The Case for Jess

I have never been more in love with a character in anything EVER more than Jess from Gilmore Girls.

There is virtually no way for me to explain my way out of this at all.

I am not a gushy teenage girl. I don't fall in love with people just because they are mildly attractive and have a "cute smile". Granted, I began watching the show at about the age of eleven so when I was introduced to Jess, I was probably a bit of a gushy teenage (well, pre-teenage) girl but... And I am not the sort to fall in love based on a perceived notion of character. But as I re-watch Gilmore Girls, I have grown to realise how well I, personally, would get along with Jess, and further, how well he and Rory got along. He would be my perfect guy, I think. Rory and I, we aren't quite on the same levels so I even think that Jess would teach me something, which is what I personally look for in relationships. If a Jess existed in my life, I would do all I could to get him.

But that isn't to say I disagree with the arguments against Jess. Yes, I agree with so many people, Jess is a terrible person half of the time. He is ridiculously rude to so many people and messes things up for Rory regularly. Yes he is disrespectful and ungrateful for much of his time in Stars' Hollow. But I still cannot understand those who ship Dean and Rory or Logan and Rory over Jess and Rory. I think that believing that either one of the former were Rory's perfect match shows a real misunderstanding of human nature and character, indeed of Rory's character. However, I by no means believe Jess was Rory's perfect partner. Jess was just the best that the show drew up.

One thing I really have noticed whilst watching is the similarities between Jess and Lorelai. I know she absolutely hated him at first, but I could see real parallels between conversations between Rory and Lorelai and between Rory and Jess. Their banter, their cultural references, their understanding of each other; they were perfectly in tune. For some reason, I don't think that any other Gilmore Girls fans see that. If they like Jess, they like him because he had the most in common with her or because he kept up with her, but in my opinion, it's their conversational sparring that makes me want them together. In my mind, they make sense. What is perfect within Rory and Lorelai's relationship is drawn on and reflected in her relationship with Jess.

Obviously, one thing about Jess that is terrible is his inability to interact with Rory's family and friends. In fact, it isn't much of an inability; it's more of a nonchalance, or an unnecessary aggression towards them. Jess did not really care about Rory's family. Yet, when he returned in the sixth season, it was quite obvious that he had grown out of his deviance. He suddenly - or maybe not so suddenly - respected all that Luke had done for him, to the point of giving him a cheque for all that he owed him. Jess matured, and made a life for himself. He went from nothing, from flunking out of school and severing ties with those he maybe should have loved and respected, to having a published novel and an artistic clan, to being a success. I don't know about anyone else but that reminds me very much of Lorelai. Lorelai messed up her teenage years, but she fixed it. She succeeded and thrived, just like Jess. I think that it is impossible to say that, having seen the similarities between Jess and Lorelai, it makes sense. Rory and Jess make sense.

Another thing, I know this probably means nothing to anyone else, but to my mind, Rory is a guy's name. I would never name a girl Rory, and have never met a girl called Rory. Same with Jess: I have never met a male Jess. Jesse, yes, but not Jess. Pairing two opposing genders together (in this particular context, not in general life) makes sense to me. Whereas Dean and Rory sound like two males to me, as does Logan and Jess. I think there was something in those names that was intentional. I think the writers of Gilmore Girls must have meant Jess and Rory to be the OTP of their show, and they let everyone know through their names - just a thought.

There is nothing perfect about relationships. Of course, the one between Jess and Rory was littered with indiscretions and indecisions, a thousand terrible little things. I think, though, what was special about those two was their apparent incompatibility. The best relationships, in my opinion, are those of which people disagree with. They have the power from the outset to withstand any issues within them because they have spent so long fighting against the people who don't believe they can manage. Jess and Rory are my favourite Gilmore Girls couple because there was nothing really wrong with them, except Jess' lack of expressed emotion of course. Logan was an arrogant shit who treated Rory as if she was disposable and acted carelessly. She never could have handled that relationship longterm because Logan was irresponsible and had too strong a hold on her emotions. And Dean, anyone who likes Dean and Rory is denying reality because a first love is hardly ever the one for either person. A first love is naive and painful, and it's often right for that point in your life but as both people change, it becomes less and less workable. Dean was never made for anything more than small-town life. That he got married before Rory had lost her virginity speaks to that. He had no further plans for his life... It just seemed like he would hold Rory back. 

So, yes, I am a Jess girl. And I don't care whether people think that Jess had a bad influence on Rory, or that he hurt her. Because love hurts, it does. Still, the reward is greater than all the trouble. Jess gave the greatest reward to Rory, both independence and the capability to deal with pain. He helped her to rebel, and she helped him to realise the importance of education and hard work and being a good person. They helped each other along, no matter how strange and awkward. I want a Jess because I want to be able to feel as good as I feel watching these two get to know each other in my own relationships. I want to wake up and know that the person I am with may not be the one, but will give me the most, that I will help them and they will change me for the better. I want someone who reminds me that work and "the path" is not all there is, that to be a success I don't have to pass my exams or go to uni or whatever else. Maybe to achieve my aims, it might be, but that is not the only way to happiness.

I think I have found this person in my life, the one person who makes me feel as though I am normal who both hurts me and gives me intense happiness. He may not be as intelligent as Jess, but he is fascinating, and he is not tied down by the rules. He does not want the normal, but he does not want the bad life. I think, perhaps, he might already have changed me, without either one of us realising. He gives me endless reasons to want to be with him... Now if only I could make him feel for me...