Luke Danes may make some swoon-worthy romantic gestures, but he’s not the best boyfriend in Gilmore Girls. That’s not to say that he isn’t a great guy, and throughout Luke’s relationship with Lorelai, he is constantly proving that he’ll drop anything to help not only her, but her daughter, Rory.
Yes, Luke is definitely the best of Lorelai’s Gilmore Girls boyfriends, but the fast-talking heroine isn’t the only one with a love life in the show. Debate still rages on between Team Dean, Team Jess, and Team Logan as to who Rory’s best beau is, while Gilmore Girls totally ruined Lane’s storyline, even though at one point, she seemed destined for a happily ever after ending.
Dave Rygalski Is Gilmore Girls’ True Best Boyfriend
Indeed, the gold standard of Gilmore Girls boyfriends is not set by the grumpy local diner owner, but by the kind-hearted Dave Rygalski. From their first meeting, when he approaches her about joining his band after he sees her drummer ad, it’s clear that they’re perfect for each other, not just because of their mutual love of music, but how seriously they take it as an art form.
Dave also wholeheartedly supports Lane’s passion, as opposed to a partner like Dean, who gets upset when Rory chooses to volunteer in order to look good on her college applications over spending time with him. Meanwhile, Logan supports Rory’s dreams, but he’s just as happy with her dropping out of Yale and joining the DAR, whereas one of the major reasons Dave loves Lane is because of her unwavering ambition.
Of the three “Teams”, Team Jess has by far the most supporters, but let’s not forget that when Jess actually was Rory’s official boyfriend in season 3, he was a terrible partner. Whenever there was a conflict, Jess would withdraw emotionally, or even literally, running away from his and Rory’s problems.
Like Rory, Lane also came with built-in conflict and family determined not to like Dave. Mrs. Kim is one tough customer, particularly where her daughter is concerned, and her strictness would have plenty of lesser boyfriends heading for the hills. But Dave not only rises to the challenge but embraces it.
He takes Mrs. Kim seriously and presents a respectful argument as to why he is a responsible and kind partner. And fans’ romantic standards were forever raised after Dave read the entire Bible in one night in order to take Lane to the prom. He and Lane were truly one of Gilmore Girls‘ best couples, and he is definitely the show’s best boyfriend.
Luke Loves Lorelai, But His Communication Issues Prevent Them From Having A Great Relationship
Dave may have Luke beat in the boyfriend department, but the love of Lorelai’s life is still a great guy, and he wears his heart on his sleeve when it comes to her. We all stood up and cheered when Luke and Lorelai finally shared their first kiss in season 4, and his “I am all in” speech on their first date is one of Gilmore Girls‘ most romantic moments.
But Gilmore Girls ruined Luke and Lorelai’s relationship with the introduction of the reviled April storyline. When Luke finds out that he has a 12-year-old daughter, he hides this life-changing news from Lorelai, his girlfriend, for two months. Then, when he finally does tell Lorelai, he tries to keep her and April completely separate.
It’s understandable that he’s taking his new role as a father seriously, but he’s still Lorelai’s partner, and shutting her completely out of such a major facet of his life is the opposite of being “all in.” By compartmentalizing his worlds, he’s pushing away the one person he said he’d always be there for.
Lorelai is hardly perfect in their relationship either, and she has plenty of communication problems of her own. Giving Luke such a stern ultimatum at the end of season 6 was less than fair, and had she approached the problem with a willingness to talk things out, they may have gotten somewhere, and she likely wouldn’t have run off to sleep with Christopher.
But would Luke have heard her out if she did? Luke is very similar to Jess when he was with Rory, in that, despite his affection for Lorelai, it’s hard for him to be a truly proper partner unless everything is perfect.
Obviously, they work things out, and Luke and Lorelai get married at the end of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, but Luke isn’t always the dream man fans think he is.
Dave’s Character Very Well Could Have Been Ruined If He Was On Gilmore Girls Longer
On the other hand, while Dave never made any missteps as grievous as Luke’s, he was also on the show for a much shorter a time. Dave came and went inseason 3, as Adam Brody left Gilmore Girlsto star on The O.C. as Seth Cohen, which would become his breakout role.
This means that, had Dave remained in Lane’s world as the seasons went on, Gilmore Girls very well may have messed up his character. After all, when he left, the show not only stuck Lane with the immature Zack, but also saw her married young and pregnant with twins after the first time she had sex, which is an absolutely horrible storyline.
Who’s to say Gilmore Girls wouldn’t have done something like this with Lane and Dave? Furthermore, Brody shared his thoughts on his Gilmore Girls character, saying, “Does he deserve perfect boyfriend title? No, he wasn’t around that long. We don’t know how he would have been in the long term. He could have been love bombing her.“
Brody is right that Dave’s Gilmore Girls future remains an unknown, and future episodes could very well have seen his “perfect boyfriend title” revoked. But we Gilmore Girlsfans are optimists, and it’s highly unlikely that Dave was “love bombing” Lane. Ultimately, perhaps Brody’s opinion on this issue carries more weight than mine, but I think he’d agree that Lane deserved better.
- Release Date
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2000 – 2007-00-00
- Network
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The WB
- Writers
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Amy Sherman-Palladino
