Relationships and revival metaphors
warning, this will be LONG and rambling (but fun if you like to analyze)
I was rewatching the revival once again, fourth fully including the musical, Iāve watched certain parts (ahem Logan parts ahem) more times but the revival as a whole including the unusual musical (Iāve come to the conclusion, the musical is hilarious, what I canāt understand is how the biggest grumps (Tom and Sophie and Gypsy) and the most honest person with Taylor (Babette) are so starry eyed over this⦠maybe it is to enhance Lorelaiās mortification but the musical was meant to be bad, hilariously stupid just like many other Taylor ideas,to the power of 10, but my peeve is them all being so on board with it given the way they are). I still come to the same conclusion and theory. The engagement of Logan is an arrangement. Yes of course this is only a theory and as all theories it could be wrong but the way things are put in the revival I see a few things that make me say this with a lot of certainty:
- We donāt see any interactions or even know anything about Odette, not even her face, there are no photos no knick knacks of a woman, no nothing not a trace of hers in his apartment. Sure she hasnāt moved in yet but really? no presents? no photos? Logan has photos in his apartment, of his adventures and places but no portraits of a girl, no couple photos, no stuff thatās clearly been bought by a woman in his apartment? How is that a relationship? - Heās been single all these years he hasnāt married anyone he hasnāt had one serious relationship with anyone apparetly (or else heād be married already, because the Huntzberger pressure to increase the family should be heavy) since Rory, for 10 years and when we see them we have to assume their relationship isnāt new because of the domesticity the way they behave around each other the comfort they take in their interactions.
I think Logan was waiting for Rory to go back to him. Now, Iām not saying he waited pining away for her behaving like a monk (lol) because that would be unrealistic in this day and age, but he was waiting for her. While I donāt agree with some things in the revival and even though I love the characters and the stories created by ASP, Iāve come to the realization is more my desire, my wishful thinking, what I would have wanted to see, that could have suited the story as well, but it isnāt MY story to tell, and if I really think it through from the characters POV and the writers POV it does make sense. Heās giving into his family, not to maintain his status quo in money, after all we know he can certainly work on his own, but is about him giving into the desires of his family because, why not? If he canāt have the relationship he wants with the woman he loves, because she still keeps a (small) length of space between them, still keeps him a little at armās length in a way, then why not try and keep the family happy even if he could keep postponing the marriage, they could be engaged forever and eventually end it. She could have her own reasons as well.
Letās put this Rory and Logan thing in time. We donāt know how long they had this Vegas thing going on, if it started like that from the begining, if itās been steady for how long or if itās been on and off. He is engaged and she knows it perfectly well. However his engagement seems very bizarre because is almost like it was non existant.
We have this idea of Rory and Logan together when we see them in the revival, they look so in tune so perfectly happy with each other and with their routines and their domesticity already in place, they look married, actually, or like a couple who has been living together for quite a while. (yes and them BAM Vegas and such but more on this as we go on)
Someone once asked if there were parallels between Romeo and Juliet and Rory and Logan like ill fated lovers the world separating them⦠I think thatās a little much, life happens, sh*t happens, we all have to take responsability for our actions and behave like adults and be aware that our actions have consequences.Ā I think these two are not ill fated lovers, no, I think they make or break their own lives due to fears in one side or resignation and why nots, in the other that result in lack of communication because they are afraid to burst their bubble, him of having her in any terms possible, her of having him but no strings attached (the roles have reversed from the original show but pretty much they both want the same, each other).
However I see a few things that could be taken from Shakespeare if we want to draw some parallels⦠Odette to me, the fact they never show her face that we barely hear her voice once, that she doesnāt have an actual real presence, reminds me of how Paris was only a prop to force Julietteās hand. Romeo and Julietteās Paris, if we think about it, doesnāt really have a story or anything much, because he wasnāt relevant, is the same with Odette and whoās to say sheās not in it for the same reasons, to keep the family at bay and to prevent them from forcing a more permanent setting while staying in this arrangement and keeping the family happy. Ā Paul would be Rosalynd; someone quickly forgotten as soon as love comes by, someone who doesnāt appear to have relevance any longer.
I do have to say though that I also have my suspicions about Paul, why would this guy, any guy regardless of how much of a doormat he may want to be, would accept to be in a relationship with someone he NEVER sees? They donāt live together and she forgets about him even while heās in the same house⦠how does that work? We donāt know how their previous two years were but he alludes to the fact that he doesnāt see her much. Who would be so much of a saint or so much of a doormat to take that? To be in a relationship with someone they never see and who constantly forgets about himā¦? Is Paul some sort of shield for Rory? We know they have said that at the moment we see them theyāre going through the motions, and ASP has said is a bad moment for Rory⦠so perhaps the relationship was real in some way but Rory actually kept him as a sort of shield but forgot about him in every other way when he wasnāt present right next to her?? Paul could be Romeoās Rosalynd, someone that was a relationship but faded into non existence the moment true love comes around. And lets face it, if anyone is actually braver in the story is Juliet more than Romeoā¦
I donāt think, however that Rory and Logan themselves fit so much in the Romeo and Juliet metaphor but they have some resemblances in their relationships during the revival. I am convinced that both Odette and Paul are symbols. Paul is a symbol of how much Rory is lost in herself and is trying to keep this guy as an anchor to prevent her from drifting but she doesnāt really care about him, sheās just there and keeps him around because heās her excuse for not getting involved, her excuse for not fighting for what she actually wants with Logan, heās her symbol of stability to show that sheās a mature adult because sheās with this guy who is stable and kind and serious⦠but forgettable.
Odette is the symbol of status the Huntzbergers want for Logan, the rich heiress marrying the rich heir, to give pedigree, to bring more heirs to the name, to bring potential more successful business deals, to take an international market perhaps, both families want the convenience of a union that would be profitable for them, economically beneficial to them (Iām having Sabrina flashbacks here hehe). They want this beneficial relationship and engagement. And if that were the case (āengaged to a girl who lives in another country, smartā, zero photos or things of her in his apartment, her being in there right within earshot distance when heās talking to Rory) whoās to say that Odette isnāt in it for the same reasons Logan is?Ā
Maybe to have a relationship that isnāt serious for them but keeps the family at bay (why not marry them already if Logan was ACTUALLY moving on with his life and trying to forget Rory?) while they are together but not so much (the old arrangement you have your things I have mine, we each have our lives but are also together to keep the elders happy) And if they were all in this agreement, whoās it hurting that Rory and Logan are together? Truth is Odette is a symbol to create the conflict to put a body (but not a face) as the bump in the road that always prevents Rory from fully commiting to Logan, because if you add someone else to the mix, even if the someone else is in the practicalities, nonexistant, then youāre not the one with commitment issues, is just that you are not IN the picture. However THERE IS NO PICTURE. Odette is a metaphor for the invisible thing, a bump, an obstacle that Rory and Logan canāt seem to be able to throw aside to really be together, him because heās leaving the decision to her because he already asked and every time he tries to know more she shuts down, Odette and Paul are each shields of a kind, the difficulty they need to overcome, the problems where they need to shed light in order to get past them. Thereās a reason why Odette is literally nobody, sheās a non existent conflict, sheād dissapear as soon as they spoke clearly to each other.
Only Rory doesnāt know that because she cuts Logan off when he wants to explain about Odette, and she doesnāt want to tell him about Paul yet she freaks out when she finds out Odette is moving. If she didnāt care, if they were only in this vegas, sex buddies relationship why would she care that heās engaged to someone else? why would she care and freak out about her moving in? why would she ask about not wanting to find another girlās things when sheās staying with him? why would she care if she didnāt want him fully, in an actual real relationship the same way he wants her? Is perfectly clear Logan has been waiting for her and is still waiting for her to make up her mind.Ā
āThe twilight zone: he was willing to wait 40 years and come back as an old man just to spend those last few years with herā. (I know this wasnāt ASPās season but who knows if she had brought this story to the table for discussion and they decided to use it? They do mention the Twilight zone in earlier seasons so this could have very well been ASPās idea to bring later on). He might have come to the end of it now that he kept waiting and she said goodbye to him. However I think it will be on Rory this time that this goodbye isnāt forever. This baby, their baby was concieved out of love. And while the man in her life is secondary, as much as I love him, heās secondary to the story, he will be there for her, he has always been there for her, heās waiting for her to give him a sign to reach out her hand. He will never force her because he knows that doesnāt work with her, heās always asking for her permission and her approval before he does anything concerning her.
When he and the boys arrive to surprise her in fall, heās waiting in the background then he approaches carefully and presents her with the hat and coat, he could have easily put the hat on her, told her to turn around to help her in the coat, yet he pauses to look at her, to give her a questioning look āis your call, Aceā, heās always allowed her to call the shots, is no different with this small gesture, she can say no and theyāll go away but she accepts it because sheās not ready to say goodbye to him, sheās not ready to let go of him for good, she doesnāt want to but she canāt utter the words that would keep him by her side for real, fully and for good. This pregnancy is important to her path because Rory needs to focus on her life, this new relationship, this mother-child relationship that will come is what is going to re focus her life, that is going to be her new anchor to get her to find her path. Sheās nervous and scared sharing the shocking news but sheās her motherās daughter after all, she will go through with it and sheāll find her own path, and secondary to that path will be her relationship with Logan, because the more important will be the mother and child.
The conversation with Christopher is a clear sign of what will come, sheās asking him, begging him to tell her, why didnāt you fight for me, why didnāt you stay next to me, why did you let others make the choices for you. She doesnāt want to be this person anymore, and thatās her great fear, that she will become this figure in the back, this cookie cutter mold that just because her mom did it in a way that she must be the same, she wanted her father in her life, she yearned to have him there, no matter how much her grandfather and her mom had been the parental figures in her life she wanted her dad, she doesn't want to be in this preordained path and to just accept that her child will have the life she had, as wonderful as it was, and she will find the fight inside her to do things her way, sheāll find the fight in her to not let anyone run her over this time (Mitchum, Shira, Elias Huntzberger). Brave Rory, determined Rory has always made up her mind and kept it, she needs to find it again. The conversation with Chris about Lorelai, āyes sheād back you upā, that it was meant to be, but that doesnāt mean it will be the same for her because she knows Logan WOULD fight her on being a part of the life of his child and Logan isnāt an inmature 16 year old boy heās a man with a well positioned status and more important a man who loves her and would want to be a part of the life of his child, and if she lets him, to love her fully and be with her, be a permanent full part of her life. She always yearned for her father and she never filled that gap. Richard was a father figure of many sorts but he came when she was already a teenager, Luke was more like a pal than a father figure and even he didnāt help bring Rory up, he was though a stable figure, not an authority figure but a stable friend, a part of her support system. And thatās what she needs, the full picture and she can get it because is in her hands, sheās not going to shut Logan out because she knows what it was like for her. Sheās going to give him the choice, and he will choose her and their child.
Now, Jess. I watched the revival once more and got to his part and I have to admit it, I donāt hate Jess, I donāt even dislike him, but his extreme fans make me want to reduce the (albeit little) importance of his character in the revival, because he does have a significance there.Ā
He is family now, (ASPās ONLY words on the Jess subject) he came, he listened to her woes, he does know a little about her because whoever knows Rory knows her passion for words, and he comes from that world of words, so he took a chance and gave her an actual good advise. I donāt think now, after putting a pin (A GIGANTIC ONE) on the extreme Jess fans who think heās God come to live and Roryās saviour (and apparently sheād be the Virgin Mary because according to them the baby would be his so it would be an immaculate conception all over again)Ā I donāt think now that it was a command or just a random idea, I do believe he listened to her and he knows, coming from that world that she needs to find her footing into writing what she knows, the idea had to come from someone who wasnāt so much involved, and Jessā job was that, to come and listen for once, and to be a friend who gives advise, nothing more. And letās face it, if we go to the nitty gritty they donāt really talk personal things and she barely touches him, she grabs his jacked while jumping up and down. Is odd for someone who hasnāt seen a friend in four years, it gives you the impression that theyāre not really close or that the relationship between them is not one of much trust.
The look through the window is not longing is regret, because he could have been a part of that world WITH her but it was never in the cards, and I think that now after seeing her again heās also closing this chapter, maybe with a regret of what might have been, but closing this chapter and finally moving forward himself. He said it himself when she asked him about what was going on with him, he said ānothing stableā that means there IS someone just not someone he thinks worth mentioning or discussing with her, so he is involved with someone, much like Rory with Paul. However since they arenāt in that close contact he just gets away with saying as little as possible on the subject, and finally realizes his role was that, to be the last drop that spills the water in the glass, to be the friend who gives good advise then goes his way again (I do NOT include season 7 in good advise he came, yelled and went away thatās not advise thatās not even conversation in the subject). Is clear they arenāt close because she hasnāt asked him to read her pages, he hasnāt asked him for advise, she goes to Logan, and she doesnāt really discuss what light would she show him (Jess) in her book because it was so brief it doesnāt really matter that much.Ā
We see the difference in communication and closeness when she randomly bumps into Dean. She hugs Dean. SHE HUGS DEAN!!! She knows all about his wife and his kids and his life, they obviously keep in touch, and when she discusses what she would say of him in her book, jokes aside, she says āyou were the best boyfriend you made me feel safeā she knows all about Deanās life and his wife and his kids and his sister yet about Jess she only knows what sheās been told they havenāt seen each other in four years or more and they still donāt discuss much details ānothing stable nothing permanentā that means Jess DOES have someone just nobody of importance, yet because we donāt see her the whole issue isnāt made this big thing the way it is made with Logan simply because thereās a name and a specific openly discussed situation.
And we come back to Logan. I think Logan shares some personality traits with other men in the show. Heās loyal, loving, he loves Rory and doesnāt want to force her hand by making her do something she doesnāt want, but he also canāt really communicate so well because of the way he was brought up, he loves Rory heād do anything to make her happy including trying to stay away from her if thatās what she wanted, he has always shown her this world of adventure and he has had his many flaws but he has grown from those, he has learned from them and he always looked for Rory to try and be better for her. For him this woman doesnāt want anything from him as others usually do, the status, the money, the hot guy to brag about, so he wants to give her the world but sheās scared of being trapped inside a family with so much power and money because she doesnāt trust herself to not relive her terror⦠her grandmotherās life, she doesnāt want to be the "bored society wifeā role, and wait a lifetime to have an individual life. Sheās been raised in a way that committing to someone equals the end of her freedom the end of herself and she needs to learn thatās not true. Sheās been raised to be afraid of loving someone deeply and staying forever because other than her mom, she didnāt have a stable figure close growing up.Ā
She thinks Logan is gong to make the choices for her when he never has. Rory shares a lot of traits with both Christopher and Lorelai, she has the lack of commitment skills of her parents, she has this fears that she wonāt be enough like her dad, and Logan is a lot like Lorelai, this force of nature that comes into her life and suddenly an entire world of adventures shows up to this little bookworm and sheās happy experiencing all, but sheās always afraid sheās going to get steamrolled, sheās going to get overwhelmed by money, thatās why she pulls away like her mother, like her father. Logan shares traits of Lorelai and Christopher as well but also has the good qualities of Luke and Richard a bit without being exactly a mirror of them, just as Rory isnāt a mirror of her grandmother and doesnāt want to be, nor is she a mirror of her mother.Ā Lorelai Leigh is her own person even though she loses herself from time to time and I think that this story of the baby would be the key piece of the puzzle what would force her to develop her strenghts and finally stand on her own two feet.Ā
Is not about the guy, like ASP says, although the guy is a big part of the picture but is about Rory standing on her own, Rory solving her own issues so she can finally realize sheās stronger than the trappings and that Logan wouldnāt make her weaker, all the contrary heād make her stronger. Despite the fact that her love life is secondary to the story, this child will bring her back to her path.
If we go back for a moment to the Oz metaphor, for when she says goodbye to the guys like Doroty from the Tin Man, the Lion and the Scarecrow⦠Dorothy needs to find her way back home and sheāll find it with the baby, the baby will be sort of her red shoes, sheāll find her footing because everything changes and is not about the guy although in this case is not like in Lorelaiās; heās not an immature afraid teen and neither is she, sheās not a force of nature, he is, sheās undecisive, he isnāt, sheās not as confident as she was in the past when she confronted Mitchum when she kept her distance from him, she got crushed because she respected him and he thought her untalented but sheās finding new footing and she is a writer, she can be a writer and still be a reporter. (Season 1 her interview with headmaster Charleston maybe Iāll travel the world and write books about what I see I just want to make sure I see something). She didnāt want to marry him because she thought he would keep her from the world when in reality he wanted to share the world with her. I think once she finds her path āback homeā weāll see that the full circle has come, only what happens after the start point is going to be different this time. Because Roryās āhomeā is not stars hollow, is her own confident, stubborn, feisty self, ready to fight the world and eat it up. Sheās now forced to find new footing because this new life is going to require her growing up, sheās leaving the land of childhood but this time sheās going to the adult world to find that her love is waiting for her, only now it has to be on her to say the word and get him back.
She would tell him because āwhy didnāt you fight her why did you just let her, did she push you awayā sheās making this new path because sheās finding her footing and the baby though is something scary (āI want to remember it allā, sheās leaving the life of immaturity sheās leaving Oz)Ā is a new adventure and sheās not going to be frozen in time anymore. To me the fact that the only permanent figure for her was Logan and the fact that Lorelai is now in this new path as well (sheās actually now fully committed to Luke, not because of the piece of paper but because they finally found permanent footing and open communication) means she canāt stay in Oz she canāt play childhood life in her childhood bedroom she needs to move forward and for Rory that means physically out of Stars Hollow. In her growing up that this new relationship of mother child would bring, the way things were led in the revival I strongly believe that she would go back to Logan not because of obligation but because sheād realize that the excuses and the barriers are flimsy and the fact is that she always goes back to him and he always wants to go back to her because they love each other, they belong together. To me the baby would be the final piece of the puzzle to get Dorothy out of Oz and into the real world, with her child, with her own life, with her love.








