Gilmore Girls ' Kelly Bishop Shares Her Favorite of Rory's Boyfriends
Originally appeared on E! Online
Emily Gilmore knows best?
Gilmore Girls star Kelly Bishop (a.k.a. Emily Gilmore) may have been lucky enough to have a scene partner in crime for the majority of the beloved show’s seven-season run in Ed Herrmann’s Richard Gilmore (we’ve blacked out their brief break up), but not all of the Gilmore women were as lucky.
As the grandmother of Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) and mother to Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham), the pearl clutching matriarch had some clear views on which of the men in the mother-daughter series each girl should have gone with. And Bishop has some thoughts and feelings as well.
Though Bishop exclusively told E! News that she “loved all three” of Rory’s boyfriends, Logan Huntzberger (Matt Czuchry), Dean Forester (Jared Padalecki) and Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia), “I still go back to Team Logan,” she said. “I thought they were wonderful actors and good to get along with and all that, but there’s something about Matt.”
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As for what drew Bishop—who recently released her memoir The Third Gilmore Girl—to the Yale grad and heir to the Huntzberger fortune, the 80-year-old said it had to do with Czuchry’s presence.
“There’s a quality he has that I find unusual,” she said of the actor. “He reminds me of an old movie star. He’s got a very manly presence with that young face. But there’s something about the way he holds his head and the way he would talk to Rory. Even today, there are a lot of men who are big stars who are hugely popular, but they still look like boys to me. And Matt had this quality that was manly, and I just found that so appealing.”
Naturally, she knows her high society character would approve of the selection, adding, “And, of course, the other side would be he came from a very wealthy family, very well-established family, so it made sense to me that Rory would go with him.”
However, when it comes to her on-screen daughter, Bishop admits that she wouldn’t necessarily have the same take as her character.
Though Bishop thinks Emily would “probably” lean more toward Lorelai’s first love, Rory’s father Christopher (played by David Sutcliffe), “She should have been Team Luke,” Bishop insisted. “But she didn’t realize how much he cared about her, how important that relationship was all through the series.”
And though Scott Patterson’s Luke Danes was Lorelai’s endgame love, Bishop says it took Emily some time to come around to the idea of the diner owner becoming her son-in-law.
“Moving on to the extra four episodes, I don’t think she had any problem, at all, with the fact that they were going to get married,” Bishop said of the 2016 Netflix reboot, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. “I think she was fine with that. I think if she’d known, she would have been for Luke. But she didn’t have a lot of information about these other guys.”
And when it comes to the idea of clearing up Rory’s romantic endgame in future episodes, Bishop isn’t optimistic.
“I would love to see it revisited again just bring us as our characters as our ages and see where we’ve got,” she noted. “But I think in order for that ever to happen, you have to collect the four main characters now that Ed’s not around… It could happen. But I just don’t think it’s likely, frankly.”
And since Bishop’s not the only one with thoughts about Gilmore Girls’ many couples, keep reading to check out our official ranking of the best pairs.
19. Lorelai and Digger
He sued her father. He almost destroyed Luke and Lorelai's burgeoning relationship. He went by the nickname Digger. What more do we need to say?
18. Dean and Lindsay
They got married impulsively as teenagers (what a fun trope, said no one ever!) and then he promptly cheated on her. The only thing she got out of this marriage was disappointment and a mean meatloaf recipe.
17. Lorelai and Max Medina
We still can't believe a proposal with a thousand yellow daisies was wasted on a dud like Max Medin-ugh.
16. Luke and Nicole
Remember that time Luke randomly married Nicole on a cruise ship? And then she cheated on him? Yeah, we try to forget about it, too.
15. Paris and Asher Fleming
Ick.
14. Rory and Tristan
Sorry, but the fact that he called her Mary (you know, Virgin Mary?) still creeps us out.
13. Luke and Rachel
Rachel was Luke's first love, whose dreams were just too big for Stars Hollow. She was super-sweet and pushed Luke to realize his feelings for Lorelai. Thanks, girl!
12. Lane and Zack
OK, hear us out: Lane deserved more than Zack, who was a convenient filler for the void left by Adam Brody's exit. Sorry, not sorry. He's the rebound, NOT THE ONE.
11. Kirk and Lulu
Two weirdos, one weird relationship. Not the most epic of romances, but she did deal with his night terrors. So, true love.
10. Lane and Dave Rygalski
Dave was definitely the one that got away (or, you know, ran off to become Seth Cohen on The O.C.). Come on, he inscribed his bible, with "This bible belongs to God but is being borrowed by Dave Rygalski." Swoon City, population: us.
9. Lorelai and Christopher
You never forget your first love...but that doesn't mean you should continue an on-and-off relationship for over a decade. While we liked Christopher, we didn't love these two together, especially when they thought it was OK to run off and get married without Rory (their daughter!) being there. Unforgivable.
8. Paris and Doyle
Fact: These two could take over and run their own country. They were made for each other.
7. Babette and Moury
Sigh, the unsung heroes of Stars Hollow also made up its most solid couple that flew so under the radar you often forgot about them...until you needed a cup of sugar from next door.
6. Rory and Dean
Yes, he made her a car and was her first love. But he also cheated on his wife with Rory. Talk about a great way to lose your virginity. Basically, Dean was ruined for us. Still, their quick reunion during A Year in the Life was random, nostalgic and bittersweet in only the way a catch-up session with your childhood sweetheart can be.
5. Rory and Logan
She made him a better person, and he helped her learn what she really wanted to do with her life. Often over-shadowed by Rory's two other major love interests, Logan is the dark horse among Gilmore's guys...and possibly Rory's (spoiler alert!) baby daddy?! We're going to need another revival STAT.
4. Rory and Jess
Of all Rory's love interests, he was the one that challenged (and frustrated) her the most. The classic bad boy. If only they had met later in life...and watching their brief interaction during the Netflix revival just proved how potent their chemistry still is.
3. Sookie and Jackson
While Lorelai and Rory's love lives were unpredictable and (deliciously) wrought, there was something so sweet and simple about Sookie and Jackson's love story. You always argue over produce with the one you love!
2. Luke and Lorelai
"Will you just stand still?" Fact: These two had the best and most-earned first kiss in the history of first kisses. And everything else was pretty epic, too. (Let's just all pretend April Nardini, Luke's daughter, never showed up and ruined everything, mmmkay?)
1. Richard and Emily
Emily: "No! I did not sign on to your dying. And it is not going to happen. Not tonight, not for a very long time. In fact, I demand to go first. Do I make myself clear?"
Richard: "Yes, Emily. You may go first."
Oh, how much more significance this exchange from the series' original took on in the revival after the 2014 death of star Edward Herrmann. BRB, SOBBING FOREVER.
