by attending her debate at Chilton and brings Sherry. Sherry goes shopping with Rory, which upsets Lorelai; Emily is very angry at this, saying that it should be Lorelai with Christopher to finally complete their family. Christopher is upset when, during this visit, Lorelai tells him that she has unconsciously sabotaged her relationships with men because she was holding out for Christopher. He is angry and yells at her for blaming him for her relationship failures. Christopher comes back when Rory breaks her arm and is the support Lorelai needs. Lorelai sleeps with Christopher in the Season Two finale. Since Chris and Sherry have broken up, and Lorelai has broken up with Max, the two agree to try to be a couple. Their happiness is cut short when Christopher gets a call from Sherry, saying that she is pregnant. He feels that he cannot walk away from his new child like he walked away from Rory and has to be there for Sherry. Lorelai is crushed.

[edit] Season 3

During Season Three, Lorelai and Rory are mad at Christopher and estrange themselves from him. He comes back and demands Lorelai to not keep Rory from him, but Rory yells that it was her own decision to keep her father at a distance because she is so mad at him for crushing her mother and failing them both. His second daughter, Georgia, nicknamed GiGi, is born prematurely. Lorelai and Rory both end up coming to keep Sherry company, as it is Rory's half sister, when Christopher is late, despite Emily objecting on the grounds that Sherry "stole" Christopher away from Lorelai.

[edit] Season 5

In Season Five, Lorelai comes to the rescue when Christopher calls, needing help with his daughter, GiGi. He reveals that Sherry has left him for a job in France, so he must care for GiGi alone. When Rory finds out that Chris has contacted Lorelai, she tells him to stay away, saying that every time he comes back, he messes things up. Lorelai is in a happy relationship with Luke and she does not want Christopher messing that up for her. This later leads to a fight between the two when Lorelai, unaware of the argument, invites Christopher to a family get together at the Dragonfly Inn; angry with Rory's holier than thou cold shoulder treatment of him, Christopher spitefully tells his oldest daughter that he does not need her permission to talk to Lorelai if he wants to, given their history together. Following this, Christopher visits Rory at Yale one morning and she brushes him off, even though he says he wants to make things right and that his father is ill. Later that season, his father dies, and both Lorelai and Rory realize that he is lonely and that he needs contact with both of them. At Richard and Emily's vow renewal, after being manipulated by Emily before hand, a drunken Chris lashes out at Luke, saying that Lorelai belongs with him and not Luke. Lorelai and Luke split temporarily because of this.

[edit] Season 6

During Season Six, Christopher causes drama between Luke and Lorelai as Rory had feared. Luke did not know that she was still in contact with him and becomes very hostile. Christopher also discovers that he has inherited quite a sum from a deceased relative and puts up the Yale tuition for Rory as something of an apology for all his years of neglect. Lorelai and Christopher meet again when Lorelai offers to babysit his daughter GiGi, and Lorelai is horrified when she turns out to be disobedient and spoiled. She confronts Chris, who is defensive, but realizes and admits that his daughter is out of control and admits that he hadn't been properly disciplining her because he feels bad doing so in light of GiGi not having her mother. In a later episode, it is revealed that he was successful in putting his foot down and gotten GiGi under control. Chris goes with Lorelai to Lane's wedding, when Mrs. Kim demands that she bring a date when Luke is out of town. The two get very drunk and Lorelai makes an embarrassing speech. Chris sees her home and watches over her until she gets a phone call from Luke, which he respectfully takes as his cue to leave. In the dramatic Season Six finale, Lorelai and Luke's relationship hits some turbulence and in the last scene, a distraught Lorelai goes to Christopher for comfort and as a season-ending cliffhanger, is seen in bed with Christopher with a fearful look on her face.

[edit] Season 7

In Season Seven, Christopher is said to be a large part of the plot and the relationship between Luke and Lorelai. After Lorelai's honesty about her night with Christopher, Luke is infuriated and leaves, and later goes to Christopher's apartment, knocks on the door and hits him across the face as soon as it opens. A short while later, after failing to get her on the phone, Chris crosses paths with Lorelai after he has dinner with Rory and tells Lorelai that he still loves her and has never stopped loving her, and that he'll never really be able to love anyone but her, even going so far as to say he'll wait till he's 80 for her; Lorelai is then seen calling him late at night. Christopher and Lorelai begin dating, although Rory previously criticized her mother for turning to her father so soon after breaking her engagement with Luke. When Sherry sends a letter saying she has changed her ways and would like Gigi to visit her in France, Christopher tells Lorelai he plans to send Gigi to Paris with her nanny. Lorelai is alarmed that Christopher would not accompany his daughter, and they get into an argument, which is resolved when Christopher admits he should take Lorelai's advice and travel to Paris himself. He invites Lorelai to accompany him. In Paris they have a very romantic time and Christopher impulsively proposes to Lorelai. She happily accepts and they get married in Paris. When they come home they tell Rory about the elopement. Rory acts excited in front of Chris, but when he leaves the room tells Lorelai how upset she is. Chris gets upset that Lorelai does not include him in her everyday-life in Stars Hollow. Lorelai admits she is afraid her friends won't accept him. though after a so called "man-date" between Chris and Jackson, Christopher becomes one of the accepted people of the town. Though Christopher and Lorelai's relationship becomes strained again when Lorelai says she wants to have children, but not right now. One night on his way home, Chris gets into a fist fight with Luke, from which neither one emerges the victor. Chris has new problems with Lorelai because of the marriage, most likely because of the recommendation letter for Luke's custody case, and Richard's new health problems make a bigger problem because Chris is sulking from a fight with Lorelai - while Luke is helping Lorelai. In the end, Lorelai decides that he is not the man for her after all and in a tearful confession, she says " I wished was you. It would have been so much easier".Christopher hasn't appeared on the show since.