Célèste's Review of S2E3 "Red Light on the Wedding Night"

“Red Light on the Wedding Night”

Season 2, Episode 3

Original airing: October 16, 2001

My Rating: 82

The Good:

• This episode does a very good job of unspooling the problems with Lorelai and Max's plan to get married. Where previous episodes have fallen short a bit when it comes to their storyline, this episode hits every mark.
• Dean is almost entirely un-annoying in this episode. The scene where he teaches Max the ground rules for dating a Gilmore girl is fantastic. It's really cute, it does a good job of showing how Max isn't ready yet to live with Lorelai and Rory, and it's a delightful fan service to hear Lorelai and Rory's quirks summed up so perfectly. I hear a lot of people mention the pepperoni line, which is great, but I think the best line is when he says that after a while their thinking becomes clear, but by then they've done more crazy-seeming things so there's no catching up. 
• As in last episode, there were some lovely shots here, particularly when the camera scanned back to reveal the old woman was still crossing the street and the image of Luke and Lorelai standing under the chuppah. 
• Emily's story is cute and Michel dancing at the drag club is great. It's nice to see a bit more from Christopher. While it seemed a little odd that Rory wouldn't have mentioned the wedding to him, it's believable that maybe he and Rory haven't talked in a while. Still, it seemed natural that he would call her the next day to check in because getting a new step dad is a big deal and seems like something your father would want to ask you about. 
• The traffic light subplot provides some nice humor and is integrated perfectly at the end. The whole episode builds toward the explosion of the road trip and then that energy is doused in a strange and humorous way by the traffic light. It's the kind of thing you recognize immediately as being a Gilmore Girls moment. No other show feels quite like this one. 

The Bad:

• I'm racking my brain. I really don't have any problems that aren't small and nitpicky. 

Favorite Moment:

The inevitable surprise of the traffic light slowing down the momentum Lorelai and Rory have built. 

The Bottom Line:

This is the best episode of the series so far. While the Lorelai/Max storyline hasn't always been handled well, this iconic, perfectly executed episode ends the storyline with a bang and continues to be one of the most memorable moments of the series years later.