Welcome to another episode of Under the Floorboards!
Join us this week as we discuss the first episode of the Gilmore girls Revival! Kirk got hot, Luke is as awesome as ever, and Rory...well....
Enjoy and be on the lookout for our next episode, coming soon!
Friday, December 16, 2016
A Year in the Life- Winter
Friday, November 18, 2016
S2, E5- Nick & Nora/ Sid & Nancy
Welcome to another episode of Under the Floorboards!
Join us this week as we discuss the MOJO of Elvis Costello, Riff without the Raff, and our mutual disdain for the female Newt Gingrich.
Enjoy and be on the lookout for our next episode, coming soon!
Monday, November 7, 2016
S1, E6- Rory's Birthday Parties
Welcome to Under the Floorboards!
This episode we discuss Farrah Fawcett, Justin Timberlake and more! Join us as we explore the deepening relationships between Rory and Richard, Lorelai and Emily, and Luke and Lorelai. Spoiler alert...Luke asks Lorelai to marry him!
Enjoy and be on the lookout for a special edition of Under the Floorboards, where we will discuss our dreams for the Gilmore girls Revival!
Friday, November 4, 2016
Gilmore girls Fan Fest Special Edition!
Welcome to a very special episode of Under the Floorboards!
Join us this week as we gush about our trip to the Gilmore girls Fan Fest in the town that inspired it all! Your hosts finally meet for the first time...in real life Stars Hollow!
Don't forget to check us out on iTunes!
Enjoy and be on the lookout for our next episode, coming soon
Friday, October 28, 2016
S2, E1- Sadie, Sadie
Welcome to another episode of Under the Floorboards!
For our Season 2 premier we discuss our love of the Cher classic Mermaids, the fact that we are going to live forever, and how very much Rob wants to be awkwardly hugged by Alexis Bledel.
Enjoy and be on the lookout for our next episode, coming soon!
The ATX Interview
This episode we take a little detour from our reviews to quiz Elizabeth about her recent trip to the Gilmore girls' Nirvana- the ATX Festival and Gilmore girls reunion in Texas! Join us as Elizabeth dishes on meeting the stars, asking ASP the best question ever, and being a total fangirl.
S2, E2- Hammers and Veils
Welcome to another episode of Under the Floorboards!
This episode Rob isn't quite himself because he missed tickets to the upcoming Gilmore girls Fan Fest by mere seconds :'( But don't worry...he scored one of the extremely limited tickets made available later! That's right, both Elizabeth & Rob will be joining the festival, and will finally get to meet IRL!! Happy, happy, joy, joy!!
Enjoy and be on the lookout for our next episode, coming soon!
S1, E21- Love, Daisies, and Troubadours
Welcome to another episode of Under the Floorboards!
For our Season 1 Finale we take a look back at all the things that make the first season awesome.
Enjoy and be on the lookout for our next episode, coming soon!
S1, E20- P.S. I Love yo...
Welcome to another episode of Under the Floorboards!
Join us as we make fun of James Joyce, geek out over the Bloomsday Festival, and spend far too much time discussing Elizabeth's hatred of stargazer lilies.
Enjoy and be on the lookout for our next episode, coming soon!
S1, E19- Emily in Wonderland
Welcome to another episode of Under the Floorboards!
This time around Elizabeth crushes Rob's love of Alec Baldwin. Our hosts also discuss Milo's upcoming new show, Friends, and once again, the awesomeness of Amanda Palmer.
Enjoy and be on the lookout for our next episode, coming soon!
S1, E18- The Third Lorelai
Welcome to another episode of Under the Floorboards!
Join us for an all new edition as we discuss the awesomeness of Stephen King, Silence of the Lambs....and some less scary stuff.
Enjoy and be on the lookout for our next episode, coming soon!
S1, E17- The Breakup, Part 2
Welcome to another episode of Under the Floorboards!
This time around Elizabeth's sister- and newbie Gilmore girls fan- Lindsey, joins the podcast! Lindsey shares what it's like to be joining our ranks at such an exciting time in the fandom. She and Elizabeth also discuss the grossness of Max's chest hair and the lameness of frosted tips.
Enjoy and be on the lookout for our next episode, coming soon!
S1, E16- Star-Crossed Lovers & Other Strangers
Welcome to another episode of Under the Floorboards!
Join us as we start an all new Amanda Palmer Fan Club and set-up the biggest cliff-hanger in history. Oh, and we eventually get around to talking Gilmore girls as well.
Enjoy and be on the lookout for our next episode, coming soon!
S1, E15- Christopher Returns
Welcome to another episode of Under the Floorboards!
This time around Rob encourages Elizabeth to escalate her feeling about Christopher from mild dislike to full-on hatred.
Enjoy and be on the lookout for our next episode, coming soon!
S1, E14- That Damn Donna Reed
Welcome to another episode of Under the Floorboards!
OK folks, you are in for a real treat this episode. Forty-five extra minutes of Under the Floorboards! However, we spend most of that time discussing the awesomeness of One Tree Hill and Roswell.
Enjoy and be on the lookout for our next episode, coming soon!
S1, E13- Concert Interruptus
Welcome to another episode of Under the Floorboards!
This episode Elizabeth & Rob spend far too much time discussing One Tree Hill. Plus, we give you all the updates on the Gilmore girls Revival!
Enjoy and be on the lookout for our next episode, coming soon!
S1, E12- Double Date
Welcome to another episode of Under the Floorboards!
Join us for Season 1, Episode 12- Double Date.
This time around Elizabeth gets emotional about the classic Cher flick, Mask, and Rob crushes on Dean some more. Plus, we give you all the updates on the Gilmore girls Revival!
Enjoy and be on the lookout for our next episode, coming soon!
S1, E11- Paris is Burning
Welcome to another episode of Under the Floorboards!
Join us for Season 1, Episode 11- Paris is Burning.
This time around we put down Max, make fun of Max, and generally hate-on Max.
Enjoy and be on the lookout for our next episode, coming soon!
S1, E10- Forgiveness & Stuff
Welcome to another episode of Under the Floorboards!
Rob and Elizabeth are reunited for Season 1, Episode 10- Forgiveness & Stuff.
This edition we have a blast getting back to "normal"! We discuss Emily's vulnerability, Luke & Lorelai's flirting, and some stuff so gross we even disgust ourselves.
Enjoy and be on the lookout for our next episode, coming soon!
S1, E9- Rory's Dance
Welcome to another episode of Under the Floorboards!
Rob is still on vacay, so he and his son decided to host Season 1, Episode 9- Rory's Dance. This episode may be Rob's favorite Gilmore girls episode EVER! There's lots and lots of Dean love, possibly a bit of Emily-bashing, and some father-son bonding.
Enjoy and be on the lookout for our next episode, coming soon!
S1, E8- Love & War & Snow
Welcome to another episode of Under the Floorboards!
Join us for another Stars Hollow Love Fest! This episode Rob is on vacay, so Elizabeth's husband joins her to host Season 1, Episode 8- Love & War & Snow.
Enjoy and be on the lookout for our next episode, coming soon!
S1, E7- Kiss & Tell
Welcome to another episode of Under the Floorboards!
This time around we discuss the awesomeness of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Wonderfalls and Supermarket Sluts!
Enjoy and be on the lookout for our next episode, coming soon!
S1, E5- Cinnamon's Wake
Welcome to Under the Floorboards!
Join us for an all new episode wherein we continue our tradition of rambling off on tangents, counting coffee's, and mocking everyone who's not us. Plus...cheese balls! Just like life in Stars Hollow!
Enjoy and be on the lookout for our next episode, coming soon!
S1, E4- The Deer Hunters
Thanks for joining us for another episode of Under the Floorboards!
This episode we applaud Rory for standing up to Paris and Tristan Duesch-gray. We delve deeper into what makes Rory tick, the Bard takes over Chilton and Max Medina hits the scene. It all culminates in some Logan bashing! Good times!
Enjoy and be on the lookout for our next episode, coming soon!
S1, E3- Kill Me Now
Welcome to another episode of Under the Floorboards!
This time we dig a little deeper into what makes Lorelai tick, tag along at the club with Rory and Richard, and enjoy the infamous sweater fight.
Enjoy and be on the lookout for our next episode, coming soon!
S1, E2- The Lorelais First Day at Chilton
Under the Floorboards is a Gilmore girls podcast hosted by two SUPERFANS! We love to talk about all things Gilmore, and we want to bring a little of the magic of Stars Hollow into your lives.
Thanks to everyone who has listened and offered your feedback! We are still working out all those little kinks that come with not having a clue what we're doing :) Come along for a fun-filled hay-ride through Stars Hollow!
Enjoy and be on the lookout for our next episode, coming soon!
S1, E1- Pilot
Under the Floorboards is a Gilmore girls podcast hosted by two SUPERFANS! We love to talk about all things Gilmore, and we want to bring a little of the magic of Stars Hollow into your lives.
Our first full-length episode is finally here!
Come listen to us relive the fun of our first glimpse of Stars Hollow and the girls.
Enjoy, and don't forget to check us out on iTunes!
Under the Floorboards Intro- Meet the Hosts!
Under the Floorboards is a Gilmore girls podcast hosted by two SUPERFANS! We love to talk about all things Gilmore, and we want to bring a little of the magic of Stars Hollow into your lives.
Keep in mind that while we are both excited and overflowing with great ideas for creative content, neither of us are what you would call "tec saavy". In this intro episode we had a few little technical difficulties and a steep learning curve on the editing front. In this episode we are simply introducing ourselves to you in hopes of giving you a glimpse of the awesomeness Under the Floorboards holds in store!
Enjoy and be sure to check out our first official episode, coming soon!
Under the Floorboards Special Edition- The Mayflower Inn
Welcome to Under the Floorboards!
Enjoy this special edition where Elizabeth tells us all about her surprise trip to the real life inspiration for the Gilmore girls- the Mayflower Inn!!
Enjoy and be on the lookout for our next episode!
S2, E3- Red Light on the Wedding Night
Welcome to another episode of Under the Floorboards!
This episode Elizabeth explains why her daughter Lorelai is actually more of a Sookie. Meanwhile, Rob struggles to do the words putting together.
Enjoy and be on the lookout for our next episode, coming soon!
Friday, October 14, 2016
Technical difficulties...
Many of you may have noticed that we are experiencing some technical difficulties. Our newest episode- S2, E4- The Road Trip to Harvard- is up and running. Unfortunately, all of our previous episodes are temporarily unavailable. We had some hosting issues and we are currently in the process of migrating all our old eps to a new host. Please stay tuned!
Don't forget- we will be broadcasting from the Gilmore girls Fan Fest next weekend!
Don't forget- we will be broadcasting from the Gilmore girls Fan Fest next weekend!
S2, E4- The Road Trip to Harvard
Welcome to another episode of Under the Floorboards!
This week we sat and forever am at work here. Elizabeth and Rob ponder the fate of Certs(z?), applaud the use of the underappreciated word "frittering", and discuss watching porn as a legit career option.
Enjoy and be on the lookout for our next episode, coming soon!
Welcome to another episode of Under the Floorboards!
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Logan Huntzberger's Rules for Dating
Logan Huntzberger's is often touted as the ultimate suitor for Rory Gilmore. With his quick-witted verbal sparring, Prince Charming good looks, and undeniable charm, it's easy to understand how a casual evaluation could lead one to this conclusion. With the Gilmore girls revival just around the corner, now seems like the right time for a lesson in dating- Logan style.
Rule #1- Be rich. The kind of rich that allows your family to look down their plastic noses at Gilmore money.
Rule #2- Be exceptionally good-looking. This is the closest thing to a job you should ever have.
Rule #3- Be a bad boy. Seriously. I'm not talking a Dean-off-the-bus-from-Chicago, 90s knee length trench coat, floppy - haired bad boy; or a cool, bookish, monosyllabic, gel'd haired Jess Mariano bad boy. I'm talking really bad. Break all the rules; heck, break all the laws. Get booted from school after school until only daddy's money and connections can save you. Live the lazy, worthless, playboy lifestyle to the hilt. Why? Two reasons: First, because you can. You're rich. You're beautiful. You're untouchable. You're bored. Secondly, chicks love a bad boy.
Rule #4- Be a jerk, but for goodness sake, be charming about it! This is extremely important. It is crucial that during your first few encounters with the girl you are pursuing, she regard you as the most shallow, worthless jerk on the planet- but a charming and exciting one ;D Plan an outrageous stunt to humiliate her in public, but make it something exciting that could be regarded as "sweet".
Rule #5- Be adventurous. After all, besides pissing off the parents and spending their dough, what else do you have to do? Travel the world. Jump off cliffs. Follow a huge wheel of cheese down a really steep hill. Chicks love a guy who inspires them to take risks and challenges them to live a little on the edge.
Rule #6- Let her come to you. Throw out your charming, rich, adventurous net and see what you drag in.
Rule #7- Once you have her, mess stuff up. A lot. You want the fact that you are a worthless, butt-faced miscreant to be well-documented and firmly entrenched in her mind, from day one. She'll try to "help" (i.e. change) you, but as long as you stay rich and attractive, you're in like Flynn. At such time as you have solidified your screw up status, throw her a curve ball once in a while by pulling your crap together and bailing her out of a tough day at work or having dinner with her grandparents. This is "normal" boyfriend stuff, but by doing it only occasionally and in between screwups, it will seem super special.
Rule #8- Avoid her friends and family as long as possible. Should you be forced into a situation where you have to meet them, do something really obnoxious like stealing a knick - knack or being a condescending jerk. Disguise your belittling as honesty unless the friend is an ex-boyfriend. In this case make no attempt to play nice. Use big words and put down his brightest accomplishments. *BONUS* When your girl storms off in a huff after you've berated her former boy-toy, you're free to assume you are broken up, thereby freeing you up to have sex with all the chick's you've been missing out on while in this "relationship".
Also, NEVER visit her on her home turf. Do not go to her home town until it's time to propose or you need a note from her mommy.
Rule #9- Grand gestures. Since you'll be screwing up a lot, you'll need a quick way to patch things up. Grand gestures are great, but time consuming. They usually require a lot of thinking and planning and even work. Meh. Instead, I suggest the Grand Genarasture. Here's how it works-money. Whenever your girl is in a tiff, just throw some of daddy's money at the problem. Do things that seem like grand gestures, but which require no thought or effort. Endless bouquets of flowers. Truckloads of candy. A coffee cart for a day.
Grand Generastures work great for gift giving as well. The more expensive, and less labor intensive and creative, the better. Hand over your car and driver for a day. Buy her a Birkin Bag. Set her up in your posh apartment.
You may ask, "But Logan, won't she realize these are only hollow gestures that require only money and a phone call?" If she does, dump her. (But she won't.)
Rule #10- Bond with her loser dad. After all, he's the future you!
Rule #11- Pretend to "clean up your act" by spending a year in Europe, "working" and meeting cute British girls with boys names. Once this plays out, blow millions of dollars in a hair-brained scheme. The sympathy you'll win will earn you months of getting out of stuff you don't want to do and blowing off steam while globe-trotting with your even more worthless pals.
Rule #12- Propose in a manner which will make her so uncomfortable she just may say yes to escape the embarrassment.
Follow these rules to land the perfect starter wife. And don't worry, if she turns you down you'll still have a fandom of girls mesmerized by your charm, good looks and bad boy spirit swooning for you. Who knows, they may even beg for you and she to be reunited ;)
Friday, February 12, 2016
April Nardini: A Misunderstood Character
My name is Elizabeth. I’m a 34 year old chick who is tired of the amount of hate directed at April Nardini of Gilmore girls fame. Now, please realize I said APRIL, not ANNA… Anna’s all on her own. That bitch be crazy. But April is someone who has been painted unfairly as a TWELVE YEAR OLD villain for the past decade.
[Disclaimer: I fully understand that the character of Luke’s daughter was introduced into the plot precisely to cause drama and an eventual break for Luke and Lorelai. The character as a plot device we would have preferred never happened is not what I’m referring to here. I’m talking about the people who blame the actions of the character entirely for the demise of their favorite television relationship.]
The biggest arguments I hear against the littlest Nardini are as follows:
- She was responsible for the destruction of our precious Luke and Lorelai.
- She was a low rent version of Rory.
- She pimped out her father to her swim instructor.
- She broke up Luke and Lorelai.
WHOA BOY! Back up there for a second. This is the argument that induces the most amount of rage in my soul. Let’s all remember that when that little girl showed up in a helmet to Luke’s diner to get a DNA sample for her science fair project, she was all of TWELVE YEARS OLD. I don’t know about you, but at 12 years old, I was more focused on buying my friends the perfect Looney Tunes poster for their birthdays and not on how to contribute to the utter destruction of an adult relationship that I previously had no knowledge of. The only two people who were responsible for the dissolution of Luke and Lorelai were… wait for it… LUKE AND LORELAI (okay, and Anna Nardini didn’t help matters). Luke started by not coming clean to his fiancée about the existence of his daughter for TWO months. That started a snowball effect of lost trust that Lorelai was never able to fully regain. And then the postponing of the wedding clearly broke Lorelai’s heart… but let’s be honest, the single most important element in any adult relationship is communication. And Lorelai unfortunately had her bluff called about postponing the wedding and then never came clean with Luke about how she really felt. And then… Christopher, as he always does, rides in to ruin the day once again. But this can’t even be blamed on Christopher, the beloved Gilmore girls scapegoat. Lorelai screwed the pooch Christopher and while I give her credit for having come clean to Luke… that was the nail in the coffin of what is so lovingly referred to as JavaJunkie (the ship name of Luke and Lorelai). Nowhere in any of this do I see a twelve year old girl scheming to break up two grown-ass adults. She wasn’t even trying to pull some Parent Trap nonsense. She may not even be a teenager yet, but April is above that.
- The April character was a cheap copy of Rory.
Because God forbid we have two hardworking, studious young women on a single show. We’re only allowed one. The rest of the teenagers/young adult women need to be focused solely on how best to contour and whether or not they should get bangs (and don’t get me wrong, I’m not denigrating these things. I have considered spending my daughter’s college fund at Sephora a time or twelve). And aside from that, April and Rory are interested in two very different aspects of academia. Rory is more literary while April is focused on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). And to be honest, given this, April is the more revolutionary of the two young female characters. Literature has always been seen as a predominantly female discipline while math and science are always shown to be dominated by the male species. So not only are Rory and April not equally engaged in the same branches of academia, it can be argued that the character of April does more for the view of women in media than Rory does. April actually breaks some of the female stereotypes.
- She tried to hook her dad up with her swim instructor.
At this point, April Nardini is the ripe ol’ age of thirteen. She previously had a great relationship with her father’s ex-fiancée (if her mom hadn’t screwed that up. Thanks Obama Anna!). They were clearly headed in a direction that could have meant a lifelong friendship (with maternal overtones). However, at this point in the show, that was not to be. So April, concerned about her father being lonely, sees something in her swim instructor that might mean they’d be a good fit… even though in the end she was VERY wrong. April clearly loves her father, even if she’s only known him for a whopping year. She wants to see him happy and I’m sure she has a clear understanding of how hard the Lorelai break up was for him. So, she tries to set him up. I will never understand how anyone sees something devious in the act of a loving daughter who doesn’t want her father to feel lonely. Luke and Lorelai are not together, this isn’t even a Rory/Logan situation where they may or may not have been broken up. In the end it’s not and never should be a 13 year olds responsibility to repair a relationship that was already damaged. Are the fans mad because she spent her energy trying to get her father to date the swim instructor instead of getting her back together with Lorelai? Again I say… THIRTEEN.
In summation, April is an innocent pawn in AS-P’s universe that somehow is made out to be the bad guy. And I truly believe that even Amy must be confounded by the feelings her fandom has towards this particular character. She’s not Christopher, she’s not Anna… hell, she’s not even Rune. She’s a young girl who has shown nothing but thoughtfulness and kindness to the people around her. And let’s not forget that this girl had absolutely no father figure in her life until her twelfth year. She could very well have been angry and bitter that she had been denied a relationship with her dad, that Luke missed out on her first steps, her first science project, the first time she completed the quadratic equation. But instead she moved forward with her life in the spirit of building relationships with her father and all of the people important to him. But yeah… she’s the reason we had to endure Lorelai’s as Mrs. Hayden in season seven. ::all the eye rolls::
As this Bustle article stated, Vanessa Marano should absolutely return for Gilmore girls: Seasons. Dislike the coincidence of her arrival to the end of Luke and Lorelai all you want…. But April Nardini is Luke’s daughter, maybe (hopefully) Lorelai’s stepdaughter and Rory’s stepsister. She was a vital part of the final two seasons. She was a creation of AS-P. She deserves a spot in the revival and we, as Gilmore girls fans, deserve to know all the amazing ways April Nardini has lit the world on fire since we left her in 2007.
Thursday, February 11, 2016
7 Reasons Why I Hate Christopher Hayden, and Why You Should, Too
7 Reasons Why I Hate Christopher Hayden, and Why
You Should, Too
Christopher isn't exactly anyone's favorite Gilmore girls character. He's seen by all but a (misguided? confused? insane?) few, as just one of many obstacles standing between Luke and Lorelai. However, a few of us true believers hate Christopher with a deep, passionate loathing. Let's take a closer look at why I hate Christopher's ass-face guts, and why you should too.
- He ‘s a shitty dad.The first time we meet Christopher, he comes roaring into Stars Hollow on his motorcycle. Rory is, of course, overjoyed to see her dad. Lorelai…not so much. During their exchange Lorelai asks Chris what brings him to town. He replies that he was “just passing through” on his way to see his parents, so he thought he’d drop in on the Gilmore girls. What. An. Asshole. This casual statement has to hurt Rory on some level. To Chris, Rory is simply an afterthought. It was convenient for him to swing by, so he did.We find out in the next episode that this is the first time Christopher has EVER been to Stars Hollow. His nearly 16-year-old daughter has lived there since she was a toddler, and he has never visited. This is the moment that created- and perpetuates- my lifelong hate of Chris.He’s missed birthdays, doctor’s appointments, and all her firsts. He’s missed every lost tooth. He’s missed Christmas after Christmas. Now that Rory’s grown and the work of raising her is done, he wants to swoop in and be her buddy. Dick.
- He’s only around when things are good between him and Lorelai.When Christopher comes to town, you can bet he’s going to spend most of his time trying to get with Lorelai. During the aforementioned first visit to Stars Hollow, he takes advantage of Lorelai’s vulnerability after she gets an emotional beat-down from her parents. On another trip he lies to both Lorelai and Rory about his flourishing business and proposes to a flabbergasted Lorelai. Yet another time he sleeps with Lorelai and then proceeds to crush the girls’ hope that he is going to stick around for once.Worse yet, Christopher consistently cuts Rory out whenever he and Lorelai are on the outs.
- He’s always letting Rory down.It might be in one of a million small ways, like promising Rory a book he can’t actually buy. At other times he disappoints her monumentally, like when he gets Rory’s hopes up that he and her mom are going to get back together, or when he promises Rory he’ll stay away from Lorelai and then immediately breaks that promise. Christopher can always be counted on- to not be counted on.
- Every time he comes to town he fucks shit up for Lorelai.As mentioned above, Christopher takes advantage of an emotional Lorelai on his first trip to Stars Hollow; this on the night that Lorelai was supposed to be helping Luke paint. From that moment on, he leaves Lorelai a wreck of hurt feelings and confusion after every visit.
- He’s the “adult” version of Logan.‘Nuff said.
- He’s even more of a douche when he inherits big money.Christopher was only 90% worthless butthole before he inherits millions of dollars. The dough simply closes that last 10%. Throwing money around like a pimp, now he is not only worthless, but arrogant and condescending as well. Beauty.
Talking Lorelai into getting married without Rory there is despicable, and unforgivable.
Liking Christopher is cause for admittance to an institution. Simply dismissing him as an annoyance isn’t enough. A pure hate of Chris is all that will do. Join me, won’t you?
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Defending Dean
My name is Rob. I'm a 39-year-old dude, and I love Dean Forester from the Gilmore girls. Don't get me wrong, I'm not some Jared Padalecki stalker. I'm not IN LOVE with the guy. I know Dean is just a character on a TV show; albeit the best TV show ever.
It seems to me that Dean has got a really raw deal in the Gilmore girls fandom. With the revival on the horizon, I feel it is my duty as Dean's self-proclaimed wingman, and a Gilmore girls superfan, to have my boy's back.
The three biggest complaints I read about Dean:
1- He's too clingy.
2- He doesn't support Rory/ He holds her back.
3- He cheated on his wife to be with Rory
2- He doesn't support Rory/ He holds her back.
3- He cheated on his wife to be with Rory
Let me explore each of these points individually.
He's too clingy. To quote Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Xander, "On behalf of my gender, hey!" I challenge anyone to site an example of Dean being clingy BEFORE Jess enters the picture. Prior to Jess, Dean, it's true, was devoted to Rory. He truly enjoyed spending all his time with her. He made sure he was always available to her, and that she was aware of this availability. He thought about her all the time. He built her a car. He defended her honor against tools like Tristan Douche-grey. He read and enjoyed Emma and other books that Rory suggested, as well as recommended Rory read Hunter Thompson. (Let us not forget that Dean was written to be a lot more bookish, pre-Jess.) Simply put, Dean was head-over-heels in love with Rory, and she adored him for his devotion. Dean wore his love for her on his sleeve, much to his own detriment later on.
Then came Jess; and who can blame Dean for being jealous and freaking out? The writing on the wall was obvious to everyone, especially Rory's passionate devotee. Dean held on for dear life the only way he knew how- by showering Rory with more and more attention. He was a young guy desperately in love with an incredible, one-of-a-kind girl who challenged him, inspired him and excited him in a way he was sure he'd never feel again if he lost her.
Dean doesn't support Rory/ Holds her back. What a load of BS. "She WILL go to Yale, and if she doesn't it won't be because of me." We all remember when Dean says this to Lorelai in Season 1. He proves it time and time again. Dean is always understanding about Rory's crazy workload. He never pressures her, but always makes himself available to her. Honestly, the guys a frickin' saint for how understanding he is. He constantly puts himself on her schedule. There is only one instance when Dean becomes frustrated at being ditched for the umpteenth time and acts like a total jerk. In the episode Hammers and Veils, Dean throws a tantrum when Rory says she can't see him on a day she has promised. He quickly realizes he was a jerk- Rory realizes she acted rashly, as well- and apologizes for his asinine behavior.
Dean cheats on his wife. Okay. No way around it, this is a huge screw-up. Dean cheats on Lindsay to be with Rory, and that sucks. However, one thing that always chaps my butt about this argument is that Rory is never held to the same level of criticism as Dean. It takes two to tango, after all. Rory is every bit as guilty as Dean, yet she is never held accountable, while Dean is painted as a monster.
My defense of Dean on this point is never popular, but hey, when have I ever concerned myself with popularity?
Dean was a naive young man in love with a remarkable young woman. When Rory stomps on his heart during the Jess ordeal (wherein she cheated on Dean, btw), Dean's whole world is thrown off its axis. That boy loved Rory so deeply he couldn't imagine a future without her. He couldn't see how he'd ever meet someone as unique and amazing, who made him feel a love so deep, ever again. So he made a really bad choice- he settled. He settled for Lindsay; a beautiful, intelligent, sweet young girl who seemed to really care about him. She appreciated his devotion, and, most importantly, she dulled the pain of the prospect of life without Rory. Dean found solice...and then he proceeded to make a slew of horrible life decisions.
He gets married to a girl who will never be more than his second choice. He cuts back on his college courses. He takes time off from college. He works more and more while Lindsay apparently stays home and concocts ideas to spend money. All of these things, I would point out, he does because he is still that same guy who puts the needs of the woman he cares about ahead of his own. He does all this for Lindsay.
It's obvious from even before the wedding, that Dean is still in love with Rory, and maybe always will be. So when opportunities arise to spend time with her, he eagerly pounces on them. When the chance to sleep with Rory presents itself, it's never even a question.
Should Dean have handled this situation better? Absolutely. He should have been straight with Lindsay right away. Unfortunately there's no instruction manual for matters of the heart. He had already been burned by his love for Rory, and he was scared to give up what he had for a chance at something he'd already lost once before.
For those folks who think Dean's motivation for what he did was sex...you must have been reading or baking or something while you watched the entire series. Dean screwed up monumentally, but he did it for love.
What does Dean get in return for his love and devotion to Rory the second time around? Another epic heartbreak, after getting treated like dirt. Again.
I'm team Dean, but not in the way you'd expect. I want Dean back for the revival, but in my dream world Rory will end up with Jess, and Dean will have found an awesome girl who encouraged him to finish school and live up to his potential. She'll treat him with all the respect and love he deserves, he will love her passionately, and they will live happily ever after.
I have no doubt team Palladino will take care of my boy Dean.
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