5 Reasons To Finally Stop Gilmore Girls’ Dean Hate

Just like any other fandom, the Gilmore Girls fandom has its own token hated characters. Of course, no one can even come close to Christopher Hayden and the level of unspeakable hatred towards him, but there is a second man in these girls' lives who gets almost as much trash-talking as Chris.

That's Dean, who has been Rory's school sweetheart for far too long, some viewers believe. And while the discourse about whether or not he really loved Rory is still very much alive, half of the hatred towards him feels undeserved.

Here are 5 redeeming facts about Gilmore Girls' Dean that might make you see him at least a little differently.

Relationships With Those Who Matter To Rory

There are many things that can be said about Dean and Rory's relationship, but Dean really tried to get close to those who were close to him. He worked on his relationship with Lorelai, went to her grandparents' house for dinner, and was friendly with Lane. He knew that was important to her, and he made sure to respect that.

Clara

There's not much to say there, but you can always tell a lot about a person by the way they treat their family, especially when it comes to little siblings. It always seemed like Dean took good care of his sister, she was around a lot, and she was always involved in whatever he was doing, rather than left to her own devices.

Coming To Debutante Ball

A lot of people point out how Dean complained about going, but they tend to forget how different his and Rory's upbringings were. He doesn't really understand the gravity of such events, but he goes anyway just to see her happy, and that's all that matters. One can only imagine how awfully out of place he felt there, surrounded by all those rich boys.

Gilmore Girls Lore Knowledge

Honestly, if anyone knew and understood more about Lorelai, Rory, their history, dynamics, and relationships than they did, it would have been Dean. The way he flawlessly explained everything first to Max and then to Luke was a great way to show how integrated he was in their lives and how perceptive he was around them.

Breaking Up With Rory

This may be controversial, but he broke up with Rory when it had dragged on far too long and hurt everyone involved far too much, and it was actually a good thing for both of them. It takes a lot of courage to say the words you know are going to hurt, but he was not afraid to take that responsibility.