Dean Forester. His name inspires many feelings among Gilmore Girls devotees, and not all of them are positive. He's a polarising figure in the community, once beloved as Rory's high school boyfriend, but the fans were divided with the introduction of Jess. Dean and Rory became a thing of the past, and gone was his Golden Boy status. Opinions fell even further when Rory briefly returned to Stars Hollow and had an affair with the then-married Dean. I can't defend all of his actions, nor the fact that some people find him boring, but I will argue that Dean is a significant, vital part of Rory's life. Without him, she wouldn't be the person she is. I don't necessarily think she should end up with him on Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, but let's, as a people, make peace with Dean. After all, without Dean, would we even have Jared Padalecki as Supernatural's Sam? Think about that.