The following story contains spoilers about the “Spring” installment of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. Proceed at your own peril.
Tristan Dugray returns! But there’s a catch!
As you early birds now know, Rory and Paris’ dreamy Chilton classmate does in fact appear in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, but he’s not played by Chad Michael Murray.
Instead, up-and-comer Anton Narinskiy (pictured, right) — whose credits include guest stints on Jane the Virgin and The Mysteries of Laura, as well as Pitch Perfect 2 — took over the role.
I hear Murray declined an invitation to appear in the four-episode continuation, which led to the recast.
In Season 1, Tristan harbored a major crush on Rory at Chilton, but the two never dated (primarily because Rory was, at the time, head over heels in love with Dean). Paris, however, was very much into Tristan, but that, too, was a one-sided obsession. The character was last seen midway through Season 2, when Tristan was expelled from Chilton and sent off to military school.
In the “Spring” installment of A Year in the Life, Paris spots Tristan while visiting Chilton with Rory and is horrified when all of her old feelings come rushing back. It all leads to an epic meltdown in the bathroom, one that prompts Francie to hilariously crack, “Sorry, did I accidentally step into 2003?”
Bummed CMM didn’t reprise his old role? Or was Tristan’s presence so minor that it didn’t even matter? Weigh in below!
