“You jump, I jump, Jack.”
I know, I know. You read that headline and are shooting me a death glare that could envy Emily Gilmore at Friday Night Dinner™. But hear me out. This is an ode(tte? Too soon?) to my fellow Logan apologists. It’s been pointed out ad nauseam that Logan is to Rory as Christopher is to Lorelai. He’s that guy who shows up too late in his kid’s life, that guy who never gets the girl of his dreams, that guy who is just a plain-ass rich buffoon.
And there’s some merit there. The Palladinos sprinkled Logan’s bastard tendencies across seasons five and six like pixie dust. He treated Marty like garbage, stole a boat with Rory, never told Rory she had to go back to Yale after she dropped out and decided that when he and Rory were on a break he could sleep with all his sister’s friends. Yikes.
But he also had his tender moments. Think back to the “You jump, I jump” moment, or when Logan helps Rory save the day at the Yale Daily News after Paris’s totalitarian regime crumbles.
The Logan of season seven, sans-Palladino, was arguably Logan at his best. Sure, he was far away from Rory in London and again was a jerk to Marty (who, to be fair, also turned into a jerk because men are trash). But he stuck by Rory amid her trials and tribulations of senior year, and was ready to commit to her by series end with a shocking marriage proposal. He even asked Lorelai first. Rory shot him down, which was her choice and a fine one at that, but Logan wasn’t in the wrong to ask in the first place. It showed how much he grew and how much he loved Rory, and I reject the argument that he did it as some kind of power play in their relationship.
Revival Logan reverted back to his seasons five and six version — which makes sense, given the Palladinos didn’t even watch season seven at all. Logan and Rory played a friends-with-benefits, no strings attached kind of game, presumably for some time. They would see (and sleep with) each other from time to time, all the while keeping it a secret. This is despite other relationships in their lives, including Logan’s engagement to Odette (who the audience never sees so maybe she doesn’t really exist) and Rory’s boyfriend Paul (who the audience will never forget).
Sure, Logan could have broken up with Odette and realized that he and Rory were supposed to be together and that his ritzy life would never fill the void that only Rory could. He could have been there for Rory when she was making poor professional choices and been the kind of partner she needed. Better yet, he could have just stopped sleeping with her period to point out that she didn’t need anyone to be successful and had to figure out herself first before diving into more and more romantic entanglements. Rory remained her worst self in the revival, and Logan was partially there for her anyway.
Again, as it’s been pointed out to me and as outlined above, Logan is far from perfect. He didn’t step up for Rory and make it clear she was a priority. Swooping in with the Life and Death Brigade gang, cheering her up and spending a night with her isn’t the same as being a helpful partner. He didn’t anticipate her needs nor seriously address what they were doing. But neither did Rory. Their ultimate parting came from poor communication on both sides.
We have *zero clue* what Logan is going to do if/when he finds out about Rory’s pregnancy, even if the baby isn’t his (which, let’s be real, it’s his. Also the show may not even come back). The aligning stars would suggest he’d be another Christopher, but maybe he’d prove us all wrong. The revival failed to do Logan justice, relying on his college-level tropes that would have made more sense in his 20s than his 30s.
Maybe Logan is right for Rory, maybe he isn’t. But I’m fully #TeamLogan as a character and giving him another chance to be a human being.
This piece was previously published in “The Antenna,” a weekly TV newsletter.