Vanessa Marano is famous for her role on Gilmore Girls as April Nardini, and it’s hard for many fans to hear that name without thinking about all the reasons why they dislike this character. Luke’s daughter may have been smart and she may have won Luke’s heart right away, but viewers weren’t sure about her.
Luke grew up and learned to love Lorelai properly, and he also found out that he could be an amazing and caring parent. Despite all of the gains that Luke made with April, it’s safe to say that fans didn’t embrace her. Although April deserved a lot of the negative words thrown her way, there were some moments when she was likable.
10 Hated: When She Was Too Pretentious
The main reason why fans never loved April is that she seemed super pretentious at times.
It’s true that she was a highly intelligent person (and very wise and mature for her age), but no matter what, she often thought she was better than the people she was speaking to. Fans of Gilmore Girls were used to Rory, who was just as smart, but she wasn’t as conceited about it.
9 Not That Bad: When She Wanted To Meet Her Dad
April first appeared in the season six episode “The Prodigal Daughter Returns.” She came right to Luke’s Diner, one of the main Gilmore Girls locations, and, of course, he was shocked that a kid was there on her own. He was even more surprised when he learned that he was her father.
April wasn’t that bad here, as it made perfect sense that she wanted to meet her father and get to know him. Anyone would have questions about the parent that they never knew.
8 Hated: When Luke Wouldn’t Commit To Lorelai Because Of April
While Lorelai could have dated some other characters, many fans felt that her one true love was Luke Danes. Many friendships grow into romantic partnerships and that is exactly what happened here. Lorelai could have picked Christopher but in the end, it was always Luke.
Luke wouldn’t commit to Lorelai because April became a big part of his life, and it was upsetting to see him become so stubborn about this. Fans didn’t appreciate April for this reason, as if she had never appeared, it seems like Luke and Lorelai would have gotten married much earlier and not experienced so much suffering.
7 Not That Bad: When She Worried About The Future
The Netflix revival brought up some big questions. Fans did get a chance to catch up with April, as she had dinner at Lorelai’s house.
April talked to Rory in her bedroom and said that she was worried about what so many other twentysomethings think about: the future. This was sweet and easy to relate to and something that worked in April’s favor. Even viewers who were never on board with her character had to admit that it was nice that she was so open with Rory, a character she had never totally gotten along with.
6 Hated: When She Was Socially Awkward
April was always socially awkward and it didn’t seem like she knew how to talk to people or even relate to them. This was one reason why fans hated her, as it was difficult to watch her interact with other characters.
There were enough awkward characters in Stars Hollow, from Taylor to Kirk and even April’s dad Luke, so it didn’t seem necessary for this to be part of April’s character, too.
5 Not That Bad: When She Loosened Up
In the same revival scene, April showed a new side of herself: she had piercings and smoked pot. Her dad couldn’t believe it and that made for some hilarious dialogue.
When April showed that she was more chill and that she was trying to be more open-minded and less judgemental of others (sort of, anyway) Gilmore Girls fans felt a bit warmer toward her. She had been so rigid and formal for so long and this was such a big change.
4 Hated: When April And Rory Didn’t Have A Relationship
Fans made some memes poking fun at Rory’s faults and it’s true that she wasn’t always the best character.
But it didn’t make sense that Rory would want nothing to do with April, as she was closest in age to her. Lorelai wanted to be part of April’s world and Luke made sure that didn’t happen, but it would have been nice if Rory had been a little more adamant about wanting to get to know April. Since April and Rory had no relationship, this was yet another strike against having April on the show.
3 Not That Bad: When She Was A Science Nerd Who Found Her Passion
The Gilmore Girls characters all had dreams and April was always going to do something amazing and science-related. As soon as she was introduced on the show, she was working on a project for her school science fair, and that’s how she knew that Luke was her dad.
It was awesome that April found her passion and that she knew so much about the world of science. Even fans who didn’t think she needed to be on the series can admit that it’s inspiring when a young kid is comfortable being nerdy and embracing their love of learning.
2 Hated: When She Was Too Competitive
When talking about the science fair, April brought up a classmate, Samuel, who she wanted to win. But it sounded like she mostly wanted to win so he would lose. She explained “Now, it’s very important that I beat him this year because I hate him.”
If another character said this, it might have been funny. Coming out of April’s mouth, it just sounded harsh. She was definitely too competitive and this was just one problem with her character.
1 Not That Bad: When Her Mom Wanted To Move Her Away From Luke
It was tough when April almost moved far away and this is one reason why April Nardini wasn’t as bad as some fans think.
The idea that April would barely be able to see her dad made her a much more loveable and sympathetic character. It was one example of how sometimes life just happens and as a child, she had no real say in the matter, although of course she wanted to stay close to her dad.
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