Lizzie-Gordo Relationship

Lizzie-Gordo Relationship refers to the relationship (and friendship!) that exists between Lizzie McGuire and David Gordon. Though Lizzie kissed Gordo in their class picture in response to what he wrote in her yearbook in the final episode of the series, their first official kiss as a couple occurred in The Lizzie McGuire Movie.

“Bye Bye, Hillridge Junior High”

In the series finale, Lizzie and Gordo prepare to graduate junior high. Despite some stress over starting high school, Lizzie looks forward to writing and receiving yearbook messages from her classmates. Gordo warns her that most people will probably just write “You rock, don’t ever change.” without really giving it much thought. 

Meanwhile, Gordo decides that he wants to write something special in Lizzie’s yearbook to communicate his feelings to her. But he hangs onto her yearbook for a while as he struggles with what to say. 

When Lizzie signs Larry Tudgeman’s yearbook, she remarks to Gordo about how Larry was the only boy who ever truly liked her in junior high. Knowing this wasn’t the case, Gordo silently reflects back on the opportunities he had missed to tell Lizzie how he feels. As Lizzie goes to sign another student’s yearbook, Gordo bangs his head on the nearby stair rail in frustration with himself.

Later on, Lizzie talks to Gordo about how scary it feels to be leaving junior high and starting high school. Gordo reassures her that they will get through it together and that no matter what happens, he will always be there for her.

The next day, Lizzie asks Gordo if he’s finally done with her yearbook, and Gordo says he’s still not ready for her to read it. He then gets called over to sign someone else’s yearbook, and he tells Lizzie not to look at what he has written so far. But Lizzie decides to sneak a peek at his message anyway, which reads:

“You rock, don’t ever change…and only, I really meant it.”

Touched by the simple sweetness of his message, Lizzie reminisces over the good times that she and Gordo had together throughout middle school. As they join the rest of the 8th graders in assembling for their final class photo, Lizzie kisses Gordo on the cheek right as the camera flashes.

The Lizzie McGuire Movie

Lizzie and Gordo graduate from Hillridge Junior High and embark on a class trip to Rome along with Ethan Craft, Kate Sanders, and their future high school principal, Ms. Ungermeyer.

Lizzie and Gordo sit together on the long plane ride to Italy, goofing around and telling jokes until they eventually fall asleep. As the sun rises, Gordo awakens and smiles to himself when he finds Lizzie sleeping peacefully on his shoulder.

After they arrive in Rome and their group has checked into the Hotel Cambini, Gordo takes Lizzie up to the rooftop of the hotel to show her the magnificent view of the city. While on the rooftop, Lizzie asks Gordo to promise her that they will find adventure together in Rome. He agrees, and they make each other a deal.

The next day, while their tour group has stopped in front of the famous Trevi Fountain, Lizzie tells Gordo to make a wish. Gordo observes that he’s in Rome with his best friend — he’s good. So he tells Lizzie to make one instead. After Lizzie tosses a coin into the fountain, she briefly meets Paolo Valisari, an Italian pop-star who has mistaken her for his estranged singing partner, Isabella.

Back at the hotel, Lizzie has obtained one of Paolo and Isabella’s CDs and has Gordo take a listen with her in her headphones. Distracted by her scent, Gordo briefly asks Lizzie if she uses scented soap but tries to play it off. Lizzie tells Gordo that Paolo wants to meet her at the Trevi fountain the next day. Gordo encourages her to do it and reminds her of their pact to find adventure. Lizzie expresses guilt that it would mean sneaking away from the group and leaving him behind, but Gordo says she can have dibs on the first adventure and that he would cover for her. He then suggests a ruse that Lizzie fake sick in order to sneak out of the hotel.

Lizzie sneaks out to meet with Paolo for the first time, and he takes her on a vespa ride around the city. As they pull on to a tiny side street, Lizzie notices her school tour bus pulling up behind them. Immediately spotting Lizzie on the back of Paolo’s vespa, Gordo works swiftly to distract Ms. Ungermeyer from also noticing her.

That evening, Lizzie goes to Gordo’s room to tell him about her plan to pose as Paolo’s singing partner Isabella to present an award with him on stage at the Italian Music Video Awards (IMVAs). She tells Gordo that Paolo still loves Isabella, but like a sister. She gushes to Gordo about how kind Paolo is and that she feels like she’s known him her entire life, the irony of which is not lost on Gordo. After thanking him for helping make possible the most magical day of her life, she kisses Gordo on the forehead and tells him that he’s such a good friend.

Gordo’s hotel roommate, Ethan, overhears this conversation and informs Gordo that Lizzie has just given him “the sting”. Gordo denies having any clue what Ethan is talking about, and in a rare moment of observation, Ethan suggests that Gordo might be jealous of the attention Lizzie is giving Paolo. Despite Ethan’s accurate assessment of the situation, Gordo denies this and insists that he doesn’t like Lizzie as more than a friend.

The next day, while the school tour group is stopped in front of an ancient ruin, Gordo spots Lizzie on the cover of an Italian tabloid being read by two Italian girls nearby. He gets the girls to translate the article for him in exchange for introducing them to Ethan. He again covers for Lizzie by preventing Kate from spotting Lizzie through her camera while the group is stopped at a plaza. Gordo seems noticeably sad to be spending another day in Rome without Lizzie.

That afternoon, Gordo visits Lizzie and Kate’s room to show the tabloid article to Lizzie because it says she will be singing on stage at the IMVAs and not just presenting. Questioning why Paolo hadn’t mentioned this to her, Gordo expresses concern over Paolo’s trustworthiness. Lizzie, however, is excited by the tabloid coverage and dismisses his questions as overreacting. Gordo becomes frustrated, and tells her to forget it and that she can believe a stranger (Paolo) instead if she wants. Moments later, Gordo watches in disappointment from his hotel room window as Lizzie again sneaks off with Paolo.

That evening, as Lizzie and Paolo watch fireworks hand-in-hand somewhere across the city, Gordo watches the same fireworks alone from the hotel rooftop.

The following afternoon, Gordo spots Lizzie sneaking out of the hotel again, just as he and the rest of the group are returning. When Ms. Ungermeyer mentions taking some apricots upstairs to Lizzie, Gordo quickly intercepts her in attempt to distract her from going upstairs. He makes a few excuses that she doesn’t fall for before finally confessing to Ms. Ungermeyer that he was the one who had been sneaking out of the hotel, not Lizzie. Ms. Ungermeyer tells him to pack his bags to go home because he is being kicked off the trip.

When Lizzie returns to the hotel that night after an evening of dancing with Paolo, Kate informs her that Gordo covered for her with Ms. Ungermeyer and got himself sent home. Horrified, Lizzie scrambles to find out from the concierge whether Gordo’s plane has already left. Giorgio tells Lizzie that Gordo’s plane is gone. Lizzie cries over Gordo.

Meanwhile at the airport, Gordo spots Isabella returning from her trip to the islands as she demands to know who is impersonating her. Apprehended by security guards, Gordo attempts to speak to her and tells her that it’s his best friend, Lizzie. Isabella demands more information about Lizzie, and Gordo demands more information about Paolo in return. After Gordo explains that Lizzie is doing all of this so that Isabella won’t get sued, she agrees to speak with him in private.

The next morning, Lizzie still feels awful that Gordo sacrificed his trip for her and she decides to turn herself in to Ms. Ungermeyer. But Kate stops her and reminds her that if she turns herself in, then all of Gordo’s efforts to protect her would have been in vain. Still feeling sad, Lizzie resolves to stay the course.

That evening and to Lizzie’s shock, she runs into Gordo backstage at the IMVAs, where he warns her that Paolo is trying to set her up and is just using her to blackmail Isabella. Lizzie meets Isabella and tells them that Paolo would never hurt her and that she doesn’t believe them. Isabella asks Lizzie whether she’s going to believe Paolo over Gordo. She then convinces Lizzie that the only way to get back at Paolo is to force him to reveal his own terrible singing voice. With Gordo’s help, Isabella and Lizzie successfully shame Paolo on stage and Lizzie goes on to perform a duet with Isabella.

Back at the hotel after the show, Lizzie asks Gordo for one last sneak-away to the rooftop. Once there, Lizzie talks about how her life won’t be the same once they get home. Gordo says that she didn’t have to come for Rome for all of this to happen and that she had it [confidence] in her the whole time. After a beat, Lizzie kisses Gordo, to which he replies “Thanks”. Lizzie and Gordo head back inside to rejoin the rest of the party as fireworks shoot off in the distance.

This scene canonically marks the last time we see Lizzie and Gordo until 17 years later when the revival series begins.

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