They Shoot Gilmores,
Don’t They?
Season 3, Episode 7
Original airing: November
12, 2002
My Rating: 86
The Good:
The end of the Dean and Rory relationship is something I’ve
been waiting for since mid-season one, so I’m pretty pleased it’s finally here.
Dean’s bad behavior throughout the relationship has become clearer during this
rewatch and Rory’s bad behavior at the end has made it pretty plain these two
were doomed. This was a very satisfying and surprising way to finish things
off.
I never expected Dean to be the one to do the breaking up.
The episode did a great job of pushing Dean to this point through Rory’s
obvious obsession with Jess. I was completely on his side that she was hurting
him all the time and it needed to stop. His timing was, of course, less than
perfect. Rory isn’t trying to be hurtful; she’s confused and making poor
choices from stress and exhaustion. Dean choosing to break up with Rory in the
middle of the dance floor and in front of Jess feels purposefully mean. He
could have pulled her in to the hallway. But he’s also a teenager and it’s easy
to assume they both have lost control of their emotions.
The end scene at the lake was beautiful for several reasons
and the one that really made me happy was the level of honesty on display. Rory
and Jess both seem exhausted and ready to just lay it out there. They aren’t
being quippy or making references. They’re just stating that Dean was right and
that’s that. I really appreciated that the show had Jess choose to go break up
with Shane before full pursuing Rory. That was a nice touch after Dean’s
outburst to show that Jess does have a sense of decency.
I greatly enjoyed the majority of the background stories as
well. Kirk’s obsession with winning the marathon and Lorelai’s rivalry with him
were both entertaining. Sookie and Jackson’s baby fight was a nice way to introduce
the idea of children for their storyline and was more interesting than just
stating their going to have kids. And Lane and Dave couldn’t have been cuter.
It’s nice to see Dave heard Lane’s concerns about her mother and is willing to
navigate that unique relationship to spend time with her.
The Bad:
The one thing that really bothered me in this episode was
Jamie’s return. It feels like he’s been gone for a while and his sudden reappearance
feels a bit heavy. I could see how it might be romantic for a teenage girl to
have a cute college guy visit out of nowhere and declare how he can’t stop
thinking about you. But from a slightly older perspective, it felt a bit
stalker to me. I don’t think that’s how the show at all intended the scene to
play and it wasn’t bad enough that it really reduced my overall enjoyment of
the episode. It was bad enough that I noticed and felt just a bit uncomfortable.
Favorite Moment:
Dave’s overly detailed story about bringing his parents back
for the sandwiches, but only if they finished in 20 minutes, otherwise he’d be
on the stairs… you know… over there… in 30 minutes… just saying… was fantastic!
I loved how it got more and more obvious as he kept speaking and how it went
completely over Mrs. Kim’s head. Lane and Dave are adorable.
The Bottom Line:
This was my favorite episode of the season so far. I had
very, very few complaints and mostly thought the multitude of storylines was
hitting really well. I’m thrilled that the Rory and Dean relationship has
finally come to an end and we can see how things develop between Rory and Jess.
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