Bon Voyage (Gilmore Girls)

"Bon Voyage" was first broadcast on May 15, 2007 in the United States on The CW. The episode was watched by 4.9 million viewers and scored a 2.9/9 Nielsen rating/share in the adults among the 18–34 demographic, making it the most watched episode since "Merry Fisticuffs", broadcast on December 12, 2006. In the 18-34 women demographic, it scored a rating of 4/11.[4] The episode ranked second in its time-slot behind American Idol.[5]

Former Star-Ledger editor Alan Sepinwall was satisfied with the series' conclusion: "In form, if not always in style (because nobody could write Amy Sherman-Palladino dialogue as well as Amy could), this is exactly what a Gilmore Girls series finale should have looked like."[6] The Los Angeles Times positively reviewed the installment: "Maybe, just maybe, this was the only way Gilmore Girls could have ended. And that's a good thing. [...] The show returned to feeling like one helluva coffee fix with friends: a sassy, low-key affair, high on caffeine and free of melodrama. Tuesday's finale was light on its feet and poignant in all the right spots." She called the kiss between Lorelai and Luke "a brief but super-charged moment, it was more than enough to satisfy" and disagreed with the disappointed cast members, saying: "the ending was all about new beginnings. Instead of closure, viewers were given reassuring glimpses into the future.[7] In The A.V. Club list of the 5 must-watch Gilmore Girls episodes, Myles McNutt included the series finale, saying Rosenthal designed "an episode that could function as a series finale if necessary." While admitting dialogues were of less quality during the final season, McNutt applauded Rosenthal for focusing on the mother-daughter relationship "which is the heart of this series, and which offer the strongest moments here."[8]

Giving the episode a 7/10 grade, Joel Keller of AOL TV wrote: "It was all very low-key and laid-back. It was as understated a finale as I've seen in many years -- probably because it was only semi-planned as a finale -- but in this case, I think it was appropriate. Funny, emotionally satisfying, and it leaves the viewer wanting to see what happens next in these people's lives. You really can't ask for more. Considering how hard I've been on the show all season, it's good to see it's going out on a high note."[9] PopMatters's Michael Abernethy gave the episode a 6-star rating out of 10, saying: "The 15 May series finale wisely left the door open for various futures. After seven seasons, The Gilmore Girls ended as the story came full circle, from a daughter’s return to a daughter’s departure." He continued: "While it’s true that the dialogue wasn’t quite so rapid-fire during the final season, the series retained familiar elements. Rory and Lorelai remained devoted to one another, and their relationships with men were still complicated. And many storylines were inherited from Sherman-Palladino.[10] In 2013, Brenden Gallagher of Complex listed the episode among the recent underwhelming TV series finales, calling it a "disappointment like the final season", and summarising, "From the ill-advised, awkwardly executed Christiane Amanpour cameo at the top of the episode, the series finale is a strange, unfulfilling exit from Star's Hollow."[11]

Kelly Bishop was displeased with the finale calling it "disrespectful" to fans. She explained: "There's so much written into that script, it almost seemed as if -- certainly with my character, certainly with Lorelai and Luke -- that we were ready to move on to the next story line. That we were ready to begin the next season in the very next moment... I see a series of dots after the last scene of the show, rather than a period, or better yet, an exclamation point." Edward Herrmann shared the same feeling: "You don't have the emotionally satisfying moments. After seven years, each of those storylines needs its own episode, almost." Liza Weil who portrayed Paris Geller said: "It's unfortunate that, I think, a lot of those fans are going to think there isn't closure."[12]