This New 'GG' Photo Shoot Is Very Interesting...

Attention! Attention, everyone! The Gilmore Girls revival is almost upon us, and in celebration of this hallowed event, Entertainment Weekly has done a Gilmore Girls revival cast photo shoot. You know, to commemorate the momentous occasion, and because everyone and their mother is about to go out and buy the issue, including yours truly. Brilliant marketing schemes aside, this photo shoot is actually super telling when it comes to the characters, their histories, and where we are likely to find them in the revival. What the heck am I talking about? Well, I am so glad you asked.

While I could probably write a hundred-page thesis on each character's specific pose and props, I'm going to focus on Rory's three past (and possibly present) loves. You see, they all have something similar, but also vastly different, in common. Yes, I am aware of the contradictory statement. Let me explain. Dean, Jess, and Logan are all holding coffee cups in their solo pictures. But not one of their cups is the same, nor do they pay the same kind of attention the prop in hand. Honestly, I think this was done with great purpose. I think it's not only revealing of their characters' pasts, but of their futures.

Let's analyze the pictures below, because I am an English major, and I've obviously been well conditioned to reading into things way too hard.

Dean

Ever-wholesome (until, you know, he's cheating on his wife with Rory) Dean is pictured about to sip coffee out of a considerably attractive mug. The kind you buy from Anthropologie for way too much money and use when you have guests over. Because Dean is a guest. Not just in Rory's home, but in her life. Dean, looking like he's waiting for approval to drink coffee out of a nice-looking mug, speaks to the disconnect he has from Rory. He's familiar, but he's also strange. He's reminder of home, but as the old adage goes, home is not something you can ever go back to. Not really.

Logan

On the other hand, Logan is holding a travel cup. It speaks to Logan's business, his transience, his constant jet-setting, and his coming and going in Rory's life. Whether they were long-distance or Rory was refusing his marriage proposal, the two were never quite in the same place, even if their hearts were. And the photo would have us infer that he's still on the move, and now Rory is on the move as well. The thing is, they still do have the coffee in common. But is it enough?

Jess

Unlike the other two former flames, Jess is holding a nondescript diner-like mug upside down, insinuating that he's either done with his cup or he just poured it all out. The point is that there's no coffee. But I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. Jess breaking the coffee cup status quo is indicative of his effect on Rory's life. When Jess came in, he shook up her world. He frustrated her, but he also challenged her. He helped Rory to live up to her full potential. He showed her how to take risks. Which brings me back to the lack of coffee. Rory wasn't the only person who needed saving. Just as Jess pushed Rory, Rory pushed Jess back. She made him more sensitive, she made him more thoughtful, and she called him out on his crap. She made him realize he was worth something.

Maybe the reason Jess is currently coffee-less is that he's missing the flavor, kick, and rejuvenation Rory brought to his life. Maybe she'll return and his cup will be filled once more. Or maybe this is just the wishful thinking of a girl who is solidly Team Jess. Whatever the truth, I think we can all agree that this photo shoot is the greatest.

Image: Warner Bros. Television