If you’re an avid Gilmore Girls watcher like me then you know fall is the perfect time to binge the season for the hundredth time. Every time I watch Gilmore Girls I fall more and more in love with Jess Mariano’s character. I have come to the conclusion that he was by far the best boyfriend Rory had. Although many fans have been debating this for years, here’s my ranking of Rory’s boyfriends from best to worst: Jess, Logan, Tristan (who I know Rory never dated but I am including him because I so desperately wanted them to), and lastly, dean. I know many viewers are team Logan but here’s why I believe Jess is definitely the best boyfriend. Let’s start from the beginning, season 2 episode 5, “Nick and Nora/Sid and Nancy” we meet Jess for the first time and although he doesn’t make a great first impression on everyone he meets, I was sold. Jess and Rory bond instantly over their matched wits and book references. The characters grow closer making it more obvious how much they belong together. Although they don’t officially start dating until season 3 episode 8, “Let the Games Begin”, I think we can all agree they had chemistry from the beginning. Although Jess clearly made some mistakes such as making advances on her while she was in a known relationship or leaving without saying goodbye, he had his moments that I believe fully redeemed him. He time and time again showed up for her whether it was just to simply turn off a sprinkler or helping her realize she needed to go back to Yale. Which brings me to my biggest point as to why I am team Jess. Jess had the most character development out of all the boyfriends. He got a job, became a writer, and all the way around got his life together. He matured and grew out of his teen angst, and made peace with his mom and uncle. After Jess wrote his book he came to Rory to show her he made something of himself only to discover she had dropped out of Yale. Jess was the one who called her out, he asked her what she was doing, gave her a reality check, and was the one to helped her realize she needed to go back to school and shouldn’t quit just because she received criticism. Logan had encouraged her to drop out, he had stolen to a boat with her. The first time I watched the show this didn’t fully sink in how he wasn’t actually helping her rather he was hurting her. Rory wanted guidance, she couldn’t see her worth and Jess showed her that. Jess helped her on her way to getting her life back on track, he was there for her and stuck by her no matter what. Whether or not this changed your mind on which boyfriend was the best, my answer with forever and always be Jess.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UNT chapter.