If you’re a fan of Gilmore Girls, then you definitely have opinions about who Rory’s best boyfriend was, whether it be the boy-next-door Dean Forester, the bad boy Jess Mariano, or the rich guy Logan Huntzberger. From what I can tell, it seems like most fans are either Team Logan or Team Jess, with the majority being the latter. While I think that Jess was the best guy overall out of the three, I think that Logan was the best boyfriend. Logan does have an advantage over Jess since his relationship with Rory plays out over two seasons and the revival series, whereas Jess and Rory are only really together for about half a season. One reason that I think fans may be quick to discredit Logan as a good boyfriend is because of Rory’s behavior during their relationship. Unfortunately, Rory had a bit of a downhill progression after season three and was probably at her worst during her relationship with Logan. That being said, here are some of the reasons why Logan, although he wasn’t perfect, was actually Rory’s best boyfriend.
He was able to match her in wit and energy.
This is something that none of Rory’s other boyfriends were really able to do. Dean was undoubtedly Rory’s intellectual inferior and Jess was too brooding and lowkey to keep up with Rory and Lorelai. Logan, however, was both intelligent and fun. He could keep up with Rory’s fast-paced banter and then some. He could be spontaneous and a little bit wild, keeping Rory on her toes.
He challenged her and pushed her out of her comfort zone.
Logan really encouraged Rory to live a more daring life. There is perhaps no better example than when they jumped from the scaffolding during Rory’s investigation of the Life and Death Brigade. This isn’t to say that Jess never challenged her since he was the one who really inspired her to go back to Yale and later to write the book about her and Lorelai’s life. However, Jess didn’t do any of this while they were together so I don’t think it counts towards him being a good boyfriend. Logan helped Rory open up and take more risks.
He was supportive of her when she dropped out of Yale.
This might be a controversial thing to put in the ‘pro’ column for Logan, but I see this as a positive thing. I definitely didn’t like that Rory dropped out because one person (Logan’s dad to be exact), told her that she didn’t have what it took to be a journalist. I think that the show villainized everyone who didn’t immediately push Rory to go back to school. However, I feel as though Logan understood that Rory needed time off to really find herself again after facing a (small) setback. Although it was Jess who eventually got her back on track, I don’t think that Logan’s support should be overlooked or undermined.
Logan definitely had his flaws but in my opinion, he was Rory’s best boyfriend. However, I am still holding out hope for Jess and Rory if there’s ever a second revival of the show.