Looking Back, Paris Geller May Have Been The Best ‘Gilmore Girls’ Character
Gilmore Girls had many fantastic characters. While Rory Gilmore and Lorelai Gilmore may have been the stars of the show, the supporting characters are what took the series over the top and helped it attain the cult status that it currently enjoys. Noone helped the show’s appeal more than the antagonistic Paris Geller. Vulture argues that Paris was an excellent character for many reasons, and we have to agree.
Paris had absolutely no problem feeling her feelings
Paris was driven, abrasive and difficult to get along with, but she was also entirely in touch with her feelings. Both Rory and Lorelai had difficulty expressing their feelings. If they were mad, sad or upset, they put on a show so no one would know it. Paris didn’t operate that way, and it was actually incredibly refreshing.
Yes, she could have figured out better ways to express herself, but then she wouldn’t be Paris. In the end, being so in touch with her own feelings seems to have propelled her life forward. By the time the revival rolled around, Paris was a success, partially because she refused to apologize for her determination, and partly because she was totally in touch with her feelings.
She is brutally honest
Sure, Paris might seem pretty abrasive, but in reality, she’s just brutally honest. She doesn’t operate in the same way as most other people. She doesn’t seem to believe in social niceties and doesn’t feel the urge to humor people she doesn’t like. Yes, she can come across pretty mean, but if you really think about it, Paris just says what most people are thinking.
Rory needed someone like Paris in her corner. Rory, for all of her faults, really was a pretty nice person. She meant well most of the time, but she was easily steamrolled because she was indecisive and overly concerned with people liking her. Having someone like Paris in her life seemed to make things a little easier for Rory, even if she would never admit it.
Paris is actually a pretty decent friend
Okay, so Paris might not seem like she’s a great friend, but when push comes to shove, she is always there to push her pals in the right direction. Paris might be prone to temper tantrums, like when she kicked Rory out for becoming the editor of the Yale Daily News after she was fired, but she didn’t stay mad for long. She was willing to let Rory move back in after Logan pseudo-cheated on her with an entire bridal party.
Paris is also one of the only people to offer Rory good advice, even if it comes out pretty harsh. When Rory decided to drop out of Yale, Paris was so concerned that she went to seek out Lorelai to make her force her back to school. Sure, Paris acted like it was because Rory was her only friend, but, really, Paris wanted what was best for Rory. Dropping out of Yale because Mitchum Huntzberger was mean to her was a rash decision, and Paris did try hard to steer her back in the right direction, even though it didn’t work.