'Gilmore Girls': Maybe now stupid Cupid will leave these girls alone

There was no love lost on Tuesday's episode of "Gilmore Girls," which culminated in the moment die-hard fans of the show have been waiting for since the fall -- the moment Lorelai would finally give Christopher the boot.

Still, in what should have been at least a bittersweet ending between Lorelai and Rory's come-and-go father, there was only relief. Not because she could go comfortably back to longtime love and fan favorite Luke, but because now there might be redemption for her character, who used to be defined by her quippy intelligence but lately has become a dull vehicle for romantic angst.

The show's truly fatal flaw -- one which extends well into last season when creator Amy Sherman-Palladino was still at the helm -- is that Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory (Alexis Bledel) have become functions of their romances and little else. And worse, the men in their lives are not worthy of the Gilmores' attention.

Christopher (David Sutcliffe) was doomed from the beginning. His marriage to Lorelai couldn't last, considering that the writers never let him develop into anything more than the anti-Luke.

Luke (Scott Patterson) wears plaid and hangs with the quirky locals. Christopher hails from a J. Crew catalog and counted Lorelai as his one friend in town. Luke has a small TV in his apartment. Christopher outfitted Lorelai's house with an HD. Luke stalled in planning his nuptials with Lorelai. Christopher pushed her to elope in Paris.

Instead of a person unto himself, Christopher was only a perfect foil to the guy the series has built up as Lorelai's love interest since season one.

It also makes no sense for Rory, once earnestly ambitious, to be smitten with Logan, a trust-fund baby whose defining characteristic is his wealth. He's barely a shadow of Dean or Jess, flawed boyfriends with less sheen and more substance.

There are small signs the show could be shifting away from painting the Gilmore Girls as lovesick know-nothings. Rory's got eyes for a teaching assistant more her speed -- a sign that Logan might also hit the road? And Lorelai is single once more.