Gilmore Girls Debate: Which Boyfriend is Better?

Bells Gressley

SPOILER ALERT!

Alright, we all know the wonderful show that is Amy Sherman-Palladino’s Gilmore Girls and the effect it’s had on not only our generation but even the generations before our own, and while we all agree that it is an important and incredibly well done show, there is one question that we seem to all be divided on: who was the better boyfriend for Rory Gilmore? In my opinion (the correct one for the sake of this debate), it is the one and only Logan Huntzberger. 

Now, me and Emma’s debate goes back to the seventh grade, but my opinion still stands. I feel most of the fans are divided between choosing Jess or Logan as Rory’s best boyfriend— because let's face it, nobody’s giving Dean the top spot. While Jess is regarded as this boy with whom Rory shares a deep, unspoken connection and matches parts of her personality quite well, Logan provides her with a relationship filled with mutual trust and support while being able to match her intellectual level and provide balance in each other’s personality. He’s sweet, adventurous, confident, and charming. 

At the beginning of their relationship, Logan is a playboy, upfront about the fact that he dates around and is not interested in commitments, and Rory is fine with “no strings attached” while she recovers from her recent situation with Dean. But, when they both start to get jealous of each other while in this arrangement, Logan tells Rory that he is more than willing to be exclusive and be her boyfriend. I mean, who doesn’t love a good slow burn? The two of them had a great relationship; he made these grand romantic gestures for Rory as much as he could, he balanced her introverted personality well with his social, extroverted personality while also managing to help Rory come out of her shell, and he learned how to grow, mature, and adapt with her. While together, Logan treats her with respect and support, understanding her choices and her values. When his parents constantly berate and disapprove of Rory, Logan does not let it slide. He constantly has her back in those events, and when Logan loves somebody, he is determined to protect them. He’s there for her, and she’s there for him. 

Yes, he and Rory had some issues in their time together, that can’t be disputed— such as the whole incident with the misunderstanding “break up” and the bridesmaids— but that is not nearly as bad as some of the things that happened between Rory and Jess (what happens at Lane’s party in season 3, episode 19 for example). You can argue that Logan is immature, but all three of the main love interests were immature and childish at some point during their relationship with Rory. If we’re counting the spin-off Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life, Logan does cheat on his girlfriend, but Rory cheats on her boyfriend to be with him! 

Logan could have absolutely given Rory what she wanted in life if she had accepted his proposal, which I think should have happened if they were just going to sneak around together in the show’s spin-off later on anyway, but even though they weren’t exactly endgame, Logan was still the best boyfriend Rory Gilmore had on the show. 

Emma Wistner

SPOILER ALERT!

If you have ever seen or are familiar with Gilmore Girls, then you know that one of the protagonists, Rory, has had three major love interests throughout the seven/eight seasons. These love interests are Dean, Jess, and Logan. While Rory does not end up happily ever after with any of these men, there are major debates on which one of her boyfriends is the best. I am here to either enlighten you or confirm what you already know- Jess Mariano was the best Gilmore Girls boyfriend. 

Jess is a troublemaker and when you are first introduced to him, you assume he is bad news and certainly not good for Rory. However, the opposite occurs. Jess was exactly what Rory needed. After putting up with her loser boyfriend Dean for way too long, Jess comes along and finally gives Dean and Rory a reason to break up (again). Dean was very dismissive of Rory’s interests and dreams, he was jealous of her success and her drive. Jess, however, was very supportive of her. He looked up how far away Yale was and made plans to come visit her in college (which he does in a later season). He would talk with Rory about her favorite books and anyone could tell that that’s when Rory was at her happiest. Rory wanted someone whom she could talk to about her favorite things without feeling judged and instead have a fruitful conversation about, which is exactly what she got with Jess. Jess also mirrored Rory’s sense of humor which added to their compatibility. Jess knows Rory and feeling known is one of the most valuable things a person can experience. Jess knew exactly which snowman Rory and her mom built, he also destroyed the competing one so the two of them could win because he knew how much it meant to them. Jess also knew that she was really going through a rough time when she dropped out of Yale and he helped her to see how much she has changed. Jess honestly cared about Rory and while it was hard for him to admit at times, he made up for what he couldn’t say in words in acts of kindness he did for her. Whether it be dropping off food for Rory, annotating shared books so they can have a conversation through the book, or buying her basket at the auction, Jess always wanted Rory to know that he did care about her even if he didn’t always know how to express it through the thing they cherished most- words. 

Now, I’m not here to argue that Jess is the perfect man, he is far from it. He has done some bad things, however his growth throughout the seasons is very evident. He was a messed up kid who came from parents who were not suited to be parents and you can tell that he has a hard time dealing with relationships because of his background. He has grown as a person and isn’t that all we can hope to do? 

Jess Mariano was the best boyfriend for Rory. He was the person who listened to her nerdy rambles and participated in her nerdiness with her, he made her laugh, and he knew who she was and what she wanted and he was there to help in whatever way he could. Jess loved Rory and even when he was going through hardships academic and personal, he still tried his best to do what was right for Rory. Jess cared about Rory more than anyone yet he is the only one of her love interests who didn’t cheat on his spouse with Rory because even though he cares about Rory, he wouldn’t cheat, unlike Logan and Dean…