(S07E01) I decided to watch this episode a second time, just to see if my early assessment of it was correct. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't just so damn happy to have Gilmore Girls back, that I missed some fundamental change, something that would tell me that new EP David Rosenthal was going to completely screw up the transfer from Team Palladino and turn this show into something different than the one I came to know and love.
And, you know what? It is different. But those differences weren't due to the transfer in power. No, this show started changing while Team Palladino was still around, and I'm not sure if it's ever going to go back to what it was.
I will say one thing for this whole Lorelai/Luke/Christopher storyline; at least Lor wakes up the next morning and immediately starts regretting what she did with Chris the previous night, to the point where she uncomfortably leaves the "scene of the crime" and later tells him over the phone "let's not make more if it than it was." Chris was heartbroken when she told him that, but I have little sympathy for him, since he's taken every opportunity possible to screw up Lorelai and Luke.
But seeing Lorelai mope around for an hour, doing yet another relationship post-mortem (throwing everything away that reminded her of Luke, including the sheets and pillows: "The third stage of grief is making piles, she says") is starting to get old. Where does she go, lovelife-wise, after Luke, her best friend and the love of her life? This isn't just another Max or any of the other doofuses she's gone out with. But for some reason, she makes no effort to hear him out when he comes to see her the next day. Remember her ultimatum was only the night before, and Luke is such a lunkhead, he didn't realize that Lor was dead serious. We find out later that Luke isn't good under pressure, as he's given too much to think about after Kirk drives Taylor's T-bird into the diner.
Yes, you heard me. That was the cute "Stars Hollow" plot; Taylor puts in a red-light camera in front of Luke's, and Luke, who's understandably upset for other reasons, overreacts to it. During the ceremonial first "red light run," the camera flash goes off and makes Kirk drive the vintage care right into the diner. When a tow truck driver asks him whether he wants the car out or he wants to wait for the insurance folks, Luke snaps: "I do not like being pressured. It's not one or the other. I need some time to think!" Not very subtle, huh? But it does make it look like Lor put the kibosh on things a little early. Though I'm still undecided whether Lor gave him enough time or made a fatal mistake not realizing that her boyfriend can't function when given ulitmatums. You'd think she'd have known that about him.
When Luke comes by Lor's at the end, truck packed and ready to go anywhere she wants and elope, you know he's a doomed man. As Lor tries to stop him, you're sitting there, waiting and waiting for her to drop the bomb that you know is coming. Luke's reaction is immediate and swift, and it doesn't bode well for the rest of the season. He hates Christopher, and knew that his presence was a threat to their relationship. This isn't going to be a two-episode fix; it wouldn't ring true if Rosenthal decided to make a reconciliation that quick. But the result isn't a happy one: everyone who wants to go through the last season with tension between Luke and Lorelai raise your hand. No one? Hm. Thought so.
Ok, on to Rory. These are the only scenes where Lorelai lights up and is her usual chatty self (she even greets her with the title to one of last year's key episodes: "The prodigal daughter returns!"). I liked it when they went to go "racquetballing," and all they did was sit on the court and talk rocket gum. I also liked their discussion on what to do so they didn't have to talk; that was the type of conversation that showed me Rosenthal had a good grasp on the classic GG dialogue style. So was the rant Paris gave a customer to her new SAT prep business: "I don't particularly like to take on such meek, diffident cases. Do you know what diffident means? Don't worry, that knowledge isn't needed in the retail donut distribution industry."
But the Rory/Logan storyline was overwhelmed by the Lor/Luke storyline. Yes, he sent her a rocket, which took her a while to figure out: it was a reference to his favorite Twilight Zone episode, the explanation of which took way too long. She wants to go to London right now to visit him. But the little twist, where he says they're all set up to reunite at Christmas, was a good one, like a punch to Rory's emotional solar plexus. If I were her, I'd get on a plane now and go anyway. Lord knows what'll happen between now and Christmas.
More Lorelai: Describing the reasons why she's ending it: "It was him not fighting for me," and that if their lives together were a car, she wouldn't be in the passenger seat and she'd "have to hold on to the bumper," getting hurt along the way, were nice lines. But I just wish AS-P didn't go down this road, blowing up Lorelai and Luke, right before she left. Not that they shouldn't have had their problems, but throwing Christopher into the mix isn't quite the same thing as disapproving in-laws or even a long-lost daughter. The only thing more depressing than tension between Lorelai and Luke is tension between Lorelai and Rory, and we all know how torturous that was. If this is the last season of GG, it looks like it's going out on a big down note.
The TV Squad Podcast: Vik Sahay of Chuck, Oprah talk, brutal timeslots, and more!
TV Squad Ten: Top Ten ESPN shows from worst to first
Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
9-26-2006 @ 10:07PM
ALLISON said...
I'm going to reserve judgment for a few episodes and see how Dave "rights" the boat. Amy and Dan set up this wreck and Lord knows how they intended to fix it. Could it be that they were setting up Season 7 to be the resurrection of Chris and Lor? Perhaps. They surely put enough obstacles in the Luke and Lor relationship last season to make "happily ever after" seem unlikely. My guess -- and hope -- is that L & L figure out how to make it work. When they've been good, they've been very good. Chris, for all his charm and cuteness, has always failed Lorelai when push comes to shove. One thing for sure, I really hope the "GG" doesn't stoop to soap opera conventions by making Lorelai pregnant from her one night with Chris. That would be a disaster.
Reply
9-26-2006 @ 10:53PM
Andrea said...
Am I the only one who loves Christopher (and David Sutcliffe) and thinks he actually IS the right one for Lorelai??
Reply
9-26-2006 @ 11:03PM
Nicki said...
I missed the premier because my dumbass sister stopped the recording. Anyone have any idea where I can get it? I'm glad to hear it was good, but I'd rather not read the rest of the review until I see it, and I would very much like to do that.
Reply
9-26-2006 @ 11:22PM
mamaloo said...
OK, I gotta explain something first:
In Doctor Who Magazine (yes, I am that geeky, and so is my husband and our Doctor Who obsessed 3yo son) they have the "Time Team" who watch and critique every single episode of Doctor Who from 1963 onward to present. They have three running totals: how many people are killed, how many times Doctor Who and/or his companions are imprisoned and something else, I can't remember.
(Here's where I steer it back to GG)
I think we need a running total of how many times Lorilei has uttered the phrase "I slept with Christopher", since the series began.
I'm starting to get a little bored by that bit.
However, count me in among those who believe that Chris and Lor are destined for each other. He's the Comeback Kid!
Reply
9-27-2006 @ 12:35PM
Al Chapman said...
I think that Chris is who Lauralie should be with any way. I think that would be the way to end this program, although most want and cheer Luke. I think his character has always been odd and Chris is a better match. I think they treated Chris bad and always made him a buffone, now that he has wised up...give the guy a chance.
Reply
9-26-2006 @ 11:44PM
Christopher said...
It's really tough for me right now. As much as I like Luke and Loreli together I have also always been a big fan of Lor and Christopher. While I do not think what Loreli was right by sleeping with Christopher she did give Luke all the space he wanted and even cancelled her wedding for him. He was the one who totally shut her out of a huge part of his life with no signs of opening any doors for her in the near future. I can't say I blame her for giving Luke the ultimatum.
As far as the new EP, I did not really see any break in the flow of the show. Yes it has changed but then again you have to remember that the characters are growing and changing, Rory has grown up and the relationship between Loreli and Rory has also changed. As far as the writing and the movement of the show I am still a big fan. I do have to say that I am startingto feel like this should be the last year for the show. I am one of those people who would much rater see a favorite show end before it dies a long slow painful death.
Reply
9-27-2006 @ 12:16AM
vicky said...
eww.eww.eww. Christopher messes everything up for Lorelai. And if the season ends with them being together, I believe it will completely the end the greatness of all the Gilmore Girls seasons. But that's just my opinion...
(:
Reply
9-27-2006 @ 1:03AM
Erik said...
I used to love Luke, but I have grown SO TIRED of Luke--whereas I have ALWAYS loved Christopher (and I think David Sutcliff and Lauren Graham have always had great chemistry). I was happy to see Luke FINALLY fight for Lor at the end of tonight's episode, but I felt like it was Too Little Too Late.
Go Team Christopher! (I hope they end up together. It's the satisfying conclusion, in my book.)
Reply
9-27-2006 @ 1:33AM
CC said...
OK, I admit it, I too like Chris and Lorelai's chemistry, they're fun and lighthearted like, what? Oh yes 2 high school kids! It's time for Lor to grow up, get past her security blanket and take the big grown-up leap into a MAN's arms...enter Luke Danes. I hope hope hope L&L can reconcile without it seeming contrived and though this may be the final season, its started on a very fine note, dialogue-wise (did anyone notice Sookie got ALOT of dialogue tonight?!!!) and I have high hopes for our Girls!
Reply
9-27-2006 @ 3:22AM
Mary said...
I stopped watching Gilmore Girls since the time I noticed that Lorelai changed. I want the Lorelai on the first few seasons.
Reply
9-27-2006 @ 4:17PM
Sabrina Kendall said...
I too am sick of Luke and his incredible hypocritical ass. He's the one who extracted the 'no secrets pledge' from Lorelai and then proceeded to lie to her for months about his newly-discovered daughter. Then because of his jealousy, he deliberately excludes Lorelai from even the most minimal interaction with April. That's even after she bailed him out after his pathetic birthday part attempt.
Since they've been together, Lorelai has been insecure and afraid to a make a mistake of speak up. After being frozen out for months, sex with Christopher was an attempt to have someone actually want to connect with her and hold her close.
Reply
9-27-2006 @ 9:20AM
KateG said...
I'm on Team Christopher.
Reply
9-27-2006 @ 10:14AM
MrsEldubya said...
I rewatched all of Gilmore Girls this summer on ABC Family and last season was so wrong after watching 1 - 5. I really wish season 6 could just be a dream and we can go back to Lorelai proposing to Luke. I hope they have a fight or something so her bottled up feelings come out and Luke can understand what has happened.
I'm in the Luke camp and have been from day one. Christopher is her first love and is a soft place to run to when she's scared but Luke is her soulmate and the person who knows the adult Lorelai.
Rory needs to go to London ASAP. Lorelai needs to purge all men from her life for a while and get back to being her real self. I'm curious to see what they do to Luke's Diner, restore to it's old self or make some changes.
Reply
9-27-2006 @ 11:06AM
HotPlates said...
Oh great. So we get to spend the last season of GG reliving Lorelai's teenage years with her Booty Call. I've been watching for seven years and she still hasn't grown a bit.
Run Luke. Fast.
Reply
9-27-2006 @ 6:29PM
Ally said...
Nicki - gilmorefan.com usually will start posting clips the day after the episode. They're usually broken down into manageable chunks for easy downloading. :)
I hope they bring Logan back soon, though I thought he looked incredibly yummy in his business attire (yes, I'm that shallow). I love his chemistry with Rory, and I hated the way her face fell when she realized the ticket he bought her was for Christmas. Rory, get your ass on a plane and go visit the boy!
And Lorelai...ARGH. Her running from her problems, moping, etc, have finally really gotten to me. I've never really loved her character, but this is so obnoxious to watch. I've always loved her with Christopher, though, so I'm really eager to see him finally step up and go for it with her, which is something he's never had the guts to do before.
Reply
9-27-2006 @ 10:57AM
courtney said...
Awful. Can't imagine what and why they are doing this unpleasant stuff to the show other than they can.
Lorelai is pathetic to me now and cruel as well. I no longer care about what happens to her so there's no point in watching. So, I'm not.
To see her return to the man who couldn't be bothered to be in his daughter's life is just so pitiful to me.
Time and again she gives Chris a pass for being a deadbeat father and she couldn't give Luke ten minutes to talk through the problems she was having because he was trying to figure out how to establish a relationship with his daughter?
Don't believe any of this stuff - don't recognize the character of Lorelai any longer - too bad they didn't let this show end on a high note. All, obviously, my personal opinion.
Reply
9-27-2006 @ 11:05AM
kerry said...
Nobody seems to be remarking on one of the best Paris Geller lines of all time: "I can scare the stupid out, but lazy runs deep." That had me howling.
As for the rest of it, it seemed right in step with last season, which I still haven't decided if I'm going to buy on DVD. (Oh, who am I kidding. I'll buy it.) I spent the last week or so watching some episodes from seasons 1 and 2, and jumping from then to now made threw the differences into stark relief. On the one hand, I actually like Rory now more than I did then, she seems more like a complete person. But Luke and Lorelai seem less developed, more two-dimensional. Not sure how this season will play out, but I will say I'm curious to find out.
Reply
9-27-2006 @ 12:18PM
tamara said...
Is it just me or was this episode more wordy than most? It was like they tried make their mark as new writers with more lines suited for a stage play than for television. There were times I just wanted to put Sookie, Taylor and Luke on mute. Luke's spill about eloping at the end was too much. He should have stopped at Atlantic City.
Reply
9-27-2006 @ 12:29PM
e said...
I laughed more at last night's episode than I think I did all last season. This show may just be working its way back into my good graces.
There were some wordy parts, but I still think this script was less dense than a Palladino script would have been.
And Rory? I don't hate you anymore.
Reply
9-27-2006 @ 2:09PM
Michael said...
The season-ending show last year and this premiere pissed me off to to no end. I turned to my wife last night, after watching Lorelai get out of Christopher's bed and said,
"Lorelai is a whore."
Not only is she a whore, she's a cruel one at that. She could have slept with anyone at all, even Kirk, and it wouldn't have hurt Luke as much as it did sleeping with Chris. I have no idea why the writers would take a great character like Lorelia and turn her into a sadastic bitch but I don't like it at all.
The show should have ended at season five.
Reply