Tales of a TV Addict

[talesofatvaddict]

Gilmore Girls: S1/E17 The Break-Up Part 2

Oh dear, here we go. Rory’s first heartbreak. This isn’t going to be pretty. What heartbreak is though? The episode starts right where we left off, with Rory and Lorelai hugging in the foyer of their house (is it a foyer or an entryway? I don’t know, whatever). Rory, obviously, doesn’t want to talk about it. Lorelai tries to figure out how all of this (surprising to everyone) event went down, but can’t get anything out of her. She’s the Fort Knox of relationship details. But how freaking sad is it when Rory says “He didn’t want to be my boyfriend anymore. End of story.” I tear up a little every time I get to that part. On the bright side, at least this whole thing has distracted Lorelai from Max for a while.

                      The next day Rory is up with the sun and ready to go go go. Like any mother, Lorelai is worried about her and how she’s responding to the situation. She suggests maybe Rory spend the weekend “wallowing” and eating a gallon of ice cream. Rory wants none of it. Which makes perfect sense honestly. She’s had to play the adult her entire life, of course she doesn’t want to regress into what she thinks is childish behavior. Not to mention her mother has probably made plenty of jokes about girls and their emotions, since Rory says “I don’t want to be ‘one of those girls.’” So the Gilmore Girls are up early with a full to-do list to keep them busy for a while.           

            Rory also cleans out her room of everything that reminds her of Dean, which is basically everything. She demands Lorelai throw it all away, far far away. If she could have had a bonfire, I think she would have gone for it. Lorelai, thankfully, knows better and hides everything in a “Dean Box” in the closet. She knows more than anyone that she’ll want this stuff later, especially considering the fact that this gives Lorelai a chance to revisit her own “ex box,” specifically the Max stuff. Ugh.

            The girls head off in the direction of Luke’s, but first they have to find a way there. Rory puts the kibosh on every obvious route since it passes by Dean’s house/workplace/dog house/gum wrapper. So of course they end up dodging trash cans in an alley that cuts through to Luke’s. Breakfast doesn’t last long though because everyone in town seems to already know about the break-up, AKA Rory’s worst nightmare. And that’s the least of her problems, because who should come strolling up to Luke’s? Ole Deany Boy. He sure doesn’t seem too distraught about last night’s events either. That’s always bothered me. He’s smiling as big as could be, while Rory is miserable.  But the best part of this scene is when Luke sees Dean heading for his door. After hearing from Lorelai what happened, he wants nothing to do with the boy who broke Rory’s heart and he races outside to confront him. They end up in a wrestling match in the middle of town and basically make fools of themselves. Dean can’t even look at Rory except to give her mean looks. Even when she asks if he’s ok, he can barely offer her a mumble.

            This isn’t the only thing that happens at Luke’s though. Before Luke shows up, Lorelai has a conversation with Rachel (who’s still around, serving coffee, btw), and she lets Lorelai know she’ll “be hanging around a while.” This comes as quite a little surprise to Lorelai and you can see it on her face. Seems like Luke may actually be finding his own relationship, instead of pining for Lorelai forever. Maybe.

            Just as Rory’s on the verge of breaking after the encounter with Dean, Lorelai bucks her up and gets her back on the to do list. How hard. Rory’s just seen someone she used to talk to every day and he can hardly stand to look at her. It’s really heartbreaking, because you know the bottom is going to fall out eventually for Rory and it’s just going to be bad. But for right now, she’s got her list of garden hoses to buy, so it’s ok.

            Later that afternoon, Rory is on the verge of breaking again, so she decides to go to one of those Chilton parties to occupy herself. You know she’s got to be desperate when she resorts to a Chilton party. This time it’s at Madeline’s house and she takes Lane with her (see, another example of how they’re bending the truth to Mrs. Kim. No way would Mrs. Kim be ok with Lane going to a party [not to mention one that they’ll be out until midnight for]). Meanwhile, Lorelai borrows Sookie’s car to go to Max’s house. Why?! Ugh! But at least the visit proves my point that they’re relationship is solely physical, because they barely talk and can’t keep their hands off each other. Seriously, are there more than 20 words spoken between the two of them that don’t refer to getting in each other’s pants?

            What I really hate about this episode, though, is how many times Max comes up. Rory asks about how long it took Lorelai to get over him and Lorelai pines over him and his stuff in the Ex Box. Did Lorelai ever say she actually LOVED Max? Rory even mentions in a previous episode how Lorelai hasn’t really heard from Max lately. If they were in love, why would he just stop calling and they’d have no resolution to the relationship. According to the number of times we’ve seen him in the show, they really hardly dated, but they’re acting like they’re MTB (Meant To Be) or something. It just doesn’t make any sense.

            The Chilton party is exactly how you’d expect a Chilton party to be. Paris is great, as always. But the big drama is when Tristan’s girlfriend breaks up with him in front of everyone. She’s basically the female version of him and she wants nothing to do with monogamy. But when Rory tries to comfort Tristan, like she would any other person, they end up kissing, which totally breaks down any wall Rory has erected for herself and the tears start flowing. And there’s not going to be any stopping them. (Note the comparison between how both Rory and Lorelai react by kissing boys [or sleeping with in Lorelai’s case] they really shouldn’t be around the opposite sex when they feel lonely or sad.)

            When Lorelai gets home from her booty call, she sees Rory on the couch fully ensconced in wallowing. I may have a messed up mind, but when she hugs her and rubs her back, I just keep thinking how I hope Lorelai washed her hands after her evening getting down with Max. Ick.

  2.5 tubes of lip gloss out of 5

Potent Quotables:

Lorelai: “This is an adventure. Two girls, battling the elements, desperate for survival.”

Rory: “Or coffee.”

Lorelai: “Same thing.”

  Lorelai: “Can we get off the Small World ride and get to cooking, please?”

  Babbette: “I was pushed out of a moving car once.”

  Lorelai: “Why don’t you just stay home and read The Bell Jar. Same affect.”

  Paris: “My mom said I have to stay until 10:30.”

Paid for Luke Visits: 0/1

[talesofatvaddict]

Gilmore Girls: S1/E16 Star-Crossed Lovers and Other Strangers

       Here’s another one of those yearly town events that I love so much, the Firelight Festival. A celebration so sappy and filled with tales of romance, it’s sure to make you circle the date in your calendar and hibernate for the whole month, if the last thing you want to hear about is love. The town is preparing for a bonfire and a hefty bowl of infamous “Founder’s Day Punch,” while Deany-boy is preparing for a night out with Rory to celebrate their three month anniversary. If I weren’t so jealous that Rory has a boyfriend that cares about anniversaries, I might be a little weirded out that Dean cares THAT much about random anniversaries like three months.

            Dean sets this night of romance for Friday night, even though he knows Rory is busy on Friday nights perpetually until the Earth is unceremoniously sucked into the pits of a hungry black hole. He says he did this because he has to work on Saturday, which leaves a very Sophie’s Choice option of who is least dangerous option; either upset Emily Gilmore and her Friday Night Dinners or Taylor Doose and the inner workings of his market. So, of course, Rory asks Lorelai to talk to Emily and get her out of dinner. After shoveling on some heavy mocking about the improbability of Emily Gilmore giving two craps enough about a three month anniversary to let Rory out of dinner, Emily makes Lorelai eat crow and agrees to let Rory miss this week. I always laugh about it, since Lorelai always seems to think she knows everything her mother’s going to do or say and this was a nice little kick in the butt.

            Lorelai has also been dealing with her own issues so far this episode. I guess she’s feeling lonely or something because she starts hating on everything love related, including the Firelight Festival (which responds in kind by attempting to murder her with a falling star). I just have no sympathy for Lorelai with this stuff. It’s been a whole WEEK since she slept with Christopher (at first I thought it had at least been a few weeks, but she does actually reference the Christopher events as happening last week). Seriously? You were proposed to a WEEK ago. Albeit it was an entirely messed up and inappropriate proposal, but still, a week, and now she’s walking around all mopey and feeling sorry for herself. Meanwhile, Luke has been pining for you for years, so he’s allowed to be pissed off about all the love around him, but sorry Lorelai, you’re not.

            But his gruffness isn’t going to stick around for every long in this episode, because in a strange little turn of events, a blast from the past shows up at his door. Knock Knock. Who’s there? Rachel. Rachel who? Rachel, Lorelai’s favorite topic, that’s who! We don’t exactly see much of Rachel in this episode, at least we don’t see the important parts, like Luke really confronting her about her abandoning him.

            This episode really gets going though when Lorelai heads to Friday Night Dinner alone, only to be surprised with a blind date set up by her mother with the creepiest man on the planet. A man so boring, he is probably the ONLY person on the planet to bore Richard Gilmore with insurance talk. He makes my skin crawl no matter how many times I’ve seen this episode. At this point it’s pretty obvious Emily is just throwing spaghetti at a wall and trying to make anything stick when it comes to getting Lorelai hitched. Apparently just about anybody will do (except Luke, of course).

            Across town we meet up with Rory and Dean finishing up their romantic Italian dinner. By the way, thanks for reminding me how much I hate turtlenecks, especially on men, Dean. Of course it’s cutesy and whatnot, but it’s what you’d expect for teenagers doing something special. But he’s got more surprises lined up for Rory. Oh yes he does. After a quick stop at the Firelight Festival to catch a fight between Taylor and the Mayor, they head to the junkyard, cause that’s where you go for your three month anniversary. Duh. Dean offers up a shell of a car and says it’s hers when he’s finished rebuilding it. Really, it is a romantic scene and gesture. Sure, it’s kind of overkill to give a car, but it really does sound like something a teenage boy would do for his first love. Dean then offers more when he tells Rory he loves her. Rory being a brainy over-thinker, of course, has a little difficulty returning the gesture. She’s tries to be honest and tell him she’s not sure if she’s ready to say that yet, because she’s right, it is a really big deal, especially when you’re that young. This does NOT go over well with Dean. He basically takes this as an offense. It’s really frustrating though, because Rory is trying to be open and honest and explain to him why she’s not quite ready to say it. Sure, she could just say “I love you,” but it would be worse if she said it and wasn’t totally sure if she really felt it. Boy, does Dean crap all over her for it too. What a horrible position to be in and what a horrible position to put this girl that you supposedly love in.

                        Things aren’t looking so good at Gilmore Manor either. Lorelai has had her fill of Mr. Creepy and heads to her room and one of her old escape routes. Just as she’s heading out the window, Richard comes in and catches her. Instead of ratting her out, Richard listens to her pleas to let her escape and tells Emily he can’t find her. Following an earlier scene where the two of them can’t even be in a room alone together and carry a conversation, this is a nice redemption for their relationship and the ways in which Richard understands his daughter more than she realizes.

                       During the bonfire at the Firelight Festival, Luke and Rachel have a very short conversation that doesn’t really go very deep into their history. Luke just asks why she’s there and we don’t get much resolution as to why she flits around. Maybe all of the confrontation between her and Luke right after she shows up again happened off camera, but I can’t imagine Luke would be able to let it go without letting his feelings about it out. I wish we had seen something like that instead of the friendly, calm conversation at the bonfire. I can’t believe Luke would just welcome her with open arms.

            Rachel goes off to take pictures and Lorelai takes her place on the bench next to Luke. They have a nice conversation that mirrors the one Luke just had with Rachel. It’s similar to the comparison from the last episode of Christopher and Luke. Luke’s time with Lorelai is just easy, while his time with Rachel is hard and full of past hurts and baggage.

            Lorelai heads home and, uh oh, she’s feeling lonely again, so what does she do? Calls Max, of course. Ugh. Good thing his answering machine is as far as it goes. This time. But then Rory shows up and announces in a stunned voice that her and Dean have broken up. *tear*

  3.5 tubes of lip gloss out of 5

Potent Quotables:

Paris: “Spawn in front of someone else’s locker, please.”

Lorelai: “Let’s focus on you, the Lady of the Evening. No hooker reference intended.”

Paid for Luke Visits: 0/1

[talesofatvaddict]

Gilmore Girls: S1/E15 Christopher Returns

Ugh, Christopher. I like to imagine Christopher was a really integral extra from the movie The Skulls, because had he made it to college he would have definitely been the HDC (head douche in charge) of something like that. But only because his dad was too, not because he had any discernible talent for bossing around a bunch of weasely minions to commit murders or robberies for him or anything. Even the title of this episode sounds like a low rent horror movie with a child dressed as a clown who terrorizes a small farm town on Halloween night for the second time in a decade.  Also, why is it “Returns?” He’s never been there. It should be “Deigns to Show Up For Once.”

         Despite all this, Rory is understandably excited to see her father (who she apparently hasn’t seen in a while) and to see him in her town (where he has never been [how is this even possible? Your daughter is 16 and you have no clue how her living conditions are? What an ass]). During a conversation Christopher says he’s talked to Emily, and to be honest, I wouldn’t want a dude who willy-nilly calls my mother either.

            Christopher motors in to town waving a huge, white banner of how much he’s changed his life. He’s in California! He owns a business! He’s a success! He has employees! Yeah, anyone with a shitty boss knows that just having employees doesn’t mean you know what you’re doing or that you’re any good at it. But he also claims how he wants to be more in Rory’s life. He wants to be her “pal.” Well, guess what, she doesn’t need anymore “pals.” The whole town is her “pal.” She needs a dad, pal.

                 P.S. Can I just mention how much I love Miss Patty laying it on real. thick. with Christopher? Ha.

              So, Christopher spends the afternoon with Rory in town and ends up the focus of lots of speculation and heckling from the town and its nosy residents. By the way, Christopher is nowhere NEAR a Billy Crudup OR Brad Pitt. Or a George Clooney. They’re out of their gourds. During this little outing, Christopher tells Rory to pick something out at the bookstore (he says “I hear you like books?” Really? Have you EVER met your daughter before? Ever?), so she picks the biggest thing in the store, besides the actual 10 Commandments, some giant dictionary or something. And, what do you know, Christopher’s credit card gets declined. Ruh-roh. Sign number one all is not right in Whoville. Or if you’ve watched later seasons, sign number one was Christopher showing up at all.

            Of course since it’s Friday, Christopher just HAS to join the Gilmores for dinner. Emily sets up a “lovely” evening by inviting Christopher’s parents to join them. These are the two people who have totally and vehemently declined having any relationship with their granddaughter, so you know they must be a real kick to hang out with on a Friday night. Lorelai enters her parents’ house using a key, and I’m with Emily, since when does she ever use a key?

          Things barely get started when Strobe (is that even how you spell his name? That has got to be the weirdest name ever used and there are some real doozies in this show) is none to impressed with Rory, which gets Lorelai’s hackles up. She changes subjects to a real excellent topic, politics, and gets the focus off Rory and on to herself, which Christopher’s parents are never lacking in ammunition.

            While I certainly think his parents are perfect assholes about the whole thing, at least they’re still being realistic about it all. Meanwhile, Emily and Richard are giggling like little schoolgirls over Christopher being in their house and being able to praise all his talents in person. Understandably, they’re just trying to keep things light, but come on, when has Christopher EVER proven himself to be an upstanding father, except when he said he’d marry Lorelai when he knocked her up.

            Anyway, the whole thing ends with Christopher’s parents storming out and everyone retreating to their own corners to lick their wounds. Lorelai visits Richard in his study to thank him for sticking up for her, when he really lets out his true feelings. He stood up for her because she is family, that’s it. He still has very harsh feelings for what she did and how she responded to them. It really is a difficult situation, especially when it doesn’t seem like Lorelai really understands their side of it at all. That whole interaction ends in a bust, but the one between Rory and Emily is anything but.

            Rory is hiding in the kitchen, when Emily breezes in and begins worrying about Rory’s dinner. Emily pretends as if nothing has happened, until Rory brings it up. Emily spends a few moments genuinely telling her how much she is loved and wanted by her family, and that anything that happened had nothing to do with her. What a nice moment for them both. Emily is doing her part as a refined society woman who doesn’t wish to speak ill of anyone, but it’s more important to her to protect her granddaughter and her feelings.

            Then we have the balcony. Ugh, the balcony. I get that the evening has been upsetting, but really Lorelai? Really? Give me a break. Lorelai KNOWS more than anyone what a mess Christopher is, but hey, let’s go ahead and sleep with him on the balcony just outside her childhood bedroom. What a GREAT idea!

            During this whole fiasco, we get reminded of Lorelai’s promise to help Luke paint the diner. Of course, it’s another example of how Lorelai gets wrapped up in her own crap and forgets everything and everyone around her. Seeing his face is just a bummer. She finally remembers around dawn the next day and shows up at the diner to beg for forgiveness. Heaven forbid should someone be really upset that you hurt them, Lorelai.

            She comes home to just end up in another confrontation with Christopher, this time right outside their daughter’s room. Looks like a good place to have a fight. Christopher is adamant that he could provide for them both and wants to marry her. What a mistake. This is what really bothers me about Christopher, he can never take the hint. She tells him no over and over again and he still badgers her about it. This is what you call a textbook Jerk. I just want to yell at him to back off already.

            Then he also uses her emotions against her or to his advantage. He’s always there to sleep with or get in her pants when she’s upset or vulnerable. Like at her parents’ house. She’s upset and feeling wounded, and there he is. He’s known her forever, he knows when she’s upset and he still uses it for his own purposes, never about making her feel better or helping her figure it out. He’s only there to add further complication.

            Luke, on the other hand, is exactly the opposite. We see this exemplified in this episode. While Christopher only makes things harder, Luke is always there to help.  Lorelai can spend an evening with Luke and it isn’t difficult, it’s easy, it’s enjoyable. When she spends an evening with Christopher, things are confusing and there’s always an argument. If only Lorelai could see that for herself.

2 tubes of lip gloss out of 5

Potent Quotables:

Miss Patty: “That would make us a couple, a couple of what, I don’t know.”

Jackson: “He’s got that money nose.”

Rory: “Ladies and gentlemen, the Drama Queen and King of Connecticut.”

Lorelai: “So, we’re talking pre My Ding-a-Ling?”

Lorelai: The Offspring is your favorite band!”

Paid for Luke Visits: 0/1

[talesofatvaddict]

Gilmore Girls: S1/E14 That Damn Donna Reed

            To be honest I’ve been avoiding getting to this episode. There’s just such a huge topic of conversation that you can tell the episode wants to gets in to, but barely brushes past it and I feel like it does so to the detriment of both sides. I love Donna Reed, I’ve always loved her. I grew up watching not only her show, but also The Dick Van Dyke Show, Mr. Ed, Laugh-In and old 70s episodes of Saturday Night Live (all of which were consumed in reruns, I’m not THAT old). I saw it all. So when I first saw this episode, I was shocked that there were actually people who didn’t like Donna Reed. And so vehemently at that.

The whole scene where Dean and Rory have “differing opinions” about her, and whether she defines a complex brand of politics, makes me extremely uncomfortable and feels like it almost borders on getting too close to men bashing (or looking down on those women who take part in a cultural placement that doesn’t completely fall in line with their own). Sexual politics, like this episode wants to portray, without coming out and saying it outright, are too complicated to deal with in one episode of a CW (then WB) weekly television show. Not to mention placing the huge burden on a light sitcom from the 50s/60s to define a social construct (one I doubt the creators of the DR Show were after). It’s like saying Gidget should be used as a definition for California surfers in the 60s (no knock to Gidget, I adore her).

 I’m not here to argue one side or the other, or say one argument is right and the other wrong, ain’t nobody got time for that. But what I am saying is I don’t think what they were trying to do fully comes across successfully, so this episode, like I said before, just makes me really uncomfortable, for Rory, for Dean and for everyone watching who may feel some kind of judgment coming from a TV show.

            Now, it’s entirely possible that what I’ve just said makes absolutely no sense, or comes across entirely different from what my intention is, so with that, I’ll just shut up and get on with the recap. I just wanted to put my reservations about this episode out there.

            On to the show. Following our opening of Donna Reed and pizza, Taylor and his Town Beautification Committee are out to get Luke and his “shabby” diner. Lorelai agrees it’s in need of a spruce and suggests she help him paint. Lorelai has some kind of thing with paint. She seems obsessed by it (this comes up much later in the series when it comes to painting her house). Much to his chagrin, Luke agrees and the rest of the episode Lorelai splays paint samples around the diner.

            During a Friday night dinner, the Gilmores discuss the fact that they no longer have anywhere to stay for their yearly sojourn to Martha’s Vineyard and the anger and resentment simmers just under the surface. Richard and Emily’s reactions in this episode save it for me. The first one occurs when Lorelai suggests they not fly first class to Europe.

                         Rory has her hands full with a baby chick for her science class (my brain always shifts directly to the thought of what happens to these chicks once the science class is done with them). But she also has a bit of a tiff with Dean, the aforementioned fight about Donna Reed, and she is determined to make it all better with some elaborate plan we don’t see until the end of the episode.  The curious thing about the argument is that she doesn’t mention it to Lorelai. I was always under the impression that she told Lorelai everything and this seemed like something she’d seek comfort from Lorelai about. But, during the fight Dean does make a comment about how Rory only thinks something because her mother does, which could possibly be the reason why she keeps it from her mother. Or not, I don’t know.

            Meanwhile, back at Luke’s, Lorelai and Luke are having a nice moment of bonding, much like the one from the Snow episode. Luke shares his feelings about his father and the hardware store, something he rarely does, except, it seems, when he’s feeling close to Lorelai. The interaction almost ends in a kiss until Lorelai interrupts by leaving. Every time one of these comes up, it’s plain to see that Luke is totally for it and it’s Lorelai who seems to always put up the roadblock.

            After she gets home Lorelai discovers Rory’s chick is missing from its cage and calls up for Luke’s services. Both he and Sookie (who hears about the story later) think this is code for a booty call, while Lorelai is shocked and ultimately slightly offended by the insinuation. There’s no way Lorelai would be that naïve to think it was completely out of the question. Especially when even Emily assumes the same thing when she asks for more explanation as to why Luke was at Lorelai’s house.

            We finally see what Rory’s been plotting and it’s a home cooked meal for Dean in heels and pearls. The whole attempt to make Rory look nude (or like she was gonna give it up to Dean) while she’s on the phone is so over the top and unnecessary. Overly dramatic, on line one.

P.S. It’s a little strange that Rory has to hide her ability to cook from her mom like she’s hiding a drug habit.

Also, just when we think Luke and Lorelai might actually be getting somewhere, who should appear, but Mr. Buzzkill himself. Christopher. Ugh.

  2 tubes of lipgloss out of 5

Potent Quotables:

Lorelai: “Your brain pinged?”

Lorelai: “You know the remedy for a long day is a ringside seat while Luke envisions strangling me with his baseball cap.”

  Lorelai: “Mom, Dad, Rory’s decided to become a maid, just like I was.”

  Paid for Luke visits: 0/2

[talesofatvaddict]

Gilmore Girls: S1/E13 Concert Interruptus

          It’s rummage sale time in Stars Hollow and it doesn’t just apply to old clothes and junk, it also applies to memories, girlfriends and bands from the 80s. Lorelai has accidentally volunteered to be the headquarters for everyone’s junk when the town tries to restore an old bridge (for the first of about 10 times over the course of the series), and now their house is full of garbage like the junk lady from the movie The Labyrinth.

            After Luke drops off some of his own junk, Lorelai discovers a sweatshirt in the pile that totally matches her fashion sense and also looks like a breastfeeding baby took a dump all over it. This brings me to the topic of Lorelai’s clothes. I’ve never really been a fan, really, especially in these early seasons. Nothing seems to fit her right, her pants are too tight and her tops are too short. And please can she get rid of the sequined bandanas, of which she apparently has multiples in more than one color according to this episode. She better also add that shirt from the beginning of the episode to the giveaway pile. I’m sure the time period probably has something to do with it, but really there’s NO excuse to ever wear leather pants and a black coat with a large, fur collar. Ever. And I just can’t with the cowboy hat.

            Anyway, now that’s out of my system, we find out that the sweatshirt Lorelai picks up once belonged to an old long-term girlfriend of Luke’s who skipped town leaving him a brokenhearted mess. That bitch. This intrigues Lorelai and she spends the rest of the episode asking repeatedly to hear more about this elusive harpy “Rachel.” But first she wears her new find to Luke’s and receives quite the tongue lashing from him about how she shouldn’t wear other peoples’ things.

            On the other side of the episode not involving heartbreak and emotional rage, Sookie is paid for a volcano cake (which I wish we could have seen firsthand) in the form of four ninth row Bangles tickets, inviting Lorelai, Rory and Lane to come with her. Of course Lorelai refers to them as “her tickets.” I get that she’s just being cute about it, but what she does with them later just screams narcissism.

            Rory is forced to invite Paris, Madeline and Louise over to the dump that is her house when they are put in a debate group together (I’ve never seen a school that assigns so many debates) and none of the other girls are able to host a group meeting. Things work out fine as Louise and Madeline act like the Gilmores and the people of Stars Hollow are animals in the zoo to study and be fascinated by. They want to know all about her strange (albeit normal) life just because it’s nothing like theirs. I thought Chilton was supposed to be enriching and broadening its students’ horizons? Then why are their students so enthralled by normal life?

            Lane’s mom puts the kibosh on her going to the concert when Lane does the “stupid” thing by telling her mom the truth. Wasn’t Lorelai JUST harping on Rory and Lane about hiding things from moms, but now she’s trying to lie about Lane going to a concert in New York (a WAY bigger lie than just going to a movie on a double date)? So, Lorelai decides to give away Sookie’s tickets for her and suggests Rory invite Paris and the Bobsey Twins to the concert while her and Sookie scalp nosebleed seats. Nice, Lorelai. The thought behind it really is nice since it opens the door for Rory to kind of convince these private school jerks that she’s not a dragon with two heads, but they weren’t Lorelai’s tickets to give away. There is a chance she could have asked Sookie about it off camera, but I really doubt it, since she brings it up to Rory right after the thought pops in her head. But all of this really shows just what a good, amiable person and friend Sookie is, since she laughs through the whole thing.

            Meanwhile, at the concert, Madeline and Louise do what they do best, scam guys. And of course there are two college age guys (one of them happens to be Brandon Routh) sitting in the tenth row at a Bangles concert. Sounds legit. So they decide to leave with them for a totally raging party that two dudes who go to Bangles concerts can possibly manage. Paris knows this is what they do best and waves them off as she enjoys her night. Personally, I like to call this episode “The Paris Redemption Hour.” She likes what she likes and isn’t really interested in trying to impress the two minions. She shows her soft nougaty center, especially when she talks about Tristan (ugh, Tristan). He’s a total jerkface and she knows he’s only flirting with her to make Rory jealous, but she still likes him even though she can’t really explain why. Oh, Paris, you really do have a heart, even if it's a really misguided one.

            When Lorelai finds out about the Banger Sisters skipping out, she does the badass mom thing and goes hunting for them, even knocking door to door. Welcome to normal life, girls, where the parents aren’t too drunk or up to their knees in secretaries to call you out on your crap. But I also don’t completely buy that Lorelai is so surprised by their behavior. She was a private school girl once, right? And one who got pregnant at 16 at that.

 Just one last word on Tristan (ugh, Tristan). He's such a skeez. So much so that he thinks all it takes to get a girl is to make her jealous by hitting on some other girl in her general vicinity. And he's not even that good at it! Really, on what planet would hitting on Paris make Rory jealous? Number 1, it's just dumb reasoning. Like girls are that easy to manipulate. Just make them feel left out and they'll jump in your arms! Yeah! Totally! Number 2, it's just cruel to all people involved. If you like a girl so much why would you WANT to make her feel bad? And how could you live with yourself knowing you hurt the other girl's feelings by making her think you liked her? Ugh, he's just so awful.

2 tubes of lip gloss out of 5

Potent Quotables:

Madeline: “My brother has the measles.”

Louise: “My mom’s having an affair.”

Lorelai: “She must be one great babysitter to earn all that money for that car.”

Paid for Luke visits: 0/1

[talesofatvaddict]

Gilmore Girls: S1/E12 Double Date

Oh boy, this episode. Sometimes this episode makes me giddy happy because of one thing, Rune. Rune Rune Rune. But, I’m jumping ahead. We’ll get to Rune soon enough. This episode is pretty much all about double dates considering there is more than just one. There is a C story about Lorelai studying for a big test, but that’s really more of a non-issue compared to everything else going on. Anyway, the sooner we get started, the sooner we get to Rune!

          Lane reminds Rory of her crush on Dean’s friend and asks for that hook-up thing to finally happen. Maybe Rory was hoping Lane would just forget about it or something, because it’s been awhile since she first mentioned it. So, Rory agrees to talk to Dean about setting something up with this “Todd” person (it’s never a good sign when a dude’s name is Todd). In the same vain, we find out Sookie and Jackson have yet to go on their date that Sookie suggested in the last episode. They’re both so nervous and unsure of what to do, it just screams true love. Lorelai suggests to Sookie that she give him a call and set up dinner. Later on she does, but with one caveat, Lorelai will need to come along as Jackson’s cousin’s (who happens to be in town) date. Lorelai reluctantly agrees, as any good friend would. It’s always nice when the show focuses on something besides Rory and/or Lorelai’s relationships. Also, just look at Michel's face when he overhears the double date situation.

            Let’s just take a quick gander at Sookie’s giant hair. It’s almost like she’s got a basketball sitting on top of her head. Now, to the best part of the episode, Rune. Rune and his stink face make me laugh every time. He and Jackson show up at Lorelai’s door and he is immediately thrown into a tizzy because he thinks she’s a freak of nature because of how tall she is. He asks, “was the bearded lady busy?” Maybe I’m being mean, but I get a little giggle at the fact that Rune hates Lorelai so much. She’s always getting hit on everywhere she goes, for once there’s a guy who isn’t drawn in by her looks. He has absolutely no patience for her or her small talk.

            Lane’s double date doesn’t start out so great either. She spends most of the time going on and on about her favorite subject, music, while “Todd” has no idea what band is on the shirt he borrowed from his sister (By the way, Todd looks and acts awfully similar to Zach, so Lane must have a type). Lane tries other topics, but soon learns the two of them have very little in common, if anything.

            In the fancy French restaurant the adults are spending the evening at (their waiter, by the way, is a friend of Sookie’s in a later episode), Sookie keeps chatting with Lorelai and basically ignoring Jackson. Lorelai has to take her aside and remind her who she’s on a date with. After expressing her discomfort with the whole situation, Lorelai suggests they make a few changes, like heading to Luke’s. I like when Lorelai helps Sookie out like a true friend, instead of being obsessed with what’s going on in her own life. She really is good at it when she steps out of herself for a while.

The change in venue doesn’t really suit Rune though, and he starts throwing a fit and telling Jackson he wants to go. When Jackson starts to leave, in a really sweet moment, Sookie tells him to stay, which is the first time that night that she’s let Jackson know how she’s feels. To give them some space, Lorelai spends the evening at the counter playing cards with Luke, which means he really ends up being her date for the night. The whole thing is really cute, especially when he doesn’t hide his sadness when she leaves with Mrs. Kim.

            The whole Mrs. Kim storyline never really made sense to me. Not the Mrs. Kim part exactly, Mrs. Kim will always freak out over Lane and boys, but how Lorelai responds to the whole thing. Lane tells Mrs. Kim she’s spending the night with Rory and Lorelai, so when Mrs. Kim calls and gets no answer, she starts to panic. She finds Lorelai, who tells her they told her they were going to the movies with Dean. Rory gets in trouble for this whole ‘telling mothers different stories’ scenario, but I don’t understand why. They’ve covered for Lane on NUMEROUS occasions without telling her mom the whole story. There’s been times Lane has been at their house listening to music when she’s supposed to be “contemplating the reunification of the two Koreas” in her room, and then later on with the whole Dave/band thing. So, how is an innocent double date and movie suddenly different? It just seems like a silly storyline that doesn’t quite fit with the rest of the series. And it totally ruins Luke asking out Lorelai!

Just an aside, but why does no one talk about how much damn kissing Rory does in this town? She always sitting there kissing, or walking through town kissing, or standing there kissing her boyfriend (whichever one it is at the time.). I understand she's a teenager and in love, but really, all the kissing gets to be a little overkill.

3 tubes of lip gloss out of 5

Potent Quotables:

Lorelai: “The chick who shot the skier?”

Rory: “Sure, why not.”

Lorelai: “Wow, renaissance woman.”

Michel: “Maybe you are more of a worker bee. A follower, a ticket ripper, or maybe the man at the concert with the orange glow stick directing you where to park.”

Sookie: “I’m a sexual harasser.”

Paid for Luke Visits: 0/2

[talesofatvaddict]

Gilmore Girls: S1/E11 Paris is Burning

I really dislike this episode. Not because it’s a bad episode necessarily, but it's really because every single one of Lorelai’s decisions makes me ragey. And the fact that it’s so Max-centric. Apparently Max and Lorelai have figured out a way to date, because we get to see one of their dates at Max’s apartment. Notice how it’s always just physical attraction?

Later on, before another date, we find out that Lorelai and Rory have a system where Rory leaves before Max comes over, so there’s no overlap. How this has ever worked is beyond me, because Lorelai is a total spaz when it comes to getting ready and she basically ensures Rory is still there when Max gets there, and then she makes her answer the door! What a peach she is. How she could be so wrapped up in her own stuff that she doesn’t even see that this is a problem is unbelievable. Lorelai is being completely unfair to Rory and her comfort zone, particularly since this is her own teacher. I would have run away from home.

            We find out from Emily that the Chilton Parents Day is coming up, one in which the parents spend the entire day with their kids and go to their classes with them. Yes, nothing dramatic or bad is going to come from this at all…. On another note, Emily harps on Lorelai for about the hundredth time about reading the Chilton newsletter to find out all this information. But, really, why does Lorelai have to read the newsletter when she can just hear it all from her mother at dinner anyway?

            After Rory makes the poor choice to ask about inviting Max ice skating with them, Lorelai begins to panic and distances herself from Max. It’s almost like the moment Rory begins to get comfortable with the idea of Max, Lorelai freaks out. Does Rory always have to be uncomfortable for Lorelai to like a guy? The whole thing is kind of jacked. Lorelai says it’s because she saw Rory getting attached and didn’t want her to be disappointed, but Rory was already attached to Max before he started dating her mother. He was her English teacher first, after all. But, I love it when Sookie calls Lorelai out on her crap, and she does just that when she notices Lorelai doesn’t really want to talk about Max. Sookie has seen this “cha cha” too many times before. But then Lorelai gives Sookie a good ‘ole wallop to the side of the head and says “how would you know, you haven’t been in a relationship in years.” Ouch. I would have thrown that boiling water in her face.

            None of her conversation with Sookie makes her think at all, because next thing we know Lorelai is trying to back out of parents day and asks Rory to give Max a book he loaned her. Really? Getting your kid to break up with someone for you? Now that’s low, Lorelai, even for you. Apparently Lorelai hasn’t spoken a word to Max and has just been avoiding him. I have absolutely no patience for people who do this. It’s cowardly. At the very least have the decency to have a conversation with them. Just ignoring them until you hope they go away is basically like telling them you don’t think they’re worthy enough to be treated like a human being. It’s totally offensive to their feelings in deference to your own. There’s just no reason to treat anyone like that, especially someone Lorelai asserted she liked so much to risk her daughter’s schooling just to date.

            At least Rory demands Lorelai comes to parents day herself and refuses to do Lorelai’s dirty work. So, there’s Lorelai, face to face with the man she hoped would just disappear into the ether, in first period. Dun dun duuuuuuuuun. After class, a little argument starts up between the two (and an attempted break up), but of course it ends with them kissing, because there is absolutely nothing between them, but physical attraction. And who should spy them from the hallway? One Paris Gellar, of course. Paris, who has been dealing with her own issues, including being the talk of the school because her parents’ contentious divorce has been local newspaper fodder, decides this is the perfect way to get herself out of the limelight, and begins spreading the news around school. It doesn’t take long for the tale to hit Rory in the cafeteria. When Lorelai shows up, she, rightfully, goes ballistic. Lorelai’s relationship with Max has been nothing but a constant source of drama for Rory, and really, isn’t it enough already?

           Although, I do have to say, it is nice that we get to see a little bit of the softer side of Paris. Obviously she'd had to deal with some seriously bad stuff in her family, and she just doesn't have a way to cope with it besides being bossy and mean at school. It makes the later Paris all that much nicer and likeable really.

            But, it’s not over yet. At Friday night dinner, Lorelai barely walks through the door and her mother is throwing a constant stream of daggers at her. Lorelai should have known better. Of course her mother would find out, she knows all that goes on at Chilton. But, also, her actions have completely proven to Emily that she was right about her daughter. Everything she thinks about her being irresponsible and childish have just gotten a stamp of approval right there. You don’t kiss your daughter’s teacher, in school, on parents day. You just don’t. Especially when she’s finally at the school she’s been trying so hard to get in to. How could you do anything to ever even come close to jeopardizing that, Lorelai?

          This episode does have a couple of bright spots though. For one, Sookie finally asks Jackson out and they are both equally cute and shy about it.

Secondly, isn’t that Paul Anka at the pet adoption fair?

2 tubes of lip gloss out of 5

Potent Quotables:

Sookie: “You get really good service here.”

Rory: “Well, can you figure it out before French class, cause I’d prefer you didn’t start making out with Mrs. Collins.”

Paid for Luke Visits: 0/1

[talesofatvaddict]

Gilmore Girls: S1/E10 Foregiveness and Stuff

Still reeling from last week’s traumatic fight over Rory’s dance and her night with Dean, the Gilmore girls aren’t exactly on the warmest of terms. Even the ridiculousness of the Stars Hollow Christmas Pageant can’t thaw the ice between them. On a side note, this won’t be the last time we see Kirk dressed as a Biblical figure…. How could I resist posting a picture of the dog with the baby Jesus’s arm?

            After a nice little scene in which Lane offers some of her “woman of the world” advice to Rory about Christmas gifts, we get to learn about the Gilmore’s (in)famous Christmas dinner. By the way, can I just mention that the town square looks awfully hot in that scene. I know they’re all wearing coats and whatnot, but it was obviously not filmed during the winter. Back to the plot, Emily calls Lorelai about the party, offering her own chilliness from their argument. When Lorelai says she won’t make it for cocktails, Emily responds rather cruelly that maybe she shouldn’t come at all then. How awful to hear that from your own mother at Christmas? The time of year when everything is supposed to be sweetness and love and family togetherness and your own mother tells you not to bother coming to their annual gathering? That’s way harsh, Tai.

            After sending Rory on her way with an elaborately wrapped present, Lorelai spends the evening indulging in salad…salad? Meanwhile she’s sitting in front of a bowl of apples on the table? Salad and apples? Is this the same Lorelai who is a self-described “world’s champion eater,” the same Lorelai who can binge on jelly beans, peanut butter, red vines, ice cream, cookie dough, and marshmallows AFTER finishing off a pizza? This same Lorelai is now eating salad next to some apples. Albeit she’s eating directly from the bag after she dumped some ranch dressing in it, but still.

            Meanwhile, Rory is at the grandparents’ house fielding questions from their friends about the whereabouts of her mother, and she gets increasingly more incredulous with every story her grandmother concocts. And how telling that Emily is kindness and warmth to Rory when she sees her. There are no discernible remnants from the Dean/dance situation, at least towards Rory that is. Just a reminder how much of the Golden Child Rory is. Even when she does something wrong, it’s still Lorelai that’s at fault. Part of me thinks this is just how Emily feels about what Lorelai did as a teenager. Deep inside she probably blames herself for Lorelai’s actions, even though she’d never say that out loud.

            This whole evening gets even more eventful when Richard is rushed to the hospital. Lorelai is in the middle of enjoying the most disgusting Christmas meal of a hamburger dressed as a Santa covered in cream cheese. But, it’s still probably one of the sweetest things Luke has done for her. In fact, Luke spends most of this episode proving how much he cares for Lorelai, over and over again. When she gets the message about her father, he closes down the diner so he can drive her to the hospital, stays with her while they wait for Richard to come out of tests, and then drives Rory home at the end of it. He’s there for her and Rory through the entire thing. Luke always seems to be Lorelai’s touchstone when she’s in states of panic like this one. He’s usually there reassuring her and calming her down. Luke even deals with an uncomfortable conversation with Emily, where she again notices a connection between them. And Luke is rewarded for his loyalty by Lorelai being overly adamant that they’re not dating.

            After the events of the day, Rory and Lorelai make up, fittingly, in front of a broken coffee machine, and go back to their old ways. But by far the sweetest scene of the episode occurs between Richard and Emily. Richard is finally in his own room and Emily is busily trying to upgrade the pillows and sheets that are nowhere near her standards and planning, when Richard tells her to calm down. When she stops for a moment, it finally hits her and she blurts out that she will go first. He’s not allowed to leave her. Richard responds with “Yes Emily, you may go first.” Even though they both have their issues with each other and their family, they, at the very heart, love and are devoted to each other. They could never not love each other.

 3 tubes of lip gloss out of 5

Potent Quotables:

Lane: “Here mom, here’s some smelly sex juice. The kind I use to lure boys.”

Lorelai: “But there’s food and there’s people and there’s a burger with a face.”

Paid for Luke visits: 0/1

[talesofatvaddict]

Gilmore Girls: S1/E9 Rory's Dance

                    Oh boy, this is a big one. I remember years ago, before I watched the show, seeing the advertisements for this episode and them touting it as a “very special episode.” And boy, is it. But, first I just have to say, what kind of crazy person doesn’t like avocado?! Oh, that’s right, Lorelai doesn’t. Ugh.

            Anyways, we find out through Emily that the Chilton formal is coming up and Rory has already decided she’s not going. Emily argues it must be because of Lorelai, but really I think it’s just because Rory is shy and wants to spend as little time with these stuck up Chilton kids as possible. But nevertheless, Lorelai convinces her she should go. So, of course she’s going to ask Dean. By the way, Dean, seriously, get the hair out of your face! You look ridiculous! I have an issue with how Dean reacts to Rory asking him to the dance. He acts real put out about. I mean, come on, here is a girl you’re crazy about, who you practically stalk because you like her so much, and she’s asking you to spend the evening with her. So what if you have to wear nice clothes while you do it, it will make her happy, that’s all you need to be concerned about. But, instead he says, “I’m not a big joiner.” Oh shut up, Dean. At least he finally says yes.

            Lorelai invites Emily over to see Rory off to the dance, although it’s more a forced invitation, but who’s surprised by that? Exactly. No one. It’s cute though that when Emily finally sees Rory in her dress she thinks Lorelai bought it instead of making it like she said was the plan. Earlier Lorelai was attacked by Rory’s dress and is now in some distress with back spasms, so Emily demands that she is going to stay and take care of her. It really is a nice evening of bonding for them, and Emily gets to feel helpful and useful as a mother to her daughter who usually fights against it. But of course, it’s not perfect, like when Emily tries to find some crystal candleholders she bought Lorelai and is instead horrified to find out she exchanged them for a monkey lamp. Not only is this not the time to bring up gifts, but really, Emily, you expected Lorelai to keep candleholders she’d never ever EVER use? Have you ever met your daughter before?

            Meanwhile, at the dance, Rory has a minor panic about whether they should go at all and then feels better when Dean tells her how good she looks. The pair makes quite a splash when they show up, especially Dean. He’s just up Louise’s ally after all. It’s the normal dance type scenario you’d expect, Paris brings her cousin, Tristan acts jealous. Ugh, Tristan. I try to avoid anything he does in these episodes, but sometimes he makes that impossible, like when he starts a fight with Dean in the middle of the dance. There’s a lot of jostling and dumb comebacks, like teenage boys are fond of. This whole interaction only solidifies for Dean that Tristan does in fact “have a thing” for Rory, so now this sets up some drama for future episodes….

            So thus ends the dance, but the night is far from over. Dean and Rory head out for coffee and end up at a conveniently unlocked Miss Patty’s. After discovering Rory’s book obsession, they settle in for some light reading. Next thing you know it’s the crack of dawn and your restful night’s sleep is interrupted by a gaggle of old women waiting for their yoga class. Oh, if I had a nickel for every time that’s happened to me…. This is bad, bad news for Rory. And for Lorelai, because it’s Emily who wakes her up in a panic with the news that Rory isn’t home. Then begins an epic fight about how Rory is turning into her mother and how Lorelai needs to get control over her before she ruins her life. Emily says some really hurtful things, mostly out of panic, fear and a flashback from her time with Lorelai as a teenager, but it’s really not a good time to come leaping at Lorelai with the claws out.

            Eventually, Lorelai gets a phone call from Miss Patty saying Rory is on her way home. Couldn’t Miss Patty have told Lorelai that both Rory and Dean were fully clothed and obviously just sleeping when she called her? Emily asks “what state were they found in,” and Lorelai says, “she didn’t say.” Although it wouldn’t have solved everything, it certainly would have been more evidence to give Emily that nothing untoward happened.

            When Rory gets home, Emily has stormed out, and then Lorelai launches into Rory about how she’s going on the pill and isn’t going to ruin her life. Of course Rory is caught off guard by this, because I’m sure she imagined of all people, her mother would believe her and know nothing happened. And she’s totally right, the only reason Lorelai is having this kind of reaction is because her mother was there to witness such a huge event. The last thing Lorelai ever wants to hear is her mother telling her “I told you so.”

3 tubes of lip gloss out of 5

Potent Quotables:

Emily: “You’re making her dress, why?”

Lorelai: “So she’ll look really ugly and people will throw rocks.”

Rory: “What can I say? I like them cheap, sloppy too.”

Emily: “What if you have to go to the bathroom?”

Lorelai: “I don’t go anymore. I gave it up cold turkey.”

Emily: “You traded my lovely gift for a semi-pornographic monkey lamp?”

Paid for Luke Visits: 0/0

[talesofatvaddict]

Gilmore Girls: S1/E8 Love and War and Snow

          We start off with the very first town meeting that we’re privileged to be a part of. These have always been a fun way to introduce/move the story along. In this instance it’s used as an introduction to the annual Stars Hollow reenactment of the Battle of Stars Hollow, an event that’s more standing around waiting than it is actual battle. Luke thinks the whole thing is silly, and let’s everyone know it.

This episode is actually really wonderful and nice, except for one big man-sized elephant in the room. Max. Medina. Maaaaaax Medina. Ugh. Lorelai celebrates the incoming snow storm by sitting in the living room with the window open listening to his phone message over and over. Totally sane behavior. Totally. We were so lucky to have those last couple episodes free from Max Medina. But now he’s back with a vengeance. Apparently they’ve been missing opportunities or the timing just hasn’t worked out for Max and Lorelai to actually date. This should be a big red flag that maybe it’s just not meant to be.

The next day, Lorelai’s predicted snowstorm moves in, stranding Rory at her grandparents’ and leaving Lorelai alone for the evening. On a side note, I totally get Lorelai’s obsession with snow. She connects it with everything good that’s happened to her and I feel the same way, it does seem magical and special and puts a wonderful haze over everything. Later that evening, Lorelai and Luke have a really lovely conversation in the middle of town. They both share about something important to them, Lorelai, the snow, and Luke talks about his father’s history with the reenactors. It’s a moment that solidifies their connection to each other and you can tell Luke feels it too.

            However, who does Lorelai see as she turns the corner? Max. Medina. Maaaaaax Medina. Ugh. Of course he magically appears with a broken car. Maybe I’m projecting, but this has always kind of puzzled me. In his previously mentioned phone message he says that every time he sees the sign for Stars Hollow on the highway, he thinks of her, but now he’s actually stranded in her town, and he doesn’t think “hey, I should call that woman I seem to be so crazy about?” It just feels weird.

             On a second note regarding Lorelai and Max Medina, every time I see them together, it’s pretty obvious that their attraction to each other is purely physical. Anytime they’re in a room together, they’re about 5 seconds from sucking face and they never really talk about anything of substance. In fact, they barely talk at all, except if it’s about how bad they want each other. It’s really easy to see this when you compare her one conversation with Luke and the many conversations she has in this episode with Max Medina. There’s so much emotion and meaning packed in to that 2-minute talk with Luke in the snow, it just makes Max pale in comparison. In a really heartbreaking moment, Luke sees Lorelai and Max Medina prancing around the snowy town and he’s wearing all his emotions on his face.

              Several miles away, Rory is having a nice little evening with her grandparents. I always like when she gets to have alone time with them, because then they get to truly learn about each other. In this instance, Rory finds some old pictures and she teaches Richard and Emily the joys of frozen pizza.

             While everyone else is having a magical night, Lane on the other hand is knee deep in teenage angst. Not only does she not get to talk about her newest crush with her best friend who is busy kissing her own boyfriend and spending time at her fancy school, but she ends up properly embarrassing herself by running her fingers through his hair in front of everyone. Things only get worse when she walks in on Lorelai and Max Medina well on their way to Copulation City, population 2. Poor Lane. Never has seen been made to feel like the outsider more than this episode.

           The episode ends with Rory getting another shock from her mother. Surprise your English teacher is asleep in your house! Ugh, just another example of how caught up in her own life Lorelai gets, especially when it comes to men. If Rory’s feelings about it were really that important, it would have been a no brainer that she at least page Rory to let her know to call her before she came home. The whole thing is doubly confusing, because Rory has just spent the previous night looking at old pictures, including those of her parents together, and now she sees her mother with a new man. I understand this is probably weird, but has she really even seen her parents together that many times? I’m pretty sure they’ve said previously that they don’t see Christopher all that often, so it’s more a habit that she thinks of them as apart than together. There are so many times that Rory wants to properly separate her Chilton life from her Stars Hollow life, and goes to great lengths to do so, but this whole Max/Lorelai situation is making that really difficult.

2.5 tubes of lip gloss out of 5

Potent Quotables:

Taylor: “There is no use for a lava lamp unless you’re on drugs.”

Rory: “It's all fodder for the tell-all.”

Lorelai: “Now tell grandma you arrived there not a member of the Junior League, I’d like you to leave the same way.”

Emily: “That’s food you eat at a carnival, or a Turkish prison.”

Rory: “I know you’re not a cat person, so you will be truly alone if you don’t find someone.”

Paid for Luke visits: 0/0

[talesofatvaddict]

Gilmore Girls: S1/E7 Kiss and Tell

     Before I get into the main plot of this episode, let’s just step back for a moment and enjoy the first appearance of the incomparable, absurd, often infuriating but nevertheless entertaining, Taylor Doose. Actor Michael Winters jumps into this role so well, I had to double check that this was in fact his first episode. Doose is one of those characters that is so original and important to the tone of the show, that I can’t imagine it without him, even if sometimes the things he pulls are so enraging that I want to throw a shoe at my TV. Anyways, he finally appears trying to convince curmudgeon Luke to decorate for the holidays and thus begins his role as town entertainment committee.

                 This is also, may I mention, the first time we see some of Miss Patty’s ridiculously, over the top themed holiday dance recitals. This time complete with pilgrims, Indians, pumpkins and the aforementioned leaves. The first of the many.

           Now, on to the show itself. In this episode Rory gets her very first kiss, and since she is the Golden Child of Stars Hollow, everyone in town apparently needs to know or be involved in her budding relationship with Dean. This alone would have made me run screaming from this town, but I guess Rory’s used to it by now and she puts up with it better than I ever could. During a scope out session of Doose’s market where Dean works, she begins an innocent conversation with him. He then offers her a soda/pop (whatever you want to call it). During a cheesy game of “guess which hand” and ole Deanny boy leans over and kisses Rory. She thanks him politely and does what Rory does best, run away. Rory heads straight for Lane’s house, where she lets loose on the whole story, unbeknownst to her, Mrs. Kim hears the whole thing (although she should have known better since Mrs. Kim sees and hears all). This is also our first glimpse at just how invested Mrs. Kim is in keeping Lane on the straight and narrow.

            Rory keeps the whole thing from her mother, because that’s what teenagers do, so when Mrs. Kim tells Lorelai about the story, Lorelai is understandably shocked, but also not understandably upset. The way Lorelai acts about the kiss is really pretty childish. Yes, I get that in normal circumstances she and Rory tell each other everything, but really, sometimes teenage girls need to have secrets from their parents. It’s about growing up and becoming their own person. Luke tries to talk Lorelai back from the edge telling her it’s really not that big of a deal, thank goodness for the one voice of reason in this town.

            On the other hand, why wouldn’t Rory keep this from her mother, because once they finally talk about it, Lorelai is a never-ending stream of jokes. Then she does the unthinkable and invites Dean over for an evening of junk food and Willy Wonka. Rory reacts as any teenager would and is horrified that her mother is getting involved. I understand that Lorelai is just trying to help out, but she fails to understand that maybe Rory just needs to take things at her own speed. And maybe Lorelai needs a reminder that this isn’t her relationship. Not to mention this is almost as bad as Emily inviting all the kids from Chilton to Rory’s birthday party.

           Of course the night of bingeing ends up fine, despite Dean getting cornered by Babbette, Sookie showing up unannounced, and Lorelai giving Dean the third degree when Rory leaves the room. Dean actually does a good job standing up to her, but jeez, how he didn’t run away screaming, I’ll never know.

            I don’t have a whole lot to say about this episode, because it’s always kind of bothered me. Really the only thing going on is the kiss stuff and everyone’s deep interest in it is just kind of creepy. She’s a young girl and now everyone, including her own mother, wants to act like she’s about to run away and get married. The poor girl needs some privacy instead, so she can grow up normally and go through all the milestones that everyone else has gone through in their own time.

2 tubes of lip gloss out of 5

Potent Quotables:

Mrs. Kim: “Who kissed you?”

Lane: “The Lord, mama.”

Mrs. Kim: “The grocery store! Where we buy our food!”

Lorelai: “It’s because I just stole his wallet.”

Lorelai: “He kissed you again? What, is he just out of prison?”

Paid for Luke Visits: 1/2  (the funny part is, the one visit they paid for, they actually served themselves)

[talesofatvaddict]

Gilmore Girls: S1/E6 Rory's Birthday Parties

     The Gilmore girls’ birthdays are always a big deal on this show, and this one is no exception. It’s Rory’s 16th (17th? I don’t know, I always lose track) birthday and Lorelai is already knee deep in plans for a special Friday night party. Why she does this, I have no idea, she KNOWS Emily will have a problem with changing their Friday night dinner plans, so just accept it, Lorelai, just accept it. Of course when Lorelai asks for the next Friday night adjustment, Emily is adamant that they will celebrate Rory’s birthday with their usual Friday night plans. End of. A bright spot of this evening is that Emily serves chocolate pudding for dessert, a total shift from her usual fancy courses and a signal to Lorelai that Emily might actually be trying to adapt to her and Rory’s more casual style.

     On the same note, Emily asks Lorelai to help her go shopping for Rory’s birthday present. These turn of events really are kind of a sweet sign that Emily is trying. Even though she doesn’t understand why her daughter or granddaughter like these silly things, she’s trying to accept that they do. The shopping trip is also fairly successful. But of course, not without it’s issues. The issues that I notice aren’t with Emily though, they’re with Lorelai (I know, sometimes it’s seems like I bag on Lorelai a lot, but some of the things she does just really bother me. There will be times in the future that I praise what she does, I promise).

            Emily picks out some things she’s considering buying Rory, and of course they’re Emily-type things, a hat suitable for Ascot, pearls, a Mont Blanc pen (even though none of these things are particularly Rory things, I think she’d be grateful for any of them and thankful that her grandmother thought of her). Lorelai shows her more suitable Rory-type things, a guitar shaped purse, a memo book and mermaid shaped eraser, stretchy bead bracelets (I think all of these are awful, but I think it’s probably just because I moved past my 16 year old girl taste level). My complaint with Lorelai is that the things she picks out, even when bought together, wouldn’t total more than $30. While, I’m certainly not saying Emily needs to break the bank for gifts, why not just let her spend what she wants instead of limiting it to $12? When Emily decides on the bracelets, she says “oh, they’re only $12, can I get her the pashmina too?” And Lorelai says no. I totally get that Lorelai is trying to help Emily, but it feels like she’s going a little overboard, especially considering what SHE actually gets Rory for her birthday….

            It starts out as a normal day as school for Rory, until…she finds out her grandmother has distributed invitations to her party on Friday night to everyone in the school. Just when things were going so well! And what’s even worse, she finds out from Tristan. I totally get that in Emily’s world this is just what you do, but really, this scenario is horrifying, especially considering most of these kids will be forced to attend by their parents and their own rules of politeness. Rory hides all of this from her mother, well, because of pudding.

      Finally, the day arrives. B-day. Lorelai wakes Rory up for the infamous 4:03 AM retelling of her birth and Luke is very sweet to provide coffee cake and balloons, but it can’t make her forget about what awaits her that night. Only Dean can do that.

            It’s a usual Emily party, lots of stuffy people, eating stuffy food (what’s stuffy food? I don’t know, it’s not my party. Ask Emily), talking about lots of stuffy things, but each of them hands Rory an envelope flush with cash. I would have loved to have seen a final tally of how much money she pulled in from that party. And all from people she’d never met before in her life. When Emily demands Rory say a little something to her guests, all hell breaks loose. Shy Rory, of course, doesn’t want to since she doesn’t know any of them and knows it will only end up in her being humiliated in front of all those people from school. She ends up yelling at her grandmother and storming upstairs to her mother’s old room in a scene, which I’m sure that house saw plenty of in the past. A fact not lost on Lorelai. Later on Rory tries to apologize to Emily, but is rebuffed, which angers Lorelai, rightfully. What Emily does is completely and totally childish; she refuses Rory’s invitation to her second party and proceeds to treat her coldly. But I can see how she’d be hurt by Rory’s actions. Throughout the episode she’s been trying to embrace the things Rory likes and doing things a little differently, and I think she’s upset because she doesn’t see Rory doing the same. Plus, I’m sure the whole thing is giving her a wicked flashback of old times with Lorelai. While Emily has been working with the unconventional Rory and Lorelai, I think she hoped Rory would, at the same time, accept her convention.

            The next day, Rory sees Paris at the college fair and they find out both are Harvard hopefuls. How this surprises either of them is beyond me. I mean, come on, OF COURSE they’re both applying to Harvard. But either way, we’re starting to see the ice that is Paris the Snow Queen start to thaw.

            Then there’s the Stars Hollow party, complete with a cake with Rory’s face on it. And what does Lorelai give Rory for her birthday? A laptop. And not just a laptop, but an Apple laptop. Not an inexpensive gift in the least, and certainly more expensive than 3 plastic bracelets. I’m trying not to read too much into this and Lorelai’s actions on the shopping trip, but this is making it really hard. Lorelai spends the trip telling her mother not to spend too much and then ends up buying her a rather expensive computer. I just don’t get it and I’m trying to think more of Lorelai than her being the type of person who would make sure her present was the best present Rory receives.

Ha! Just look at Michele back there!

      Emily and Richard do actually show up (for their very first visit to their house ever?) and get to meet all of their kooky friends. Emily also witnesses an interaction with Luke and Lorelai after he brings over more ice, saving Lorelai from having to buy more, thus resulting in Emily calling him the “ice man.” Later on she comments that they must be dating or that they like each other, proving that Emily knows more about her daughter than Lorelai likes to think or admit. The whole party leaves Emily down when she realizes she knows next to nothing about what goes on in her own daughter’s life, broken bones and all.

      After the party, Rory gets a little visit from Dean (who gives her a sweet little bracelet he made himself [Is 16 the bracelet birthday?]). And just look at the horrified face Lorelai makes when she sees them through the kitchen window.

A couple of asides, one of my favorite crazy things Emily and Richard do is in the beginning of this episode. During dinner they announce to Rory and Lorelai that their lawyer will be coming over the next day for will amendments and they should go around the house and put post-its on anything they want. It’s just so crazy and, of course, something they’d do with a straight face. Also, Sookie and Jackson’s fruit/vegetable based flirting is so adorable. It never gets old or ceases to entertain me.

    2.5 tubes of lip gloss out of 5

Potent Quotables:

Emily: “You like the bowl? Put a post-it on it when you’re done.”

Lorelai: “She did agree to get the string quartet to learn how to play Like a Virgin.”

Jackson: “Rassquat?”

Luke: “Will you marry me?”

Lorelai: “What?!”

Luke: Just looking for something to shut you up.”

  Paid for Luke visits:  0/2

[talesofatvaddict]

Gilmore Girls: S1/E5 Cinnamon's Wake

So, following the Chilton-centric episode last time, now we get a strictly Stars Hollow episode and a lovely view on its eccentric characters. After Rory and Lorelai’s neighbors, Morey and Babette, lose their cat Cinnamon, they hold a wake and the whole town shows up for comfort, support, food and jazzy piano playing. These kind of episodes are always nice since they show just how much the town cares about people, even if it is just for a cat.

       Before all that though, we see the Rory and Dean situation start to heat up…well, if heating up means a lot of staring and stammering. Dean hops on Rory’s bus one morning to talk to her, which is to be honest, slightly creepy, but aren’t all romantic type things always kind of creepy? Rory tries to reciprocate by going into the market where Dean works, but only succeeds in embarrassing herself and getting Miss Patty involved.

            Meanwhile, Lorelai sees Max Medina again at the Chilton parents bake sale and they make up, although it was pretty obvious her anger wasn’t running too deep. And then he does it. Asks her out, because of course he does. Now, for someone who was so against dating anyone involved in Chilton that she turns down a Chilton dad, she sure doesn’t give much of a fight in trying to say no. She waivers for about half a second before she jumps in his pants. So they go on a coffee date and she does more of her fake protesting to dating him as she hands over her number. Maybe my feelings about Max Medina (not good) are tainting my thoughts on these episodes, but really the whole thing is messed up. Later, Lorelai brags about how good her dating rules are when it comes to men and Rory, but she’s seems to have completely forgotten them altogether pretty darn quickly. She also tells Rory towards the end of the episode that she won’t date Max Medina if Rory doesn’t want her to, but who actually believes that? The complicated details of the whole situation haven’t kept her from dating him so far, so what makes anyone think a word from her daughter would put the kibosh on it totally?

            The date plan then gets messed up with the death of Cinnamon. Apparently they had set up a date for that night, but it must have been off-camera because we don’t see any definitive plans set up. Rory sees Max Medina standing at her door and is understandably upset since this is the first she’s hearing about any of it. Telling Rory about it should have been the absolute first thing Lorelai did, even before accepting a date. Even if she was just considering dating him, the first step should have been talking to Rory considering this affects her so much and so directly. There’s just no excuse keeping something like this from her, especially since Lorelai has now decided to end her Chilton dating moratorium.

            During the wake Dean also decides Rory must be giving him the cold shoulder and tells her he’s sorry for bothering her. I guess all of Rory’s stammering and running away sends out kind of a mixed message, but she reassures him she doesn’t want him to leave her alone and then runs away. Ah, young love.

            On the subject of love, Morey and Babette have one of the sweetest relationships on the show. They both have their quirks and eccentricities and they accept and adore each other because of them. They’re both incredibly considerate of each other and seem to just love spending time with each other. During the wake, Babette breaks into tears after she admits she’s scared Morey could leave her, especially after seeing an episode of Oprah dealing with couples that break up after the death of a child. They’re tenderness with each other is always heartwarming and lovely.

2.5 tubes of lip gloss out of 5

Potent Quotables:

Emily: “Oh wait, Rudolph Gottfried.”

Lorelai: “Another cousin?”

Emily: “No, a Nazi that we know, I forgot, we stayed with him once in Munich. Nice old man, interesting stories.”

  Michel: “I don’t know how many French people you know, but most of them are insufferable.”

  Lorelai: “You can’t control who you’re attracted to and I think the whole Angelina Jolie/Billy Bob Thornton thing proves that.

Paid for Luke Visits: 0/1

[talesofatvaddict]

Gilmore Girls: S1/E4 The Deer Hunters

This is a very Chilton-centric episode with most of the big events/scenes happening or dealing with the school. There’s a B story about Sookie and a food critic, but it’s mostly a silly little side item that is more about building character than anything else. But before we get to that, let’s start at the beginning, shall we?

            We start out with Rory and Lorelai shopping for school supplies. Rory tells Lorelai she didn’t have to come, but Lorelai never turns down a chance to shop, even if it is for nothing but pens, pencils and legal pads. I totally get Rory’s love for this stuff, who doesn’t love going in to an office supplies store for an hour? But besides this, something that has always bothered me is where does Rory get money? There’s never any talk about an allowance or getting money from her dad or anything like that, so how does she pay for all this stuff that she buys (books, clothes, makeup, etc.)? Several seasons later there’s a few times where she talks about being “skint” and having to work in a campus cafeteria to pay for her cell phone, but this job doesn’t last long and there’s very few times she actually works a job. Where does this money come from?!

            Now that that’s off my chest, on to the episode itself. Rory gets a paper back in English class from her teacher Max Medina (remember this name, it’ll be very important later on) and DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNNNN….She gets a D!!! Close the bridges, call the President, enact martial law! Rory Gilmore got a D! The look on Rory’s face says it all, it’s almost like she’s looking at some scribble from an alien language. She’s the angel child, how could she get anything less than an A? Of course, she’s devastated and embarrassed, which isn’t helped by Paris’s mocking about it. She’s been just chomping at the bit to see her new nemesis fail at anything, and here it is. Rory hides the grade from her mother for obvious reasons. She’s been told since birth by her family and the town just how perfect and infallible she is, which is an enormous pressure, and of course she could never let them know that even the chance of her failing is a possibility. What a horrifying feeling.

            That night Lorelai visits Chilton herself for parent/teacher meetings where she, of course, makes her presence known, meets Max Medina and finds out, to her horror, that Rory got a D. She rushes out to comfort Rory, but not without first making a lasting impression on her English teacher. In a very sweet scene, Lorelai stays up all night with Rory to help her study for a big test she has which will be 20% OF HER GRADE (they love big, booming announcements like that at Chilton). A couple of things irk me about this, I know that Chilton prides itself for offering college level education and whatnot, but it seems like an awful lot of their tests involve exact dates and details about subjects. Maybe my college was just different than the ivy leagues, but I had very few classes that tested on things like that, and if they did it was usually just a first level freshman class. Most of the classes involved critical thinking and using information to back an argument. Regurgitating facts and figures doesn’t allow for much of a student’s own thinking.

            Secondly, unless the entire class was about a particular person or time period, I never took a test that had so much weight on my final grade that only involved that one person or time period. Rory’s test is only on Shakespeare and it’s still worth 20% OF HER FINAL GRADE. That just seems kind of crazy.

            Anyway, let’s get back on track. After staying up all night to study, the two fall asleep at the kitchen table and oversleep, with Rory trying to wake her mother in a panic, much like a replay of episode 2. Lorelai demands Rory drive her car, since she’s missed her bus. While stopped at a stop sign, Rory calls Lane to ask about some notes, which if I were that late for something that important, I would just say screw the notes and just get there. But anyway, during the stop a deer runs head first into the side of the car. It really is something just ridiculously crazy enough to happen. And ridiculous enough that no one believes her when she lets everyone know what happened. It’s one step below “the dog ate my homework.”

            Rory finally shows up well past the bell and it happens, Rory’s epic meltdown. When Max Medina tells her she’s too late and she can’t take the test, she flips out. This scene always gives me anxiety, because I always had that fear and I don’t know how many times I had that nightmare and woke up in a cold sweat.

            Max Medina sends Rory to the Headmaster and Lorelai is called. She shows up and is shocked to find out Rory wasn’t allowed to take the test and once she makes it in to the Headmaster’s office, where he and Max Medina are waiting for her, she lets loose a meltdown of her own. Both meltdowns are great, but Lorelai’s is just slightly better since Lauren Graham is so good at handling a flow of words that fast. She concludes the whole tirade by calling the Headmaster Il Duce, which is always a great put down.

            Towards the end of the episode Rory and Lorelai have a conversation about whether Rory is overworking herself and whether the Harvard dream was something her mother pushed on her. Rory demands that this is something she wants, but I’ve never really bought this. Lorelai says that she bought Rory a Harvard sweatshirt when she was a baby and always told her she’d go there, but it all has a whiff of Lorelai just not wanting her daughter to end up at her father’s alma mater, which is Yale. Rory has just grown up with everyone telling her she’s going to go to Harvard, so by this point she thinks it was actually her idea to begin with.

            The story with Sookie involves a review of her food that appears in a magazine that is nothing short of a rave, but the reviewer states that her risotto is only “fine.” After a long history with a risotto recipe that is so “magical” that it brings people back to life, she seeks out everything about this reviewer so she can make it right. She goes so far as to visit his home with the proper wine after she finds out he drank the wrong kind with the risotto. It’s nothing of much consequence, but it let’s everyone know just how important Sookie’s food is to her and just how far she’ll go to protect it.

            Starting with this episode, everything starts to get a heck of a lot livelier. When I suggest Gilmore Girls to anyone I always tell them to skip the first few episodes. They just don’t seem to fit the feel of the show through the rest of the seasons and I like new watchers to see it at its best.

  3.5 tubes of lip gloss out of 5

Potent Quotables:

- “May I be fired now?” – waiter to Lorelai

- “What’s up, Quippy? Why so silent?” – Rory to Paris

- “My goodness, you do like to throw fits in your family.” – Headmaster to Lorelai

Paid for Luke visits: 0/1

[talesofatvaddict]

Gilmore Girls: S1/E3 Kill Me Now

This episode we get to see a little more of Richard Gilmore, who has been more of an imposing statue sitting in the corner reading the paper. The episode begins with the first Friday Night Dinner (at least that we see) and the introduction of Emily's habit of maid swapping, a very entertaining running joke throughout the series, especially when she is subsequently sued by a former maid in an upcoming season. Lorelai lets it slip that Rory has been given the requirement of learning a sport for school. Emily jumps at the chance to set up a golf date between Rory and Richard at their club, much to his chagrin.

Richard is, at the very heart, a man set in his ways. He likes his routine and Rory only acts as a spoiler of that. On the morning of the outing he proclaims that she's a 16 year old girl who'd rather be at the mall. But, really this just proves how little he knows his granddaughter and how little experience he has with teenage girls who aren't his daughter.

Ultimately the whole day ends up as a lovely bonding moment for the two as they walk and talk about books and travel, two things they very much have in common. Richard also learns just how impressive his granddaughter is to others and how she can hold her own in conversation with her elders, since she was born a 40 year old.

Meanwhile, back at the Inn, Lorelai is busy planning a large wedding for two sets of twins. Their mother, who happens to be Meagen Fay who was amazing as neighbor Kathy Bowman in Roseanne, hates her spoiled twin daughters and can only hope their twin grooms can take them off her hands.

We also see Kirk as the Swan Man.

I've always loved the fruit/vegetable based flirting between Jackson and Sookie.

Lorelai is horrified and worried when Richard calls Rory of his own accord. She sends her into a tailspin that includes a ridiculous argument between her and her daughter about a stretched out sweater and whose boobs are bigger than the others'. I hate this scene. It just has always felt dumb. I get the point of it, but I just wish the two would argue about something less creepy. Lorelai is totally wigging out in her mind because she feels like, on one hand, she's losing her daughter to the world she desperately fled from, and, on the other, she sees her daughter having the relationship with her father that maybe even a tiny part of her wishes she could have had. Eventually she realizes she's being ridiculous for being upset about her daughter having a relationship with her grandparents, but really, it's just so ridiculous to let all those feelings come exploding out of you, especially when they end up aimed at your daughter.

It really is a lovely moment when Richard and Rory discover their shared love of obscure/intellectual books.

2 tubes of lip gloss out of 5

Potent Quotables:

"You could use your mother's old clubs. They're upstairs collecting dust, along with the rest of her potential." - Emily

"What is so important that it can't wait for cake?" - Emily

Paid for Luke visits: 0/1

[talesofatvaddict]

Gilmore Girls: S1/E2 The Lorelais' First Day at Chilton

So after all the "drama" of the first episode surrounding Rory starting at that fancy-schmancy private school, the first day has arrived. The morning of we find an irritated Rory trying to wake up her mother after she oversleeps. Again, Rory plays the adult in this situation, which will be a familiar theme as the episodes roll past. Yes, Lorelai knows knows how to run an inn, is capable of taking care of a home (somewhat), but there's still something so "arrested development" about her. All the things she can do are things any teenager could learn to do if they really needed to. It feels like she will always be 16 years old, while Rory came from the womb a 40 year old woman saving a sizable portion of her income to a high-yield retirement fund. Rory is  obviously and understandably annoyed with her mother when she is on the verge of being late for school (this annoyance comes out again, when they arrive at the school and Lorelai has no idea she's supposed to go in with her daughter to meet the headmaster).

 Lorelai throws on her only clean clothes because, of course, she's left picking up her dry cleaning to the morning of and now has nothing to wear but a bright pink tye-dyed t-shirt, cut off shorts and cowboy boots (I've never understood why cowboy boots were her selected footwear. Did she take all of her other shoes to the dry cleaners too? It does, however, lead to some funny lines about the rodeo being in town.). I've always loved the number of times people mention what she's wearing, usually saying "Isn't it Rory's first day at Chilton?" with horrified looks on their faces. On the drive to school we see a nice view of the town as it will now be known.

Of course, the second Lorelai steps out of the car she gets hit on (again) by a Chilton father (although I think the cut off shorts have more to do with it than anything else). Rory again turns into parent mode as she has to remind her mother that they're there to meet the headmaster on her first day of school and not for Lorelai to pick up phone numbers and dollar bills from the men around her.

Finally, they make it to Headmaster Charleston's office where we find one Emily Gilmore already there, grinning like a Cheshire cat. Lorelai is, of course, horrified, but to be honest, I don't find Emily being there all that irritating. It's well within her right to be there considering she is paying for Rory's school, has known the headmaster for years AND has expressed an interest in getting to know both Rory and Lorelai better. It's really not something to get all up in arms about like Lorelai does, to the point of arguing with Emily about it on the front steps of Rory's school.

Headmaster Charleston, meanwhile, makes a heck of an impression on Rory as he tells her that, and I'm paraphrasing, "she ain't that special." Even though everyone's been telling her her whole life that she can do no wrong, actually at Chilton, everyone is just like her. She's a dime a dozen and they've all got a leg up since she's starting late. It's a dose of reality that's somewhat refreshing.

After some more scary administrative stuff, we finally get our first glimpse at one of my favorite characters. Paris Geller, ladies and gentlemen. She's holding court as Diana Ross for her Supremes in the bushes under the window, because she's got a mole to pass her the information of any new student admitted, so she's knows what she's dealing with in her plans to rule the school. In fact, Paris probably has moles all over the school, which sounds like she's got the perfect personality for a long career in politics.

Ugh. Tristan.

Meanwhile, back at The Independence Inn, the Chilton dad from before makes a visit to ask Lorelai out. She turns him down because his daughter goes there and she doesn't want to make it weird for Rory (this has always made absolutely NO sense to me considering later on Lorelai has no problem dating/kissing/etc. Rory's own TEACHER, Max [who we'll get to soon enough]. A dad, no, that's too weird, but HER OWN TEACHER, yes, sign me up??!! Ugh.)

This is also the introduction of Kirk, ok, his name's Mick in this episode and he installs DSL, but I like to ignore that and pretend he's Kirk in one of his many jobs. Emily has ordered DSL for Rory (after also calling about buying her some more clothes for school and a parking space for her non-existent car). Yes, while I'm sure this probably makes Lorelai feel like her mom doesn't think she can take care of her own daughter, but if there was a rich relative who wanted to buy things that my kid needed for school, then I'd say hell, yes, have at it. This will become a theme for Lorelai, she never wants her parents to splurge on things for Rory "unless it'll fit" her too. While, I know this is a joke, it just seems too telling. They are her grandparents, grandparents want to spoil their grandchildren. For god's sake, let them!

The episode ends with the Lorelais in each others' arms again and in the safe embrace of their quirky town, and the elder Lorelai wondering out loud to her daughter if Luke would be a good match (the beginning of a story that will last until the very last episode).

2 tubes of lip gloss out of 5

Potent Quotables:

"This is the last time I buy anything just because it's furry!" - Lorelai

"Gnome kicking says a lot about a man's character." - Babette

Paid for Luke Visits: 0/2

[talesofatvaddict]

Gilmore Girls: S1/E1 Pilot

Gilmore Girls is one of my very favorite shows. I've watched it more times than I can count and usually when I start watching an episode, I end up lost to it for days. I can't stop at just one.

That being said, even though I love it, there are certainly times it isn't perfect and parts of Season 1 exemplify that. When I suggest this show to other people, I usually tell them to skip the first third to half of season 1 because they might get the wrong idea about this show because of how different Season 1 feels to much of the rest of the show. The show was just getting itself together and hadn't fully fleshed out what it wanted to be. Even in my own personal re-watches, I usually skip most of Season 1. To be honest, it just makes me slightly uncomfortable, like watching an evil twin take over the good twin's life without anyone questioning it, but you know there's something not right.

Anyways, I'm babbling, but to say the least, I'll be excited to get past these first few episodes and get to the good stuff.

  S1/E1 Pilot

The Gilmore Girls pilot is much like any other pilot, basic world and character introductions using pretty broad strokes. Lorelai loves her coffee, Rory is the goody two shoes, Michel is the rude Frenchman, Sookie is the crazy, clumsy chef, Lane is the rebellious teenager with the strict Christian mom in Mrs. Kim. It’s only later on that we’ll find out all their different angles and quirks, love them or hate them.

            But the first thing you’ll notice in this episode, if you’ve seen more than a couple episodes, is the town. It’s…different. Of course for the pilot they don’t have the sets that they do later in the show, so they used a different location, which has always thrown me off a bit. I didn’t get introduced to this show until Season 3 when it was originally airing, so when I first saw this episode I thought I was watching a totally different show. Not only does the town look different, but sometimes it feels like it was shot through some kind of haze filter. The whole episode just looks strange to me.

            Fittingly, the first scene is at Luke’s and Lorelai is begging for coffee (which we’ll find out MUCH later, that this is also the scenario for their first official meeting). Luke is a grouch, of course, but their infamous verbal sparring doesn’t really get going until a later episode. Rory comes in soon after, and we are reminded just how good looking and young they are when they’re both hit on by the same uninformed passer-through.

            Then we’re introduced to Lorelai’s place of business, The Independence Inn (which her parents will passive aggressively refer to a “motel” or “hotel” several times in the show and Lorelai will always remind them that she “runs” this “inn.”). That’s where we meet Michel, the acerbic French concierge and Sookie, the kooky chef who seems to cook herself more than any actual food. Of course these characters are fleshed out later on to make them more likeable, but right now they just seem a little annoying. Then there’s Drella, the harp player, played by Alex Borstein, who was originally supposed to play Sookie, but couldn’t work out her schedule with Mad TV. This is something I’m actually very thankful for. Not that I think Alex Borstein is bad at what she does, but I feel like her version of Sookie would have been a little too negative and we already get plenty of negatively from Michel. He needs a foil and Melissa McCarthy’s Sookie seems to be the right yin to his yang. Either way, thankfully, we won’t have to deal with Drella all that much.

            Next up, we find out that Rory, who is apparently too cool for school (or too smart for her high school) has been accepted to some hoity toity private school and will be starting next week, complete with plaid skirt and saddle shoes. This is all a part of the “Get Rory to Harvard” plan. But there’s a catch. Lorelai needs a butt load of cash, quick, to make it happen since this school apparently doesn’t have a payment plan or a scholarship program, which seems a little unlikely, but anyway. After finding no other options, she decides she’s gonna have to ask her well-off parents for the money, parents that she rarely sees and who lead her to make any number of stink faces when Sookie brings up the topic. After an uncomfortable visit to the homestead, her parents agree to write her a check in exchange for a dinner every Friday and a phone call throughout the week. And thus begins the main crux of the show or the very foundation of every problem in the Lorelais’ lives (oh by the way, Lorelai named her daughter Lorelai because of Demerol, a topic Rory relates to Dean the first time they meet, which leads to…).

            Then there’s Dean, Rory’s new giant man crush with the floppy hair. Suddenly he appears on her last day at her old school, which leaves Rory suddenly reconsidering this whole private school thing. The very thought of such a thing makes Lorelai’s head explode when her daughter informs her, but the whole argument doesn’t last too long, since these are the Gilmore girls we’re talking about. I will have plenty to say about Dean later on, but for right now he’s just sort of a minor foible and I really just wish someone would cut his hair.

            Another thought that will come up over and over for me in this show is how exhausting it must have been for Rory growing up feeling like she had to be “the sensible one.” There are too many times to count that Rory has had to act as the adult in this family, which must have been quite a load to carry. When Rory brings up her change of heart about school, Lorelai reminds her of her usual role in this family and how dare she make a dumb decision because of a boy. Well, she is a 15-year-old girl; lots of teenage girls make dumb decisions because of a boy, right Lorelai? It just feels like Rory is never given the chance to be a silly teenager. The whole reputation of her family is laid at her feet after her mother has destroyed it with her own teenage pregnancy and fleeing from the high society of Hartford, CT. Now it’s all up to Rory and her dreams of going to Harvard to save them. What a heavy burden.

 2 tubes of lip gloss out of 5.

Recyclables (ASP reuses actors quite a bit, so this is place where I’ll list the ones I see. However, this episode doesn’t have any since it’s #1):

The girl in the back of the Rory’s class painting her nails, we’ll see her again

Drella – Alex Borstein will play another character later on

  Potent Quotables:

“Boys don’t like funny girls.” – Mrs. Kim

“You’re happy. Did you do something slutty?” – Rory to Lorelai

  Paid for Luke visits: 1/2

(The number of times the Gilmore Girls visit Luke’s for food and actually pay for it, even if it is just throwing cash on the table…)