‘Gilmore Girls’: Michel Gerard and Jess Mariano Had A Couple of Things in Common
The many characters of Stars Hollow helped Gilmore Girls shine. Lorelai Gilmore and Rory Gilmore may have been the main attraction for fans, but each individual secondary character was important, too. Just because they mostly lived in Stars Hollow doesn’t mean they necessarily had anything in common, though. Take, for instance, Jess Mariano and Michel Gerard. The two characters were seldom in a scene together. Upon first glance, a fan might assume the surly innkeeper and the angsty teen had absolutely nothing in common. That’s not actually the case, though. Jess and Michel actually had a couple of things in common, although it’s unlikely they ever uncovered it
Michel and Jess both had run-ins with swans
Michel and Jess both had one strange thing in common. They both had run-ins with swans and disliked the notoriously aggressive birds. In season 1, Michel was asked to show Kirk where to put a pair of swans that were to be used in a wedding at The Independence Inn. Michel explained that he was afraid of swans and hated them because a band of the birds attacked him. The attack happened when he was just a child, but he was still scared of them.
In season 3, Jess had a run-in with a swan on the night he met Rory for dinner at her grandparent’s house. At first, Jess refused to tell anyone how he ended up with a black eye, making dinner especially awkward. Eventually, he admitted to Luke Danes that he had been “beaked by a swan.” Luke later accompanied Jess to find the “vicious, vicious bird.” While they eventually found the swan that had attacked him, nothing more came of it. The swan was never mentioned again.
Michel and Jess were both outsiders
Michel may have worked in Stars Hollow, but it seems unlikely that he lived in the small hamlet. At least, Michel was never seen wondering into Luke’s or Doosey’s on a day off. Where he called home was never mentioned, but given the fact that he emigrated to the United States, it’s safe to say he wasn’t exactly an insider in Stars Hollow. The hamlet’s most outspoken residents were those who had spent most of their life in the rural Connecticut town.
Jess was also an outsider when he went to live with Luke Danes. Jess, who grew up in New York, had no intention of blending into small-town life, and he made absolutely no effort to get along with the people around him. In fact, it’s safe to say that both Michel and Jess wore their status as outsiders with honor. Neither wanted to be associated with the people of the town and worked especially hard to distance themselves.
Michel and Jess both hated Taylor Doosey
Gypsy once suggested that Taylor Doosey was the town’s “Papa Duck.” That doesn’t mean he was well-liked, though. All told, most residents seemed to seriously dislike Taylor and the way he tried to micromanage their lives. Michel and Jess were both especially outspoken about their distaste for the town selectmen. Michel voiced his feelings about Taylor on more than one occasion.
Jess may not have shown up in Stars Hollow until season 2 of the series, but as soon as he stepped off the bus from New York, he appeared to set his sights on messing with Taylor. To be fair Jess’s feelings were not specific to Taylor. The only person he took a liking to in the entire town was Rory. Even if Jess’s hatred wasn’t Taylor-specific, he certainly didn’t like the guy and seemed to enjoy pranking him.
