Gilmore Girls alum Adam Brody candidly responds to whether his character, Dave Rygalski, deserves the title of best boyfriend. Brody is currently going viral and stealing hearts opposite Kristen Bell in the Netflix romantic comedy series Nobody Wants This as Rabbi Noah Roklov. It’s a role that echoes the actor’s most famous performance as The O.C.‘s Seth Cohen. But going even further back, it’s drawn comparisons to the relatively minor Gilmore Girls character of Dave Rygalski and his brief relationship with Keiko Agena’s Lane Kim.

In an “Ask Me Anything” video for ELLE, Brody and Bell took turns addressing different topics, and Brody fielded a question from his Nobody Wants This co-lead about whether Dave deserves the best boyfriend title on Gilmore Girls. Despite the sterling reputation that Dave has, Brody says that the character wasn’t part of the series long enough to earn the best boyfriend title. In the quote below, Brody also suggests that Dave might’ve been “love bombing” Lane, which is a term for manipulating someone into a relationship.

“Does he deserve perfect boyfriend title? No, he wasn’t around that long. We don’t know how he would have been in the long term. He could have been love bombing her.”

Why Dave & Lane Are So Beloved (Even Though Brody Wasn’t Around Long)

Brody Left For The OC

Brody appeared in nine episodes of Gilmore Girls, all in the show’s third season. Dave was ultimately written out, with the character leaving Stars Hollow for California. It’s a fitting send-off since Brody left The WB dramedy to play Seth on The O.C., which is set in the sunny beaches of Orange County. Still, even in his relatively short stint in the series, Dave is sweet and shares plenty of gentle scenes with Lane.

Brody and Agena reunited in September 2020 over a video call. Though it had been almost two decades since they shared the screen, the easy chemistry that made Dave and Lane fun to watch was on display. The actors even shared their hopes that perhaps Lane and Dave ended up together, remarks that are especially significant considering how unhappy many viewers were with Lane’s storylines towards the end of Gilmore Girls.

Our Take On Brody’s Gilmore Girls Comments

He’s Probably Right, But…

Brody has always had a critical eye towards his roles, calling out Seth for his selfish cowardice on more than one occasion. The actor tends to be right. He’s also probably correct that if Dave hung around too long on Gilmore Girls, he’d probably be just as flawed as Dean, Jess, and Logan are with Rory. At times, and in past interviews, The O.C. alum has been less likely to acknowledge that he is a big part of what makes his characters so likable and enduring.

Though he’s given excellent performances in darker projects like The Kid Detective and Ready or Not, part of the appeal of his new romantic comedy with Bell is that the early aughts icon is finally getting to be the romantic lead that Seth Cohen and Dave Rygalski could not be. He’s in his element, proving decades later why his earlier roles have left such a lasting impact.