Gilmore Girls: 10 Episodes That Prove Rory & Jess Were Soulmates

Every Gilmore Girls fan has an opinion on who Rory’s soulmate really was – if it was perfect-first-boyfriend Dean, fellow Yale student Logan, or the bad boy between them, Jess. Each of the three have their good points, and each of them has some serious flaws, too. While they all have their pros and cons, though, Jess may be the most controversial of the three, and he’s also the one that changes the most over the course of the original series and the revival, A Year In The Life.

As teens, Rory and Jess had undeniable chemistry, but Jess also treated her undeniably badly. He was inconsistent, uncommunicative, and eventually, just left… without even saying goodbye! However, as he grew and matured (as did Rory herself) he actually ended up more successful, in many ways. He became a writer, involved in running a publishing company, and by the revival he is stable, happy, and ends up guiding Rory when she’s feeling lost. Many fans clearly see him as the one she should have ended up with – and these episodes prove it.

10 There’s The Rub (S2, Ep 16)

Rory and Jess have an incredible number of adorable moments and episodes in the early days of knowing each other, but most of these can be chalked up to teenage hormones and great chemistry. It’s not really until ‘There’s The Rub’ that fans get to see that Jess is perfect for Rory for more than just his smoldering good looks. It’s here that he brings over food while Rory and Paris are studying, and it becomes obvious that he matches her intellectually, and can connect to her friends and her passion for learning.

9 Lorelai’s Graduation Day (S2, Ep 21)

Despite the fact that this episode ends with Rory failing to catch the right bus home and missing the ceremony, making it a terrible end to the day, it’s a great one for Rory and Jess. For one thing, it shows just how much Rory is into him, but beyond that, the fact that she finds him and they spend a truly incredible day together just shows how much fun these two can have. It also helps show how much they listen to each other – not just in terms of where Jess likes to hang out, but with music, personal lives, and so much more.

8 I Can’t Get Started (S2 Ep 22)

This is definitely one of the fan-favorite episodes for Rory and Jess shippers, as the two finally kiss – albeit at Sookie’s wedding (and before Rory breaks up with Dean). Cheating aside, though, this episode is chemistry all over the place, but also shows how these two just can’t keep away from each other. Obviously, there is a pull for more than just hormonal reasons.

7 Eight O’Clock At The Oasis (S3, Ep5)

Still in that point before they officially get together, this episode has one perfect Rory/Jess moment, when Rory is taking care of a new neighbor’s place for him, and can’t get the sprinkler system to shut off. It would be easy to assume that it’s Jess jumping in to save the day that makes this an episode that shows how good they are together, but it’s actually how he reacts after that which proves just how well Jess understands her.

When Rory tells him that she’s already called Dean to help, he actually turns it back on, and leaves, so that Dean can do the ‘rescuing’ – proving that he actually doesn’t want to cause trouble for her, and understands that she would want to give Dean this chance.

6 Let The Games Begin (S3, Ep8)

Finally, finally, Jess and Rory actually get together, and it’s absolutely adorable. The way that they communicate, even when they struggle to do so, the way that they are shy together, it’s all just perfect. And more than that, the fact that Jess is as shy as Rory is actually notable. For all her ‘good girl’ reputation and his ‘bad boy’ style, in the end, this episode proves that they are actually pretty much on the same level.

5 Happy Birthday Baby (S3, Ep 18)

Sadly, of the episodes where Rory and Jess are actually together, the bulk of them include problems and fights – but not ‘Happy Birthday Baby’. This episode is them at their best, and their conversations about takeout and movies really does make them sound like a sweet married couple. Jess is also supportive of Rory – in her going to Yale, as he works out the travel time, and talks about how they can stay in touch, and about prom – even though every fan knows that the whole prom ticket fiasco is going to end everything.

4 Last Week Fights, This Week Tights (S4 Ep 21)

After these two have been broken up for quite some time, Jess is back for his Mom’s wedding, and Rory is trying to avoid him, but this episode is sweet for multiple reasons. For one thing, it really proves how much Jess is growing.

He is reading self-help books, offering to pay Luke back and thanking him for all his help, being a good son, and generally just showing how incredible a person he is going to become. And then he asks Rory to come with him to New York, and every Jess fan is screaming at her to do it (of course, she doesn’t).

3 Let Me Hear Your Balalaikas Ringing Out (S6, Ep8)

Continuing Jess’s incredible growth, he returns again when Rory is on a break from Yale and generally foundering. This time, he is back to tell her that he has written a book and is working for a publishing company and essentially has his life together, and it’s amazing. Not just because he is doing so well, but because after going out with Rory and Logan, he gives her a serious talk, and helps her realize just how far off track she’s drifted. He’s showing here that he can be supportive in a blunt way, and that he is living a life that she can appreciate, too.

2 The Real Paul Anka (S6 Ep 18)

The last big Rory/Jess moment in the original series is in this episode, where Rory goes off to see Jess at the open house of his new creative venture, and where they very nearly kiss. Of course, Rory is still with Logan at the time, and refuses to cheat on him, and Jess understands, so nothing happens – but they were so close. Seeing how far Jess has come, how perfect his adult life is with the kind of life that Rory wants, and how important they still are to each other proves beyond a doubt that they should have been together in the end.

1 A Year In The Life: Summer

Finally, the revival brings Jess back to show, yet again, that he may well be the best guy in Rory’s life, that he understands her perfectly, and that he knows just how to support her. At this point, Jess shows up and sees Rory in her new role as Stars Hollow Gazette editor. And because he’s lived the Stars Hollow life, he completely understands, and has his own connection to the town. But he also understands her writing (because he’s a writer), and her New York life (because he lived there), and why she left (because he did too). He understands how to push her gently, and is the one to suggest her writing her own book (which she does, at the end of the revival). At this point, Jess is entirely perfect, and given his puppy dog eyes in his final revival scene, there’s a solid chance that if the show continues again, his story with Rory isn’t yet complete.

About The Author

Rose Graceling-Moore
(1516 Articles Published)

Rose Graceling-Moore has been writing about film, TV and comics since 2013, when she began writing for a local print magazine in Vancouver, BC. Since then, Rose has written for Horror Honeys, Moviepilot and Quirkbooks as well as Screenrant, increasingly focusing on comic books and live-action comic adaptations, as well as diversity and representation on screen. Rose also co-hosted the DC Movies Podcast, and has guested on other nerd and entertainment podcasts over the past five years.

Rose’s love of comics began all the way back in the early ‘90s, when she discovered the X-Men while living in Africa (where there wasn’t a whole lot to do but read!), and since then has had an on-again, off-again love affair with not just Marvel, but DC and indie comics as well. You can follow her on Twitter: RoseMooreWrites for tweets about comics, movies, and more.

More From Rose Graceling-Moore