Célèste's Review of S2E4 "The Road Trip to Harvard"

“The Road Trip to Harvard”

Season 2, Episode 4

Original airing: October 23, 2001

My Rating: 73

The Good:

• I enjoy Lorelai and Rory's misanthropy and hate of chit chat, and I relate to it a lot. At the same time, I like how they are self-deprecating enough to undercut their sarcasm by pointing out their self superiority in moments such as Lorelai's tongue-and-cheek comment that they are simply above the rest of humanity. 
• It's nice to let a Rory subplot really have some space after so much focus on the Lorelai/Max storyline. Rory's plans for the future are bright-eyed and hopeful, and seeing Lorelai embrace Rory's dreams helps mend some of the anger I've built up toward her in the last few episodes, as does her vulnerable admission that she wishes she did love Max.
• I like that the episode ends on a note that signals change is in the air. It definitely makes excited to see what season two has to offer. 
• The heart-to-heart with Luke is great. These characters are so great together, especially when they're supporting each other and cracking jokes at the same time. I'm already saying, "Max who?"

The Bad:

• The joke about Sammy the cat being fat doesn't work because the cat they found that could be counted on to lie in one place as they shot take after take of people with duffle bags stepping over him wasn't fat. If the joke you wrote doesn't work with the resources you found, rewrite the joke. It's the monkey lamp all over again.
• It's not entirely clear when Lorelai's sad moment are about wanting more out of life and when they're about Rory growing up. In the diner scene, when Luke asks Lorelai how seeing Rory fit in at Harvard was and she says she loved it and hated it, he says he can see how she would. The implication seems to be that she's going to miss Rory. But then, she immediately starts talking about how she's been thinking about all the opportunities in life she's missed out on and what she wants for her future, leaving me to wonder if a bit of jealousy was meant to be the only thing about Rory going to Harvard that made it bittersweet. I'd have much preferred a smoother transition that acknowledged what I assume Luke was picking up on (how fast Rory's growing up) and then transitioned into what's a layer below (how Lorelai never went to college).
• The Lane/Korea storyline has just been a mess consistently. At least it's over now.

Favorite Moment:

Rory's excitement about starting college really took me back. I liked seeing her participate in a class and hearing her exclaim, "I love college, I love Harvard, I love fatalism!" 

The Bottom Line:

This episode functioned primarily as a transitional moment in the season, tying up loose ends from the Max storyline and sparking new ideas about the future. It does its job well, but it's not one of the most memorable episodes.