Gilmore Girls’ most-anticipated romance is also its most disappointing, and it’s proof that Rory and Jess wouldn’t have worked long-term. One of the most rewatchable shows of all time, Gilmore Girls offers an immersive world that’s easy for viewers to fall into. The characters and their relationships are part of the appeal, offering ample reasons to get invested.
Unfortunately, the romance viewers were most wrapped up in throughout Gilmore Girls proved underwhelming when it finally happened. Luke and Lorelai are one of television’s most compelling couples, and people rooted for them to get together for four seasons. However, the reality of their relationship highlighted a harsh truth about fictional relationships.
It also proved why another one of the show’s fan-favorite pairings wouldn’t work. If Luke and Lorelai couldn’t keep things interesting past Gilmore Girls season 4, Rory and Jess never stood a chance.
Gilmore Girls Fell Off After Luke & Lorelai’s ‘Will They, Won’t They’ Dynamic Stopped
Part of what made Luke and Lorelai’s budding romance so compelling was their “will they, won’t they” dynamic, which drove the early seasons of Gilmore Girls. Luke’s grumpy and standoffish demeanor perfectly complemented Lorelai’s sunnier and more lighthearted personality. This made them fun to watch and highlighted the great chemistry between the actors.
Combined with the suspense of whether they’d ever admit their feelings, this dynamic made them one of television’s most iconic pairings. Although Lorelai’s bond with Rory was always the heart of Gilmore Girls, nearly everyone was waiting with bated breath to see if Luke and Lorelai would finally take the leap.
However, after Luke and Lorelai got together at the end of Gilmore Girls season 4, things changed. They fell into the trap that so many fictional couples do: they became less interesting once they answered the question of “will they, won’t they” with a resounding “they will.”
Having their feelings out in the open took away from the spark the characters had, and it cooled viewers on their connection. However, if they’d just remained stable and predictable, it wouldn’t have been so bad. But then Gilmore Girls did the unthinkable: it attempted to inject new drama into their relationship through characters like Christopher and April.
This was the nail in the coffin for the couple, as the problems they faced together felt totally out of character — and they, ultimately, made people think less of their bond. Sure, it was still a relief when Luke and Lorelai wound up together a second time, but it felt like a much-needed correction rather than a magical lead-up to a satisfying ending.
Luke And Lorelai’s Disappointing Romance Didn’t Bode Well For Rory And Jess
Perhaps Luke and Lorelai were destined to be disappointing, as viewers had such high expectations for their relationship when Gilmore Girls was airing. But it’s telling that such a beloved and established dynamic could be destroyed by its own payoff. And if Luke and Lorelai couldn’t keep things fresh and interesting, it’s hard to imagine Jess and Rory faring any better.
Rory and Jess’ romance mirrors Luke and Lorelai’s in many ways, while Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino admitted that Logan is supposed to be Rory’s Christopher (via Entertainment Weekly). And of all Rory’s boyfriends throughout the series, Jess comes the closest to recreating a “will they, won’t they” situation with her.
Of course, Rory and Jess’ relationship isn’t exactly like Luke and Lorelai’s. There’s even more doubt about whether they’ll make it work, since they’re both so young — and not in proximity to one another for all that long. However, if Rory and Jess had actually gotten together permanently at some point in the show, they would have faced the same issues as Luke and Lorelai.
The writers would have struggled to keep Rory and Jess’ dynamic as entertaining as it was early on, and they would have been forced to create new obstacles for them. In fact, this already happened when they were briefly together. (Yes, we’re still unhappy about Jess’ out-of-character behavior in Gilmore Girls season 3, episode 19.)
Rory and Jess going the way of Luke and Lorelai would have made any attempt to make them endgame before the finale a non-starter. The pair never being on the same page made them interesting, and kept us watching. However, with them becoming such different people, it was probably inevitable they’d be “just friends” by the end of the show.
Rory & Jess Weren’t Universally Loved Enough To Overcome The Luke & Lorelai Problem
There’s little doubt Jess and Rory would have struggled with the same issues that weighed down Luke and Lorelai’s relationship in later seasons, and the deterioration of their original dynamic would probably be more frustrating to behold.
While Luke and Lorelai became hard to follow after getting together, their popularity helped them come back from this. People had invested enough time and energy into Luke and Lorelai’s romance to put up with even the worst storylines. (We’re looking at you, Lorelai going to France and marrying Christopher.)
By contrast, Jess was just one of the characters Rory could have ended up with in Gilmore Girls — and the other options also had moderate followings as well. With so many people being Team Logan or Team Dean, Jess’ relationship with Rory wasn’t universally loved the way Luke and Lorelai’s was. It wouldn’t have bounced back from the same snags.