While others spent their Black Friday fighting over deals, another battle was being waged over on Netflix. The almost decade-old battle of Team Dean vs. Team Jess vs. Team Logan. “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” premiered at 2:01 a.m. CST and just like that, sides were being picked again.
Fans may argue that each one of Rory’s boyfriends came along at the right time in her life. Whether we care to admit it or not though, everyone has a side in this argument. This writer was firmly in the camp of #TeamAnyoneButDean, but over the years and the course of the revival one finally won me over. It took a mere three hours, 59 minutes and 45 seconds into the revival to convert me firmly into the camp of Team Jess.
We’ve seen Jess grow up from misunderstood bad boy, stealing books and writing in margins and crashing cars in season two; to a published author in season six. Though we didn’t get much of Jess Mariano in the revival, less than ten minutes really. It was so well done by portrayer Milo Ventimiglia that it was all we really needed to see. *MAJOR SPOILER ALERTS
1. He’s her Luke
Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino has said before that Logan was meant to be Rory’s Christopher. This was solidified in season six when Christopher came to visit Rory in her & Logan’s shared apartment. The men began discussing the various same boarding schools they attended and were subsequently kicked out of in their youth. Logan and Rory had a very sporadic relationship throughout the seasons. This includes their “what happens in Vegas” style relationship in the revival. Logan has a fiancée in France, but continues his relationship with Rory when she’s in London. This leads to Rory revealing to Lorelai in the final four words that she’s pregnant!
This is very reminiscent of Lorelai and Christopher’s relationship in the original series. Luke went on to become a very prominent father figure in Rory’s life. The ending left much up to fan interpretation, and this writer sees Jess doing the same for Rory’s child.
2. He motivates her
In the season six, it’s after a visit with Jess that Rory begins to get her life together, goes back to Yale, and begins speaking to her mother again. In the revival, Jess walks in to the Stars Hollow Gazette where Rory is working as editor and still struggling with her life and career. Jess reminds her that she’s a writer and writers have ruts. He gives her the idea to write about her and Lorelai’s life “Gilmore Girls” as the book will come to be called.
3. He’s still not over her
Despite the fact that it’s apparently been four years since the two have seen each other, they pick up like no time has passed at all. When Rory shows him that she’s completed the first three chapters of her book in excitement, Luke asks him what her reaction was all about. Jess tells him it was “just a thing, between us..a work thing” but it’s clear that it’s not simply a work thing. With a final look in the window at Rory, we see in his eyes, he’s not over her.
4. THIS LOOK