Today I (re)watch: Gilmore girls, 5.19

Sookie is very pregnant and needs bed rest, which does not sit well with her and her chef duties. Rory tells Logan she cannot do casual dating, and gets some unexpected results. Here we go. 

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

Rory is a ‘girlfriend’ girl
Now, we pretty much knew this already. Plus, we learn here that that time period she was freaking out about not hearing from him for? A week. So, casual is definitely not in the books for her. I am glad she cleared that out with Logan. At first, Logan misconstrues that as an ultimatum but understands that it wasn’t and swears to Rory he can be a boyfriend, and he wants to.
Now, relatively unimportant detail here maybe, but, what kind of average-looking 23-year-old has so many girls on speed dial, and super interested in him? Seems unrealistic. C’mon ladies, you can all do better. Anyway.
Rory seems happy and he seems enthusiastic about trying a new thing.

And then they come back to Logan’s apartment to find a girl there waiting for him.
Not to worry, it is only Logan’s sister, Hope.

  
 

Hope invites Rory to have dinner with their family, since Hope is announcing her engagement to marry her boyfriend. Okay, okay. Is it just me or is inviting someone who just introduced herself as a new girlfriend to your family’s house a bit much? They’re 22-23! Who does that? Especially with a family like Logan’s. That’s just absurd. Also intrusive since Hope didn’t even check with Logan first. He seems to be fine with it, since he is now rolling with the whole “boyfriend” thing – which does not have to include parent dinners, but okay, let’s say it does. Maybe it is precisely because he has never called any woman his girlfriend that he doesn’t know the hell that awaits Rory’s poor, poor soul.

Paris has a sick boy at home.
When Paris gets back to her dorm, she finds Doyle laying in her bed, with a really bad cold. Turns out he was also not avoiding her or disliking her, he was just ill.
While I get it that a lot of us do that sometimes, exaggerate or overthink things that in reality mean nothing, I don’t like how the people doing this in each and every piece of media I can think of are women. In my experience, the neediest, weirdest over-thinkers have been men. Moving on though, because Doyle is sick and Paris seems to be terrified of catching whatever he has, despite being pre-med (and constantly reminded of that fact), and that’s fun to watch.
Paris brings him Nanny to take care of him. Am I the only one who is a big unimpressed that Doyle and Paris had slept together for not long at all and he went to her dorm expecting her to take care of him? Who does that?
I’m glad Paris confronts him about what their relationship is, and hopefully explains what her expectations and needs are. Boys shouldn’t just get Nanny and saunter away without having a normal conversation like fucking adults. They end up establishing they are in a committed relationship.

Sookie needs to stay in bed
And someone has to make the dinner. Because, classic Sookie, she does not delegate, so nobody in the kitchen knows how to do what she does. Lorelai is freaking out about that so he enlists Luke to help cook dinner.
Of course Sookie is not at peace with this, so he calls Luke again and again to question him on his methods, like he hasn’t been running a diner for I don’t know how many years. Oh, Sookie, you sweet, adorable, hormonal mess. She also didn’t check applications for her temporary replacement. I know it’s cute because it’s Sookie, but that’s beyond unprofessional if you’re running a kitchen. Not to mention that doubting his skills and annoying him and interrupting him would be super ungrateful of someone who is running an inn kitchen for you for free because you wouldn’t properly train your staff. Anyhoo. I still love her, because my sweet babe does not know how to not be the boss of her own damn kitchen always. It’s creepy, but endearing.
After she steals food from Luke’s kitchen (because while it is Sookie’s, he is running it, for free, to help her), moves herself to one of the Inn’s rooms to be able to sneak in food,  and is told several times to stop it, she gets upset and calls Jackson. My poor lost babies. Everyone gets upset but then everyone makes up. Because Sookie needs bed rest.

She is a Gilmore, and yet…
Rory and Logan go to the Huntzberger’s family dinner. There are crickets because Josh (Hope’s fiancee) is boring and because the family is boring and because their house is ugly. Maybe that last part is not part of the reason but I needed to throw that in the mix of things that are uncomfortable to watch.

  

But then Grandpa H gets pissy. He slams the table and declares that bringing undesirables into the family is a discussion that must be had. Now, because Hope is engaged we all think they must be talking on poor silent Josh, but no!
They are talking about Rory, and how unsuitable she is to be Logan’s wife. Wait, what? Yes. They are worse than Richard with his uncomfortable, unnecessary questioning of Dean back in season 2. They have literally started dating 2 minutes ago, Rory is 22, why is everyone talking about marrying into the Huntzberger business?! And how are Grandpa H and Shira (Mama H) attacking her, calling her less than them, bringing up Logan’s exes? Aren’t these people supposed to at least pretend to have manners? The only thing I can think of is that they clearly think themselves so above everyone, so above Rory and her family, that they can talk like that on a first meal they have together. It is even more ridiculous since we know that even within this elitist, classist bullshit universe, Rory is of ‘good breeding’ (god how I find that term disgusting), Rory is smart and capable and pretty and would make a wonderful wife to Logan. She could run the business with him if she wanted to. This entire thing is so unpleasant.
As Logan rightfully stops them on their tracks and stands up from the table to leave that hot mess, Mitchum (Papa H) Huntzberger arrives. He seems completely unaware of the happenings of the night, seems pleasant to Rory, and surprised that everything is the hot mess that it is.
After dinner, Logan is not talking much and everything is awkward. He drops off Rory without much said, and she calls Lorelai to tell her about that dinner, and about her fears that that may make Logan reconsider their relationship. Lorelai is right to be upset at the Huntzbergers, and worried about her daughter, and she tells Rory that she is worried because the other night her daughter was drunk and crying on the bathroom floor. I get it, but at the same time, who hasn’t drunk-cried over insecurities that have more to do with us than the other person, the actual situation that is happening? Anyway. Logan comes back to Rory’s room to apologize for leaving like that, and to take her to dinner. Good boy.

The next day, Papa H (I like calling Mitchum that, sorry) shows up at the Yale Daily News to talk to Rory, to apologize for his family’s behavior, and to make Rory an offer: an internship at a paper Mitchum recently bought. At first she says no, because he is only doing it out of guilt, but then Mitchum tells her that it’s still an opportunity, even if it was true that he only offered to apologize. He is right, too. So she says yes.
In the next episode, Rory starts her internship, and the Gilmore grandparents demand a dinner with Logan, which goes, well, a bit uncomfortable.

Today I (re)watch: Gilmore girls, 5.16

Richard and Emily are back from their second honeymoon. Luke is at his worst, grumpypuss-wise. And Lane has a romantic dinner with Zack, with unexpected outcomes. This one has a happy ending, yay!

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

Luke is the worst diner owner
He kicks people out, literally. He burns the food, yells at everyone, challenges them to go to Weston’s if they are going to complain about the shitty food. I don’t think this is charming. He has serious anger management issues. He did the same things when he suspected Nicole was having an affair. Being unable to control your feelings is not a great sign of anything.

Zack: His eyes, red, like the fires of Mordor.
Poor Zack. He only wanted some fries.

Lorelai is mad at Emily, not Richard
Because the scheme to get Lorelai and Luke to break up was all coming from Emily, Lor is still talking to Richard. She has some problems with her insurance company so she calls him up to get his opinion. Meanwhile, Lorelai hangs up at Emily every time Emily calls her. I would do the same, to be honest.
Lorelai makes it clear that she is still okay with Richard, and they have a nice meeting at the Dragonfly Inn. Emily gets mad about this, obviously, accusing Richard of not standing by her.

Lor is not going to Friday Night Dinners
Sookie is worried that now that Lorelai doesn’t have that, and Rory’s away, and Luke is no longer in the picture, she’ll become couch-potato girl, alone every day at home, so she plans a girls night out with her. Sookie is such a good friend. Such a great character, to be honest. She is professional and super on top of her shit as a chef, a good and caring mother, and an excellent best friend.

No context is best.

Lorelai: But remember, I don’t put out unless I get dinner.
Sookie: I know, I saw your bumper sticker.

Of course, because Sookie is super pregnant, she doesn’t really feel like dancing, or going to a bar, or to the movies, so they stay home to watch stuff, and then they go to Weston’s to eat pie. Together, though, so it’s not *pathetic* (she writes as she sits at home, watching TV all day.)

Friday Night Dinner is loud
I like when Rory expresses her feelings. It is not super often that she gets mad, but when she does, I adore her. She goes to dinner because she has an agreement with her grandparents, but that doesn’t means she is happy with Emily or what she did to her mom. So she makes it clear that she is happy to see Richard, and is cold around Emily. Finally Emily confronts her granddaughter, and Rory tells her exactly what is going on. As if Emily didn’t know? What could a person doing what Emily did expect?
I get happy feelings because Rory stood up to Emily for her mom.

Later that night, Rory tells Lorelai about Logan, because she wants to go back to talking to her mom about all the things, like before Dean (the second time around). Lorelai is looking very awkward, but trying not to be. The way Rory talks about Logan, she makes it sound like a serious relationship, even when it is not, as it will become apparent in the next couple of episodes. Logan comes back from a trip with his friends early, so he invites Rory to join him at Yale, since they would have the place to themselves. And of course, Rory abandons everything, including her “spinster” mother, to join him there.

Zack cooks for Lane
Zack and Lane are hilariously relatable. The way Zack awkwardly sets up clues that he wants them to have sex, how Lane is generally clueless about it because she isn’t thinking about sex in that way. Of course, clear communication is best, but the awkward non-verbal thing is common to us all, when we are starting off having sex. When it comes down to it, though, Lane says she has to wait until she gets married, which Zack didn’t expect. And neither did Lane. They both look very confused at this new revelation. Mrs Kim’s thoughts and teachings did stick, apparently.

xxx

Rory: Wow, you’re making me sound a little slutty (2 guys in a year isn’t slutty, silly.)
Lane: Well, why wouldn’t you be slutty?

 

The episode ends with Emily visiting Luke at his diner. She tells him that Lorelai won’t speak to her, and that Lorelai has clearly chosen Luke. Then Emily *tells* him to go back to her. The way Emily views the world as something she can command is hilarious and terrifying to me.
In any case, he listens. He goes to Lorelai’s house and they make out. HUZZAH!

Today I (re)watch: Gilmore girls 5.12

Richard and Emily are getting back together! Meanwhile, Lane tries a new look, and attends a family thing with Zack. There is a Toblerone thief at the Dragonfly Inn, and Rory helps Logan write an article for the Yale Daily News.

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

Rory wants to save Doyle from dying
Mitchum Huntzberger – Logan’s dad – visits Doyle and the newspaper to demand that his son get bylines. But his son never shows up, so Rory offers to share her notes on a related story with Logan and meet with him to get him started. Here we learn a bit more about how Mitchum is a bully who has plans for Logan but Logan has never been consulted on said plans. Rory tells Logan how lucky he is to meet all these great, interesting people, and Logan tells her that when these fancy writer people are at parties they just talk about market shares and cars and get belligerently drunk. Which I imagine is probably true.
They flirt and talk and get along well, but they get their signals crossed and Rory thinks Logan was going to invite her to a fancy party and then he doesn’t. Oops.

Inner workings at the Inn
I really don’t like how Lor minimizes the importance of sexual harassment training, and Michel’s experience feeling uncomfortable and objectified.
Michel is good at his job. He notices Toblerones are missing from empty rooms, and sheets are being messed with as well. What does Lorelai do? Mock him and dismiss him. Poor Michel.

Turns out Sookie was joking about Michel’s legit concerns because she was the one stealing the Toblerones and mushing the bed. She just wanted alone time to watch TV. Sookie, my sweet darling.

Lane tries going without glasses
She sees a band picture of hers and dislikes her look with glasses, so she gets contacts. Honestly she looks amazing no matter what she does. Zack doesn’t like glasses-free Lane. Honestly who cares about what boys think, though. Lane blows him off and tells him to deal with it. Good. And I mean, the association of glasses=smart is ridiculous, and yet consistent across movies and TV.
It’s Korean New Year! Mrs Kim tells Lane she has to come, and Lane agrees as long as she can bring her whole band. So she does. Zack is scared because last time he saw Mrs Kim she told him how the hounds of hell would eat his guts, which is understandable. Brian apparently researched Korean New Year and now explains what things mean, instead of having Lane explain? Uh. And Gil is, well, Gil. With his AC/DC ring and all. There is a kid giving Zack a hard time the entire time they’re eating.
Mrs Kim asks Lane to clean dishes with her, and Lane says she wont because she is a guest and she doesn’t like Mrs Kim demanding her to do whatever anymore. I have mixed feelings about this. I have been Lane. In my family there is a very gendered expectation around hosting parties, kitchen duties, etc. I always hated it because it was *expected* of me. I get Mrs Kim being sad Lane never offers, but I remember having this conversation with my parents. I never got a chance to learn to offer because it was always demanded of me, so of course the few times I didn’t have to, I also didn’t want to do it.
But Mrs Kim is sad and I get it, because she has her values and Lane doesn’t share them. What I hate is Zack wanting to jump in in something he does not understand. First he complains he has to go and be traditional and not rock n roll and now he wants to side with Mrs Kim? I also hate that they both team up to criticize Lane for not wearing her glasses. It is her appearance, and her body, and they both can fuck off. I don’t care if she looks better with or without glasses. Their comments are not welcome.

Richard and Emily are getting closer
At the beginning of the episode we see them being gentler, softer, agreeing on stuff. They even agree to go to a function together. But then Richard finds out – in the worst, most awkward way, during a business meeting – that Emily and Simon (the dude she went on a date with) had a thing. He doesn’t know what the “thing” was, but he knows there was a thing.
And he acts like an absolute jackass about it. Having your feelings hurt? Fine. But he hits Emily’s car, acts super inappropriate and rude to Simon, and behaves super possessively and condescending about Emily. She is not his property. It is not her fault that Richard found out the way he did, or that he hit her car. And he just grabs her and pushes her into his car! He is a misogynistic asshole sometimes.
Anyway. Apparently it worked well with Emily because she asks him to come home. The next day they announce to Rory and Lorelai that they are doing a vow renewal party. Lorelai will be their maid of honor, and Rory their best man. Squeee!
Luke is hesitant about going, since the parents don’t like him at all.

Lor: As maid of honor, if you’re not there, I’m gonna have to get drunk and make out with the best man, who’s Rory, so you can see all the creepy ramifications of your absence here.

 

Oh no. OH NO. Emily sees Lor looking at wedding dresses and gets the evil, horrible idea to visit Chris. I did not remember this speech, OH MY GOD. She tells him she doesn’t think much of him but that he is of good breeding and Lorelai deserves good breeding and not a diner-owner divorcé, and that Chris should interfere in that relationship. What the fuck.
It doesn’t really surprise me that Emily would do this. What did surprise me was that Chris went along with it. UGH.

 

The next episode is #100! Woah. It is fun, it is also disastrous, and it is sexy. It is everything!

Today I (re)watch: Gilmore girls, 5.06

Rory discovers a secret society at Yale, which leads her to a familiar face. Norman Mailer frequents the Dragonfly Inn, which gets mixed reactions from the staff. Sookie discovers something about herself. Lorelai helps Chris with something big.

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

Adventures at the Yale Daily News
I haven’t really mentioned Doyle. He is the editor at the Yale Daily News. He is kind of bitter, very snarky, sometimes obnoxious and self-absorbed, but generally funny. Most importantly, though, he is also Jonathan Levinson. I mean, the actor is the same. Now, he was Jonathan before he was Doyle, but I watched Gilmore girls at least 10 times before I ever watched Buffy. Now the two characters kind of melted in my brain. They’re both such treasures, though. Anyway.

In this episode we learn that Logan is Mitchum Huntzberger’s son. Mitchum owns at least 12 newspapers, and his son is a charming-but-also-a-dick trustfund kid who sank his daddy’s yacht, and goes out with a lot of women. And does no work at the paper.

xxx
xxx
Well, he’s more privileged. And way more whiter.

The newspaper gives the beats: Paris gets Religion, and Rory gets Features, like they both wanted.
I really don’t like Glenn, now that I am rewatching. Not only did he do and say the creepy thing about stalking that woman, but he seems insufferable and unnecessarily-negative and whiny and annoying this time around.
I appreciate Paris’ honesty, when she tells Rory that stories about downloading music are everywhere, and unless she has a new angle, it is a waste of time. Which it is.

Within like, two days, of starting work on the religion beat, Paris has made a rabbi change his number twice, a dozen people calling to complain, another minister who says his flip flops were stolen. Paris is such a scary, beautiful creature.

Norman Mailer is in Stars Hollow, and Sookie is pregnant
I really don’t like that guy. I like some of his writing. But he is as arrogant in life as he is playing himself in this episode. He may be good at writing, but GOD is he insufferable. And he only orders iced tea from Sookie, so I take her side.

Sookie: So he was married to Marilyn Monroe. Who wasn’t?
Lorelai: That was, uh, Arthur Miller.
I love this show, and Sookie, to no end.

The inn must cut certain things, and Ann (their financial person, I suppose) suggests dropping lunch.
Sookie: Why can’t we get rid of one of Michel’s things? (…) The desk. [He can] put the phone on the wall and write on [his] shoe. ‘Cause he goes through a lot of paper.

HAHA. This lady.

I will just put this here without any context. Yup.

Sookie keeps getting more and more unreasonable and starts crying and then, she pauses and realizes, SHE’S PREGNANT. Hurray! I mean, if you’re into babies. Which she is. Hurray!

Chris is in trouble
Sherry left Chris and Gigi for a job in Paris. My first reaction was “how could she leave her daughter?!” but then, men leave their kids all the time and I don’t get this outraged. Somewhere in the back of my head maternity is more “natural” or “embedded”. Fuck that. But still, of anyone who leaves their kids, fuck that. Especially the way Sherry left. A note? Really?!! How bad were things that she felt okay just leaving a note and leaving Gigi with a nanny?
On the other hand, Chris had been gone for most of the past two years, travelling for work. He didn’t need to do that, though? He didn’t need to skip most of his daughter’s early steps, AGAIN.

I love, love, love Lorelai’s reaction to Chris’ doubts. He will raise Gigi by himself because he has to, just like Lor did with Rory. He will learn because it is his daughter, and that’s it. Welcome home, babe.
Chris: You ever get tired of being my cheerleader?
Lorelai: Hey, as long as I look cute in the skirt, I’m good to go.

She is so wonderful. Lor gives me life.

Lor tells Rory about all this and Rory gets worried about her mom’s history of fucking everything up and dropping everything to be with Chris. Which is like, a fair assessment. Also fair, that Rory feels unstable about anything involving Chris, and that she would want her mom to be happy.
That said, it was probably not her place to tell Chris not to talk or seek Lorelai about anything. Talking to Lor about her concerns, or even to Chris, is one thing; asking him to get the fuck away is another. He is not just deciding over Chris’ life – which, let’s face it, who cares – but it is also deciding over Lorelai’s. I mean, I get it. But also, that’s probably not the best way to go. Although I mean… she was right. Chris was going to mess everything up.

The Life and Death Brigade
What a pretentious name for a club. Anyway. While taking a break from interviewing this absolutely uninteresting person about music downloading, Rory runs into a woman who is dressed super fancy and is wearing a gorilla mask, kind of drunk. She gets in a black van and cheers, “In Omnia Paratus!”
So, Rory drops the downloading story. She decides to research some about this incidence. She runs across the Life and Death Brigade, a may-or-may-not-exist secret society at Yale. She decides to dig into that.

Doyle: Oh yeah. I’ve heard of them. They’re apparently more elusive than the skull-and-bones crowd. Of course, they’ve never been linked to masturbating in a coffin, so I automatically like these guys better.

Rory’s research leads her to Logan’s grandfather’s name. Because it is a membership that gets passed down families, this means Logan is in it. He makes this deal with Rory, who he now calls Ace, to get her an inside look at the club. She must agree to the conditions before knowing what the conditions are. And she’s in.

Which leads to the next episode. I love the following episode.

Today I (re)watch: Gilmore girls, 4.03

Lorelai and Sookie cater for a “Lord of the Rings”‘-themed kids party. Emily redecorates Rory’s common room without asking her first, in typical Emily fashion. Richard finds himself an unexpected business partner. See? The Hobbit, The Sofa, and Digger Stiles.

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

I love that Lorelai can smell her mother was in Rory’s dorm. “The room, it smells of guilt and Channel No. 5.”

The third roommate arrives! Her name is Janet.
Lorelai: What is she like?
Rory: She jogs.
Lorelai: Enough said. 

The Hobbit
Before I talk about the hobbit. I will talk about Jackson being the cutest creepy dad ever, as Lorelai points out. He hooks up the house’s central sound system to the baby monitor, which is smart. Creepy in that an ominous baby sound that can be heard all over a house is slightly diabolical, but it is cute that he wants to do all the things for the offspring.

The party is going well, but when it comes to the food, Sookie makes a bunch of really adult, elaborate dishes. Oops. Lorelai understandably asks Sookie what she was thinking, and Sookie flips out. Has Sookie never been around kids before, watched a movie or show with kids in it, seen Rory grow up?! How does she not know such basics about kids’ parties? Melissa McCarthy is a queen in this episode. She flips because she is worried about not liking kids and being pregnant and being “Mommy Dearest”. Melissa does it so so well, and I imagine it is a very real worry.

The Sofa
Emily reminds me a lot of my dad in this episode, when she sets up fancy furniture and electronics in the suitemates’ common room, disregarding everyone else’s feelings and opinions.
Rory: Grandma, I worry that by you giving me all these things, it kind of makes it my room.
Emily: Exactly. Never underestimate the value of the upper hand, Rory.

In Emily’s head, she means well, she has learned to operate in the world using money to establish status, and thinks that that’s what Rory needs or wants or should want.

Is that table shaped like a stack of books? That IS cool. But I mean, Rory is right to be mad. What did Emily do with the furniture that was there? What about asking Rory first, at least so she could choose the furniture? Anyhoo. Of course, Lor is not surprised.

Lorelai: I’m not gloating. I’m just saying, when you sleep with dogs… you wake up with an entertainment center.

Rory means to confront her grandmother, and she almost does, but chickens out in the end. I probably would have too. Emily is way too hardcore.

And Digger Stiles
Emily: You know, some men retire.
Richard: Yes, and some men tattoo their mother’s names on their biceps.
Emily: I don’t think the two are necessarily linked.

Jason Stiles, who is the son of the dude who forced Richard out of his company a season or so ago, wants to be Richard’s business partner. I have to kind of agree with Emily here, that I find it immature and petty to make a business decision based on wanting to piss daddy off. In future episodes we see that Digger (Jason) and his dad have a bad and problematic relationship, so for me it’s not about Jason being “ungrateful” or whatever. It is about it being a super ridiculous reason to make such a big move. I don’t care all that much, though. His face does bother me a little, but that’s a completely irrational thought and it makes no difference on anything whatsoever.

*Bonus: a college party*
Paris wants to start from scratch, be a fun and social person. But of course, she is her. She is not a super social, easy-to-get-along-with human. She is kinda awkward, trying so hard to be the best at everything, as if you could be the best at having fun somehow.
Rory is also not a social person, but she is more at peace with it. Emily sends some obligation friends her way. They try to give her an astrological nickname. Good grief.

Madeline and Louise show up! Of course they would be hitting all the first-week parties. I love them so so hard. I wish the show had had an episode focusing on their life in college.

After Paris kicks people out of her room, after the party dies out, Rory steps out of her suite and finds Marty sleeping on the hallway, naked. And that’s the beginning of a lovely friendship that ends disastrously.
Rory is so awkward about seeing Marty naked on the floor. I adore Alexis Bledel in this role.

Watch out for the boy cooties.

Today I (re)watch: Gilmore girls, 3.09

Another perfect episode. This is without a doubt the best season.

The Gilmore girls agree to four different Thanksgiving celebrations! At Sookie’s, at the Kims’, at Luke’s, and at the grandparents. They are all eventful and funny in their own ways. Lorelai gets into a fight with her parents, as always. Kirk gets a cat, and Lane gets a kiss! 

Rory: Tums? Lorelai: You mean, amateur pills?

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

Cat Kirk does not like Human Kirk
Kirk names his cat Kirk. I love him so much. This cat does not like Human Kirk though. Ohhhh boy. I love Kirk’s adventures discovering the sex of Cat Kirk, discovering all the things that, according to Human Kirk, the cat does not like.
That is one agressive friggin cat, though. Jeez. He even kicked Human Kirk out of his own house.

Tofurkey time, and Dave!
Okay, I don’t care what anyone says, Dave is one of the worthiest dudes in the history of this show. HE LEARNED A BUNCH OF HYMNS FOR HER. Like, who does that? I love how he starts playing ‘A Man Who Sold the World’ and just casually transitions to the hymn. And he references Kurt Cobain. Which is not a big deal but, I’m just saying. He is chill.
Tofu can be delicious. I would love to have Mrs Kim’s tofurkey.

Dave kisses Lane! Dave kisses Lane! I get super excited, because Lane is the best and she deserves the best and Dave is just adorable beyond words. They both are.

Deep-fried everything at Sookie’s
Sookie and Jackson are a fun couple to watch. Poor Sookie, though. She looks like she wants to die with that turkey.

x x

Rory: What’s the oil for?
Lorelai: For pouring on visigoths.
Sookie: Lorelai!
Lorelai: Where else am I gonna use my visigoths material?

But, did Jackson not pay attention to Sookie the entire time? Was he so immersed in his deep-fried bro world? Eek. That’s gross behavior right there.

Sookie: You’ve caught me in a good time, ladies. I’ve already gotten through the five stages of grieving: denial, anger… I don’t remember the two but they were served on the rocks with salt! Now I’m just happily “enscotched” in acceptance. Scotched?

Thanksgiving at Luke’s

Luke: I’ve gotta get back to stuffing my turkey.
Lorelai: Oh honey do you have time to do that *and* prep your thanksgiving food?

x x
Luke speaks truth.

Lorelai: No offense, but lame-o kiss. You and Jess, like a couple of chickens pecking each other.
It has been brought to my attention that Alexis Bledel’s first kiss ever happened on this show, with Jared Padalecki. I had not actually thought it through that she was super young and didn’t have tons of experience acting or kissing or with tons of stuff. And even not knowing that, knowing she was really young, and making a constant joke out of a thing that is stressful to teens in general (how you look, how good of a kisser you are, etc) and probably a lot more stressful when in front of a camera is super not okay for me to do. I wanted to apologize about this. I have great respect for Alexis and other actors and actresses that start young and have to basically grow up on set, in front of cameras (and by extension, the world), in every way. I had not thought that through at all, and I’m sorry about that. It is not at all what I am about (putting a young actress down for the way she kisses? Gross.) Or what this blog is about, at all. I also want to extend an invitation to any person reading my blog, to call me out on shit like this. I appreciate it greatly.

The Gilmore house, and Yale drama

Natalie (to Lorelai): You have your mother’s wit.
Emily: Yes, sometimes I wish she’d give it back

Oh no. Here comes the drama. Don’t Lorelai and Rory talk everyday? How come Lor doesn’t know that applying to just one university is ridiculous? It also says a lot *about Lorelai* that her daughter, who she claims to be super besties and super open with, didn’t feel comfortable even discussing Yale with her. I mean, it also says a lot about Rory’s notoriously bad communication and confrontation skills.

This is where I get mad at Lorelai, once again. Does she have so little faith in her daughter that she thinks Rory is a puppet that got coerced into applying somewhere? SERIOUSLY? She says she treats Rory like an equal, but she only does that when they agree. When they don’t, Lorelai pretends Rory is a brainless child who knows nothing about anything. When Lorelai is the one who knows absolutely zero about how university applications work, apparently.
Of course Emily is hurt by Lorelai’s tantrum. Lor is so unreasonably against anything that has anything to do with her parents, that even if it is what Rory wants, she can’t take it.

Dean continues to be kind of the worst
It is beyond creepy that Dean just waited in the shadows until Rory was gone – and so she doesn’t see Dean being the massively insecure jerkface that he is – to go up to Jess. (His ‘menacing’ face remains ridiculous.)

He is such a horrible dickweasel. He is trying to provoke Jess, because indeed, Rory would think it was Jess’ fault, if they had a fist fight or whatever. And like, of course Jess has nothing to say. Dean is so pathetic, with his toxic masculinity and his fragile ego. When a girl chooses someone over you, you sulk by yourself for a while, and you let it go. Going around chasing her current boyfriend is creepy, pathetic, and a dick move.

Dean: What does it feel like?
Jess: Feels like I’m with Rory, and you’re not.

Heh. Fuck off, doormat.

“I don’t have to be remotely calm around you anymore”. What the fuck. Is he threatening Jess? What a joke. Dean has evolved from “the fucking worst” to an absolute joke.

Today I (re)watch: Gilmore girls, 2.22

We have reached the end of season 2?!! Woohoo. I like this episode a lot. Especially one scene. If you’ve watched it, you know which scene.

The summary for this one is easy: It is Sookie’s wedding. Some people return to Stars Hollow. Oh! Paris is running for student council, and she needs a vice-president. 

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

Ohh! OHHHH! One of the Gilmore girls catchphrases happens in this episode. Oy with the poodles already! A classic.

Paris wants to be prez
Paris is way too intense for a high school student council. I like her. And of course she would pair up with Rory, have her be vice-president. Ladies being badass queens together is one of the many things I love about this show.

She kinda does.

Paris has a concession speech!! My sweet darling. You had to know you would win, because you are precious.

How did she get Dean’s number? That is super creepy and I want answers.

Sookie is getting married!
Jackson must wear a kilt for his wedding! I am in love. I kind of love men in kilts? Maybe it’s ’cause I’ve only seen hot men in kilts, but I do!
Sookie’s wedding dress is gorgeous. I don’t see beautiful wedding dresses often in movies or TV shows, don’t know why. But Sookie is so cute when she is freaking out about her wedding. Sookie is always uber cute, to be fair. I love her.

Rory: Fourth ring of hell, party of one.
Lorelai: Well, at least my feet wont get cold.

I use this line all the time! Yayyy!

Christopher comes to ruin everything, again.
Chris is such a mistery for me. Or, rather, he infuriates me. He just waltzes in and out of everyone’s life. Literally everyone. He is so good-looking, but damn is he annoying. He still has a girlfriend (being in “iffy” terms is still being in some terms, y’know?) and he goes off and has sex with his ex, makes grand promises of love to both her and HIS DAUGHTER, and then flies away again. Annoying.
And like, okay. Lorelai has sex with the guy and all of a sudden “the moment is right”? Is he seriously that good in bed? Chris is an unreliable, flighty, irresponsible dude who makes grand statements and gestures like asking Lor to marry her in their kitchen after lying about his finances. But those gestures are shit. They always are.

Is he zoophilic? Is that what is being said here? Brief break to appreciate this fact, ok? Ok.

Oh Lor. You know better than to get your hopes up, and more annoyingly your parents’ hopes up, about Christopher. This might come to bite you later. (Spoiler: it does.) And telling Rory, the morning after you had sex with him and decided that “you were going to try”? I ask again, was the sex seriously that good?

And like, seriously Chris, get it together. If you didn’t stay with Lorelai when she was pregnant at 16 because a baby isn’t enough of a reason to marry someone, what makes you think it is now? Grow a pair.

And then, BAM! Jess is back.
When I first watched the series, I think I started in season 3? And so I knew Jess was going to come back when I went back to seasons 1 and 2. But, man! That re-entrance would have made my teenage heart stop.
Jess wanted to come back. From his “beloved” NYC. He wanted to come back. Do not even tell me it was just because of Rory. I think it wasn’t. I think it was also Luke. I think it was also not wanting to be with his mother, in that volatile environment. I think he would never admit it but he liked bits and pieces of Stars Hollow, he liked the possibility of growth.

And here comes THE SCENE. I have watched this episode easily ten times, okay? I can never not rewind that scene again, and again. Here, you can replay it too. Don’t want to click on that? Fair enough.

There it is. In GIF form so that it is preserved in an eternal loop of goodness.

I know he is a huge jerk to her a number of times in season 3, and I know it’s not even that good of a kiss (I think it is all Alexis’ fault: she pecks instead of kissing). But I just… my weak heart goes bananas with that kiss. Still does, to this day. No shame. (Or maybe a little shame..)

Heh. Rory decides to go to Washington for the summer to run away from her boy troubles. I am so Rory, and Rory is so me. Buh-bye, season 2!

Today I (re)watch: Gilmore girls, 2.08

First, the summary: Lor and Sookie are looking to move forward in their project of opening an inn, but a visitor makes that move nostalgic and stressful. Jess puts on a fake murder crime scene, because, well, he’s Jess. 

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

Mia, the owner of the Independence Inn, comes to visit Stars Hollow. I love Mia a lot! She is introduced as a sort of substitute mother figure Lorelai had when she moved away from her parents’ house. She seems to love the Gilmore girls and the town a whole lot too. She is just a lovely human I wish we saw more of in the show than we did.

Lorelai musters up the courage to tell Mia that Sookie and her are thinking of opening a new inn and when Mia tells Lor that that’s great ’cause Mia has been thinking of selling the place, Lorelai wigs out and takes it out on Sookie. And like, I get it, that the Independence Inn is a very personal place, like a home to Lorelai, and that separating from that place and not knowing what will become of it would be stressful. But the way she talks to Sookie is cruel and unwarranted. I really don’t like how Lorelai talks down to Sookie and treats her badly/like she is better than her a lot. Lorelai tells Sookie that she is unprofessional when the actual unprofessional thing there is to irrationally lash out on your business partner.

Sookie later asks Lor to promise her she wont wig out on her again, as she should. The Gilmore girls often forget they are not the center of the universe and that other people have feelings too. I love Sookie and I appreciate when she stands up for herself.

Mia: There was a phony murder?
Lorelai: Yeah, the town’s too dull to work up a real one.

Ah, the phony murder.

Is it a jerk teenage move? Of course. Is it funny? Absolutely. Stars Hollow, as charming and beautiful as it is, is pretty boring, especially if you come from NYC. Drawing up a body outline makes the town waste resources and time figuring out that it is fake (although, I mean, it doesn’t take that long to figure that out) but it is still pretty funny.

I love the conversation that Rory has with Jess outside the market. Rory calls Jess out on making the whole town hate him and Luke by extension and Jess kind of gets it now. He also trusts Rory and wants her to like him, which is interesting because Rory is such a goodie goodie. This is not to say that Jess is better than Rory (they are both flawed in different ways) but he is definitely more interesting, at least up until that point.
Also, and this is a bit of a sidetrack, they come from very different perspectives and lives. Jess is assumed to come from a working class childhood in New York with a junkie, unstable mom and a father who skipped on them. Rory grew up struggling a bit but totally sheltered and supported by her mom and by the entire town, which is also basically a bubble. I will probably talk more about Jess and class stuff later, but they are definitely very very different.

Almost at the very end, Emily visits Mia at the Independence In and my heart stops. What is happening? what are they going to say? I am going to cry, arent I? That conversation is so important.

Mia: When Lorelai showed up at my porch that day, with a tiny baby in her arms, I thought to myself, “What if this were my daughter and she was cold and scared and needed a place to live. What would I want for her?” And then I thought, I’d want her to find somebody who would take her in and make her safe and help her find her way.
Emily: That’s funny. I would’ve wanted her to find someone who would send her home. 

I understand Emily. I cannot imagine being a mother to a 16yo who just had a baby and have her leave a note and not come home. I would be terrified. Even after knowing where she was or that she was okay, I would be worried sick, and very upset. It is interesting to see Mia’s take though, because that is what Lorelai needed. Lorelai needed a caring mother figure who treated her like an adult and treasured her independence. I still think that Emily’s heartbreak is not addressed enough, by Lor in particular.

 

This episode ends on a Rory/Jess note with Jess fixing Luke’s toaster and looking at Rory, which leads into the theme of Rory helping Jess be a better human and care about others which is going to be a thing for a while. But also a part of me thinks that Jess shouldn’t get a cookie for being a decent nephew once in a while, y’know? And then again, he is 17 and hates everything so… to each their own as far as giving Jess cookies for trying to care.

Today I (re)watch: Gilmore girls, 1.12

Ahhh, Double Date. Fun times.

The summary: As the title hints at, there are double dates. Lorelai agrees to a double date with Sookie & Jackson (adorable alert!) and Jackson’s awful cousin, Rune. Rory agrees to help out Lane and goes on a double date with Dean and her incredibly boring friend Todd. Hilarity, awkwardness, and gorgeous-ladies-with-mediocre-boys are all key elements in this episode.

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

I have never heard of a double/blind date (that you decide to label as such) that was not at best boring and cheesy, at worst awkward and horrifying. This episode is super entertaining but also makes me wonder how all the ladies in this show are straight when most men surrounding them are so mediocre. I know that’s not how sexual orientation works but oh-my-god. Todd is the worst. Rune is the worst. Dean is the worst. Jackson is alright I guess. Luke is amazing but takes too fucking long to realize that he is amazing so, also the worst.

Back to the episode. Sookie is super nervous about her date with Jackson and cannot think of another way but to make it a double date with Lorelai, since Rune, Jackson’s cousin, is in town at the moment. Now, I only forgive Sookie because (a) her nervousness is adorable, and (b) she had no way of knowing just how much of an asshole Rune is. Seriously, such a sleazy doucheface.

I like that this episode is not about the Gilmore girls’ dating lives (which is essentially the rest of the show). It’s about their friends. But boy are the men terrible. Rune is a jackass! Lorelai is gorgeous, and smart, and independent, and fashionable, and funny. Rune is ugly, dumb, boring, rude, sleazy, a bad cousin, unfunny (except when he beheads the fancy candle swans, that’s golden) and annoying. He should be so lucky, and he is so so unpleasant to Lorelai and such a ridiculously immature, entitled manchild. I would have punched him.

Poor Sookie is so awkward and nervous and she clearly has not dated in a while and really likes Jackson. This episode perfectly illustrates why I think going to fancy restaurants for first dates is terrible, though. It’s too much pressure and it’s stuffy and you are almost invariable stuck in front of each other and food is expensive and, urgh. Just, no, don’t do it, ever. Once they get to Luke’s they are much more relaxed and feel at ease with each other. Greasy diner > fancy restaurant, any day.

Lane: How do I look?
Rory: Too good for him.
Lane: Just what I was going for.

I had kind of forgotten (not really, but I don’t think of him that often) how uninteresting and annoying Todd was. He also makes zero effort to even seem interesting or fun which makes me think he is also a sleazebag who thinks – like white boys tend to – that just by showing up they are doing the world a favor. Lane is also super smart and pretty and awesome and Todd is just a blob.

Initially when Dean is not too convinced about the double date I think he knew that Todd was completely without appeal. That’s my theory.

Now for tonight’s edition of Luke x Lorelai Sexual Tension (TM), DAMN YOU MRS KIM! Luke was going to ask Lorelai out! I know it, my best friend knows it, Buzzfeed knows it. Mrs Kim could have saved us years of waiting, and could have saved Lorelai those same years of dead ends. They are too sexy and OMG my hormones. Anyway.

Now Sookie and Jackson are dating, Lane knows for sure that Todd is not for her, we know for sure that Luke needs to have sex with Lorelai ASAP. All is good in the world.

Today I (re)watch: Gilmore girls, 1.04

Today I watch The Deer Hunters. This episode gives me feelings.

First, a summary: Rory is not doing as well as she used to at Stars Hollow High now that she is at Chilton. She embarks on a week of intense 24/7 studying with her mom, only to be late the day of because she did not wake up on time. She understandably flips in class, then Lorelai understandably flips at the headmasters’. They aaaallll fucking flip. Meanwhile, Sookie worries that a food critic says her Magic Risotto is barely “fine”.

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

Chilton makes me think of my high school. Not the stuffiness or snottiness or rich-kid-ness, but the pressure I felt to do better than I was doing, academically. I often felt like my classmates were all doing better than I was, and did it effortlessly. Even if this wasn’t true, the feelings were real. This episode centers Rory’s struggles with a new, much more demanding school, in which people are not friendly at all. My classmates were super friendly, which is what allowed me to survive the pressure and stress and anxiety. I cannot imagine what Rory must have felt all those years without a lot of friends inside the school.

I don’t like Rory too much sometimes, but I do see myself in her. I see parts of me that I don’t like. She puts up with a lot of people being manipulative (her grandmother, her mother even, her boyfriends). She is also incredibly selfish and sheltered at times, but we will get to that when we get to that.
In this episode, though, I get her. She feels like she is drifting off, like everything is out of her control. She is feeling feelings and she cannot properly verbalize them. She snaps because she needs to, and even if the place and time are “inappropriate”, honestly, to hell with that. She is tired, and tired of Tristan and Paris being assholes, and tired of having so much expectations thrown onto her but also of the expectations she throws on to herself. We have all felt that quiet defeat of thinking “we’ve got this” when we’ve got absolutely squat.

This episode also gives me mother-daughter feels. My mom rarely studied day and night with me because studying seemed like a solo thing for me. But she was there. She was there to cook me something at 3am so I wouldn’t have to get up and do it myself, she would give me the space I needed and was unbelievably patient with me when I was stressed and tired. She got me a little something after an intense exam, and picked me up from friends’ houses at midnight when I was doing group projects. She was there, and when I was stressed, she felt it with me. When I was feeling disappointed in myself, she encouraged me while also giving me the chance to feel okay with not doing everything perfectly. She was there.

And so is Lorelai. She basically breaks her neck studying with Rory and feels the pain Rory is feeling. She excuses herself from a parent-teacher meeting because she knows Rory is not feeling well and needs a friend. She fights for her against Il Duce (the principal, of course). While sometimes she expects too much of her daughter and projects her wishes for her younger self onto her, she gives me all the feelings in this episode. Like she says, they *are* basically one person, just like my mom often was.

Lorelai: I hate when I’m an idiot and I don’t know it. I like to be aware of my idiocy.

Now, let’s talk about Sookie. I haven’t talked enough about Sookie. She is an adorable creature and to think that Amy Sherman-Palladino saw the genius of Melissa McCarthy before most big shot comedy people did makes me really happy, and speaks to Amy’s eye for excellence. And in this episode you see just how much her cooking means to her. We later learn she also spends a lot of time at the hospital helping, and then she works at the Inn where she hangs with her best friend. That’s her life (this far into the series, anyway). And she takes such pride in her work that she will go the extra extra kinda-ridiculous-and-stalkerish mile for it. She is funny and adorable and she makes my heart sing.

In this episode Lorelai meets Max as well!! And they fuck each other with their eyes. I have nothing more to add to that except that they’re pretty cute and I have always had a thing for teachers and … okay. Whatever. We’ll talk more about this later.

The talk at the end when Lorelai and Rory are looking for the deer is so important. Lorelai allows Rory the space to make decisions about her future. If she wants to stay at Chilton or not, they’re both okay options. And Rory decides to give it a shot but says she “reserves the right to change her mind”. I remember marveling at her maturity and her stubbornness and how determined she is. She learned it from a woman who left her house at 16, started working as a maid until she became manager and supported her kid every way she could, every day of her life, though, so it’s really no wonder. I love how all the women in this series are super badass in their own way, going after what they want.