As one of the most rewatchable shows ever, especially during the Fall TV season, Gilmore Girls has a very devoted fan base that has long debated who Rory should be with. The show ending with Alexis Bledel’s Rory declining Logan’s proposal left fans left wondering, and Netflix's limited revival gave new fire, especially with Matt Czuchry's Logan having an affair with Rory. Some loved seeing the pair together again regardless of circumstance, but others - including one of the original Gilmore Girls writers - were bothered by this major storyline scandal.
No one has ever claimed Gilmore Girls characters are perfect. In fact, many fans have acknowledged the main characters’ morals veered from hot to cold. Even so, some found the infidelity between Rory and Logan in Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life an unnecessary plot line that tainted their relationship. One such individual is former scribe Stan Zimmerman, who shared with People why this particular decision in the streaming series frustrated him so much.
The cheating thing bothered me. Otherwise, [Logan] would've been perfect for [Rory]. I just loved their coloring. I just loved them together. They pushed each other's buttons, but pushed each other to be better people.
That last statement, I’m not totally sold on. Let’s not forget who supported Rory leaving college (Logan) and who shook some sense into her with the ever-memorable “I know you” speech (Jess). Listen, I liked Logan and Rory together, and much like Czuchry's own opinions, I don’t think Logan was a terrible boyfriend. Many fans are Team Logan, including Emily Gilmore herself Kelly Bishop.
I thought each of Rory’s boyfriends related to different sides of her, and they were all good matches in their own respects. However, nobody is perfect, and Logan could sometimes be slightly egotistical with a habit of bending the rules, which he brought out in Rory. While Rory was not new to infidelity at the time of A Year in the Life, having slept with her first boyfriend Dean while he was married, a long term affair is an entirely different thing. It’s probably something Loralei would frown upon, and something early seasons Rory would have never pictured for herself.
However, after everything that happened during the original run from 2000-2007, I don’t think Logan’s affair with Rory was extremely out of character for the two adults. According to Zimmerman, it seems creator Amy Sherman-Palladino would agree. As he put it:
Amy probably would've said, 'Oh, Stan, fuck off, shut up. People aren't perfect and people have affairs and whatever.’
I agree with her. In fact, I think this affair needed to happen for a specific reason.
My Hot Take: The End Of Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life Was Actually Perfect
Before anyone protests, hear me out. It’s totally a full-circle moment. Rory’s pregnant, and Logan, the man she loves who is presumably also the baby’s father, can’t entirely be in the picture. Sound familiar? The mini-series ends with Rory posed to be a single mother like Loralei, with a baby daddy situation similar to that of her own father Christopher. So an affair was quite necessary to the plotline, despite its unpopular reception.
The Netflix original ends immediately following the pregnancy twist, leaving a lot of questions unanswered. If you are a Gilmore Girls fan, you have a pretty good guess how the story goes. I think the best endings are bittersweet and leave you thinking about the show long after you’ve finished it.
That being said, I wouldn't mind those questions being answered in another revival down the line. Perhaps Rory’s kid (it would have to be a girl, right?) is high school age, about to go to Chilton. Would we see the return of Jess to Stars Hollow, poised to be what Luke was to Loralei? So many possibilities.
According to The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel creator, a Gilmore reunion could happen again when the timing is right. I’ll hold out hope until then, while also grabbing a blanket and coffee for an epic autumn Gilmore Girls rewatch, available to anyone with a Netflix subscription.
