The title of this piece is no doubt one that many viewers of Gilmore Girls have asked either themselves or anyone who might be watching the show with them. What, exactly, does Rory Gilmore see in Logan Huntzberger? Aside from Rory’s dad, Logan is unquestionably the least interesting-not to mention least likable-character on the show. I mean, come on, this guy makes Taylor Doose look like a catch, am I right? Logan Huntzberger is a richer than God little snot who cheats on Rory, who drinks to excess, who has the most annoying friends on Earth, and who complains about his dad but has no compunction about living the high life on dad’s money. None of this would mean much on any other show; who would dare ask why any character on a show like the O.C or Desperate Housewives would fall for someone like Logan. Those characters are as empty and shallow as he; Rory Gilmore, on the other hand, has always impressed us with her intelligence.
So, then, what does Rory Gilmore see in Logan Huntzberger?
My answer lies in her genes. Rory’s real name, after all, is Lorelai. The same name as her mother. And just as her mother initially fell in love with a spoiled brat loser who refused to grow up, so has Rory. Yes, fans of Gilmore Girls, Rory Gilmore is suffering from the female version of the Oedipus Complex. (Sometimes known as the Electra Complex, the fit isn’t quite right, so usually even when it is applied to girl it’s still called the Oedipus Complex.) Whatever you call it, the point is that Rory Gilmore wants to marry a guy just like the guy that didn’t marry dear old mom until it was way too late. Rory is looking for a guy like her father. And did she ever find him!
Both Logan Huntzberger and Rory’s dad-who is so boring a character that I can’t even remember his name right now-have a bit in common. The biggest similarity is that neither seems capable of maturation. Perhaps Rory, who is quite simply the most mature girl in the history of television I would hazard to guess, thinks that her maturity can fix that problem with Logan. She need only go to her mother for advice as she usually does. Lorelai realized with the onset of her pregnancy that what’s-his-name would never mature. Ah yes-Christopher, that’s it-has always been an enigma to me, as well. Here we have Lorelai Gilmore, a woman of wit and intelligence and here we have Christopher who always seems to need that extra second or two to catch on to the bits and gags and jokes that Lorelai throws her way. What did she ever see in that loser? The question that is being asked again by many fans of Gilmore Girls. Sure, Logan Huntzberger has money, but Rory never seemed that interested in money. Sure, he’s got connections, but Rory always seemed capable of getting by without too much in the way of connections.
And that is where the real problem lies. Because Rory’s inexplicable attraction to a guy fairly bursting with lack of charisma serves to undo much of what made Rory so attractive a character in the first place. It wasn’t young Alexis Bleidel’s physical features that made Rory Gilmore a hero to young women across America; it was her fierce determination to always be the smartest person in the room. And more often than not she was. That’s not the case anymore. Rory’s vaunted intelligence has taken a hit because, after all, how can anyone really be all that smart and still find Logan Huntzberger charming rather than smug? Adorable rather than smarmy?
Logan represents Rory’s attempt to marry her dad. If only she’d take a look at how that actually worked out when her mother finally got around to it. I have some advice for Rory Gilmore. If she really wants to be the smartest person in the room, it won’t take much effort to do that when Logan Huntzberger is the only other person there. No, my advice for Rory is dump Richie Rich and go after the one guy in her life who was ever even close to being her equal.
Jess Mariano, where are you?
