Tarot: Gilmore Girls Edition, Part 3
Today we’re going to dive into Rory’s boyfriends and answer the age old question - are you a Dean, Jess, or Logan stan?
Really, she should have dipped her toes into Marty’s pool.
If you haven’t already, check out Part 1 (Lorelai and Rory Gilmore) and Part 2 (Richard and Emily Gilmore).
Rory had no problem with men, except she always fell for the absolute worst of them. Dean was so vanilla, Jess had no respect for her (until later, we love later seasons Jess!), and we always knew Logan would never settle for a Gilmore.
Dean Forester: Is there a golden retriever tarot card?
Knight of Pentacles: Dean is a man of the land, salt of the earth kind of guy. From working as a stock boy to checkout clerk at Doose’s Market and eventually working in construction, he’s willing to get some callouses on his hands to make some dough. He may not have a passion for any of it, but it’s the stability it offers that makes it a good choice for him. He put in the work with Rory, fixing up an old car to gift her. It passed Gypsy’s inspection several times at Richards demand (such an Emperor!). He also worked hard at a construction job to get Lindsey her townhome. Boy did he blow that! That’s what happens when he put others needs before his.
Dean’s not the smartest guy, although Rory believes in him. He’s willing to put in hard work in lieu of challenging himself or anyone else for that matter. He got married incredibly young at someone else’s demand and was divorced before Rory could dropout of Harvard. Like this Knight, Dean isn’t pushing any boundaries and he is staying close to home plowing the field.
Honorable Mentions:
The Fool, Reversed - The way he handled his marriage with Lindsey and affair with Rory was definitely a leap before you look situation.
Seven of Cups - Same as above.
Can you tell I don’t really care for Dean?
Jess Mariano: Who doesn’t love a bad boy who reads.
Page of Swords >>> Knight of Swords: Jess has a major glow-up for earlier seasons to later seasons. He starts out as the Page of Swords. All restless, angsty energy, questioning authority, rolling his eyes at silly Stars Hollow traditions. But the energy wasn’t funneled into anything, which for Jess meant reckless behavior and little remorse. He judged Luke for being a good guy pushover, met his match with Lorelai in their quippy tiffs, and got under Dean’s skin as much as possible. His soft spot for Rory mostly left her unscathed in the day-to-day, but high and dry when things got a little too serious.
Our Page wandered the world and NYC for a few seasons where we later see him pop back up, running an indie publishing press and coming out with his debut book. This Page cooked into a full-fledged Knight. A man of action. He harnessed all of the wild Page energy into focused ambition and drive of a Knight. He still holds strong convictions but knows how to control his formerly unbridled passion into meaningful art and action.
Honorable Mentions:
The Tower - He wanted to test foundations to find the weak spot and laugh when the whole things crumbled.
The Hierophant, Reversed - This is the leather jacket wearing, Catcher In The Rye reading, punk rebel.
Logan Huntzberger: Who doesn’t love a bad boy with money.
The Devil: Sure, it was Rory’s idea to steal the yacht, but Logan wasn’t stopping her. He created a world of illusion and fun just to escape his own horrible future and sucked Rory in. The difference is Logan was always going to have a yellow-brick-road to follow, and Rory, well. . . she was abandoned in a world she didn’t know once the illusion had passed.
The Devil is like Las Vegas or Miami - it lures you in with the promise of a good time, makes your worst vices look sexy and appealing. But once you’re hungover with $2,000 gone from your bank account, it’s the Devil who points out the you were in ‘control’ the whole time. Much like Rory ending up on that giant platform when reporting on Logan’s secret society, he points out that she asked to be there. . .
When things get real for Logan, he pulls out of the fantasy so quickly leaving Rory in a headspin. He’s off to London and sends her a rocket?!? In Year of The Life he comes back to Stars Hollow for possibly the only(?) montage in all of Gilmore Girls history. It’s cheesy but on second watch it had me in tears. He built the illusion for Rory to play in one last time when she was sad and alone. Did it make her feel better or worse? Heartbreaking.
Honorable Mentions:
Knight of Cups - He was a smooth operator and knew how to be diplomatic in any situation.
The Magician - This man could make anything happen.
So who was my favorite? Truthfully, anyone but Dean. Jess will always be my favorite, I imagine them holed up in a major city talking about obscure books and music, filling each others minds for years. But Logan also could match her wit, he just came with a lot more baggage than even Jess.
Marty should have been given a fair shot, he was a good mix of the three. In another lifetime!
