Ahh love is in the air, can you smell it?
When the day of love rolls around, everyone thinks about a Mr. Right- but who was Rory Gilmore’s Mr. Right? Was it Dean Forester, Rory’s high school sweetheart? What about Jess Mariano, the boy who challenged her intellectually and always brought an adventure to the table? Or was it Logan Huntzberger, the man who had it all, but gave it all up just to see Rory smile?
When it comes to first boyfriends, Dean deserves the title. From the very beginning, Dean had his eye on Rory- and I mean that quite literally. In the famous Pilot episode, Dean literally states, “I’ve been watching you-” and although he tries to cover it up by saying it wasn’t in a creepy way, I was still disturbed to know that he spent his after-school hours watching Rory’s every move.
Although Dean wins some brownie points for building Rory a car, he does find himself falling into the over-obsessive, stalker boy category in Season 2 Episode 18: “Back in the Saddle Again” when he calls Rory 14 times. In the same episode, Lorelai comes home to find Dean cleaning Rory’s car and attempts to sit him down and have a conversation about how persistent he has been. Still, though, her efforts don’t seem to work.
Sadly, it only gets worse. In season 4, Dean disappoints us again when we see just how poorly he treats his newlywed wife. And to think, that could have been Rory!
Now, onto love at first sight. Do you believe in it?
Well, whether you do or not, Rory and Jess sure did. From the moment those two glanced at each other, there were instant heart-eyes. Besides looks, Jess also managed to pull Rory in with his intellectual characteristics. They were able to share similar tastes in literature and music. Plus, Rory loved being entangled in his wild adventures. Yet, when push comes to shove, their relationship falls short. In fact, their spark seemed to be left in the past along with Rory and Dean’s relationship.
And let’s not forget that when Rory and Jess did pursue a serious relationship, most of their time was spent with strained conversations or lots of making out. Besides, everyone knows that with a serious relationship also comes a “meet the family” night. Yet, for Rory, it was like pulling teeth to get Jess to oblige to a Friday night dinner.
Now, I know that Jess brought a lot more to the table than Dean, but I think it is safe to say that Jess was just a phase. Everyone goes through a bad boy phase, right?
Some people may argue that Jess was the right person at the wrong time, but I am here to say that Logan was the right person at the right time. Throughout the show, Logan was always there when Rory needed him. From the moment Dean broke up with her, to the time Richard had a heart attack, Logan was there.
Speaking of Season 7 Episode 13: “I’d Rather Be in Philadelphia,” I can wholeheartedly say that it was Logan’s dedication shown throughout the episode that completely won me over (as if I wasn’t already).
Logan was a considerate, mature, fun, and intelligent boyfriend. He worked with Rory at the Yale Daily News and was often seen challenging her intellectually throughout the show. Logan also had a knack for getting involved in mischievous situations, often led by The Life and Death Brigade. His crazy and adventurous side can be seen getting him in trouble from time to time, but it also allowed and encouraged Rory to live on the wild side. This was nice to see, since throughout Gilmore Girls, Rory was constantly depicted as someone who lived by the rule book and barely made a mistake.
And let’s not forget that Logan was the only boyfriend to call her out on her b*llsh*t, as seen in Season 7 Episode 8: “Introducing Lorelai Planetarium.”
Overall, I think it’s fair to say that these two earned the title of power couple by constantly challenging one another, learning from each other, and growing together. Logan wasn’t always perfect, but he never failed to make sure Rory’s needs were met.