‘Gilmore Girls’: Scott Patterson Jokes About an Alternative Origin Story for Dean Forrester
Scott Patterson spent seven years playing Luke Danes on Gilmore Girls. He reprised his most iconic role in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life in 2016. Still, Patterson never watched the series. Well, not until now. Watching it for the first time in 2021, Patterson is recording his reactions in a new podcast. Recently he jokingly shared a comical theory about Dean Forrester, Rory’s first boyfriend, and Max Medina, Lorelai Gilmore’s season 1 love interest. While unlikely, it sure makes the show a bit more interesting.
Scott Patterson joked that Dean could have been Max Medina’s long lost child
Patterson and his production team watched the season 1 episode “Cinnamon’s Wake,” and everyone had plenty to say about it. Patterson zeroed in on the way both Max and Dean pursued their future girlfriends, even when neither appeared to be all that interested at first. Patterson argued that both Max and Dean were manipulative, and he thinks there might be a reason for that.
Patterson jokingly theorized that Max might be Dean’s biological father, although he suggested neither knew it. He said that Dean could have been born when Max hit on yet another mother at a school where he taught. He hypothesized that Max was run out of Chicago and ended up in Connecticut to teach at Chilton because of it. To drive his point home, Patterson noted that both Dean and Max were tall. Scott Cohen, the actor who portrayed Max, is 6’1. Jared Padalecki, the actor who took on the role of Dean, is 6’4, although he said he was 6’2 during season 1 of Gilmore Girls.
Scott Patterson disliked both Dean Forrester and Max Medina
Patterson’s theory might have a little something to do with his feelings about both characters. Patterson has made it immensely clear that he strongly believes his on-screen nephew, Jess Mariano, was the right pick for Rory. His familial tie to Jess might color his feelings about Rory’s love interests. Still, he isn’t wrong about Dean. Dean was, by far, the worst of Rory’s three love interests in terms of compatibility and shared interests.
More recently, Patterson took to his podcast, I Am All In, to share his feelings about Max. In a well-thought-out explanation, Patterson suggested the character of Max was shady and acted inappropriately when he hit on Lorelai in front of Rory and other parents at Chilton. Max did pursue Lorelai even after she told him she couldn’t date her daughter’s teacher. The pair eventually date and get engaged, but Lorelai called off the engagement shortly before the wedding.
Gilmore Girls fans never actually saw Dean’s father
While Patterson’s theory was all in jest, there are reasons to believe that it isn’t totally impossible. Dean didn’t show up in Stars Hollow until high school. He had previously lived in Chicago and never mentioned exactly why his family had relocated. In fact, the Forrester family didn’t seem to have any ties to Connecticut. One set of grandparents lived in Maine, while the others were back in Chicago.
More importantly, Dean’s father was never seen, although he was mentioned from time to time. Fans did get to see Dean’s mom once during the five seasons that Dean spent on the series. Is it possible that Dean’s dad wasn’t his biological father? It’s possible but not likely. Still, Patterson’s theory makes things more interesting.
