Matt Czuchry Returns to His Gilmore Girls Roots in American Horror Story: Delicate

Now that Fox’s medical drama The Resident has hit Netflix, Matt Czuchry’s performance as Dr. Conrad Hawkins is back in the spotlight — but Gilmore Girls fans will always remember him as Logan Huntzberger. He portrayed Rory’s (Alexis Bledel) love interest Logan in Amy Sherman Palladino’s dramedy, which premiered on The WB in 2000 and ended its run on The CW in 2007. Logan first crossed paths with Rory at Yale in the Season 5 episode “Written in the Stars,” and immediately made a poor impression as he spoke patronizingly to her friend, repeatedly forgot her name, and just generally came off as an insufferable rich kid. However, even if you were #TeamJess, it was still difficult to not be at least a little charmed by Logan.

Czuchry’s tried his hand at other roles in the years since, but he’s once again returning to his Gilmore Girls roots in American Horror Story: Delicate. He plays Dex Harding, the husband of actress Anna Alcove (Emma Roberts) who’s finally become pregnant after the couple’s long struggle with infertility. Obviously, Gilmore Girls and American Horror Story are nothing alike — one is a feel-good show about a mother-daughter duo while the other is, well, a horror story. However, Logan and Dex seem strikingly similar. Pretentious and incredibly privileged, kind of an assh*le, yet also handsome and charismatic… both characters easily fit this description, and Czuchry perfectly captures this with his performances.

In the midseason finale of Delicate, “Preech,” Dex finally admits that, despite the supportive façade he’s put on, he doesn’t actually believe Anna about anything that’s happened. The stalker that’s been torturing her? She probably made the whole thing up. The fake nurse, the apartment break-in, the chilling lipstick writing on the mirror, the creepy dolls? She obviously just wants attention. “What else am I supposed to think, Anna?” he scoffs when she confronts him. “None of it makes any sense.”

It’s a chilling scene that also feels eerily familiar. While Logan never gaslit Rory about being stalked by a Satanic cult, neither he nor Dex are winning any partner of the year awards. In the Season 6 episode “Let Me Hear Your Balalaikas,” Logan got drunk and antagonized Rory’s ex-boyfriend Jess (Milo Ventimiglia) over dinner. When he talked down to both Rory and Jess and then acted baffled when they didn’t want to stay and drink with him, it felt markedly similar to Dex casually asking Anna if she wants to come watch the Golden Globes right after admitting he doesn’t believe her. In both scenes, Czuchry’s characters act deliberately oblivious in a way that’s not just aggravating, but cruel.

Yet, both Dex and Logan also have moments that make viewers sympathize with them. His awful Golden Globes quip aside, it’s hard not to feel a little bad for Dex at times as his wife slowly unravels. In particular, the scene after the miscarriage (before the whole “vanishing twin syndrome” sitch is introduced) where he gets teary-eyed and says, “It was my kid too,” is heartbreaking. Sure, the guy may very well turn out to be an evil mastermind, but in this moment, we feel for him. Similarly, while Logan often comes across as a spoiled jerk, he also faces crushing pressure to succeed and follow in his parent’s footsteps. He feels stuck in a life he doesn’t want, telling Rory, “You talk about all these doors being open? All I see is one door, and I'm being pushed through it. I have no choice.” Through his nuanced portrayal, Czuchry manages to make us feel empathy for both characters even if we were just mad at them a minute ago.

Of course, Czuchry is by no means only capable of playing this one archetype. Although they have a few similarities, his characters on The Good Wife and The Resident bring out completely different sides of him as a lawyer who just can’t catch a break or a tough senior resident for a hospital. However, he definitely has a gift for bringing the Logans and Dexes of the world to life: the cocky, charming guy who’s insufferable at times, but also has a twinge of sadness to him when you look more closely. It remains to be seen whether Dex is truly evil or just kind of a crappy husband, but no matter which direction AHS: Delicate goes, Czuchry is sure to bring his A-game. And hey, who knows? Maybe the next AHS season will be set in an alternate universe Stars Hollow.

New episodes of American Horror Story: Delicate air Wednesdays at 10:00 PM ET on FX, and stream next-day on Hulu. Join the discussion about the show in our forums.

Kelly Martinez is a TV Reporter based in Los Angeles. Her previous work can be found at BuzzFeed and People Magazine, among other outlets. She enjoys reading, spending time with her cat, and explaining the plot of Riverdale to people.