Monday, January 12, 2015

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.

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