Today I (re)watch: Gilmore girls, 4.19

Lorelai confronts her dad about kicking Jason out of the business. Lane thinks she is being replaced at the Kim’s house. More than one relationship ends, in ONE EPISODE. *sobs*

SPOILER ALERT. I have seen all the seasons before, so I am reviewing with future events in mind. SPOILER ALERT

 

Richard is ruining Jason’s career
I am very upset at Richard every time I watch this. Yes, there weren’t a lot of alternatives, but I think loyalty should matter at least a little bit? And Floyd is a fucking jerk, to be honest. He treated Richard like crap at some point, and now Richard is coming back to that? Without even waiting for Jason to try to fix the lawsuit thing.

Lorelai confronts him, which I would’ve as well, and he dismisses her. Richard dismisses Lorelai’s worry about her boyfriend because he would rather be mad that he wasn’t notified. He also doesn’t listen and refuses to even have a conversation with Emily about it. Because it is business, and he is a business man. FUCK THAT.

Asher Flemming is a womanizing jerk
This is the episode to raise all the red flags about Asher’s behavior. Rory, Paris and Doyle are at a reading for Asher’s newest novel, and Doyle points out to Rory how most available women at Yale are there to see him. He also points out that he dates a new young, college-aged girl every year. This is his pattern. I mean, he is supposed to be super smart, but he must not be so smart that the only women he is able to impress and garner respect from are his college-aged students.
This story uses the cliche of the very special, mature girl who changes a guys’ ways, and that would be Paris. Let’s not kid ourselves. Paris is very book-smart, and intuitive and educated. That doesn’t make her mature. We see this multiple times. And I mean, Paris is once again, in typical Gilmore girls fashion, made out to be so much better and special because all the other girls are made out to be stupid, superficial, conventionally gorgeous, whatever. I am sorry but first of all they’re at Yale, they can’t be that stupid. And Paris IS conventionally attractive too. The relationship ends with Asher (SPOILER) dying, which doesn’t mean she was the love of his life. It just means (again, SPOILER) time ran out before maybe he dumped her to get a younger girlfriend.

A replacement for Lane
There is an exchange student from Seoul staying with Mrs Kim, which drives Lane crazy, because she feels replaced. She misses her mom, which I get. I guess. She sneaks into her mom’s house after a gig, because she feels lonely and unsupported. She looks around the house nostalgically, and kisses her mom while she is asleep. Creepy, but sweet?

A wacky Friday night dinner

Lorelai: College is loud!
Rory: It’s part of our training. It’s right up there with the bad food, the sleep deprivation, and how to hold your own hair while throwing up.

I always feel bad for Rory for being stuck in the middle of things with her grandparents and her mom. Imagine growing up with that tension. I guess a lot of us don’t have to imagine to know. After Rory convinces Lorelai to go to dinner with the grandparents, they get there and it’s… weird. They ask about the traffic 3 times, about school twice, they mix up their names, give them dessert to go.

Lorelai: Ohhhkay, so everytime they ask you about traffic or school, you do a shot.

What seemed wacky at first turns into kind of depressing when Lorelai and Rory are leaving and hear Emily heading out too. Is she not staying at her own house anymore?

And then for more depressing things, Lorelai and Jason meet up and Jason tells her he is suing her father, and she tells him she cannot be with someone who is suing her family. This is so hard for me to take a side on. I understand Jason kind of has to sue, because if not he would be left with nothing, and it is not fair and it should not be legal to do what Richard did. I understand Lorelai asking him not to, but it is not fair, because she is asking him to just let his career, livelihood and reputation go up in flames, and then what? I also understand Lorelai feeling like she can’t be with someone who is suing her father, because that would permanently cut ties with them. And they’ve been dating for not that long, either. Uh. Damn.

Today I (re)watch: Gilmore girls, 4.15

I had forgotten how many amazing episodes season 4 has.
Rory and Lorelai run into Emily at the mall, while she is on a shopping spree. Lane moves in with her bandmates Zack and Brian. Kirk walks the neighborhood dogs.

SPOILER ALERT. I have seen all the seasons before, so I am reviewing with future events in mind. SPOILER ALERT

Emily (about the dinner, which was burnt): Oh, I could not expose you to such a loin.
Lorelai: If I had a nickel…

I like Lorelai’s friday night dinner dress a lot.

Kirk walks dogs
And he plays hide & seek with them! I appreciate Kirk so much.
But then he has a left over dog. No one picked up one of the dogs he was watching over.

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x x

Lorelai and Rory go window shopping

It doesn’t go great. They are bored in 5 minutes and decide to leave but then… Emily. Emily is at the mall, on a shopping spree, and demands the girls join her. She is mad at Richard because… he has a mustache? And because she is still upset that Richard has been meeting up with Pennilyn Lott. So she starts shouting at Lorelai and at the people working in the stores.
Afterwards, at the food court (Emily in a food court!), Emily tells Lor that she feels she hasn’t achieved anything, or has anything, and Lor tells her that’s not true. They have a nice little bonding moment. I appreciate those, especially since they are so few and far between.
Emily: I was just admiring your mother’s life.
Rory: Oh. I do that every day.

Lane moves out of the Kim house
Ooooh man. I feel sad for both Lane and Mrs Kim. They are so different, but they love each other, and it feels like a break-up. She moves in with Zach and Brian, how awesome is that?! They don’t have cutlery, or curtains, or a fridge. Oh well. They will figure shit out eventually.

At the end of the day, Rory and Lorelai go to Luke’s, and talk about the grandparents’ while scheduling their time together for the following month. Meanwhile, Emily and Richard have dinner on opposite ends of the table (rich couples in movies always do that to signify there is trouble in paradise or something, I find it so odd). Emily clearly feels unnoticed, unappreciated. This will continue for the next few episodes. Boy oh boy.

Today I (re)watch: Gilmore girls, 4.11

We are literally halfway through the series! Cheers to that.
Luke moves in with Nicole, and Lorelai gets upset about that. There is a guy at Yale telling a story of a girl obsessed with him. The bells at the Stars Hollow church are fixed in memory of a dead townsperson. Lane has a gig that changes her life, although not in the best way.

SPOILER ALERT. I have seen all the seasons before, so I am reviewing with future events in mind. SPOILER ALERT

Lane has a gig at CBGB’s!
I heard it closed some years ago. That’s sad. Anyway, Lane’s band gets a gig there. Now she must come up with an excuse/alibi to tell her mom, especially since the gig is at 1am on a Tuesday. She decides to just sneak out, and when they get to the venue, the booker tells them that since there is no one there, they’re not playing, and they will reschedule. Poor Lane.
She goes to Rory’s dorm to ask for advice, Rory calls Lorelai, Lorelai calls Mrs Kim. I understand Lane wanting to go to that gig, and at that age, with those parents, I would have probably done the same or a similar thing. I also feel for Mrs Kim, though. She believes she does the right thing.
A question that had, embarassingly, never occurred to me is, how did Lane afford all the CD’s and the “illegal” stuff she had in her room? I admire her intricate hiding system, though. Very elaborate, very cool. Also kind of not realistic, but very cool.

Luke moves to Litchfield
Litchfield is another county. He still works at Luke’s. He still owns the space upstairs. Not much has changed, really, and it’s not like Lor comes over to Luke’s place often or sends him stuff there. I know the “big” reveal is that Lor has feelings for the guy and that’s why she is upset they are making a life together, but c’mon. She is over-reacting. A LOT.

x x

Although on the other hand, I would be thrown off if my friend moved out of town and didn’t tell me. I don’t think it is fair for Luke to yell at Lor.
To make up, they decide to go break the bells that had been reinstalled in memory of Stan (no one knows who that is). Those bells were annoying as hell!

Luke: Why would I have two toolboxes?
Lorelai: ‘Cause then you’d have a big one and a small one.
Luke: Well if you have a big one, you don’t need a small one. 
Lorelai: Ohh…
Luke: Don’t say ‘dirty’, it’s too easy.

But then Lorelai grills Luke with questions and judges every answer. It is none of her damn business!! For fucks sake.

x x

Someone is talking about Rory’s failed ask-out
… or not. I remember my first year of university, and how much of a dork I was. I would have thought William, the dude at the laundry room, was talking about me too. And, I mean, am I the only one who thinks William – remember the laundry room guy that Rory asked out at the end of The Fundamental Things Apply (4.05)? –  that guy, is a dickweasel for using an unfortunate crush on him as a story to impress others, as a cocktail story? Doing an impression of her and stuff? Whether it is Rory or not is irrelevant. A guy who does that is a guy that deserves zero attention from anyone ever. Like, we know you’re cute. but if you have to use a story of a girl who is, yes, a little obsessive, to say that you are cute, maybe you don’t know you’re cute.
But, ugh, in class, the way Rory loses it, shows a lack of self-confidence that doesn’t feel right for Rory. Being completely petty and rude in class, and arguing something silly. I actually agree with him, that the Arab-Israeli conflicts are mostly about power, and about the interests of the powerful. I am more sure everyday that I disagree with Rory on most things political. She is too much of a single-issue white feminist. “Israeli population is filled with thousands with a unique point of view of the situation” UGH SAVE IT.
Anyway, of course the rumor was not about her. It still holds that he is a dick for using a girl’s misguided feelings and attempts as a funny little story about how much of a stud he is, or whatever.

At the end of the episode, someone knocks on Rory’s dorm. It’s Lane. She got kicked out of her house after her mom discovered all her hidden stuff. Booops.

Today I (re)watch: Gilmore girls, 4.10

Lane starts working with Luke, while Rory is trying her best to ignore that Paris has a thing with Asher. Lorelai continues dating Jason, and continues not telling her mother. Michel offers to babysit for Sookie’s kid, and it’s hilarious.

SPOILER ALERT. I have seen all the seasons before, so I am reviewing with future events in mind. SPOILER ALERT.

The opening scene where Lorelai cannot get over the plural for cul-de-sac being culs-the-sac, and starts putting the “plural ‘s'” in the middle of words is a classic. “Recyclables” “You mean recycsable?”

Babies hate Michel
The three were having a meeting for the Dragonfly at Sookie’s, and it turns out Tobin (remember Tobin? former employee of the Independence Inn, who is Michel’s rival of sorts?) is baby Davie’s nanny. He is also shopping and making inside jokes with Sookie, which makes Michel jealous. So he offers to babysit Davie while Sookie goes to the movies with her new bff.
Michel makes up this game that involves rolling the baby on the floor and then the baby gets stuck under the bed. How hilarious is that?! Of course the baby gets stuck beneath the bed, Michel freaks out, and Lorelai comes help him. Ah, Michel. You loveable idiot.

Paris is double-dipping
Rory comes back from break early and sees Paris making out with Asher. Asher creeps me out so so much. It’s not even that much that he is older, but just how much younger Paris is. She is 19 or 20. And no one ever give me the “but she is mature for her age” crap. The point is what the fuck is he doing with her that he cannot do with a woman more his age? I will tell you what: impress her and control her in a way that an older woman would have no time or fucks to give about. He is so creepy. And I mean, poor Jamie. He was so nice and pleasant and smart and committed to Paris, from all that we know. It is not cool. Ugh. Asher is such a creeper and it freaks me out. (I remember reading on tumblr a thing about thinking of age gaps more as percentages: and Paris has been alive for 33% of Asher’s life. That’s not a great percentage.)
I don’t like Rory’s comment, when she says that Paris was looking for an interview “and apparently she got one.” I had not thought about this, but it makes it sound like Paris is the young temptress and Asher was just… there. We later learn that Asher has done this before, which makes it even more blatantly obvious that the predator was him – which, we knew already, but it confirms it.
“Yes, well, he’ll always have Paris.” I adore Lorelai’s timing.

Rory: Maybe it’s a phase. Maybe it’ll pass.
Lorelai: Or he will.

SPOILER: Lorelai predicted the future!

Paris and Rory are officially part of the Yale Daily News
They have a funny tradition involving newspaper hats.

x x
x x

Lorelai meets Cyrus
I have to say, while I don’t dislike Jason, I don’t find him fun enough to watch. But his weirdness in this episode kinda wins me over a little.

x x
x x

Jason needs to sleep alone because he is a very light sleeper and cannot handle distractions. I respect that. I also respect his way of bringing up his boundaries. I am glad he does, and glad he has the money to accomodate guests if said guests choose to stay. I would. I relate to the conversation he has with Lor about intimacy-related boundaries, even though I don’t relate to his particular case. It is difficult to bring these things up with partners sometimes, especially if they might come off as “I don’t want you here”. I have a greater appreciation for Jason, I think.

Lorelai doesn’t want to tell her parents about her relationship with Jason. I know it’s not their business and that she doesn’t owe them anything but, like, she should have known that wouldn’t end well. I don’t know though, because I understand her logic, and not wanting the parents to meddle, since she was happy and they would likely ruin it.
Did they talk about being exclusive or not, Jason and Lorelai? Anyhoo. Jason took his friend Crystal to a function and Jason talked to Lor about it and she still doesn’t want to tell their parents. Here we see, yet again, a woman being described as dull, “cheap”, wearing no underwear (whatever that is supposed to mean about a person’s character..), and dumb. Just so a Gilmore girl sounds even better, worthier than them. I seriously hate this trend the writers seem to love so much.

Oooh. Asher Flemming’s course, Contemporary Political Fiction, sounds really really cool. I want to take it.

Aaaaandd curtains.

Today I (re)watch: Gilmore girls, 3.04

I swear, I love this season so much. And I like this review a lot.

Lorelai agrees to go speak at Stars Hollow High School about being a businessperson, but it goes hilariously wrong. Lane decides to step up against her conservative mother, and makes a bold fashion choice. 

SPOILER ALERT. I have seen all the seasons before, so I am reviewing with future events in mind. SPOILER ALERT.

Gilmore girls opening scenes are so good. Damn. Lorelai’s ‘dark premonitions’ are too silly. A recap:
– In one, she slips on a banana peel and lands on a vat of whipped cream, and dies.
– In another one, a turtle eats her by slowly chewing on her, after injecting her with immobilizing poison of course.
– In another, she is out hunting, her shotgun backfires and her head spins around a bunch and ends up on the back of her head, like Daffy Duck.
They’re even sillier than my dreams in which I date Jimmy Fallon, set Chris Pratt on fire, and learn how to be a lesbian (which consists of knowing how to rock a tuxedo, and breakdancing, FYI) from characters of Orange is the New Black.

Lane has a band! Huzzah!
Adam Brody is really cute. And I really love their band, I am glad they’re in the picture now. They’re all adorable, rockstar babies.

x x

Mama Kim has Lane applying to a bunch of horrible-sounding colleges, though. And, applying to 21 schools in one afternoon?! That’s intense. I would be angry too.

I love that Lane’s anger leads her to a Beauty Supply store. And into the color purple!

“The smell of bleach is the smell of freedom!” Oh, Lane. You beautiful baby pumpkin (I am becoming Leslie Knope with my compliments.)

Lane’s hair looks so cool! “This is the most radical thing a Kim has done since my cousin Nam got caught reading Maxim at summer camp.”

Which I mean, of course she changes back, but still. This image lives on. And so do her feelings for Dave.

Lorelai is invited to speak at SH High
And she annoys Luke into speaking with her. Of course she would.

Lorelai is so awesome with Luke. She pushes him to be a bit more social and he constantly helps keep her grounded and feel supported. I love them, in any type of relationship.

Lorelai: You need something better than this (to wear).
Luke: The whole point of this stupid class talk is for us to talk about our work and our success. This flannel shirt is my most successful outfit. I’ve closed many a deal in this outfit. It’s my power outfit.

I had not noticed this, but when Lor comes upstairs to get Luke to change, Jess tries to follow along in Lor and Luke’s jokes. He is getting into a conversation when he didn’t have to. And still Lorelai treats him like the idea of even talking to him is gross or something. [Yes I am overly sensitive about Jess, but I am also right.]

Anyway, she speaks, and everyone wants her to talk about her pregnancy. I think she handled it well. Both the questions and the clone ladies smack down. Shying away from topics doesn’t make them go away. Preparing kids for different options and scenarios does. Go Lor! Go comprehensive sex ed! Wooot.

Rory is such an immature, jealous baby when it comes to Jess
She was a jerk to Shane at the beauty shop. Yes, Shane was talking on the phone, but I mean, how many times do other people in that town get distracted from their jobs to do chit chat and no one feels the need to be a rude jerk to one another. Then Shane is just doing the register thingie and Rory keeps barking at her. She claims to be more educated and composed and mature but, umm, I don’t see it.

I find it interesting that first Jess was a jerk to Shane on the phone by pointing out that ‘bloaty’ isn’t a word (and, um, Shane is right, that that’s how words get created: someone uses it, then a lot of people) like that matters, and then Rory is a jerk to her about it too. Excuse her for not going to your fancy school to learn big words. Jess and Rory are compatible: they’re even compatible when they’re being jackasses.

This brings me to the following post within a post:

 

All the women who aren’t Rory are treated like trash in this show..?
Spoilers ahead. I am speaking about future pairings and situations.

I mean, the women who date the guys that Rory dates – they’re treated pretty badly by the writers. Shane is made out to be this unrealistically flat character. She is slut-shamed, mocked, stared at, etc by the Gilmore girls – both Rory (who one might say is just being a jealous teen, fine) AND Lorelai, who is apparently not content with shitting on Jess, but has to shit on a girl Lor knows nothing about, except that she is a better kisser than Rory (no, I will not get over that.) She is also treated like crap by Jess – and I never, not once, saw Shane treat Jess like he treated her. And the show tries to conflate Jess not caring about Shane with him treating her like shit.
Being emotionally involved isn’t a requirement to ‘hang out’ or hook up with people. But you don’t have to be emotionally involved to treat someone with basic respect. A lot to expect from an 18yo? Maybe. But I mean, Luke’s speech kind of falls short, because it isn’t about feelings, it is about basic human decency. If he wants to just hook up with Shane in closets, never learn her last name and leave it at that, that’s okay, but to talk to her like she could fall off a cliff and no one would care isn’t about feelings. It is once again this all-or-nothing mentality a lot of shows and movies work with: either you are a dumb, easy disposable or you are wife material and never do anything wrong.

The writers did the same with (SPOILER) Lindsay later on: she is an unrealistically flat character, a trophy wife who tries her best, but we know nothing about, and who Rory feels free to step on and criticize. And also with the girls Logan sleeps with before and after Rory – they’re made to be interchangeable and worthless to Logan, and he very likely treats them like crap as well.

It disappoints me now that I think about it, because it seems to me like super weak writing..? Do the writers need to make every “competing” (gross concept in itself) woman to be a dumb, superficial, submissive idiot to land the point that the guys are ‘better off’ with Rory than with any other girl? NO. Rory is awesome, and the audience already roots for her. It is a stupid thing that many writers do, though. Put down other women to make “their main woman” stand out. Like people tell us in real life, actually: that the only way to get ahead is by putting other ladies down, which is untrue, and totally uncool.

After Jess, I hope Shane finds someone equally hot and awesome to make out with, who respects her and does not feel the need to correct her grammar to feel less insecure about themselves.

Today I (re)watch: Gilmore girls, 3.03

I like this episode so so so so much. Reminds me (in a generally good way) of my own Application Anxiety when I was applying for universities.

SPOILER ALERT. I have seen all the seasons before, so I am reviewing retrospectively. SPOILER ALERT.

Rory freaks about about her university applications, Lorelai freaks out about them, Emily freaks out about them. Basically everyone is freaking out. Rory and Lorelai go have dinner with a Harvard alumnus and his family. Lane puts an ad for band members through which she meets Seth Cohen Dave Rygalski, music geek and angel-face supreme. Taylor Doose wants to open an Old-Fashioned Soda ShopPE next to Luke’s diner.

This whole episode is full of brilliant dialogue. I want to quote it all. But I won’t. You’ll have to trust me and watch it.

Rory and Paris start freaking out
Honestly it doesn’t take a genius to figure out Hillary Clinton is not a super original essay topic choice. But, I mean, of course both Paris and Rory would be thinking about writing a Hillary Clinton essay. Doesn’t Rory want to be a journalist, though? How about writing about her beloved Christiane Amanpour and why Rory wants to be like her? Or about her mother and how she learned about resilience and independence? Or about basically whomever else that was personally influential to her, not to every single white lady in the country..? Anyway. They needed something to bring on the anxiety, I guess.
Did you catch that at the end of their seminar? When the Harvard dude is saying that the interview process helps weed out the hyper-intense candidates? That’s not what interviews are for, but hold on to that bit of dialogue.

Emily and Lorelai start freaking out
Emily bombards Lorelai with worries and statistics and “facts” about how difficult getting into Harvard is, which makes Lorelai anxious. (But like, duh, of course Harvard is hard to get in? Anyhoo.)
Lor’s rant is so good and so relatable in its urgency: “All those people coming from China and India and god knows where else, they’re all nuts for travelling. That’s why they’re travelling here. And jobs are dropping and dot-com bombing, and something’s acting like a yo-yo, I don’t know what but it’s not good – and over my dead body is Kate Hudson getting your spot, let me just say that right now!” Now catch your breath.

The Harvard graduate dinner

I’m anxious around phones too, Rory.

The Springsteens are nice and all but in being so “intellectual” they end up being ridiculously pretentious. “Please don’t ask ‘where’s the Diebenkorn'”? Seriously? Whatever, dude.
The girls are extremely skilled at making that whole experience relatable: trying to impress someone you know very little about is difficult, because you don’t know where to go with their prompts.

So, do you like sports? “No”… “Yes”

And my favorite bit – possibly of the entire season, because I laugh so hard every time – is when Lorelai gets fixated on the a sculptor’s name: Zoltan Kemeny.

I am so glad I am re-watching now. Honestly, if all you got from a Harvard education is that you can pressure your kids to know their Shakespeare and their geological (is that the word I’m looking for?) eras, they ripped you off. Discuss relevant things: current events, politics, how to solve problems, the economy. That whole trivia is so so useless, and in that sense it is also super privileged. But I mean, probably realistic for many “intellectual” Ivy league-ers.
It bothers me that they put Lorelai on the spot. She may not know where Vichy water got its name from (I can hardly think of a more useless factoid than that) but she has achieved so much more than probably any of them.

I have a not-so-hypothetical hypothetical question. Rory tells Carol (the other daughter) that Lorelai is not hard to please, and that she’d be happy with anything as long as Rory was happy. While we all want to think that is the case with our parents, it often isn’t. And Lorelai’s record shows she would not exactly be okay with anything, she just got lucky/worked hard so that her daughter would want the Ivy League deal. The few times Rory has been hesitant about her future or goals, Lorelai never takes it too well. When Rory applies to colleges besides Harvard (a normal thing to do) she freaks out. Hell, she even freaked out when Rory would hang out with Jess last season. Jump a few years into the future, and she doesn’t take (SPOILER) the fact that Rory wants to take a year off – a perfectly normal thing to do – to re-evaluate her life.  Following that, when Rory decides to stay with her grandparents. Lorelai seems to respect Rory’s choices as long as they align with what hers would be. Hmmm. It is hard to tell, since Rory rarely does anything outside of the pre-set box for her. 

Taylor schemes to open his Soda ShopPE (yes, with that P and E at the end, because aesthetic).

Taylor gets the most random ideas for things. He is so invested in keeping his town safe that he goes to ridiculous lengths, which I half-appreciate. I don’t understand why – besides to be his usual grumpy self – Luke won’t sell his space, though. I mean, it is money that he would get, that he is not getting now. He has to deal with Taylor for other things anyway. It makes sense to agree to do it.

That said, Taylor always manipulates the town and the laws to fit with what he wants to do. He treats the town like he is an overprotecting parent, and that’s not how democracy works.

Lane meets Dave
Ah, Dave Rygalski.

The episode ends with Rory and Lorelai understandably wigging out a little about their impending separation.

AHHH this one gave me all the nostalgic feels. I was so much better at getting into universities than getting a job. Heh.

Today I (re)watch: Gilmore girls, 2.20

This episode is very frustrating to me, but hang in there.

Basically, everyone keeps blaming Jess for the car crash and Rory gets angry about that. Meanwhile, Lorelai helps her dad set up his new office and business while he finds a new secretary. Lane finds her true calling (with Carole King!)

SPOILER ALERT. I have seen all the seasons before, so I am reviewing retrospectively. SPOILER ALERT.

The Gilmore Group

 

Richard is so cute at the supply store. He likes hanging out with Lorelai, and he is excited about his new business. Also, supply stores are the best thing. If I could, I would spend all the money in them. Although, I would have no use for half the things I bought, so, better not.

I am impressed by Lorelai. She arranged all those binders, knows what is in which, set down appointments for Richard and filtered the 50+ CVs for new secretaries down to a small bunch? She is effective.

Emily: Well, you are crude and unprofessional.
Lorelai: Well, I would like that on my tombstone.

Did Lor really think he would find his secretary the same day? Psssht. Their communication is so terrible. First, she is super harsh in telling him she cannot come back the next day. Then he is melodramatic and passive-aggressive about her leaving right then and there.

At the end they make up, when Richard hires Karen, scores a deal and bags the Swede. Heh. They are both so precious to me.

Lane finds herself
I don’t have a lot to say for now. I just love that Sophie, the music shop owner, is going to let Lane practice drums there. And that Sophie is Carole King. That’s all.
Well, not all. Lane looks badass behind the drumset. Just sayin’.

The Jess thing
I have no problem blaming Lorelai for Luke’s fishing trip. She was a world-class assclown to him. Jess decided to give up on himself and Luke went to the bus station to drop his nephew there. I am sadness.

Dean comes back from his grandma’s house. Rory gives him a letter explaining the arm thing. His face is a face that, while ridiculous, is also scary. He has huge anger issues. Rory’s face is scared of his reaction. That’s not a good feeling to have towards your boyfriend, girl. RUN. And like, Rory is surprised that he didn’t start yelling or tell her to get out. That’s not a “here, Dean, here’s a cookie for being awesome”. It’s a “what did you think he was going to do, and how is that okay?” He is not terrific and wonderful and special for not yelling at your daughter, Lorelai. He is being reasonable for the first time in his life.

I see a common thing in everyone’s reaction to Rory’s accident. NOBODY LISTENS TO HER. They act like they care, they sound like they care, but all they want to hear is “Rory: saint, Jess: devil” (as if that’s how accidents worked) and they don’t care what she actually needs or has to say. I think Rory gets angry not only because they’re blaming Jess instead of her, but because they aren’t listening to her, because they rarely do.
Taylor doesn’t listen to her, Babette doesn’t listen to her, but most hurtfully, Lorelai doesn’t listen to her. Not wanting to hear about it at the hospital? I understand. But listening to what her daughter, the person who was actually there, says, is important. Maybe it’s not important to Lorelai (who has no problem listening to nobody but herself, ever) but it is important to Rory.

Also, is there really nothing going on in anybody’s life that they all so worried about Rory’s small arm fracture? For real. Babette seriously just compared Jess and Rory’s accidental car crash with Babette joining a cult because a cute tan guy gave her a pamphlet.

The scene outside of Richard’s business launch party shows so perfectly well how much of an assclown 5year old Lorelai is when it comes to Jess. “I choose to hate him because I do. I dislike him so he is to blame for everything ever.” And, again. Making a scene. Outside of Richard’s party. The fuck is wrong with everyone in this family. Rory didn’t make an idiot out of herself, though. She is 17, she gets to be an idiot. Lorelai, though? It is like time froze when she got pregnant and she remained a petty, irrational 16 year old sometimes.

The episode ends with Rory having a coffee at Luke’s, telling him it wasn’t Jess’ fault. Luke says “I know it wasn’t.” And once again, I sob.

Next up, Rory is the ass-clown who skips her mother’s graduation.

Today I (re)watch: Gilmore girls, 2.13

Another one in which Dean is the fucking worst. It’s a great episode though, so, hang in there. This is a long one, but a review I like a lot.

The summary: The town has its annual Bid on a Basket shindig, which is about women preparing a basket full of food and men bidding on it. Does it sound vaguely sexist and archaic, and heteronormative and all sorts of ugly things? That’s because it is! It’s still fun, though, because Jackson must fight Kirk for Sookie’s basket, Jess outbids Dean, and Lorelai begs Luke to save her from Miss Patty’s matchmaking attempts. Lane gets her heart broken, there is some Gilmore girl fighting, and I get a lot of feelings.

SPOILER ALERT. I have seen all the seasons before, so I am reviewing retrospectively. SPOILER ALERT.

Let’s do this by pairs of people. Because there is a lot going on.

Lane, Oh Lane
I really appreciate Lane’s really convoluted schemes to go on dates and other fun things behind her mom’s back. The CD’s beneath her wooden floor, her funky room inside the closet, getting Rory to call Henry and her at the same time, planning what time Henry should call a payphone in accordance to her route with the fake date guy, and so many more schemes to come. She’s good at the scheming thing, even better than me! I felt bad when she got dumped, though. It IS kind of shitty to have to hide and scheme so I get why Henry did that, but I also know what having to hide so you can have something resembling a social life, so… le sigh.

When Mrs Kim finds out there is a boy and screams at Lane, gosh, I feel so sad. Lane could have told her mom, but she was afraid, and now it’s over. It’s sad.

Sookie & Jackson
Honestly, Jackson is an idiot. I would not have guessed that what he meant by asking Sookie whether or not he should renew his lease was to hint at moving in together. Jackson is an adult and using his words is a thing that should be happening by now. What kind of person asks if they should move in together by giving second-grader type hints? And then gets his panties in a bunch because the girlfriend didn’t get his weird-ass immature hint and acts all sulky and passive-aggressive during the basket bidding thing? Get your shit together, Jackson.

They talk it out though and then, because Kirk had won Sookie’s basket, Jackson had to pay Kirk and at last, Jackson and Sookie have their super fancy picnic food. And squeeeee!! a marriage proposal that actually makes me smile!

Rory & Jess (& Dean, I guess)
Dean’s (so far) uncalled-for hatred of Jess just makes me like Jess more and Dean less, to be honest. Jealousy does not go well with his already laughable self. Jess is a smartass and he gets on Dean’s nerves doing close to nothing, which I find precious. I can see how fans of Dean could see Jess as a super jerk because he is doing stuff to annoy Dean in a way that Rory either doesn’t notice or sees as unintentional/benign, when they aren’t. I’m not a Dean fan though, so Jess can carry on being a dick for all I care.

Bidding on Rory’s basket was a dick move on Jess’ part, but a great dick move at that. Where did he get $80, though? He probably stole it from Luke’s cash register or something. Jess got to spend alone time with Rory AND ALSO annoy the hell out of Dean, so double points for him! However, let us be clear: he is making moves on a girl who has a boyfriend, which is not super nice. I don’t even think he is definitely, explicitly interested in Rory romantically here, though. He does like her a lot, and has no way of knowing if he has a chance unless he tries. Plus, he doesn’t owe Dean anything. Plus, they’re 17 so, really, who cares all that much. Still, to be fair, he is being a jerk to Dean.

Dean acts like it’s the end of the world and like Jess getting the basket equals Jess getting Rory. One doesn’t “get” human beings, but of course sexist-doormat-Dean would think that Rory and her basket belong to him. “He was messing with me, and it’s the last time, I swear to God.” It’s a fucking basket..! Is Dean really that insecure that he thinks a picnic between Jess and Rory will get Dean out of the picture? Sad.

I am screaming at the screen. (Well, I’m not, but I want to.) Dean speaks for Rory and over her. And, I repeat, it’s only a picnic. He is so possessive and insecure, it is absolutely gross.

Rory: It’s a picnic. We’ll sit, we’ll eat, it’s over.
Dean: No. 

Who the hell do you think you are, Dean? She is not asking for permission. She is trying to pacify you so you’ll stop making a scene, if anything. And honestly, Rory does not stand up to him enough. At all, actually.

Rory: Dean, you’re my boyfriend. I would never do anything to hurt you.
Dean: Yeah? Well you’re doing it right now.

Such a drama queen. Such an emotionally abusive, manipulative asshole. Such an insecure little wartface. UGH.

Rory: So why’d you do it?
Jess: Do what?
Rory: Outbid Dean like that…
Jess: I don’t know. I guess it started as a joke just to bug him, but then he just got so mad. And he is so tall. And I just was looking at him, and he’s standing there all tall and mad, and I don’t know — it was really funny.

I love how Dean’s tallness is a factor.

A note on authors: Ayn Rand vs Ernest Hemingway is not even a question. I’d go Hemingway (so, Jess’ choice) all the way.

And finally, Jess picks up Rory’s bracelet from the floor. Yup, the one Dean gave to her. This is not even subtle, because this is the episode where Rory begins to drop Dean and fall for Jess. So she leaves the bracelet behind. And I – even with all the jerk moves Jess will make in the future – wholeheartedly approve.

Lorelai & Luke
Miss Patty sets Lor up with guys to bid on her basket. They all look like clones of each other, though. It’s creepy. This part raises the question, though: what would happen if a guy prepares a basket and a girl bids? If a guy prepares and another guy bids? If I bid on Lorelai’s basket? If a nonbinary person does? Like, would the town care or would Taylor have none if it? Lor says it would be pathetic to buy her own basket but, I mean, if it is possible within the rules, my guess is anyone could bid, right?

Anyhoo, back to Luke. I love how he knows exactly what Lorelai would put in her basket. It’s the small things that make this Lor x Luke shipper smile.

I cannot fully express how much I love that Lorelai uses the bid-on-a-basket thing (and all its misogyny) to her advantage, getting dudes who fix things to bid on her basket and then getting home-improvement deals. It’s so so good.

And finally, Lorelai fights with Rory
One thing I cannot ever forgive from Lorelai is meddling so much in favor of Dean and against Jess. Sure, being concerned over your daughter hanging out with a kid who fights and steals is okay, but do you not know your daughter? She is good and responsible and super smart: give her a break. Dean goes crying to Lorelai like an immature dickface was a terrible move, and Lorelai IS taking Dean’s side. Dean is 100x worse at everything and he is an emotionally abusive boyfriend and Lorelai is giving Rory a lecture on something she knows absolute shit about.

Also, I repeat, they went on a fucking picnic, they didn’t flee to Tijuana. Jesus fucking Christ.

I am glad Emily agrees with Lorelai because Lorelai’s is the kind of unreasonable position that Emily would take, and the kind that should scare the hell out of Lor. Honestly Lorelai gets me so upset when it comes to Jess because she knows absolutely nothing. It also seems out of character since she is so chill about everything else, but she is so used to everything around Rory being a bubble that anything remotely resembling real life is scary to her as a mother. UGH.

Today I (re)watch: Gilmore girls, 2.11

This episode is actually funnier than I remember. I want to fill this review with quotes and clips.

The summary: The Crap Shack (that’s how they named their own house, don’t blame me) has termites, and Rory asks her grandparents for help, and then Lorelai and her fight over that. Lane and Rory also get into a bit of a fight because Lane has a life of her own. Paris is obsessed with knowing Rory’s PSAT scores. Because that’s how youngsters flirt these days.

SPOILER ALERT. I have seen all the seasons before, so I am reviewing retrospectively. SPOILER ALERT.

Lorelai: I am Magenta, Rory usually opts for Janet. And I had a thought.
Luke: Yeah?
Lorelai: Yeah. I was thinking that you could put on some fishnet stockings, a leather teddy, some platform boots, and go with us as Doctor Frank-n-furter.
Luke: Wow, that is a thought.

OMG I NEED THIS TO HAPPEN. Imagine. Just, imagine: Lauren Graham as Magenta, Rory as Janet (of course she would), and Luke as Frank-n-furter. The joy!

The initial scene when they realize their house is falling apart makes me happy. It is pretty funny and so so Gilmore girls.

Lorelai: So what do I have to do to fix this?
Kirk: You’d have to jack the house up, rebuild the jousts, and repair the weakened parts of the foundation.
Lorelai: All for the low, low price of…
Kirk: I haven’t done the exact extimate but I’d say somewhere in the neighborhood of $15,000.
Lorelai: Tell it to move to another neighborhood.

Oh Lor. You and me and our humor when we should actually be crying.

Paris is hot for Rory’s score
Honestly since I started making the joke about Paris and Rory belonging together, I have a lot more fun watching Gilmore girls. I don’t think they could actually date, but they should have at least hooked up. Their academic one-upping is basically foreplay at some points. And in this episode, with Rory taunting Paris and not telling her her PSAT scores is one of those times. I am only half-joking.

Quick question: What time do the Gilmore girls go to sleep? 10pm? It is such a foreign concept to me. Especially with all the coffee they drink.

In any case, there they were, wandering around the streets of Stars Hollow and into Sookie’s place. Is it just me that thinks it is super selfish to call your friend 30 times when she is already asleep just cause you think you hear termites (when really you probably don’t)? I know it’s a show, so it’s just a quirky thing Lorelai does, but seriously… get a grip, woman.

Lorelai: Hey Sookie, sorry to call so late.
Rory: And so incessantly.
Lorelai: I’m sorry. They were getting organized. I heard one of them yelling, “Charge!”

Jackson’s picture pijamas do make it all worth it.

Mrs Kim is so underrated. Her chasing Rory down the street with a hose is one of the images that will remain in my memory forever.

Rory brings the termites problem with Emily, and Lorelai gets mad.
Honestly I never know what to think when they fight. Which I guess is a sign of good writing because fights usually take two people, usually two people being at least slightly right, or well-intentioned. I know Rory was trying to help, and it is her house too, but Rory is honestly often very selfish and she acts like all the baggage that her mom has is just her being stubborn when it has taken years of tension to build that baggage up. She had no right to go over her mom like that. Like, I know they act like best friends often but that doesn’t mean Lorelai is not her mom. When they make up at the end, Lorelai tells Rory that Lor has never left Rory without a house or food or books or anything, and that Rory should trust her mom. That is essential. Rory is incredibly spoiled.

On the other hand, though, Lor was being stubborn. And there seemed to be no other way, as the resolution of that particular problem showed. Honestly, Lorelai acts like a child sometimes. Accepting that appointment is going to get you, what, to have to see your mother one other time? In exchange for not letting your house fall apart? I understand the concept of not wanting to owe your parents money, or anyone for that matter, but she is ridiculous at times.

I saw an article some time ago about money relations in Gilmore girls, and how they are all negotiated by the women, and it was a way for Emily to negotiate contact with a daughter who would otherwise never hang out with her. I love and appreciate Emily a lot because even if she is manipulative at times and I disagree with her on so so many levels, she just wants to keep contact with her loved ones, whatever way she can.

It is also interesting that while Lorelai manages an inn and technically should know more about money, Emily seemed to know more about how a loan would work – with her co-signing it, which is not that hard to figure out. The way Lorelai behaved towards her mother in that bank appointment was totally not okay, unprofessional and makes her look extremely immature which is not great if you are looking to be seen as an adult.

Rory is mad because Lane has a life that does not revolve around her
Honestly I know they are 17 and they are of an age where it seems cool to diss other girls for being cheerleaders but, c’mon, Rory. So what if Lane wanted to become a cheerleader? It might seem weird to Rory because she never bothers to talk about anything that isn’t Dean or Lorelai or whatever but, seriously, Lane doing whatever she wants is something that Rory should be happy about, not be all like “you didn’t tell me” when we all know Rory would have been judgmental and mocking of Lane’s decision. Lane doesn’t have to apologize or justify shit to Rory, honestly. Rory is so self-involved sometimes. UGH.

Duh, Rory. Srsly.

I am glad she apologizes because honestly, WTF, Rory. You are better than that.

Next episode is also intense with the family drama. Oy.

Today I (re)watch: Gilmore girls, 2.02

I am mostly excited ’cause we are a few reviews away from Jess.

First, a summary: Lorelai is getting ready to get married, and Emily is underwhelmed when her daughter announces her engagement. Rory feels she is behind on extra-curricular activities for college and Dean makes it all about him because why would he not. Lorelai has her engagement party. 

SPOILER ALERT. I have seen all the seasons before, so I am reviewing retrospectively. SPOILER ALERT.

Rory: When are you gonna tell them (Emily & Richard, about the wedding)?
Lorelai: Soon.
Rory: When’s soon?
Lorelai: When the big hand hits the “s” and the little hand hits the “oon”.

Following from the last episode
I am glad Richard apologizes profusely for being a horrible person to Dean and to Rory last friday night dinner. Richard loves Rory so much and he thought he was doing the right thing by weeding out the weakling that is Dean but that is not up to him to decide so I am glad he saw that. Even if he apologized in part per Emily’s request.

But as one drama ends, another one begins. Lorelai should have probably told her parents sooner about the engagement, but I understand why she waited. I understand Emily’s hurt feelings but this family needs to get better at healthy, open communication. Being passive-aggressive and telling your daughter that you hope you’re in town for your daughter’s wedding is not the way to solve or confront anything. Being like, “Hey, you think you could have told your parents?” would have been better. Which eventually happens, but only after a Gilmore-classic shouting match.

It makes me infinitely sad that Lorelai didn’t even consider that something was up – that Sookie had told Emily about the engagement and that’s why Emily was passive-aggressive and awful – because she has such a strained relationship with her mother that that reaction is not entirely surprising to her. I don’t think either of them (Emily or Lor) realize how much they do love and care about each other. Which is why actually communicating would do everyone in this show some serious good.

Lorelai: I told my mother about me getting married and it was slightly ugly.
Luke: Yup. There’s nothing like a wedding to screw up a family.
Lorelai: In my case there’s nothing like a family to screw up a family.
Luke: Something that’s supposed to start nice, two people making promises to each other. “I love you forever, I wanna die when you die. My life meant nothing until you used my toothbrush.” And then it starts…
Lorelai: Well…
Luke: “Who’re you gonna invite, who sits where, open bar: yes or no, Auntie Junie doesn’t eat chicken, Uncle Momo is off his meds…”
Lorelai: Junie and Momo?
Luke: Just an example.
Lorelai: Of a retired circus couple?
Luke: And then after all that planning, the reception will still be a disaster because no matter what you do or how carefully you plan it, halfway through one of those nauseating Bette Midler ballads, someone’s getting drunk, someone’s sleeping with someone else’s wife and someone’s chicken Kiev is landing on the cake.
Lorelai: You know, the Gettysburg address was only one page long and that was about a war. 

Have I mentioned how I love this show’s dialogue a lot? And Luke’s grumpy-puss rants give me life.

The road to Harvard
I understand that Rory is overreacting, and it is true that it would not kill her to start her extracurriculars the next day, but Dean is being a self-absorbed doucheface. He is, once again, the fucking worst. His girlfriend is stressed out that she is “10 years behind on extra-curriculars”, she is really anxious that that might get in the way of her dreams because want it or not, Dean, she is not your Donna Reed trophy wife, jerk, and here he is being all manipulative with his “I thought you wanted to spend time with me but I guess you don’t love me that much” crap. If you can’t deal with your girlfriend having ambitions and other things to think about other than your ridiculous face, you should perhaps date your simpleton friend Todd. Or your left hand. It’s not Rory’s fault that Dean’s life is so bland that Rory is the only potentially interesting part of his week. Dean is, once again, a manipulative, clingy, immature crybaby.

[Rory, Rory, Rory. Your comment was horrible. You need to find a ret*rded kid? Get out.]

But why does Rory apologize? Dean is the only one that needs to apologize. Dean is right for the first time ever, he was an idiot and she has nothing to be sorry about. My annoyance at Rory for apologizing too much and not standing up for herself enough is a constant throughout the series. I think it’s, again, ’cause I see myself in her.

Lane is leaving forever and…
I cannot, will not ever, get over the fact that Rory seems too chill about her best friend possibly leaving forever. That was a missed opportunity for exploring more of their friendship in the show. Maybe even have some flashbacks to them growing up together. It would have been amazing! At the end of the episode when Rory is with Dean and Lane is leaving in her van… I can’t help but think of Love & War & Snow, when Rory puts Dean before Lane as well. Rory is so disappointing in her friendship with Lane. I would have thrown her a party, bought her presents, wrote her a song, followed her mother to the airport. Fuck Dean, fuck Chilton, fuck building a house. My best friend always comes before all the things. And Lane seems to come last after any other thing on the planet, for Rory. D i s a p p o i n t i n g.

The monologue at the very very end when Lor apologizes to Emily for not telling her about her engagement hits home so so bad. “I don’t know how to tell you things. I don’t know if you’ve noticed this or not but we don’t communicate very well. When something good happens to me, I am afraid you’re gonna make me feel bad about it. When something bad happens to me I’m always afraid you’ll say ‘I told you so’. I’m not sure that is always fair. I’m sure I share part of the blame for this circle we get into, but you think your words don’t have any effect on me, but they do.” DAMN.