One is the Loneliest Number: Unpopular GG Opinions

[Iseut]

I'm torn on the Life & Death Brigade stuff. It's hokey and unlikely (and doesn't fit with later episodes where Logan and his cronies just got drunk all the time and acted like idiots; in most eps Colin & Finn probably wouldn't be able to recite the alphabet up to the letter E, much less be able to create entire conversations without it), and Rory's question that Logan smugly won't answer about who is funding it is annoyingly obvious ("Our parents/trust funds, because we are all spoiled brats") but...it's so pretty. The candlelit tents and the forests and the 20s-era safari-wear, not to mention Rory's gorgeous ballgown, which I will forever covet. So on a shallow level I really enjoy that episode. I would probably dig it in real life if I didn't have to think about the circumstances and all the stupid snobby covertness of it.

Edited July 23, 2014 by Iseut

[Taryn74]

but...it's so pretty. The candlelit tents and the forests and the 20s-era safari-wear, not to mention Rory's gorgeous ballgown, which I will forever covet. So on a shallow level I really enjoy that episode.

 

 

I agree.  Although - 

 

in most eps Colin & Finn probably wouldn't be able to recite the alphabet up to the letter E, much less be able to create entire conversations without it

 

 

made me snort out loud.  Hee!

[JayInChicago]

well, I know this isn't really an UO, but there's a point somewhere in the end of season 4 where I feel it fundamentally just isn't the same show anymore, and from that point I kind of have to decide if I continue watching just to see it, or give up until it hits the last half of season 7, which I find tolerable.

 

I think Raincoats and Recipes is pretty much the end for me. It's not just for the obvious Rory n Dean stuff...the tone just seems different. 

 

also, i weirdly was more sympathetic to the grandparents when i watched the series about ten years ago. now that I'm roughly Lorelai's age, I'm like...you really need to butt the hell out of her love life, meddlers.

 

I think my true UO is that I don't especially like season 5, and think change is just not what a Gilmore Girl's fan wants. Like, you had one job show. One wacky Stars Hollow, Richard and Emily together forever, Rory not sleeping with married Dean, Luke and Lorelai keeping that possibility open as a tease but not going for it, job.

well that's more like 5 jobs.

Edited July 24, 2014 by JayInChicago

[nolieblue]

One way they could have gone is to not make such a big deal about Luke and Lorelai. Put them together but lay off the big drama and that way you keep the same vibe. I thought the show Cougartown did that really well. They put the main couple together but kept the focus on what made the show good - the dynamic between the "cul-de-sac crew".

[lulu1960]

I agree nolie. Imagine how Lorelai could have made Luke shake his head with her quirks on a daily basis. Sometimes life is stranger than fiction. And because they were a couple Luke would have done it maybe even secretly enjoying it

[txhorns79]

Rory not sleeping with married Dean

 

I liked the idea of Rory doing something very stupid (just because it showed Rory was human and made mistakes), and having a real difference of opinion with her mother, but I would say that the writers seemed to have no real idea what to do with Rory and Dean after the initial event.  

Edited July 24, 2014 by txhorns79

[nolieblue]

That seemed to happen a lot. ASP was terrible at following up on big dramatic moments. Another example was Lorelai slinking back to FND after the "We're done" moment. T

[blueray]

I liked the idea of Rory doing something very stupid (just because it showed Rory was human and made mistakes), and having a real difference of opinion with her mother, but I would say that the writers seemed to have no real idea what to do with Rory and Dean after the initial event.  

I remember hating it when I first saw it live but now I get that they wanted her to mess up but I still think they shouldn't have had Dean cheat on his wife (because it really ruined his character). I think it would have been better if he was just dating Lindsay.

 

I also wish we got more of the life and death brigade, like conforming that Rory joined (they showed her get the monkey mask, but never said for sure). They should have shown more events and not just Logan and his friends getting drunk.

[txhorns79]

Another example was Lorelai slinking back to FND after the "We're done" moment.

 

I agree.  Emily crossed a pretty huge boundary there, and I think she and Lorelai would have needed something more than what was shown to reconcile.   

[vanillamountain]

 

Then you have Lorelai apparently having money so tight that she was *gasp* buying groceries and cutting down on her cable channels, right before Luke bailed out the Dragonfly with his secret hermit tens of thousands of dollars, but again, you never hear of Lorelai having money issues after that.

 

I think my favorite example of that is the episode where Dean's wife (Lindsay) is complaining about how they have no money.... while wearing designer jeans (I think someone on TWOP looked up the cost, and that particular brand retails for over $500.)

 

But I agree with the poster upthread who pointed out that this show was a fantasy, almost like Supernatural or one of the CW shows. I watch reruns because it's like comfort food. I know that no matter what happens, everything will (usually) be resolved by the end of the hour, with strummy la-la-la music playing in the background. I wouldn't have enjoyed the show if Lorelai or any of the characters were every *really* in need financially.

 

I think that's why I always secretly wished that Lorelai and Christopher would stay together - just because it seemed to gel with the whole "wish fulfillment"/fantasy aspect of the show. And honestly, Lauren Graham and David Sutcliffe seemed to have more chemistry than she and Scott Patterson ever did. Lauren Graham seemed to enjoy working with DS (she just lit up,) and it showed.

 

BUT (and this is my Unpopular Opinion,) I also don't think Lorelai would have been happy with Luke long-term, anyway. She loved to travel, loved to do all of these things - and Luke was a hermit. There was a subplot (which they dropped,) where Lorelai debated selling the inn and traveling the world as a consultant, and I think that would have been a good career move for her. And Christopher would have supported her and even traveled with her.

Edited July 24, 2014 by vanillamountain

[txhorns79]

BUT (and this is my Unpopular Opinion,) I also don't think Lorelai would have been happy with Luke long-term, anyway. She loved to travel, loved to do all of these things - and Luke was a hermit. There was a subplot (which they dropped,) where Lorelai debated selling the inn and traveling the world as a consultant, and I think that would have been a good career move for her.

 

 

I don't know if it was dropped, so much as it simply resolved with Lorelai deciding not to sell the Dragonfly.  I do agree though that it did seem like Luke and Lorelai would have had real problems making it work in the long term.  Lorelai was in a place in her life where she finally had the freedom to do what she wanted.  Her kid was in college, her business seemed stable and that would have been the perfect time to go explore the world.  In a way, I think it was kind of a repeat of what happened with Rachel and Luke.  She wasn't content to stay isolated with Luke in Stars Hollow, and Luke was very much latched to the place.   

Edited July 25, 2014 by txhorns79

[nolieblue]

The thing is though, that Lorelai had that chance -- to see the world and leave Stars Hollow -- with Christopher and she couldn't even bring herself to sell her house (nor could she with Luke). I've mentioned this before but I think one of the main things that bound Luke and Lorelai was their attachment to Stars Hollow. Lorelai was never portrayed as a free spirit -- unconventional maybe but even though she ran away from her parents home she went only 20 miles away. She didn't go to New York or California. You'd think if she really wanted to leave her parents behind she would have gone to New York but she didn't. She was also a hands-on mother who rarely dated before her daughter was a teenager. She was quite conservative in that respect. 

 

I actually found Lorelai considering selling the inn to the big corporation to be very out of character. She said many times that owning her own inn was a dream of hers. I could never see her selling up and working for some anonymous corporation.

[dustylil]

I'm with NolieBlue. Lorelai did have the opportunity to travel  but chose not to. In the seventh season - both before and after she married Christopher - it quite definitely would have been an option for her.

 

And really, if she was that keen on travel, there was nothing to prevent her from gallivanting  with her daughter when Rory was growing up. If Lorelai could  afford to buy a house, then she could afford to at least traipse around North America - and rent a modest home in Stars Hollow. As well, given her work in  the hospitality industry, she would have  had connections in that field which would have made travelling easier.

 

I never thought she was at all serious about selling the Dragonfly - but I could understand her "mulling" and being entertained  by the offer. Richard may have enjoyed the safety and comfort of being a corporate lackey but his daughter was made of different stuff ;)

 

I too believed that she and Luke shared an attachment to Stars Hollow - just as they both enjoyed owning and  operating their own businesses. They were just a couple of the qualities the two shared.  As well, they were devoted supporters of one another, providing backup, assistance  and encouragement  over the years. Indeed, I can't think of anyone besides Luke who supported  Lorelai as thoroughly  in her ambition of opening and running her own Inn.

 

 

 

[Sara2009]

Couples also don't have to be attached at the hip. Lorelai can just travel without Luke sometimes, and I think they'd both be okay with that.

[mstaken]

Add me to the list of those who hate I Jump, You Jump, Jack, for all the reasons already stated. I'll generously spare you guys my rant on the Life and Death Brigade and all things Colin :)  I also feel like the Luke/Richard scenes were yet another example of GG dumbing down a character and exaGGerating the differences between socioeconomic classes for effect. (I swear that AS-P sometimes depicted 1990s/2000s America like 1850s England, with people of different classes rarely coming into any contact or having anything at all in common and with the entire country either *obscenely* wealthy, snotty stereotypes or 'blue collar' working class.)  I really hate how they wrote Luke as unable to even name a freaking book in this episode. Rewatching S1 episodes for the zillionth or so time, it's such a pleasure to recall that S1 Luke was actually quite sharp and quick. He was never a polished, highly educated intellectual like Richard, but the fact that Luke was very masculine, down to earth and (*gasp*!) ran a diner for a living didn't mean he was dopey, illiterate or embarrassingly ill-informed. S5 was just frustratingly over the top in many ways for me. 

 

In fact, I'll agree with the more general UO that S5 in general is a huge disappointment. There are three or four episodes that I really love, but other than those few beloved exceptions I find the season ranges from 'eh' to 'UGH!'. Those last 4-5 episodes rank right down there with S6 as the nadir of the series for me. 

Edited July 26, 2014 by mstaken

[Taryn74]

So much WORD, MsT.

[dustylil]

With the greatest respect, MsTaken, I take issue with the idea  that Richard was "a polished, highly educated intellectual". He had an undefined undergraduate degree from Yale (and given his background, why wouldn't he have an Ivy League degree?).  And he appeared to be  well and widely read.  But he devoted much of his life  to advancing  his career  in the insurance field (managing clients, providing consultative services)  not undertaking  intellectual  or philosophical pursuits - even as a leisure interest. We saw no evidence of him  debating ideas or discussing issues of the day with friends or family members, as best as I can recall.  

 

His  free  time was spent  with other businessmen (socializing at his club, playing golf) and/or attending charitable functions and parties  in the company of the Hartford social elite.

 

As to Richard  being "polished", I would also disagree. Over the course of the series, we saw him publicly berate the headmaster of Rory's school because her group was not awarded a prize, bully Dean when the boy was a guest in his home, loudly  rebuke Emily in the presence of members of their social set at the debutante ball, and - finally and most egregiously - ram her car because after several months of separation, she had the temerity to go on a date with another man. This to me was not a man of grace and refinement.

 

Much has been said (and rightfully so) about Luke's temper and anger management issues. But to my mind, Richard was his equal in these areas - regrettably so.

[txhorns79]

Over the course of the series, we saw him publicly berate the headmaster of Rory's school because her group was not awarded a prize, bully Dean when the boy was a guest in his home, loudly  rebuke Emily in the presence of members of their social set at the debutante ball, and - finally and most egregiously - ram her car because after several months of separation, she had the temerity to go on a date with another man. This to me was not a man of grace and refinement.

 

I think this kind of ignores that every one of those particular outbursts was precipitated by some important life event of Richard's, whether Richard having some kind of "father of pregnant teen PTSD" when meeting Dean, or going through what was a pretty traumatic change of life by being forcibly retired at work or having a trial separation with his wife of a few decades.  It wasn't as though he was off throwing fits everyday. 

 

To me, it seems like quite a stretch to suggest he was the equal of Luke, who, IIRC, was physically fighting with Dean because of the break up with he and Rory during the first season.  I mean, just think about that, and what kind of messed up adult physically attacks a teenager because he broke up with a friend's daughter.  It doesn't seem as if Richard ever came close to matching that behavior.                  

Edited July 27, 2014 by txhorns79

[mstaken]

After rewatching it last night, I came to the unpopular and surprising conclusion that I suddenly really like That Damn Donna Reed, an episode I was so convinced I disliked that I nearly always skip over it. Oh, and speaking of UOs re S1 episodes, I don't dislike Paris is Burning. And the Third Lorelai is still among my top three episodes of S1. And I kind of love Deer Hunters. And I think Concertus Interruptus is way, way underrated. And...well, I'll just show myself the door ;) 

[nolieblue]

I didn't realize loving Concertus Interruptus was an unpopular opinion! I think it's a great episode and one of my favorites from S. 1. But I'm not a fan of The Third Lorelai at all. As much as I like Marion Ross I always thought Gran was cliche and overdone. It always seemed strange that Richard never seemed to notice or care what biting and nasty things she said to Emily.

[Taryn74]

Bringing something over from another thread -

Through the eyes of a teenager, I understand why the bracelet was "important" but Dean's reaction to Rory having lost it was just another indication of why their relationship was so toxic.  Dude overreacts to EVERYTHING.  Geesh.

And you know what?  It just occurred to me that he did the same thing with Lindsay (remember her desperation to make the pot roast just right so he would be happy?), which to me is just further proof that he was always like that, rather than the show "dumbing him down" once Jess moved to town.

 

 

I know it's a very popular opinion that Dean was the perfect teenage boyfriend until Jess moved to town and Rory started losing interest in him, but examples like the one above show me that the sulky, explosive Dean was the true Dean.  Thoughts?

[mstaken]

I know it's a very popular opinion that Dean was the perfect teenage boyfriend until Jess moved to town and Rory started losing interest in him, but examples like the one above show me that the sulky, explosive Dean was the true Dean.  Thoughts?

 

Hee---it's certainly not an unpopular opinion with me, and one I've sloppily tried to express in the past :)  I agree wholeheartedly that beyond maybe his first one or two appearances, Dean was pretty much always a sulky, petulant, possessive, jealousy-prone dullard, though all that did become more and more pronounced. Then again, I hold the UO that anger, jealousy and temper tantrums were pretty much just par for the course for the vast majority of GG men---and the fact that it was often played for laughs or (more disturbingly) depicted as a sign of 'passion' and proof that the guy genuinely cares about the girl in question isn't much of a comfort to me :) The primary difference between Dean and most of the other GG guys who are also bitter, temperamental, jealous, sulky, alarmingly quick to anger etc. is that most of the other GG guys we could name had some salient, clearly defined positive aspects to their personalities as well. Dean, for me, didn't really have any clear and consistent positive qualities---he was just a dull, personality-free cipher at best and a vaguely scary jerk at worst. And I disagree with the opinion generally raised by dustylil and others that Dean was admirably supportive of Rory's educational aspirations. Maybe he professed to be in the abstract, but when any of Rory's school commitments or attempts to bolster her application interfered with his desire to attach himself to her 24/7, he tended to act ridiculously resentful and petulant. (Hammers and Veils is the most glaring example, though not the only one!) 

 

Edited July 28, 2014 by mstaken

[AlinaRay]

I never quite had the issue with Dean that a lot of people seem to have. I thought he was good first boyfriend for Rory and they seemed to have fun together...for the most part. Sure, there were issues with their relationship, but for the most part he wasn't so bad. At times they were even cute together.

 

Along the same line...I guess my UO is I actually liked Max and his relationship with Lorelai. He seemed to genuinely care about her and Rory. He may have been a little boring at times, but with the craziness that is Lorelai Gilmore, I think boring might be what she needed. He was a good stepfather figure and they had good banter together. He was smart and he liked to travel (as evidence by his teaching job in California). I think he would have been a stabilizing influence in Lorelai's life, but still would have supported her and her dreams..of course, if they did end up together, the show would have been done in early season 2.

[jjj]

I think Max would have been a very stable (boring?) husband, and he did dote on Lorelai and wanted to have the best possible relationship with Rory -- a real plus for a stepfather.  I always thought Jason was the best match for Lorelai, assuming he could get his career restarted.  He had the quirkiness that complemented hers, and I always thought he was a little in awe of her persona.  Max was never in awe of Lorelai, but assumed the older mentor role with her.  But for chemistry, Lorelai and Christopher in seasons one and two was the best.  He got too tortured after that, with the baby and Sherry drama. 

[Athena]

I really liked Max. In fact, one of the reasons I watched a lot of that season was that I had a thing for the actor when he was Wolf in The10th Kingdom. Max would have been the perfect stepfather for Rory. I can understand how Luke was good to Rory, but Rory and Max had a strong intellectual connection. I liked Jason too, but Max really doted on Lorelai. I still think she had the most chemistry with Christopher. The two actors seemed to like each other when they worked together. You could totally believe they had been each other's high school sweethearts. 

[mstaken]

 

 

 

 

 

I still think she had the most chemistry with Christopher. The two actors seemed to like each other when they worked together. You could totally believe they had been each other's high school sweethearts.

 

I so completely agree. The actors' chemistry---FAR more than the actual writing and characterization----is why I saw so much chemistry between  Christopher and Lorelai despite not wanting to. LG just looks so freaking glowing and HAPPY around him in the vast majority of their scenes. I sometimes wonder whether many of my couples-related GG opinions would change if, say, David Sutcliffe played Luke. I know David Sutcliffe's looks are more appropriate for the Christopher role, but I also think that might cure my inability to see much romantic chemistry between L/L once they got together.  (This isn't a slam on Scott Patterson so much as it's just my opinion that he happened not to have much chemistry with LG and that the actors seemed distinctly uncomfortable, distant and sometimes even outright annoyed in some L/L scenes which might otherwise have been more awww-worthy for me!) 

 

 

I always thought Jason was the best match for Lorelai, assuming he could get his career restarted.  He had the quirkiness that complemented hers,

 

I LOVED Jason. If all of the GG males were magically within my age range and all single, Jason is the one I'd most want to date by a surprisingly wide margin and the person with whom I'd be most compatible. And I agree that he and Lorelai totally 'got' each other (a hugely important thing for me!) and had tons of compatibility and commonality----with a few awesomely complementary differences as well. My one issue with them is that I hardly saw any sexual/romantic chemistry, so in my fantasy GG world Jason is a distant Gilmore cousin who popped up on a recurring basis throughout the series rather than ending up as yet another spurned love interest. And, ugh, I hated how they made him a pitiful stalker on his way out!

Edited July 28, 2014 by mstaken

[jjj]

Completely agree about L/L and the lack of chemistry *once they got together* (as you said).  I thought there was lovely longing, especially on Luke's part, in seasons 1-3, when he gazed at Lorelai like she was a magic lollipop who would give him the life and love he longed to have.  I always felt Lorelai's attention to Luke was more about a mixture of attraction and proprietary:  How *dare* you not tell me you got back together with Nicole?  How *dare* you not tell me you had moved to another town?  Don't even *think* about dating that Chilton Mom!  She was far better on Luke's pedestal than in his bed.  It was the tension that gave them the magic in the early seasons.  But I always saw the magic with Christopher -- with him, or staying away from him -- until the final season. 

[txhorns79]

She was far better on Luke's pedestal than in his bed.  It was the tension that gave them the magic in the early seasons.

 

That's a great way of putting it.  Lorelai as the idealized woman.

 

 

I never quite had the issue with Dean that a lot of people seem to have. I thought he was good first boyfriend for Rory and they seemed to have fun together...for the most part. Sure, there were issues with their relationship, but for the most part he wasn't so bad. At times they were even cute together.

 

I think part of it may have just been how Jared Padalecki chose to interpret Dean's jealousy.  He played it like "Dean will soon start beating Rory to ensure she complies with his demands" instead of "Dean is very hurt and feels Rory slipping away."   

[XtremeOne1]

Okay, I'm on the end of season 5 and I have to say something I've noticed more now that Im older than before.

 

I sort of dislike how so much about Rory's character exists only in the realm of Logan. Her friends are Logan's friend, her internship was gotten to her by Logan's father...In a way come the end of season 5, Rory seems to not exist without Logan. But what really bothers me about this is her and Paris' relationship. What use to be a conversations about school, their futures, strange and random subjects that only these two could come up with turned into conversations only about men. This gets remedied in season 6 but season 5 their conversations are very on the side "BOYS BOYS BOYS!" which doesn't fit for either women.

 

I guess it just stinks. For a show about such complex and well written women, I sometimes feel they lost the ball with Rory's character. She really seemed to be be less defined by being "Rory Gilmore" and more defined by being "Logan's girlfriend"...

 

On the Lorelei/Luke chemistry front, I thought their chemistry never went away, due to the talent of the actors. Yes longing is great, but they gelled so well together. Of course season 6 became such a mess and Luke so terrible that it ruined it all, so...

 

As for Digger...I stand by my opinion that he was the worst male outside of Colin and Finn to ever appear on Gilmore Girls. There was no chemistry in that relationship, he was terrible, not funny and just bland.

Edited July 29, 2014 by XtremeOne1

[mstaken]

Amen, sister friend! (And welcome to our little corner of the world!) I'm in the process of writing my first GG fanfic, and I'm finding myself addressing that exact issue...albeit not very effectively ;) 

[JayInChicago]

hey, not that anyone asked, but my opinion on raincoats and recipes has changed.

i rewatched yesterday (from my abc family Tivo'd treasure trove--gotta catch up--tivo is half GGs) and most of the episode was actually interesting and good.  for some reason i never noticed the gilmores and Jason were all briefly in the same room.  i assume with all litigation ongoing?

 

I think the big point of contention with me is...when Dean said it was 'over' with Lindsay, do you think Rory genuinely believed him?  Though extremely naive, I think it makes a huge difference if she actually believed they were literally done vs just kind of taking Dean's word for it but knowing Lindsay was at home thinking her husband was out doing god knows what and probably crying or whatever.  It's still a failing to take Dean at his word, but more morally murky if she genuinely believed him.  I also think it was hugely villainous of Dean to outright lie to her.

[XtremeOne1]

Amen, sister friend! (And welcome to our little corner of the world!) I'm in the process of writing my first GG fanfic, and I'm finding myself addressing that exact issue...albeit not very effectively ;) 

 

Hehe I'm a guy and a straight one too :p. We're an underrepresented bunch in Gilmore Girls fandom but I'm out and proud as a Gilmore Girls fan(me and my two college roommates love the show haha..all straight males).

 

But definitely tell when the fan fiction is up! I want to check it out!

[jjj]

Welcome, dude! 

[lulu1960]

Welcome, XtremeOne. I think it's cool that you and your college buds like the show. It's neat having a male perspective.

[dustylil]

That Dean was still wearing his wedding ring when he was bleating to Rory about his marriage being over should have been a significant clue to her. To say nothing of the fact that he and Lindsay were still sharing an apartment.

 

Back on the topic of Lorelai's beaux for a moment - I am not in the habit of agreeing with Emily Gilmore but I did share her opinion of Jason Stiles. Witty and entertaining as he might be, what heinous act (or series of acts) did Floyd commit that his son - then in his mid-thirties - felt the need to humiliate him by going  into  competition with him on his home turf? I wish the reason was made clear to us so I wouldn't feel the need to add Jason to the pile of petulant males that populated the series.

 

[Taryn74]

I am not in the habit of agreeing with Emily Gilmore

 

 

That made me LOL for some reason.  Just funny.

 

Witty and entertaining as he might be, what heinous act (or series of acts) did Floyd commit that his son - then in his mid-thirties - felt the need to humiliate him by going  into  competition with him on his home turf?

 

 

I really think it was just "all business" to Jason, and to Richard too.  Just another way to get ahead.  None of them EVER seemed to care who they stepped on to climb another rung on the ladder.  It was definitely one of the more appalling personality traits of the WASPy ones on this show.

 

I think the big point of contention with me is...when Dean said it was 'over' with Lindsay, do you think Rory genuinely believed him?

 

 

Since she was still fairly young at the time, I do believe in her own naïve way Rory definitely believed him, wedding ring or not.  It does not AT ALL excuse what they did in my eyes, but I do think she thought it was okay.

[nolieblue]

I think Rory knew what she was doing was wrong -- hence her defensiveness when Lorelai called her on it ("he took the ring off!). She wanted to believe that Dean was going to leave Lindsay and talked herself into it but I think she knew what she was doing was wrong. 

[txhorns79]

I think Rory knew what she was doing was wrong -- hence her defensiveness when Lorelai called her on it ("he took the ring off!). She wanted to believe that Dean was going to leave Lindsay and talked herself into it but I think she knew what she was doing was wrong.

 

I agree.  I think Rory wanted a certain outcome here (Dean is back with her), and looked at the situation in a way that would support that outcome. 

 

 

did Floyd commit that his son - then in his mid-thirties - felt the need to humiliate him by going  into  competition with him on his home turf?

 

Well, Floyd appeared to be kind of a jerk, but otherwise, judging from Digger's behavior and his father's retaliation, it sounded as if it was mainly just a pissing contest between the two. 

[jjj]

The big difference between Jason and Floyd is "competition". Jason wanted to compete with and irritate the heck out of his father, and Floyd wanted to ruin his son's career.  I think that tells you everything about Floyd's character. 

[JayInChicago]

i hate headmaster charleston so effing much. seriously, Violent Luke levels of hate. 

[AlinaRay]

Really? I never particularly had a strong feeling one way or the other, why don't you like him?

[KittenPokerCheater]

My unpopular opinion is that I like Logan.  And Finn and Colin (who were just comic relief).  I think it's a lot of what college at an Ivy League- kids with more money than sense, some of who are great people at heart (there were many of those at my school).  And certainly, Logan grows up after graduation, when he accepts responsibility for his screw up, and essentially fires himself (and breaks his ties with his father).  I also liked  Jess.

 

My other unpopular opinion is that Rory seemed to get off scott free with the whole Dean thing.  Not cool to sleep with a married man, no matter how young a person is.

 

But of course ymmv, and it's fun for me to read other people's unpopular opinions

[nolieblue]

Just speaking for myself I don't think thinking Rory got off scott-free is an UO at all! I hated that not only did Rory show very little remorse for helping to break up a marriage but she got a free trip to Europe out of it without her grandmother ever knowing the real reason that Rory wanted to get out of town.

[JayInChicago]

i think it's cuz headmaster charleston is the taylor doose of Chilton. Like, did we really need another officious older guy with too many rules?

i get it, he was a foil for Rory, etc. Much like Mitchum Hberger, etc.

 

Of course, none measure up to Hank, the Taylor Doose of Woodbury  LOL

[Athena]

My unpopular opinion is that I like Logan.  And Finn and Colin (who were just comic relief).  I think it's a lot of what college at an Ivy League- kids with more money than sense, some of who are great people at heart (there were many of those at my school).  And certainly, Logan grows up after graduation, when he accepts responsibility for his screw up, and essentially fires himself (and breaks his ties with his father).  I also liked  Jess.

 

My other unpopular opinion is that Rory seemed to get off scott free with the whole Dean thing.  Not cool to sleep with a married man, no matter how young a person is.

 

But of course ymmv, and it's fun for me to read other people's unpopular opinions

 

I really liked Logan so you're not alone there. I was iffy on his friends though; I didn't find them funny or amusing. I liked that Logan had growth and he owned up to a lot of his mistakes. He doted on Rory a lot. As for Jess, I'm not as keen on him, but I accept the idea that he's who Rory would have really ended up with in the long run. 

 

A lot of us have mentioned that Rory got way too breaks after she made her big mistakes. After the Yacht incident, her grandparents still take her in and she ends up back at school any way as editor of the newspaper. Sigh. 

[nolieblue]

What I disliked most about the Logan character is that they used him as a way to have Rory take risks and break out a little.  Are drinking with a bunch of whiny privileged kids and doing a very lame bungee jump the kind of risks we would like seeing Rory take? There were so many other ways they could have gone. Have her get involved in political protests that her grandparents disapproved of, or write controversial articles for the paper (other than fat-shaming ballerinas). It was all just kind of small and cliche.

[mstaken]

I totally agree, nolie. And stuff like having him steal a trinket from the elder Gilmores' home and sleep with 12 zillion bridesmaids the nanosecond he and Rory had broken up didn't exactly endear me to Logan despite the fact that I can acknowledge good qualities in him and in their relationship. And while this may be more about the actors' chemistry than a deliberate writing choice, Rory herself seemed so faded, bland and cipher-y around him. As weird as I realize this opinion is, though, I may have been able to put my qualms about them aside if Logan had been played by an actor who wasn't perpetually smirking! It just irks me beyond reason and had the unfortunate effect of making Logan seem smarmy, arrogant, condescending and insincere to me even when the script called for us to feel otherwise. 

 

Here's another random UO: While I really enjoyed Jess and his chemistry with both Rory and Luke, I don't blame Lorelai *at all* for not being more trusting and open towards him. If any guy's first impression had been to steel a beer from my parents' refrigerator (with my parent a mere three feet away, by the way, as a totally flagrant sign of disrespect) and then proceed to mouth off to them in the way Jess did to Lorelai when first meeting her in Nick and Nora, my parents would have been horrified at the prospect of me dating him. And that's just the stuff from Nick and Nora---there's more about Jess that would have, IMO, caused a whole lot of parental concern. If anything, I actually think Lorelai handled the situation with Jess more kindly than most parents I know would have. Granted, I also hold the UO that I don't get her bizarre blind spot for Dean---the Lorelai I know would have been appalled at any guy calling Rory a zillion times a day, lurking around their property to await Rory's return, freaking out on her when she had to participate in school extracurriculars, storming in uninvited to yell at Rory, interrupting Lorelai's discussion with another adult to start ranting to her about her daughter, etc.  And I never blamed Lorelai for distrusting Logan either and don't see it as Lorelai simply dismissing anyone with money as a terrible human being: the drinking (the fact that Logan drinks alone and whenever he's upset about his dad, not just when socializing like most college kids, would be a big concern for me), the dopey high risk behavior of the Life and Death Brigade, the trinket stealing, the sex with the multiple bridesmaids and general 'playboy' reputation...if I were a mom, I'd have had my share of reservations about Logan that had absolutely nothing to do with how wealthy his family happened to be. 

Edited July 30, 2014 by mstaken

[ladyrott]

My UO is that I always hated Kirk.  He annoyed me to no end and not in a good way.  I never found his mannerisms or his do every job in town schtick funny.  His kissing Taylor's ass never amused.  The rest of the townies were ok, but I always wanted to strangle Kirk.

[AlinaRay]

Awww. I love Kirk. (Maybe that's the UO! LOL) He's by far my favorite townie and I loved watching his antics. He was just so...adorably pathetic.

[XtremeOne1]

What I disliked most about the Logan character is that they used him as a way to have Rory take risks and break out a little.  Are drinking with a bunch of whiny privileged kids and doing a very lame bungee jump the kind of risks we would like seeing Rory take? There were so many other ways they could have gone. Have her get involved in political protests that her grandparents disapproved of, or write controversial articles for the paper (other than fat-shaming ballerinas). It was all just kind of small and cliche.

 

Seriously? They couldn't think of any other way to make Rory more outgoing(while at the same time making her weaker? Seriously, she went from someone who was always the definer in the relationship to a complete cipher)...You think a show where it was about women being confident and strong, and in control of their own choices would have made Rory's choices less guy dependent. Like in the episode where Rory has to save the Yale Daily News...She once again needs to use Logan as a crutch.

 

Again, to me the fact that Rory hung out with that group was always the worst part about this relationship. She pretty much shed any friends she did have and went to Logan's group of terrible human beings. I didn't find them as funny because some money of their jokes were 'haha we're rich' or 'haha women are expendable' and you'd think someone like Rory would be disgusted by that behavior. The fact that she wasn't, that she hung with these people made me think less of her.

 

And I know Ivy league kids and they aren't like Finn and Colin...I mean, let's face it no one is like anyone in Gilmore Girls haha...But these two were just such horrible people, that for some reason we were supposed to tolerate.

 

And again, I have to point out how upset I am that they never even gave Paris the opportunity to destroy them with her razor sharp wit.

 

Of course at the season 5 finale, so it's all fresh on my mind!

 

So what does everyone think of the Lorelei vs. The Gilmores debate on the Rory quitting Yale front. I loved that they were on the same side for just a moment and hated when the Gilmores betray Lorelei, but I mean, there granddaughter came to them crying, and as tough and cold as Lorelei might think they are, they have such a soft spot for Rory.

 

My issue with after the 100th episode is just the destruction of the Lorelei/Gilmores relationship for pretty much 22 episodes, save for like three. The show never really recovered from that :(. I sort of wish the Emily and Lorelei would have been on the same side in the end, not Lorelei and Richard...I also hate that Rory was such a brat to Emily after all she did for her. I pretty much hate Rory after the 100th episode as well. I think that's the real turning point in the series(It's when the Rory side of the story just falls apart Terrible of her just to run away from her mother like that...which I know is what Lorelei did, but at least she left an effing note.)

Edited July 30, 2014 by XtremeOne1