Gilmore Family | Stars Hollow | Yale | Chilton | Other Characters
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Paris Eustace Geller
Played by: Liza Weil
One of the top students at Chilton, who tries to make Rory's life there hell. The two of them eventually become close friends, but it always remains a little shaky.
- Academic Alpha Bitch: The first time that Rory meets Paris at Chilton, Paris tells her how she's going to be editor of the school paper and valedictorian, ending with, "You'll never catch up. You'll never beat me. This school is my domain and the Franklin is my domain. And don't you ever forget that."
- Always Second Best: She was probably the most brilliant student before Rory starts attending Chilton. Eventually Rory is named Valedictorian and also gets accepted to Harvard, while Paris is rejected, much to her horror (they eventually both go Yale though).
- Ascended Extra: Especially after season 1. Originally Paris was only going to be in a few episodes, but Liza Weil really stood out and her role was greatly expanded.
- The B Grade: Paris gets an A-minus on a science test and forces Rory to have an emergency study session with her.Paris: All I had to do was move a decimal point, and none of this would have happened.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Doyle. The original series ends with her breaking up with him and him refusing to accept it. In the revival she is getting divorced from him, but admits that she misses him and the sex was "volcanic".
- Big Eater: Not typically, but in college, she fasted for Ramadan as part of an assignment for the Yale newspaper and as soon as it was over, she ordered a staggering amount of takeout and freaked out when her cheesy bread didn't arrive with the rest of her food.
- Book Smart: Like Rory, she's a hard-working and excellent student who eventually goes to Yale.
- Brutal Honesty: Don't ask Paris a question unless you're prepared for a pretty harsh answer.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: In the later part of Season 1 and the beginning Season 2, she freezes out Rory because she believes that Rory accepted a date with Tristan (she didn't). Never mind the fact that A) Rory was the one who set up Tristan with Paris in the first place and B) Rory personally helped Paris prepare for her first date with him.
- Deadpan Snarker: Very much so, she always has snarky insults and rude comebacks for people she dislikes, so pretty much everyone.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: While she's still blunt while the series goes on, she gradually becomes a true friend to Rory despite two falling outs and by the time of the revival views Lorelai as one of the closest things she's had to a mother.
- Determinator: She will fight to succeed and get what she wants.
- Ditzy Genius: She's smart academically, but tactless and socially clueless.
- Drill Sergeant Nasty: Whenever she has an opportunity, she terrorizes, shouts at and commands around just everybody below her (and some weak-willed individuals who are technically her superiors). It shows best when she becomes the editor of Yale's Daily News, but starts as early as in Chilton.Francie: What idiot gave her a gavel?
- Evil Counterpart: While not evil, her main role is being a Jerkass foil to Rory, especially in high school where she was at the most antagonistic. Both are very academic and ambitious, but Paris is the Academic Alpha Bitch in contrast to Rory's Go-Getter Girl, and an Insufferable Genius in contrast to Rory's Lady And A Scholar.
- Extracurricular Enthusiast: Even makes a chart of experiences and activities to do by graduation.
- Fish out of Water: She doesn't fit in so well on her first trip to Stars Hollow, but mostly because she's convinced that it's secretly some kind of seedy hellhole.
- Friendly Rivalry: Eventually (the friendly part) with Rory. Even after they become close friends, Paris said that she needed Rory because, in addition to being her best friend, she challenged her to do better (as the only real competition she had) and without her she would have gotten lazy.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: To most people she hangs out with, her personality is hard to handle. Rory eventually becomes the only friend who gets her.
- Generation Xerox: Sadly, the revival shows her during a divorce with Doyle with their kids being more attached to their foreign nanny, although their family situation still doesn't look as bad as Paris' when she was growing up.
- Go-Getter Girl: Like Rory, only with a slight touch of insanity to it.
- Has a Type: She mainly likes to date intellectual guys, like Jamie, Asher Fleming, and Doyle. The only exception is her crush on Tristan in season 1.
- Heel–Face Revolving Door: Rory and Paris usually find a way to work things out, though.Emily: [to Rory] Are you and Paris Geller friends? I can never tell.
- Inferiority Superiority Complex: Mainly with Rory, though not only. Paris is brilliant and knows it, but her insecurity on a social level and paranoid personality makes her feel easily threatened. The revival shows that, despite her relative success, this hasn't totally gone away. During an alumni day at Chilton, she runs into former Alpha Bitch Francie and not only freaks out on her for stuff that happened years ago, but turns on Rory too, accusing her of conspiring with Francie.
- Informed Judaism: The only time it really came up during the course of the show was when Paris visited Jamie during the holidays, and when it's pointed out her bat mitzvah dress carries a menorah, though Liza Weil does practice Reform Judaism in real life.
- Insufferable Genius: Paris is brilliant, sure, but she's also a pain in the ass about making sure everyone knows it.
- Ironic Name: In one episode, Paris mentions she has read The Iliad three times. The Iliad features a pathetic, cowardly character named Paris, which is the opposite of Paris Geller's strong overachiever personality.
- Jerkass to One: In early seasons, she's mean to everyone, but especially to Rory. Inverted in later seasons, where she treats Rory like a friend and is nicer to her, while still being rude to everyone else.
- Jews Love to Argue: Her Judaism is downplayed, but she definitely loves to argue. One of the main reasons she was upset when Rory dropped out of Yale was that she no longer had a Worthy Opponent.
- Lonely Rich Kid: It's downplayed, but one gets the sense her parents don't care an ounce about her. She was basically raised by her nanny, and is heartbroken when she moves to college and has to let her go (but they still talk), and she doesn't have many friends. Though that's due to her having No Social Skills, and it gets better in later seasons.
- May–December Romance: With college professor Asher Fleming. She seems to have a thing for older men as well, including Richard. Both squick out Rory. It seems that she just judges people for her brains and accomplishments, so older men have an advantage.
- The Napoleon: She is usually the shortest, the loudest and the most power-hungry person in the room.
- No Indoor Voice: What's shouting for others, for Paris is a normal speaking volume. It's implied to be her Fatal Flaw which cost her Harvard.
- No Social Skills: She's good with academics, not with people.
- Overshadowed by Awesome: How she feels about Rory. On notable example is in "Secrets and Loans" when she just HAS to know if Rory's PSAT scores are higher than hers. Rory refuses to tell her.
- Parental Abandonment: Technically she still has her parents but not only do we never see them neither does she (we do see Paris's mother once, but she's on for less than a minute to lecture her about her acne regimen). They're rarely even in the same country as her and she was functionally raised by her nanny, who attends her graduation with her own family to provide some kind of 'family' support. Later they forget to pay their taxes, leave the country to avoid charges and leave her penniless. In the revival she actually claims that Lorelai was the closest thing to a mother she had, after her nanny. Lorelai is somewhat disturbed by this.
- The Perfectionist: She has ridiculously high standards, a fact that bites her on the ass when she takes over editorship of the Yale Daily Editor. Her need to micromanage everyone and force every article to live up to her standard of quality drives most of the staff to quit.
- Perpetual Frowner: Paris is usually stressed about something, angry and/or feels that she's Surrounded by Idiots, and her expression reflects that.
- The Peter Principle: While her dedication to perfection made her an excellent reporter for the Yale newspaper, when she was made editor she almost ran the whole thing into the ground thanks to that same perfectionism leading her to micromanage everything and alienate her staff.
- Power Hair: She cuts her hair into this style in the revival as she runs a successful fertility clinic.
- Preppy Name: Shares a name with a famous city, and her middle name is a boy's name.
- Promotion to Opening Titles: In season 2.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Red to Rory's Blue.
- Riches to Rags: After her parents leave the country to avoid charges for tax evasion. She manages remarkably well (she already seemed to have logical money skills and shamed her parents for stupid accounting), and adjusts fairly quickly to no longer having money, all things considered.
- The Rival: Introduced in Season 1 as a rival to Rory, and always feels this way a little, even when they become friends.
- Running Gag: In spite of vehement individualism, is frequently concerned about not doing what people her age are "supposed" to be doing, such as attending a discotheque.
- Slut-Shaming:
- Paris inflicts it on herself, apparently seeing a link between having sex with Jamie and not getting into Harvard. She does it during her Chilton Bicentennial speech, which is aired live by C-SPAN (a very rare instance of that network lending its brand to a fictional series). And then outs Rory as a virgin, and 'deduces' (correctly) that therefore she will get accepted into Harvard. Did we mention it was on C-SPAN?Paris: Pack your chastity belt, Gilmore — you're going to Harvard!
- By the next season, she criticizes Rory twice for slut shaming her (first over her affair with Professor Fleming, and later about having sex with Doyle), referring to Rory more than once as a prude.
- Paris inflicts it on herself, apparently seeing a link between having sex with Jamie and not getting into Harvard. She does it during her Chilton Bicentennial speech, which is aired live by C-SPAN (a very rare instance of that network lending its brand to a fictional series). And then outs Rory as a virgin, and 'deduces' (correctly) that therefore she will get accepted into Harvard. Did we mention it was on C-SPAN?
- School Newspaper News Hound: Editor of both the Chilton Franklin and Yale Daily News.
- Student Council President: She serves in this capacity during the third season. She is only able to get elected by having Rory as her VP to soften her image (people respects Paris' abilities and focus, but are terrified/put-off by her personality so she needed a softer, friendlier running mate who would have her back).
- Sugar-and-Ice Personality: She's usually the icy part with everyone, including close friends and loved ones, but every so often, the sugar part comes through, like with Lorelai, Rory, and Jamie.
- Tomboyish Name: Her middle name is 'Eustace', although nobody calls her that.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: In season 4. Paris was never the nicest person around, but at least in earlier seasons she tended to abuse people who'd annoyed her or the ones she was feeling threatened by. Granted, those two categories covered most of the population, but at least she used to have reasons. In her freshman year in college, however, she goes to treat her innocent, nice and loving boyfriend like dirt, and not even for a cover for her affair with an older man, but simply because she doesn't even bother to tell Jamie she doesn't want him anymore.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Despite trading snark with each other, Rory and Paris have become close friends and will stick up for each other. Paris, in a way, becomes Rory's closest confidante during the periods of time when Rory's relationships with her family became strained. Even in early seasons, Paris often ran to Rory for help when she had a problem.
Doyle McMaster
Played by: Danny Strong
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Paris, until they get together (much to Rory's initial disgust). And after that too. The revival shows them still being in that stage while they are getting divorced.
- Beta Couple: With Paris, to Rory and Logan.
- Deadpan Snarker: Frequently.
- Lovable Nerd: Who else but Danny Strong?
- School Newspaper News Hound: A pretty desperate one.
- The Smart Guy
Logan Huntzberger
Played by: Matt Czuchry
- Brilliant, but Lazy: Rory swears that Logan is even smarter than she is, and when he wants to, Logan displays serious intelligence and education. He just doesn't usually want to. The only reason he manages to stay on the staff of the school paper is because the editor knows who his father is.
- The Charmer: He knows how to pick up many girls and he's very charismatic. Rory falls for him almost immediately.
- Freudian Excuse: He's a lazy, partying, womanizing sleaze... but does so because he's been under constant pressure since childhood from his overbearing dad, and born to a Big, Screwed-Up Family who's first reaction to him actually settling down with someone in Rory is to pick her apart and say she's not right for him.
- Handsome Lech: Very attractive and a serious womanizer.
- Iconic Sequel Character: He's introduced in season 5, but is very important for being the main character's Love Interest in the last three seasons.
- I'm a Man; I Can't Help It: How he justifies his horn doggery.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He starts off as a jerk but eventually evolves into a nice and loving boyfriend to Rory.
- Lady Killer In Love: When he falls for Rory, Logan tries to swear off his womanizing ways.
- Meet Cute: When buying coffee from the cart at school Rory turns around and drops her change all over the ground. She crouches down. Logan stops to help her pick up the coins and he greets her with, "This would definitely qualify as a cute meet if we hadn't already met."
- Promotion to Opening Titles: In season 6.
- Rebel Prince: He says that he sees only one door, and feels he's being pushed through it. What he feels he's being pushed into is inheriting the Huntzberger Publishing Company, a national newspaper conglomerate.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Doesn't care about breaking rules (or laws) because he is secure that his family's wealth can get him out of any tight spots.
- Smug Snake: Early on, though he occasionally relapses into it.
- Spoiled Brat: And how!
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: His appearance and behavior, at first at least, might give a feeling that we're seeing a couple of years older Tristan again. Down to having Those Two Guys companions with whom he does stupid things, and ridiculing his the Betty rivals for belonging working class.
- Third-Option Love Interest: A successful one at that, quickly replacing Dean and Marty.
- Troubled, but Cute: A shining example.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Has serious daddy issues with his overbearing, disapproving father.
Marty
Played by: Wayne Wilcox
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Implied. The second time that Marty and Rory meet, he says he's finally not too intimidated to talk to her - because it's when she's running late for breakfast and ran to the dining hall still wearing her pajamas. This may be a hint that his later jerkish behavior isn't so out of character.
- The Bus Came Back: He was out of focus in later years at Yale but he reappears in the final season just in time for Rory to reject him again.
- Derailing Love Interests: Goes from a nice, sweet friend to a bit of a jealous Jerkass.
- Dogged Nice Guy: Towards Rory. He likes her a lot but she wants to be just friends. She's not interested in him romantically.
- Just Friends. He might have even used the phrase itself during his confession.
- Naked First Impression: First meets Rory when he wakes up outside her dorm room after a party, without any clothes on.
- Only One Name: His last name is never mentioned.
- Rich Suitor, Poor Suitor: The poor suitor to Logan's rich. Also shows how Rory's priorities have changed, as she goes after the upper-class jerkass Logan (who is charming in his own way).
- Scholarship Student: Marty is the poorest kid we meet at Yale. He can't afford to eat with the rich kids and sometimes works for Logan as a waiter. Logan is very condescending about it.
- Stalker with a Crush: Marty borders on this with Rory, especially in season 7. When he dates Lucy, she mentions he stalked her and it's hard to say if she's deadpan and joking, half-joking or serious.Lucy: [describing how they met] He stalked me... I was playing Portia in The Merchant of Venice at the Rep, and every night, I see this guy in the front row — same seat, same intense gaze. And after the fifth show, I went up to him and I said, "next time I see you, you better bring flowers or have a knife and stab me." And...
Marty: The next time I saw her, I had daisies and a butter knife.
Tana Schreck
Played by: Olivia Hack
One of Rory and Paris's dormmates in their freshman year at Yale. She is younger than both girls and is very quiet and out of place in social situations.
- Cloudcuckoolander: She is very odd and tends to say the wrong things.
- Ditzy Genius: Intelligent enough to get into Yale when she's just 15, but she appears to be extremely clueless and awkward.
- Fish out of Water: She's even more socially awkward than Rory.
- No Social Skills: Zero social skills, even compared to Rory of the early seasons.
- Put on a Bus: Disappears after season 4, since she wasn't rooming with Rory and Paris anymore.
- Teen Genius: She was 15 when she started college. Yale college.
Janet Billings
Played by: Katie Walder
Another of Rory and Paris's dormmates in their freshman year at Yale. Her strong personality often causes her to clash with Paris.
- Deadpan Snarker: Especially towards Paris.
- Passionate Sports Girl: She is very athletic and often gets up in the early hours of the morning to go jogging.
- Put on a Bus: Her last scene is in season 6 where she gives romantic advice to Rory.
- Sitcom Arch Enemy: To Paris. Paris being a geek and Janet being a jock, they can't stand each other.
Glenn Babble
Played by: Ethan Cohn
A neurotic geek from Rory and Paris's year who has notorious bad luck, particularly with girls. He is also a writer on the Yale Daily News and frequently clashes with Doyle.
- Butt-Monkey: Most of Glenn's scenes consist of something terrible happening to him, such as him getting stranded out at sea on spring break when he went to look for hot dogs.
- Geek Physiques: Glenn is noticeably heavier than most of the male characters.
- Hopeless Suitor: Towards Janet. She is already in a relationship and doesn't seem to be interested in Glenn, but that doesn't stop him from trying to flirt with her.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: In between seasons 4 and 5, one of Glenn's articles gets republished in the New York Times, causing both Rory and Doyle to feel insecure about their own accomplishments.
Asher Fleming
Played by: Michael York
An old colleague of Richard's and professor at Yale. He has a reputation for dating young attractive female students.
- Bus Crash: He and Paris go away to England during the summer, and he dies there.
- Character Death: He has a heart condition and dies.
- Cool Old Guy: Tries to be cool by dating young college girls.
- Hot Teacher: Paris and quite a lot of female students at Yale would say so.
- May–December Romance: He and Paris start dating and their relationship lasts quite long. He seems to have a reputation for dating young female students. Paris names the trope word-for-word to describe their relationship, though Rory describes it as a "May-Min Dynasty romance".
- Personal Horror: He is very offended when Rory thinks that he may be giving her better grades because she knows he's sleeping with Paris.
Lucy
Played by: Krysten Ritter
A friend Rory makes in her senior year of Yale. She is dating Rory's old friend, Marty.
- Life of the Party: Whether it's dyeing her hair green, hosting a 2003-themed birthday party in 2007, or stealing dining hall trays to use as makeshift sleds, Lucy is always up for anything.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Lucy always refers to her boyfriend, Marty, as 'Boyfriend,' leading Rory to not realize the connection until she actually bumps into him.
- Those Two Girls: With Olivia.
Finn/Quinn
Played by: Tanc Sade
Robert Grimaldi
Played by: Nick Holmes
Colin McRae
