So, this whole Gilmore Guys series on the blog has been a blast so far…for me, anyway. If you’re new around these parts, every Friday this summer guests are joining me on the blog to talk about our favorite men from one of our favorite shows. And each post comes complete with a giveaway for Gilmore Girls loot, gift cards and books.
Today we have one of my faaaavoritest new-to-me authors and a new friend AND the third member of our slightly-fictional-yet-totally-for-real girl band with our mutual friend Rachel McMillan. Her name is Hillary Manton Lodge. I adored her latest book, A Table by the Window. And today she’s writing about one of my favorite male characters on Gilmore Girls: MAX.
I started Gilmore Girls as a committed Luke fan right from the start. But every time I rewatch the series, I love Max more and more. He may not be the right man for Lorelai Gilmore…but he’s still really, really great. He’s smart and wordsmithy and goes after what he wants. But I should stop talking now so you can get to Hillary’s post!
Oh, and don’t forget to enter the giveaway below. This week’s giveaway includes a copy of Hillary’s latest book, 1 lb of Stumptown Coffee (famous Portland coffee!), my new book Here to Stay, a tote bag and a $5 Starbucks gift card.
*****
Here’s the thing with Max. Bring up Luke in a room full of Gilmore fans and you get a series of “Aww, Luke!” reactions. People either love or hate Jason. Christopher is a mixed bag.
But Max? He’s the nice guy. The guy we never expected Lorelai to end up with. Even when they were engaged, we watched more closely the interactions between Luke and Lorelai. We felt bad for Max in the end, but when Luke instantly cheered at the news of the broken engagement? It’s a great scene.
And yet – why didn’t Lorelai and Max work, when Max was written as the nearly perfect man?
We meet Max in Rory’s class, the day she gets her first D on a paper. At the Parent Night, Lorelai and Max have a meet cute as Lorelai enters the classroom late, ending with Max promising never to make coffee ever again.
He’s charming and kind, witty and sharp. He comments on the B-52’s, and he’s generous about Rory’s adjustment to Chilton.
And then there’s Rory’s fateful Shakespeare test and the deer and her meltdown, which is a bit of televised joy. Max gets caught between Lorelai and Headmaster Charleston (not an ideal place to be). The episode ends with a message on the answering machine from Max, encouraging Rory to persevere and telling Lorelai “it was a pleasure encountering you. I hope it happens again.”
Between that episode and Love and War and Snow, it’s implied Max and Lorelai have been engaged in an extended round of flirtatious phone tag. They have their first scheduled date in Paris is Burning, during which he makes her Osso Bucco and lends her his copy of Swan’s Way.
But the perfection was not to last, not when Paris caught them kissing during Parent Day. They take a break, only to get back together after Rory and Dean break up.
This is first season Lorelai, though, who’s still figuring out the whole grown-up thing. Most of her wisdom is tied up with parenting and working. But when it comes to navigating her relationship with her parents, with Rory’s dad Christopher, with the idea of committing to Max – Lorelai remains at sea.
Max proposes at the end of Season 1. It’s awkward and spontaneous and delivered during a bickering match, but Max is nothing if not genuine. He sends a thousand yellow daisies as a romantic gesture, and by the beginning of Season 2 we see Lorelai accept.
And then it gets complicated. Sookie accidentally spills the beans about the engagement to Emily, who freezes Lorelai out when she Lorelai does tell her. During a night out with Max, we hear Max’s parents’ stance on the engagement – they’re delighted and contributing $35 in four installments for the wedding.
On the way home, Lorelai insists on stopping at her parents’ house and confronting her mother. It’s Max’s first encounter with any of the elder Gilmores, and while he handles it with a stunned graciousness, it’s the first time we really see the divide between Lorelai’s high-drama life and Max’s relatively balanced one.
They worked as a couple because Max balanced out Lorelai’s high-highs and bouts of insecurity. But in the end, the insecurity and doubts sent Lorelai out on a roadtrip on the eve of her wedding. She loved Max – she told Rory as much – but she didn’t love him enough to fight for the relationship, to set aside her history with Christopher, to allow herself to be vulnerable with the man she planned to marry.
Was it the timing? Was it that Max was too easy, too uncomplicated so as not to prove a challenge?
Even though it didn’t work out, there’s a lot to be said for the fact that Max met Lorelai, liked her, and pursued her. He wasn’t intimidated by the fast talking or single parent life. From the conversations between Lorelai and Rory, Max was her first significant relationship since Christopher.
And while Max and Lorelai run into each other a few more times, professing how neither one is quite over the other, Max’s main arc is wrapped in a sweet scene not with Lorelai, but with Rory. After all, he was her teacher before he was Lorelai’s fiancé.
Rory: I just want you to know…I really wanted you to be my stepfather.
Max: I just want you to know…I really wanted to be your stepfather.
The scene is bittersweet, reminding us of how different Lorelai and Rory’s lives could have been. And yet…there’s that guy with the backwards baseball cap lurking at every turn, waiting with his toolbox and a horoscope in his wallet.
*****
Hillary Manton Lodge is the author of A Table by the Window, Plain Jayne, and Simply Sara. She enjoys Gilmore Girls with her whole heart and aspires to one day make a risotto as magical as Sookie’s. You can find out more about her books and life in Portland, Oregon here.
Melissa here…I just have to chime in. Seriously, I’m suddenly incredibly tempted to go write some fan fiction about Max. Because as much as I love Luke, I reeeeally want Max to have a happy ending too. ‘Cause he’s just. so. sweet.
Giveaway Time!
First off, last week’s winner is Nikki White Britton. Congrats, Nikki! Be on the lookout for an email from me. 🙂
This week Hillary is generously giving away a copy of her AWESOME book, A Table by the Window, as well as a pound of Stumptown Coffee. I’m throwing in a tote bag with a quote on it from one of Max’s early episodes on Gilmore Girls. The beloved quote: “Well, I’m attracted to pie, doesn’t mean I feel the need to date pie.” Love it! Also in the prize package, my latest book and a $5 Starbucks gift card.
Comments 42
Max is an amazing man. He is genuine, sweet, and a gentleman. While this is the type of man most women dream of, he just wasn’t right for Lorelai. She needed someone like Luke who was a bit more “rough around the edges.” I’m a fan of both Luke and Max. In all honesty, Max deserves a bit better than Lorelai.
Author
I think I have to agree with you, Jodi, about Max maybe deserving someone a little better than Lorelai…or at least more mature! In those early seasons, stability wasn’t necessarily her strong suit. 🙂
Agree about the “rough around the edges” bit. I think Max was more emotionally mature than Lorelai at that point, too. I hope he found a nice history teacher to read Proust with 🙂
Part of me wanted Max to be Rory’s stepfather, too! But I must admit, I love ever-cranky, eat-a-grapefruit, fix-what-needs-fixin’ Luke 🙂
Author
OH yeah, much as I love Max, Luke is still the ultimate of the Gilmore guys. 🙂
Luke’s handiness is definitely a part of his charm!
1. I *so* need to rewatch this series.
2. Love your/Hillary/Rachel’s special camaraderie 🙂 It’s been fun to watch.
3. Still believe nobody can deal with Lorelai like Luke <3
Author
We do have a great camaraderie! I’m convinced our girl band is going to take over the world…
And agreed on Luke!
Agree, my heart is with Luke. Luke, and our girl band 😉
Awww, that last scene between Max & Rory gets me every time!! Great post!!
Sometimes I think he wanted to be Rory’s father more than he wanted to be Lorelai’s husband.
Author
I love that scene, too, Ruth! And Allison, you make a good point. I can totally see that being the case…
EXCELLENT point, Allison!
I’ve been lurking on Fridays b/c I’ve never watched this show, but with each read I feel like I’ve seen a few episodes:) Even for this non GG watcher, it’s been a fun series!
Author
Pretty soon you’ll know the whole series, Susan! 🙂
Can I just say…I loves Lorelai, but I don’t think she was right for Max. (Never mind Max being right for her.) Like, I think Max deserved better. She is just so selfish in every aspect of the relationship. I hope Max went on to find some lovely, warm-hearted, dedicated English teacher–maybe one who would someday find a new career writing inspirational historical fiction…
Author
I would totally agree with you there, Allison, that Lorelai was pretty selfish in that relationship. She had some growing up to do.
Oh yes please! I totally would’ve watched that spin-off movie. 😉
Ooh, agree on watching that spin-off…
I liked Max, but I always wanted Loreli to end up with Luke. There was just something about Luke and Loreli’s bantering that I enjoyed. Max was definitely a great guy, but he wasn’t the right one for Loreli, in my opinion.
Author
Agreed, Meagan. I think that’s the general consensus among most commenters today…
Great job, Hillary!
Author
Wasn’t it a GREAT post?
Thanks, you guys!
I’ve ALWAYS wanted to watch Gilmore Girls.
Author
It’s definitely a fun show, Juju. The dialogue is the BEST!
I’m team Luke all the way but I really liked Max. He was a nice guy and he treated her right. I wish it had worked with him even though I love Luke.
Author
He was a good, good guy that’s for sure. 🙂
Thumbs up!
Author
🙂
During a recent rewatching of the first few seasons, I found Max to be way more dreamy then I remembered. And I agree, it was timing that made Lorelai run. She’s admits she’s been waiting for Christopher this whole time, shortly after the fact. And really, she has no room in her life for any serious anything with any guy, Luke included, til she sorts out her stuff with Christopher.
Author
I was exactly the same–when I rewatched it I realized how great Max was. I actually started watching GG somewhere in a middle or latter season so I was a Luke fan instantly…so when I went back and watched the early seasons for the first time, I didn’t like Max at first because I’d already honed in on Luke. But then when I rewatched the early ones, I liked Max soooo much.
Why… why… why are you girls tempting me to try this so?? I mean, really, I have enough TV addictions. 😉
Anyway… I love that Scott Cohen plays Max because he is also on USA’s (now-cancelled) Necessary Roughness and man, is he AWESOME in the role. His name is Nico and he’s this mysterious “fixer” who also happens to have a serious crush on the female lead, which is definitely a cute plot line because it’s so against his tough-guy character. 🙂
Author
I don’t know if I’ve ever seen Scott Cohen in anything else at all! But I really do love him in GG.
thumbs up
Author
🙂
I am not familiar with the series, but from the description in the blog, he sounds like a thumbs up.
Author
He definitely is. I mean, he’s no Luke…but he’s really great. 🙂
Thumbs sideways….meh overall! 🙂
Author
I know a few other GG fans who feel the same. Actually I did too the first time I watched the series. It was only during rewatching that I realized I really liked the guy. 🙂
Not a Max fan. He always seemed a little smarmy to me.
I have a confession to make… I’ve never seen Gilmore Girls. I know, I know… what planet have I been living on? 😉 Your blog has made me more curious though so I’ll need to check it out.