Unpopular ‘Gilmore Girls’ Opinion: Zack Van Gerbig Was Just as Good as Dave Rygalski
Lane Kim married Zack Van Gerbig during season 6 of Gilmore Girls. They quickly had twins and settled into married life. Their relationship’s progression abruptly ended Lane Kim’s bid to become a rockstar. For years, Gilmore Girls fans have largely disliked Zack, partly because of how Lane’s storyline unfolded and partially because Zack didn’t measure up to Lane’s first love, Dave Rygalski. While Zack and Dave were inherently different people, we think Zack was just as good to Lane as Dave, just in a completely different way.
Lane Kim fell for Dave Rygalski
Mrs. Kim didn’t allow Lane to date men she hadn’t approved. There was one major problem with that. Mrs. Kim and Lane had very different ideas about what type of men she should be dating. When Dave Rygalski showed interest in Lane, she was immediately smitten. To make Dave more marketable to Mrs. Kim, they launched a plan to present him as a church guitarist.
Dave did absolutely everything he had to do to make Mrs. Kim like him, and she did like him. His dedication to winning over Mrs. Kim made many Gilmore Girls fans believe he was the right guy for Lane, but we didn’t actually get to see much of their relationship. Eventually, the duo broke things off when Dave moved to California for college. While Dave was a nice guy who went out of his way for the girl he liked, we never saw that relationship bloom.
Lane and Zack’s relationship hit a rocky patch at one point
With Dave out of the picture, Lane eventually fell for her other bandmate, Zack Van Gerbig. Zack, in many ways, was the exact opposite of Dave. Far more clueless, less articulate, and overall a bit more shallow, Zack amassed plenty of critics. After he broke up the band and ended his romance with Lane over petty jealousy, Gilmore Girls fans largely wrote him off.
Hear us out, though. Zack might have been a bit goofy and immature, but he was sweet to Lane. Zack was concerned with Lane’s happiness and comfort. He accepted her stance on premarital sex while still communicating that he wasn’t sure how he felt about it. Overall, Zack was good to Lane. He won over Mrs. Kim and did his best. Sure, he made mistakes, but he always meant well.
Zack Van Gerbig might not have been what ‘Gilmore Girls’ fans had in mind, but he was just as good to Lane as Dave Rygalski
Dave won over Gilmore Girls fans with his dedication to impressing Mrs. Kim to date Lane. Zack did the same, though. Zack was dedicated to his cause, too. We could argue that he was more dedicated to being with Lane because he had to fight back from a bad first impression.
Dave was kind to Lane, but Zack was similarly kind. Dave was concerned with Lane’s well-being, but so was Zack. We think Zack was better to Lane than Dave because he really worked to make things work. He won her back and even worked with Mrs. Kim on a song just for the chance to marry Lane. Sure, Zack was less well-spoken than Dave, but he grew into a loving and family-oriented man. He just needed a bit of time to mature. Zack and Lane’s love story might not have been the one fans hoped for, but the core relationship was still good.
