Monday, January 26, 2015

Célèste's Review of S2E1 "Sadie, Sadie"


“Sadie, Sadie”
Season 2, Episode 1
Original airing: October 9, 2001

My Rating: 63

The Good:
  • The yellow-daisy-filled Stars Hollow in the opening scene is one of the iconic Gilmore Girls moments that sticks with you for years. 
  • Kelly Bishop knocks it out of the park, showing Emily's hurt as well as her incredible strength as she learns about Lorelai's engagement and insists Richard call and apologize to Rory.
The Bad:
  • It bothers me that, in a show about a two-person household, neither person is taking seriously the decision to expand that household. It makes me as a viewer not take it seriously. It especially seems wildly out of character for Rory, in particular, to be more focussed on the details of the wedding than on the decision to marry Max. 
  •  While the idea of Richard having a problem with Dean is a good one, the scene is overdone. It's another example of the show going over the top when subtlety would have been better, which, on rematch, seems to be the most common source of any problem scenes or episodes. 
Favorite Moment:
Emily insists Richard call Rory. She is always so powerful and in control, even at the worst times. 

The Bottom Line:
This episode doesn't hit as hard as you'd expect a season opener to hit. However, coupled with the next episode, which originally aired back-to-back on the same night, it holds up better. 

Podcast #23 - S2E1 - Sadie, Sadie

Hello! Welcome to Return to Stars Hollow - a spoiler-free, retrospective podcast about Gilmore Girls! This is the podcast for Season 2, Episode 1 - Sadie, Sadie.


You can direct download the episode here: S2E1 - Sadie, Sadie

You can also follow our RSS Feed, or subscribe to us on iTunes or Stitcher.

Comment on this post to leave your feedback for the next podcast!
You can also send feedback and voice clips to returntostarshollow@yahoo.com.
Or you can tweet us at SeriouslySwatch (Cordia) or CelesteFohl!

The next podcast will post on Monday, February 2, 2015 for Season 2, Episode 2 - Hammers & Veils.

Cordia's Review of S2E1 - Sadie, Sadie


Sadie, Sadie
Season 2, Episode 1
Original airing: 10/9/2001

My Rating: 57

The Good:
This episode picks right up from the finale of Season 1 and it’s full steam ahead with the proposal storyline. I like that Max is living up to his word and giving Lorelai space to think. It makes her eventual acceptance feel more heartfelt.

Rory’s excitement over the proposal really helps sell the whole thing. If she was at all hesitant, it would be really weird for Lorelai to accept. So having both girls on board is very fun and makes for a super cute scene at the first Friday Night Dinner.

I also really like the importance the episode put on Lorelai telling Luke about the whole thing. It was a great touch to have the whole town interested in this moment, though it perhaps crossed the line in to a bit too silly with the literal window watching. But it was still a great scene. Of course, Luke would immediately bring up all the practical questions to spin Lorelai’s head. He does it so craftily, I couldn’t help but smile the whole time.

The final third of the episode fell primarily into The Bad for me, except for the very end. Emily’s reaction to Sookie’s phone call was fantastic and my Favorite Moment.

The Bad:
I was not a fan of Lane’s subplot. While she seems genuinely concerned, Rory doesn’t act at all worried that she’s losing her best friend to Korea for goodness knows how long. And I was not a fan of the luggage shot. It was too ridiculous of a visual and reminded me of a sitcom gag. It just felt very out of place to me in the Gilmore Girls reality.

I was also disappointed by the ring conversation on the phone with Max and Rory. Rory was beyond obvious by repeating everything Max said to Lorelai. And I figured, Max must know! But then his reaction is surprise that Lorelai is listening! Again, it felt like a poorly done sitcom joke. It was too long and drawn out and I didn’t find it humorous at all.

But the entire second Friday Night Dinner was where I really struggled with this episode. I think Lorelai’s eventual explanation is fine (Richard is worried Rory will ditch her future for a guy), but his behavior is out of character and inexcusable. While his reasoning is sound and I think his concerns are valid in his own eyes, I just don’t see him as someone who could stand to be that rude to someone else’s face. He should be much better at hiding his feelings and being subtly subversive. It was the outright pouting and anger that felt so out of place to me. And having it be so bad that even Emily feels the need to step in was just bizarre.

Overall, I think this would have been a much more successful sequence if Richard had been more in control of himself. I know he has a similar reaction during the aborted dinner with Christopher’s parents in S1E15, but it just doesn’t work to turn the same kind of emotion on to a 16 year old boy.

Favorite Moment:
I feel so bad for Sookie to be unwitting bearer of news and conflict for Emily and Lorelai. But this was a great way to reveal the engagement to Emily and help her really stand up for Rory. While she’s moderately supportive at the dinner, this is when she really steps up and tells Richard to suck it up. She’s truly aware that if they want a good lasting relationship with their granddaughter they’ll have to handle things very differently than they did with Lorelai. We’ve seen glimpses of this in past episodes, but here is where it seems to really hit home.

Kelly Bishop’s stoic face to Richard and subsequent break down in the hallway really make this moment a well-acted punch to the gut.

The Bottom Line:

The majority of this episode was great. Having Lorelai work her way through her own thought process (and Luke’s) to her decision on the proposal was really necessary. And Rory’s support of the idea was fantastic. But the subplots with Lane and Dean were really poorly done in my eyes and detracted from the episode as a whole.

Monday, January 12, 2015

Podcast #22 - S1E21 - Love, Daisies & Troubadours

Hello! Welcome to Return to Stars Hollow - a spoiler-free, retrospective podcast about Gilmore Girls! This is the podcast for Season 1, Episode 21 - Love, Daisies & Troubadours.


You can direct download the episode here: S1E21 - Love, Daisies & Troubadours

You can also follow our RSS Feed, or subscribe to us on iTunes or Stitcher.

Comment on this post to leave your feedback for the next podcast!
You can also send feedback and voice clips to returntostarshollow@yahoo.com.
Or you can tweet us at SeriouslySwatch (Cordia) or CelesteFohl!

The next podcast will post on Monday, January 26, 2015 for Season 2, Episode 1 - Sadie, Sadie.

Cordia's Review of S1E21 - Love, Daisies & Troubadours


Love, Daisies & Troubadours
Season 1, Episode 21
Original airing: May 10, 2001

My Rating: 66

The Good:
This was a nice ending to the season with a soft cliffhanger. The final shot of Lorelai and Rory bouncing around in the street removes pretty much any question of Lorelai accepting Max’s marriage proposal. But that’s ok. This ended on a very upbeat note and was quite enjoyable.

I really liked the Rory and Dean Reunion Plot. Rory’s back and forth attempts to talk to Dean were very believable and relatable. I found it incredibly sweet for him to show up at her school to pick her up. Their fight in the parking lot was a bit front and center for everyone (including Tristan) to watch, but it was great having Rory conclude with “I love you, you idiot!” Dean is such a rube.

I’m glad Tristan just accepted it and moved on, as well. I don’t even feel bad for him because he was such a jerk in this episode. While I felt he could have appeared to be over the top, we’ve seen his high-handed manner before, so his demand to date Rory fit his character just fine.

Sometimes, this show is a master at confusing my emotional responses. While I’m genuinely happy to see Lorelai so happy and Max’s proposal was excellent and incredibly sweet, it’s impossible not to feel heart-broken for Luke at the same time. To have him finally accept his full attraction to Lorelai and appear to be ready to act on it, only to have Max come in and stamp his claim was hard to watch. Their battle of wills was incredibly entertaining, but it was easy to see Luke was at a disadvantage. Kudos to the writers for a masterfully scripted scene.

The minor arc of the feuding troubadours was pretty cute and had a great shot on the street during the second troubadour’s reveal. Having this be a major issue at the Town Meeting was a cute reminder of the quirkiness of Stars Hollow and all of its inhabitants. And wrapping up the arc with their duet was a nice little mirror to the current happy endings of Lorelai and Rory’s relationships.

The Bad:
It’s a pretty small thing but I find it hard to believe Rory never met Clara, Dean’s little sister. It felt awkward, out of place, and unnecessary to have the whole “Girl Scouts” fabrication. This was a bizarre distraction during the episode.

Rachel’s departure felt a bit convenient. She’s been claiming she’ll stay for a few episodes now and seems to be doing everything she can to be happy with Luke. She’s exhibited no jealousy for Lorelai and there have been very few scenes to make her appear as if she’s concerned about Lorelai and Luke’s relationship. So her sudden departure felt contrary to a lot of things we’ve seen from her story recently. This felt like a moment of the show using a character outside of their normal reactions and functions purely to forward the plot (specifically Luke going to talk to Lorelai so he can run in to Max).

Favorite Moment:
Max and Luke’s pissing contest was hysterical. It was excellently written and acted by both men, as well as Lorelai’s reaction shots between them. And I applaud Max for not being an idiot.

The Bottom Line:

This was a nice ending for the first season. Rory and Dean are reunited, Lorelai is lined up to marry Max, and all is right in the world… except for poor Luke. There’s definitely openings for new stories in the next season, which in my opinion is where a season finale should position itself.

Célèste's Review of S1E21 "Love, Daisies and Troubadours"


“Love, Daisies and Troubadours”
Season 1, Episode 21
Original airing: May 10, 2001

My Rating: 73

The Good:
  • The Luke stuff really works for me here. I especially like the scene where Lorelai talks to Luke in her kitchen. The actress playing Rachel gives her best performance in the scene where she leaves, really selling the line, “You told be once and you could barely get it out then.”
  • Seeing Rory struggle to tell Dean how she felt provided a lot of humor and heart. There was some inconsistency with Rory’s relationship to Tristan (they seemed to be on better terms last I saw), but the scene with Dean works really well. I’m not usually a big fan of Dean, and I think the P.J. Harvey song has a lot to do with me liking this moment, but it really worked for me.
  • The yellow daisies scene was exactly what it should be: surprising and romantic.

The Bad:
  • It’s starting to really hurt the show that Max hasn’t been better integrated into the full season. As awesome as the yellow daisy scene is, the relationship at this point is based on only a few episode.
  •  Rachel seeing that Luke is in love with Lorelai is another thing that should have been set up earlier and more consistently.

Favorite Moment:
The daisy scene: the image is striking and iconic, and Max’s speech is perfect.

The Bottom Line:
A great finale to season one, it could only be improved by better integrating Max into the overall season from the beginning.

Monday, January 5, 2015

Podcast #21 - S1E20 - P.S. I Lo...

Hello! Welcome to Return to Stars Hollow - a spoiler-free, retrospective podcast about Gilmore Girls! This is the podcast for Season 1, Episode 20 - P.S. I Lo...


You can direct download the episode here: S1E20 - P.S. I Lo...

You can also follow our RSS Feed, or subscribe to us on iTunes or Stitcher.

Comment on this post to leave your feedback for the next podcast!
You can also send feedback and voice clips to returntostarshollow@yahoo.com.
Or you can tweet us at SeriouslySwatch (Cordia) or CelesteFohl!

The next podcast will post on Monday, January 12, 2015 for Season 1, Episode 21 - Love, Daisies & Troubadours.

Cordia's Review of S1E20 - P.S. I Lo...


P.S. I Lo…
Season 1, Episode 20
Original airing: May 3, 2001

My Rating: 54

The Good:
In preparation for the season finale, this episode draws together several storylines. Lorelai learns why Rory and Dean broke up, Rory learns Lorelai is back together with Max, and a new dynamic evolves amongst the Gilmore clan when Rory chooses her grandparents’ company over Lorelai’s.

These are things that needed to happen for the show to have a conclusion to its major arcs in this season. But that’s about the best thing that can be said for how it was handled (See the Bad).

The most successful plot in this episode was the subplot for Lane. Pairing her with Dean for a science project was a very natural way to drive a small wedge between Lane and Rory. It was easily healed, but their encounter at the bus station was beautifully acted and very emotional.

I also really enjoyed the scene with Mrs. Kim, Dean, and Lane. She was the perfect overbearing mother and her presentation was hilarious.

The Bad:
The reason this episode wasn’t entirely successful is fully upon the preceding episodes. The storylines have been there, but they’ve been practically ignored in large fashion. Lorelai and Rory’s stories depend entirely upon Max and Dean and when they aren’t in the episode, the show has a way of pretending they don’t exist.

It’s difficult to buy Lorelai’s joy and being back with Max when she spends every other episode hovering around Luke. Last episode, in the back room of the diner, she basically suggested that he might be having trouble with Rachel because he’s interested in Lorelai. Even in this episode she was dressing him and being fairly intimate.

It’s difficult to remember Rory is so upset about her breakup with Dean that she’ll run away from home when ever other episode she seems completely fine and happy. This episode suggests that she has been finding the entire town incredibly oppressive because of Dean’s presence. While this is a fine concept, we haven’t seen anything to support it since the breakup three episodes ago.

The show set up these storylines then ignored them and that made the whole of this episode feel highly disjointed.

Favorite Moment:
Seeing Lane and Rory fight was a surprisingly effective storyline. I teared up when I saw Lane waiting with coffee to meet Rory’s bus. I imagine that despite them being teenage girls, they don’t fight very often.

The Bottom Line:

This episode was necessary to prepare for the season finale, but the stories hadn’t been supported in the past episodes. So Rory’s rather sudden freak out and the surrounding effects seemed unbelievable. The show has been struggling with supporting their storylines across episodes all season, so this is something I hope to see improve.

Célèste's Review of S1E20 "P.S. I Lo..."


“P.S. I Lo…”
Season 1, Episode 20
Original airing: May 03, 2001

My Rating: 70

The Good:
  • All the conflict here comes from a believable character-based place. I especially appreciate how the conflicts have been building for several episodes, and even little details like Rory having a room at her grandparents were already established in previous episodes.
  •  Mrs. Kim hounding Dean was a great bit of comedic relief. So was Richard’s confusion and happiness at Rory’s arrival interrupting an event he didn’t want to go to.
  • Lorelai continuing to try to help Luke and Rachel’s relationship (but still making things awkward) worked pretty well here and was much more natural than her involvement last episode. I liked seeing her manic and excited over her purchases, and Luke had a lot of great lines like how he thought his credit card looked tired.

The Bad:
  • It’s such a small thing, but it really bugs me how the show consistently mucks up the timeline. If the science-partner scene was on Wednesday (as the characters stated several times that it was) then Rory would have run away Thursday which means she would have been picked up Friday. But, when Lorelai picks her up, everyone says they'll see each other the next night for Friday Night Dinner. All of this could be fixed if they just called the original day Tuesday instead of Wednesday. Honestly!
  • I don’t have a lot bad to say about this episode, but there weren’t any really magic, classic, or memorable moments either. 

Favorite Moment:
Richard: “Rory, I’m sorry you’re upset, but I applaud your timing.” Edward Herrmann passed away on New Year’s Eve. This scene and his delivery of this line in particular are perfect examples of how his subtle humor often steals the show. His talent was a gift to us all. May he rest in peace.

The Bottom Line:
This episode successfully accomplishes all it tries to accomplish, but doesn’t really sing.