Just finished season 3 and while I don't think Dean's an interesting character and he isn't right for Rory he''s definitely a much better boyfriend than Jess!
Jess treated Rory like absolute a crap! And their relationship was basically them fighting!
So for those who do like him what is the appeal?
I'm genuinely curious and don't want to start off any ship wars
Why not just google this then? lol This is always bound to start a debate.
On one side: "OMG JESS IS HORRIBLE"
on the other side: "Rory and Jess clicked on a level that she never could
with Dean and Jess grew up in later seasons and pushed her to be better."
That's it.
What a day! What a lovely day!
I agree with you both. Jess and Rory did click on a lot of things because fundamentally Jess is a smart guy and even then had a variety of interests. However Jess is a jerk (yes he had reasons that turned him into a jerk) but nonetheless is a jerk. I think the biggest surprise for me personally was that Rory would like someone that was so blatantly rude to her mother when Lorelai and Rory were so close.
That being said, there are guys out there that have Jess's interests without all of Jess's issues and Rory should have found one. I liked Dean in like the first two episodes when he was making Rosemary Baby's references etc and then the show sort of changed him into a dolt.
That Lorelai disapproved of him. I think it is a result of teenage rebellion.
Remember Rory got quite upset when she found out Dean was talking to Lorelai. Dean became far less attractive once Lorelai approved of him.
A cynic is what an idealist calls a realist - Sir Humphrey Appleby
I get the appeal of Jess but I also think he is a pretentious douchebag.
The appeal is he is this misunderstood bad boy who is secretly really smart and can be very sweet, but only the right girl can bring it out in him. That is literally almost always the appeal of bad boys. The danger and the illusion of hidden depths.
I like him with Rory because I think Rory is also very pretentious (I like her but I think that is a very real aspect of her personality) and I liked her and Jess being hipsters together.
Is this turnout weak or what? I had at least 70 more people at my funeral.
Boopinout is totally right. It's like the typical stereotype.
I think Jess was sort of a reflection of Rory. He was the yin to her yang in a way. He was a bad boy but she was innocent, their backgrounds are similar but totally different, and there were many qualities they shared. Plus Rory had a tendancy to treat the men in her life like dirt, the same way Jess treated her.
Dean was an excellent boyfriend to a degree. He did love rory but I always found him a bit obsessive (thats an entirely different conversation though). Jess didn't take any of her crap and turned the tables which rory needed to ground her a bit. I think that was another part of the appeal. Jess didn't treat her like a princess like the rest of the town did, at a time when she didn't feel like she was anything special.
I am watching GG for the third time. At the end of Season 2 this time around. I could never see the appeal of Jess. He always had a terrible attitude. He never treated Rory well. This time around, I still fail to see any Jess appeal.
Dean was sweet and handsome. When Dean and Rory first met, Dean and Rory discussed books. When Jess entered the series, they dumbed Dean up (or down?). Poor Dean.
Logan was the most interesting character and boyfriend for Rory. Flawed, but loving. Fun, but smart.
I even preferred Tristan or Marty for Rory to the thought of Jess with Rory. Blech!!!
You're very right! Season 1 Dean is very different than season 3 Dean.
Unfortunately that happens a lot in TV shows they dumb down or drastically change a character to prop up another (usually new) character
Agreed! My husband and I were just discussing this!
Dean was fairly well-read, knew old school actors, and was from a big city (Chicago.)
By season three, they made him a dumb hick who was smalltown compared to 'big city well-read Jess'.
Hate how they ruined Dean in order to make Jess more appealing.
Logan was my favorite of the bunch as well- I also found that he was the best to Rory- the others would get jealous, let Rory down, and not be supportive of her or her goals- however Logan always supported her, came through for her when she needed him, was always damned cool. The only time he ever really messed up was when he lost a ton of money in his company, and she got mad at him for being depressed- when she had been depressed and messing up for months with him never criticizing her. Yup. Logan all the way.
Jess treated Rory like absolute a crap! And their relationship was basically them fighting!
I have to disagree with some of these points. The first time watching GG, I loved Dean and hated Jess. I think I even made a post on here about how much I hated Jess. But watching the show again as an adult, I must say I like Jess a lot more than Dean. Dean is sweet, but that "sweetness" glosses over some of his deeper issues. He didn't trust Rory with Tristan and came to every play practice. When she wanted a night alone, he acted angry with her. When she wanted to bookshop - like he said she could - he proceeded to sit to the side and pout instead of engaging with her. With Jess, I feel like while he was disrespectful to a lot of people, he had a respect for Rory that Dean didn't have for her. He saw her as a person, whereas Dean just started seeing her as a possession. Jess could talk to her about music and books, and Dean tried at first, but it just wasn't something they had in common. Jess also listens to Rory where Dean wouldn't. Dean didn't listen to Rory about Tristan, or about wanting her to have a night alone. He didn't respect her. Jess was a little punk, but when Rory genuinely asked something of him, he'd listen and not put up a fight. "Do you really want me to go?" He asked her, and when she said yes, he grabbed his coat and left. He teased her, but he genuinely listened to her. And when she'd say "stop" when he'd get overboard, he'd back down.
I don't think it's necessarily a "bad boy rebel vs. good boy" thing. I don't think it's teenage rebellion. I think Rory just wanted someone to respect her and Jess did respect her as a human and respected her opinions and wanted to listen to her. I loved the scene of him, Rory, and Paris all talking books and poetry over food. Dean would never be able to do that. Even when Rory was being friendly with Paris, Dean's attitude was "Ugh, why her?" Jess has more of an ability to just accept people and talk to them openly - when he wants to. But ultimately I think Jess respected Rory a lot more than Dean. I haven't seen all the Jess episodes yet, so my opinion may change. But I don't think Dean is a saint, and I think his treatment of Rory is very creepy.
---
"Chaos is what killed the dinosaurs, darling."
I think Rory just wanted someone to respect her and Jess did respect her as a human and respected her opinions and wanted to listen to her.I think you are the only one think that. Do you have an example of that?
My entire post.
Dean didn't respect her. He treated her like an object. He wouldn't listen to her when she asked something of him, or asked him to respect or trust her. Rory asked Jess to do something, and he'd listen. He also took interest in her interests.
I literally stated all this in my post, but let me break it down.
rory: dean, don't come to play practice, you have to trust me
dean: *comes anyway*
dean: shop for some books
rory: okay!
dean: *sits and pouts and looks bored and neglected*
rory: i want a night alone
dean: but what about ME?!??!
rory: if you care about me, make an effort with my mom
jess: *makes effort*
rory: jess you have to leave now please
Jess: *leaves*
rory: jess stop it, please
jess: *backs down*
---
"Chaos is what killed the dinosaurs, darling."
Also, it's interesting to me how trends change. When I first rewatched GG a few years back, the board was full of people who liked Jess so much better than Dean and I was in the few then when I did like Dean. Since rewatching, I pick up on the things others pointed out to me and it's like "oh wow, yeah. Dean has a lot of abusive tendencies." Both boys were idiot teenage boys though and both have crappy qualities and good qualities. I just think Dean's crappy qualities tend to cross a line into manipulation and boderline abuse whereas with Jess, he was just a little punk.
---
"Chaos is what killed the dinosaurs, darling."
rory: dean, don't come to play practice, you have to trust meI think you have a very biased way to look at this. Both boys are whipped, that is not respect. Dean was just nervous about Rory.
dean: *comes anyway*
dean: shop for some books
rory: okay!
dean: *sits and pouts and looks bored and neglected*
rory: i want a night alone
dean: but what about ME?!??!
rory: if you care about me, make an effort with my mom
jess: *makes effort*
rory: jess you have to leave now please
Jess: *leaves*
rory: jess stop it, please
jess: *backs down*
"oh wow, yeah. Dean has a lot of abusive tendencies."People do this kind of things when they are about to lose something precious to them. Even a grown men found out his girlfriend dating someone else or interested in someone else, he would get upset too.
You left out a few things:
Jess: *argues*
Jess: *says no a dozen times before giving in*
Jess: *grumps*
Jess: *only goes along out of jealousy and fear of Dean coming back*
Jess: *pushes*
Jess: *won't listen*
Jess: *yells*
Those were all there.
Jess is one of the most annoying characters on the show,next to Michel.
I wish Luke would have punched his lights out.
I'm actually currently re-watching all the Seasons in anticipation for the Revival- I haven't watched most of these episodes since their original airings. And my original opinions on some of the characters have changed. I attribute it to myself being Rory's age when the show was on so hence why there has been a lot of change.
I remember myself really liking Dean and feeling bad for him- up until recently. During the re-watch I realized that yes he was adorable at the beginning of the series, but he was controlling and a dick a lot of the times. I found myself rooting for their breakup.
In terms of Jess- when I was younger I liked him because he was a "bad boy" and thought he was really dreamy. In the re-watch, I noticed he's more then just a "bad boy". He's a really smart guy- who just had a really crappy childhood- and was always on the defense because of things that had happened to him. I think he was as good as he could be to Rory at the time. I think he challenged her and she enjoyed his company and their conversations. I think if Rory met the Jess we saw at the end of Season 6, they could of lasted awhile.
I think Jess was a more fleshed out character then Dean, even though Dean was in the series more, you understood more of what Jess was going through or what he had gone through by way of Luke.
I'm a Logan girl. But If Rory does end up with one of the guys in the Mini-Series- I wouldn't complain if it was Jess, especially the one that Rory saw for the last time in Season 6.