Hello! Welcome to Return to Stars Hollow - a spoiler-free, retrospective podcast about Gilmore Girls! This is the podcast for Season 2, Episode 7 - Like Mother, Like Daughter.
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The next podcast will post on Monday, March 23, 2015 for Season 2, Episode 8 - The Ins and Outs of Inns.
So, we finally meet Mia. I was expecting to like her more than I did, but I think there's a mismatch between the script and the actress portraying her. The script has her being a little snarky and funny when she makes fun of Michel and Luke, but the actress plays her as just a sweet, nurturing little old lady so it almost seems like she doesn't realize she's mocking them. Also, she's supposedly the owner of a very successful business but I don't see her doing anything showing her competence -- a marked contrast to Lorelai.
ReplyDeleteHowever, Mia's presence does lead to two very good things in the episode!
1) The fight between Lorelai and Sookie. It's a realistic fight for them to have -- Lorelai is indeed being condescending to Sookie, but Sookie (as we've seen in past episodes) is a little flighty and unreliable and Lorelai has had to cover for her. Fights between best friends are the worst because they know each other's weak spots. The acting is terrific, especially watching Sookie go from enthusiastic to puzzled to hurt as she follows Lorelai around the dining room while Lorelai won't even look at her. The fight is also well filmed -- as Lorelai moves around the tables, it's one long camera shot with no cuts, which builds the tension. Must have required a lot of rehearsal time to get that right.
2) The final scene between Mia and Emily. Again, I don't like Mia much, but the way Emily's voice breaks a little when she asks for photographs is incredibly moving.
I never got the impression that Mia was supposed to be snarky. I always took her for this nice little old lady who honestly means everything she says and is not trying to mock anyone and make fun of them. But it's true, read differently, her lines could come across in a very different way. Now I'm wondering what they were initially going for.
DeleteI think your both right... Mia is played as a dear older lady but who knows she is mocking people with a snarky sense of fun.
DeleteMakes me feel like Mia is enjoying being able to get away with such stuff !
First of all, Luke's broken toaster is back!
ReplyDeleteI hate when Lorelai yells at Sookie or when they fight in general. While nothing she says is wrong, she panics and takes it out on Sookie. We've seen her do this before, when she first broke up with Max. It's definitely one of my least favourite habits of hers.
I think Jess's prank is hilarious. Only in Stars Hollow, where nothing ever happens, could someone faking a murder with a little chalk and tape and preventing people from entering the store be such a big deal. I think it's funny that almost everyone in town pretends Jess is some kind of dangerous punk kid, and then this is what he does.
I like that Jess listens to Rory whose speech is not that different from the one Lorelai gave him when he arrived and that in the end he does something nice for Luke by fixing the toaster, even though he would never admit that.
When Rory and Jess look at each other with their little smiles, I feel like there's already more going on between them then between her and Dean, ever.
When Emily is talking to Mia at the end, I can see both sides, Mia's thought that she would want her daughter and her little tiny baby to be taken in and taken care of, as well as Emily's wish for her to be sent home. It's sad that Emily has to ask for photos and to think that she doesn't have any. We don't know exactly how often she saw Lorelai and Rory during that time but she certainly missed a lot not only of Lorelai's but also of Rory's life as she was growing up.
This is an episode I can see myself returning to, mostly because of Luke and Lorelai's conversation about taking the leap for big, scary life goals. Luke is usually very closed off, so it was touching to see him and Lorelai be honest with each other.
ReplyDeleteI thought Lorelai's bad mood over Mia's plan to sell the inn felt manufactured. The clear solution was for Mia to give her the friends and family discount. After all they've been through, I think that would be feasible. Then Lorelai wouldn't have to worry about it going to someone else, and she and Sookie could have a head start.
Luke was in fine form going up against Taylor and Bootsy this week. I think my favorite Luke is Seconds-Before-Exploding Luke. You just know he's getting revved up, and all that's left to do is sit back and savor the fury.
And finally, now that they've met, my gleeful anticipation of a Dean and Jess throwdown cannot be overstated. I thought there was a missed opportunity this episode for an angry duet called "My Vest Is Best" (Dean's was fleece; Jess wore a puffer one).
LUKE WAS A TREKIE !!!! OMG ... can you not see it now skate board in hand, walking down the sidewalk !! Are trekie jokes to come up again ??
ReplyDeleteI love Mia. The fact the actress is not playing is for laughs makes the snarky remarks and teasing of Michel ALL the more funny.The twinkle in the eyes says I know what I just did ! How long do you think the joke on Michel about the accent has been going on ?? Does he really not see it ??
Did you notice the HUGE pile of Spam tins in Sookie's kitchen at the Inn ?? Is that normal for a chef to have around in the US?? Its not in the UK ! tinned meat is seen as take-out/low end food.
LOL ... Always amazes me that Emily had a real swan !
OOhhh Its Fran's place.. but how many ways can Sookie and Lorelai come up with to explain dealth to Fran with out saying the words !!
This does lead us to the HUGE HUGE fight when Lorelai gets cold feet on Sookie. Some of the things she said were worth discussing before they go into business but calmly. Sookie could cost them dear if she changes the menu a lot. Glad they made up within this episode ....
Only in Stars Hollow would a fake murder mean a head count was taken. I mean once the cops had asked each other if they had put the tape up that would be the end of it ! We have only seen like three cops around the town ...
How many committees does Taylor have where he is the only member ?? Are they made up as he needs them or JUST for Luke ;)
Fav Quote "You can be so harsh sometimes I don't know where it comes from"
Fav moment - When Emily turns to Mia and asks for photos, its quite sad. Seems Mia has just been waiting to be asked and has a box of them waiting to ship.
I didn't think this episode was as terrible as you did, but the stupid TV mistakes (like lunch lasting 5 minutes, how paris was hovering too close to the table, how the fashion show lasted 5 minutes, and how quickly the Puffs brought in new members) did annoy me greatly. Overall, however, its easier for me to overlook minor flaws and see the point of the storyline. I DO think it was more of a filler episode, but that didn't make it terrible in my mind, just passable. I think the Puffs storyline did have a point, it revealed some of the things viewers were probably wondering about how Rory's life at Chilton is, especially since Paris turned Madeline & Louise (the closest "friends" she may have there) against her. Its easy to forget that Rory is an introvert because she thrives with a few close knit people around whom she blossoms and is outgoing around, but otherwise she is quite solitary and shy. I'm down for any story that tells us more about the fundamental nature of Rory and Lorelai, its why I love backstory episodes so much as well.
ReplyDeleteAlso the first few times I watched the series I thought that Lorelai didn't participate more at Chilton because she didn't want to, but watching it this time around I realized she probably really was just waaayy too busy to be involved much at Rory's school. She even says that she had to leave the bake sale early because of work. She works full time and goes to college to get a business degree. Who has time to take care of their kid, work full time, go to friday night dinners with family, go to business school and do homework/papers/study for tests, AND be involved in the booster club? THe other women seem like they're either stay-at-home-mom's ("I used to work at sacks") or have maids and nannies to help with their kids & homes (not to mention they're not in college). As far as not believing that Headmaster Charleston would back down to Rory, I actually DO believe that he would back down to a good argument. Him understanding Rory's explanation proved to me what I already thought about him-- that he's got high expectations but is reasonable and logical, he isn't laying down the law because he's just on a power trip but because its the right thing to do. In fact, I wish that Lorelai would have argued more about how busy she was, maybe then the headmaster would have changed his tune, but she kinda gives up and caves to him fairly easy.
This episode gave me the first glimmer that Michel is actually a good employee! Him and Lorelai had this great energy going and it was clear that he was actually very capable and organized. Maybe he really is crucial to the organizing/planning/dealing with things side but is just terrible with customer service.
I enjoyed the scene with Kirk fixing Lorelais jeep and getting some backstory about how he used to carry a duffel bag in high school. Lorelais expression in response to this was priceless.
I don't understand how is Lorelai in so much denial about Luke. Its making her act so irrational and it should be obvious to both her and Luke that she has feelings by now. Luke did give a little knowing smile at the end of their fight, but the scene cut away so fast it didn't register as much as it could have given a lingering take. But Lorelai? How is she STILL in denial about her feelings for him!? Lets see a little acknowledgement from her, or at least acknowledgment that she's trying to hide or suppress her feelings.
The gag at the beginning with Rory carrying so many books was kinda annoying. Even though others said it seemed relatable, I felt like they took it a little too far. it would have been totally believable if she had a different book for the bus and one for lunch, but 4 books? On top of school books? No.