Graphic by: Katelynn Robinson
Today’s article will be best suited for those who have completed the original series, “Gilmore Girls” and the 2016 “A Year in the Life” season-long reunion. Let’s dive in!
Warning: Spoilers Ahead
Rory should have married Logan.
I feel very strongly that Rory would have been better off marrying Logan. I felt this way before watching “A Year in the Life,” but the four bonus episodes only confirmed my theories. Of all of Rory’s love interests, Logan complimented her best.
To understand how Logan best complimented Rory, let’s take a look at her past love interests.
I think Dean was representative of many young girls’ first boyfriends. In high school, you don’t know what love is supposed to feel like. Understanding guilt, manipulation and toxicity is incredibly hard during adolescence.
However, the biggest red flag Dean presented immediately was his temper. The way he argued with Rory was frequently unhealthy.
His instinctive response to conflict with Tristan, Rory’s flirtatious classmate, was to become violent and shout. He had a similar response to conflicts brought about by Jess, Rory’s second love interest. His frustration worked itself out by kicking things or raising his voice, becoming unable to listen or be reasoned with.
We saw Dean lose his temper when he discovered Jess eating dinner at Rory’s house in season two, episode sixteen. Granted, his frustration at being out of the loop was valid, but his immature and loud reaction was not. A similar display of jealousy is seen when Rory and Tristan are in the “Romeo and Juliet” play together. Dean displays a more violent side to his anger when he kicks his porch as Rory gives him a letter explaining the car accident she and Jess were in.
Although these are seemingly minor displays of a jealous teenage boy, we learn later in Dean’s marriage to Lindsey about the continued toxic communication and constant arguing they endure together.
During Rory and Dean’s second attempt at love, his insecurities about his simplistic lifestyle and economic background brought the relationship to an end.
Jess was unreliable. Despite sharing an interest in famous authors and reading novels, Jess and Rory had opposing personalities. Opposites attract, but sometimes all they attract is lust. Jess was never taught to communicate. Rather than growing violent, he grew quiet and distant, displaying his avoidant attachment style, contrary to Dean’s anxious attachment style.
The audience watches Jess fail to communicate to Rory basic things like if they have a date, when he is skipping school to work, and the fact that his graduation was in jeopardy. Once Jess receives confirmation that he has flunked out of his senior year of high school and will be unable to take Rory to the Stars Hollow High Prom, he fails to communicate this too.
After being told he would not graduate, Jess acts indifferent and distant towards Rory and most people, for that matter. When he pushes her boundaries regarding sex and snaps at her immediately after, — she leaves the room flustered and confused. Here he has failed to explain what is truly bothering him; flunking out of school and disappointing the people around him. All of this leads to the fight between Jess and Dean, which is a perfect display of the unhealthy altercations bound to follow in their future romantic relationships.
Logan enters the show reeking of arrogance and privilege. His character is immediately identifiable as the “trust fund kid” who is out of touch with reality. However, this is a similar privilege Rory enters college with, even though she thoroughly denies it.
Logan and Rory appear to be toxic in their own ways, but in my opinion, they complimented each other at the end of the day. They fought in similar ways, had parental issues, both relied on access to the wealthy world, and each had a stake in the world of academics and writing. Furthermore, they grounded each other. Rory was capable of calling out Logan for his drinking, irresponsibility, and carelessness. Logan was able to call Rory on her insensitive writing and self-centeredness.
Some of Logan’s positive attributes include reading Rory’s writing and connecting with her on an intellectual level. Being able to share their professions with each other always proved to be a strong suit for the two of them. Logan shared his business in London, and Rory was able to engage with him due to her grandfather’s economics class. Rory shared her journalism journey, to which he could relate due to his experience in the field and his father’s connections. In a very memorable episode, Rory saves the Yale Daily News with the unexpected help of Logan, who earns a few brownie points for placing his planned date aside to assist with what Rory felt was important.
Despite all the turmoil in their relationship, Logan and Rory showed up for each other. Logan showed up while Rory’s grandfather was in the hospital. Logan also showed up to smooth things over with Rory during their fights. He seemed to be willing to fight for her when she didn’t want to simply be friends with benefits and when they had a severe misunderstanding about their separation. Logan proved he was willing to fight for Rory. Rory was willing to be forgiving and understanding of Logan. Even though they were on poor terms, Rory showed up while Logan was in the hospital, even after her mom had a breakdown at Lane’s wedding. Rory showed up to Logan’s launch party despite being upset by her parents’ sudden marriage. And there were numerous occasions in which Rory took care of Logan and his drunk friends.
Their relationship reached a healthy level of maturity when they had a very healthy conversation about crushes. In this scenario, Rory found the man substituting for her grandfather’s class attractive. Wrapped in guilt, she confesses this to Logan, who eases her concerns about occasionally finding other people attractive, explaining that it is a perfectly normal thing. He then confirms his confidence in their relationship.
Rory and Logan’s conversation about factoring one another into their life plans was one of the most mature conversations in the show, in my opinion. As Rory tries to decide whether or not to take a position at a local paper or to hold out for the New York Times fellowship, she is uncertain to what extent she should factor her relationship into the decision. Logan explains that for this decision, she should think of herself, and then he will factor her into his next job opportunity. Seeing both of them each looking out for the other and understanding the importance of personal success as well as success in the relationship was a satisfying, healthy display of love.
As Rory approaches her last days in college and her graduation, Logan pops the question.
“Rory, will you marry me?”
When we first watch this scene, we can all understand why Rory says no. She wants to live her life independently and is hesitant to have too many things decided for her. But I have always felt that Rory needed to gain some distance from where she grew up and that a secure change could be a solid decision for her. My logic behind this reasoning is that she did not handle having “open” opportunities well. She felt aimless after her conversation with Mitchem Huntsberger, where he told her journalism wasn’t the path for her. While it was understandable for her to be upset, the prospect of open opportunities caused her to shut down.
While having open opportunities at college and experiencing an abundance of new people, Rory still allowed herself to be vulnerable and lose her virginity to her married ex-boyfriend Dean. Despite her open opportunities, she chose a toxic part of her past.
Rory appears to thrive under structure and with a plan. She was never truly a spontaneous person. In her singular acts of spontaneity, she traveled to New York to see Jess (while she was dating Dean) and missed her mother’s graduation. In another instance, she decided to steal a boat with Logan and ended up being arrested.
The appeal of having no limits after graduating college makes perfect sense, however I think her character would have done well in California with a solid plan for her future. Additionally, I think Logan would have been supportive of her online journalism opportunities or any opportunities she was presented with. I also think their engagement would have lasted at least a year, but likely longer. Finally, I think gaining some distance from her mother and grandparents would have done well for her developments in the professional and “real” world.
Warning: “A Year in the Life” Spoilers Ahead
Now, if we factor in the “A Year in the Life” episodes, it becomes abundantly clear why Rory should have married Logan when she had the chance. I am willing to make the argument that Logan should have been willing to continue the relationship by attempting long distance when Rory turned down his proposal. In fact, this is one of the only instances where we see Logan being entirely unwilling to fight for their relationship.
However, Rory and Logan’s affair, which is held behind the backs of Logan’s new fiancé and Rory’s forgettable boyfriend, is incredibly juvenile. Rory seems to display a repeated toxic trait, which is wanting what she cannot have. She ends up wanting Jess while being with Dean, wanting Dean while he is married, and then wanting Logan while he is engaged.
Although they explicitly discuss that their mutual agreement is to keep their encounters physical and casual, the in-depth conversations they have and the romantic lunches they share together imply a deeper emotional connection between the two of them. This is to be expected because of their history together.
To be clear, the men in these scenarios are just as much at fault. It is almost disappointing to see how many of the men in “Gilmore Girls” are incapable of being faithful to their partners. It seems problematic and disheartening to have cheating be such a normalized scenario in the dating world (even though it makes the plot of the show that much more entertaining).
In the final scene of “A Year in the Life,” Rory reveals to her mom that she is pregnant, leaving the viewers to believe she is now carrying Logan’s child. Regardless, I feel there is substantial evidence that proves Rory’s future would have had the potential for more stability and greater direction if she had decided to marry Logan.
I would love to hear your opinions! Fill the comments with your opinions and whether you agree or disagree with mine! Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for the next “Gilmore Girls” article!
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