Jess Mariano (2024)

❯❯

Jess Mariano is a principal character on Gilmore Girls, portrayed by Milo Ventimiglia.

Character[]

Jess is the troubled love-interest of Rory Gilmore, son of Liz Danes and Jimmy Mariano, and nephew of Luke Danes. Jess is incredibly smart, quick-witted, and interested in the arts and literature, but not academically motivated. His lack of parental support from his mother and the absence of his father leaves Jess feeling very alone and scared of the world, which causes him to test or lash out at most people. Jess tends to distance himself from people, leading to his breakup with Rory. Despite people reaching out to him, he often pushes them away without explanation.^[1]

Story[]

❯❯

Jess comes to Stars Hollow when his mother, Liz, "can't handle" his rebellion due to her neglect, so on a whim she sends Jess to live with her brother, Luke Danes. Jess is unhappy being sent away without any say in his own future and has no interest in making things work in Stars Hollow as he has been neglected and lashes out due to the low self-esteem his parents neglect brought him. From the start, Jess and Luke share a very complicated relationship as Luke can't relate to his nephew, and Luke has no experience with parenting, especially someone who really needs a steady parental force in their life, but tries his best to help Jess feel more comfortable in the town. Early on, Luke states that in order for Jess to live with him, he must attend school and graduate. Jess also works part-time in the diner his uncle owns. After staying with Luke for a while, it is evident that the two care for each other even if it isn't directly stated.

Jess quickly develops a romantic interest in Rory Gilmore after he meets her at a welcome to town dinner at her and her mother's house. When they meet, Rory is involved with Dean Forester, a local boy she has been dating for two years, but Rory returns Jess's interest from the beginning, although she is in denial about it. Jess wants to spend time with Rory and creates scenarios for them to do so, such as at the Bracebridge Dinner the Independence Inn throws for the town, and the annual Bid On A Basket festival, where he purchases Rory's to spend time with her. Rory's boyfriend quickly notices the pull between Rory and Jess, and Jess intentionally eggs Dean on to further their rivalry over Rory's affections, although, unbeknownst to Jess, Dean has already lost.

Jess gets off to a difficult start with Lorelai, who tries to parent him almost the second he arrives in town, and he intentionally shuns her to prevent her from prying into his feelings. As Jess and Rory develop a bond, he tries to make an effort to get along with Lorelai and is temporarily successful, until she realises Jess's culpability in the issues between Rory and Dean. Lorelai never gives Jess a chance again, despite herself knowing what it's like to be neglected by your parents and the lengths she goes to, to keep people at a distance out of fear of getting hurt again, as well as being the supposed adult in the scenario.

Jess doesn't do well in school as he doesn't do his work, nor pays attention, and his pranks have extended to stealing the school's baseballs. This lands him on academic probation and Luke enlists Rory's help tutoring Jess to keep him afloat in school. They spend their tutoring session flirting and take a drive, which ends in an accident when Jess swerves to avoid hitting an animal and Rory fractures her wrist in the crash. Jess feels guilty and asks to return to New York, which Luke accepts. Rory skips school for the day (which is very unlike her), and unintentionally misses her mother's graduation while taking a trip to New York to see Jess. When Jess asks her why she came, she says that it is because he never said goodbye to her. Because of this, Jess later returns to Stars Hollow with the intention of doing better than the first time he was there. He finds Rory outside of Sookie's wedding, and she surprises him with a kiss (it is a surprise because Rory is still with Dean). When he kisses her back, she pulls away and starts freaking out, resulting in her mumbling "welcome home" and running off.

When Rory is in Washington D.C. over the summer, Jess gets involved with another girl named Shane. When Rory returns, Jess expresses his anger over her still being with Dean. He is also mad that Rory hadn't called him or sent him a letter, or anything while she was away, especially considering she kissed him months earlier. Rory stays with Dean after resolving that being with him is the better choice, but she continues to show her attraction and interest in Jess. Jess attends the 24 Hour Dance Marathon with Shane, and after Rory demonstrates clear jealousy over him, Dean breaks up with her publicly at the dance marathon as he's tired of being dragged along when the two clearly have feelings for each other. Jess finds Rory sitting on the wooden bridge at the lake afterward, and she confesses that everything Dean said about them was right.

Jess eventually agrees that he was right, and they begin their relationship. Their relationship, however anticipated by each other, is bumpy. Unlike Dean, Jess is terrible at communication and follow-through, and this causes frustration for Rory. Also, Jess is jealous of the formed friendship between Rory and Dean, and it doesn't help that Lorelai still doesn't warm to him. Jess arrives late to a dinner at Rory's grandmother's house, where he shows up with a black eye and later walks out on the evening after he and Rory get into an argument. He later reveals he was attacked by a swan and takes Luke to the pond to retaliate with a ladle. He never actually tells Rory that he was attacked by a swan, as he's embarrassed. He generally keeps secrets from Rory, like how many hours he's really working at Walmart instead of attending school.

When Rory is accepted to Yale University, Jess seems excited about the close proximity so they can continue their relationship even with her being at school. Rory would like to attend her senior prom at Stars Hollow High with Jess, but when he tries to get tickets, the principals officially informs him that he will not be graduating (and therefore cannot buy tickets). Earlier in the season, Jess had taken a job at Walmart, and he continuously missed school to work extra hours. The principal tells him he would have to repeat the year. Jess keeps this news from Rory, and they attend a party together even though Jess is in a sour mood. Later in the evening, Rory finds Jess sulking in a bedroom upstairs, and she tries to talk to him. Instead, Jess attempts to get intimate with her, but Rory isn't ready for that step.

Jess gets angry and yells at her for bothering him. When she walks downstairs crying, Dean sees her and initiates a fight with Jess because he realised Jess made her cry. This causes the tension between Jess and Rory to skyrocket, and he walks away from the party without looking back. When Luke finds out that Jess refuses to repeat his senior year, he and Jess get into an argument. Jess declares he won't go back to school, and Luke tells him that since he broke their agreement, he needs to leave. Jess and Rory share an awkward conversation on the morning bus, and when Rory gets off, Jess pulls a book from his duffle bag.

In the next episode, Jess is in Venice, California to see his father (who had surprisingly visited Stars Hollow a few weeks before) and asks to stay with him. His father eventually agrees, and Jess stays in California. This departure was unexpected with Jess telling neither Luke nor Rory. He continues to call Rory while in California, but never speaks when she answers even though she suspects it's him. When he calls again on her high school graduation day, she tells him that she could have loved him, but she wasn't going to pine. She was going to Europe for the summer, and then she was going to Yale. She was going to move on, and she then hangs up because he doesn't speak a single word the whole time.

Future[]

Jess returns six months later to retrieve his car in A Family Matter, which Luke had taken and hid to prevent Jess from jeopardizing graduating from high school. The car is in need of repairs and so Jess stays in town for another day before he can leave. Accidentally, he has several run-ins with Rory in Nag Hammadi Is Where They Found the Gnostic Gospels, but each time quickly leaves without really allowing her to talk. Right before he is going to leave town with his car fixed, he finds Rory on the streets and tells her that he loves her. However, he once again leaves before letting her respond.

After Luke vehemently asks that he come to his mother's wedding to T.J. in Luke Can See Her Face, Jess settles on coming to Stars Hollow in the spring and walks his mother down the aisle, their relationship with her possibly improving. While in Stars Hollow, Jess reads Luke's self help book and realizes that he has been treating Rory the wrong way all along. He appears at her Yale dorm in Last Week Fights, This Week Tights and asks her to come away with him. This, however, is at the same time that Rory has been getting closer to her now married ex-boyfriend Dean. Jess tells her not to say "no" unless she doesn't want to be with him, and she declines. Jess leaves.

Jess moves to Philadelphia where he joins a small publishing house and writes a novel. He visits Rory in Let Me Hear Your Balalaikas Ringing Out, who is at the time living with her grandparents, to tell her about his book. He gives her a copy to keep, and he tells her it was through her influence that got him to this point. They agree to do dinner the next night. He goes to dinner with Rory and Logan Huntzberger (who comes home earlier than expected), but leaves after Logan mocks him. Outside the restaurant, Jess confronts Rory about how she has been spending her life - dropping out of Yale, living at her grandparents' house, and joining the DAR. He knows this is all very much unlike her because he knows her better than anyone. Their talk inspires Rory to move out of her grandparents' house and resume attending Yale (which then rekindles her relationship with her mother).

Several months later in The Real Paul Anka, Jess's publishing house has an open house, and he invites both Luke and Rory. Luke attends with April Nardini, and Jess meets his cousin for the first time. Jess and Luke share a moment where Jess thanks his uncle for everything and pays him back the money he owed him. Rory attends alone, and she and Jess kiss after the open house concludes. Rory confesses that she is in love with Logan and that she came because she was angry Logan cheated on her. Jess is angry at being used, but tells her that she can tell Logan that something happened if it will make her feel better.

2016[]

Jess returns to Stars Hollow in Summer, called to town to save Liz and TJ from a vegetable cult. He calls in at Rory's new job as the Editor of the local newspaper. They quickly catch up again, despite it being four years since they last saw each other and Jess suggests a way out of Rory's rut; writing the story of her life. Rory is struck by the idea and he leaves shortly afterwards when Luke arrives.

Jess next appears in Luke's diner in Fall. At first, he's dismayed to learn that the Diner is so silent due to the existence of wifi, but quickly focuses his attention on Luke's problems when Luke emerges from the back covered in flour. They discuss his issues, with Jess displaying his maturity in their conversation over love and Lorelai before Luke ends the conversation and goes back to trying to get his customers to do more than just drink coffee whilst on their laptops. Jess moves to the back and pulls out the wifi, in the process ejecting all the people who just sat there stuck to their screens. He throws it a relieved Luke before leaving.

Jess' final appearance is at the Gilmore House, where he is reading a book and advising Luke on his suit for the wedding. Ultimately he takes his leave after Kirk runs in having apparently destroyed all the preparations for Luke and Lorelai's upcoming wedding. As he's leaving, Rory rushed out to excitedly tell him that she's finished the first three chapters of the book he suggested she write. Luke questions him over, asking whether he's still into Rory. Jess says it's 'long over' but after Luke leaves he hitches up his bag and makes his way to the window of the house. Rory appears to tend to Kirk and Jess stares lovingly and longingly through the window at Rory, indicating that actually, he's not over Rory at all.

Relationships[]

Shane

Jess starts dating Shane during the summer before his senior year of high school. Rory kisses him before summer starts, but leaves for D.C. and Jess doesn't hear from her all summer. When he runs into Rory in the market, she's mad that he's with Shane and Jess is clearly hurt that he didn't hear from Rory at all and is mad that she has an attitude when she stayed with her boyfriend and didn't talk to Jess at all. Jess doesn't really have anything in common with Shane or seem to like her as a person very much, but just has a casual fling with her in lieu of romance with Rory. Shane doesn't seem to mind being casual either, but Jess does defend her when Rory makes degrading insinuations about Shane. After Dean gets tired of watching Jess and Rory making each other jealous and breaks up with her, Jess ends his fling with Shane to be with Rory.

Rory Gilmore

Main article: Rory and Jess

Jess and Rory meet when Jess arrives unceremoniously in Stars Hollow, after being sent to live with Luke by his flake of a mother. While Jess is hurt and uncomfortable with the situation and doesn't take well to anyone, he accepts Rory right away in spite of himself and they share a 'meeting-of-the-minds' later that evening in the center of town. While their mutual attraction is quickly evident, Rory battles with herself over the idea that she should remain with her first boyfriend forever, while Jess unapologetically flirts with Rory at every turn. Rory's heart eventually wins over her head and she kisses Jess, and a few months later they finally begin a romance. As the two have exceptionally bad timing, with Jess' family issues, they part and see each other again almost a year later, with unpleasant results. A few weeks after Rory turns 21, they meet again and Jess has gotten through his family troubles on his own and started a life for himself – including becoming a writer.

Quotes[]

❯❯

Trivia[]

• Liz tells Luke that she thinks Jess is a lot like their father, William Danes.^[2]
• Jess has difficult relationship with his family members^[3][4], but by the conclusion of his appearance, he is on good terms with them.^[5]
• Jess didn't graduate from Stars Hollow High.^[6] It is not stated if he ever went for his GED.
• Jess buys a run-of-the-mill car from Gypsy. Rory and Lorelai smash deviled eggs on it^[7], and Luke steals it to prevent Jess from working at Walmart.
• Jess was awarded Employee of the Month at Walmart for being their "Mr. Reliable."
• When Jess first came to Stars Hollow, he notoriously did pranks around town (stealing the school baseballs, stealing Babette's gnome, and drawing a chalk outline of a body on the sidewalk).^[8]
• Jess hangs out in Washington Square Park in New York City.

Backstage[]

• Ventimiglia based much of Jess on one of his childhood best friends.^[9]
• Milo Ventimiglia, the actor who portrays Jess, got his own Star at the Walk of Fame on January 10th, 2022, mainly for his work at Gilmore Girls and This is Us. Together with him, were his parents Carol and Peter Ventimiglia, his cast mates Jon Huertas and Justin Hartley, the screenwriter Don Fogelman and Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creator of Gilmore Girls.

Photos[]

Jess Mariano/Gallery

Episodes[]

Notes and references[]