Hello! Welcome to Return to Stars Hollow - a spoiler-free, retrospective podcast about Gilmore Girls! This is the podcast for Season 4, Episode 5 - The Fundamental Things Apply.
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The next podcast will post on Thursday, May 26, 2016 for Season 4, Episode 6 - An Affair to Remember.
I don't know if it's the same as the FBI warning, but we definitely have a warning screen on dvds too. My favourite part of it is that you're not allowed to play the dvd on oil rigs. That just makes me laugh.
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot to like in this episode, but in the end I have so many problems with it.
My absolute favourite and by far the best thing here is Kirk's date. I love everything about this storyline. It would have been easy to just make fun of Kirk being terrible at dating. I love that they went another way with this and it's still incredibly funny, especially when he's freaking out that it's going so well, with Luke encouraging him to keep on doing what he's doing while stressing that he doesn't understand it either. I hope they don't just drop this and that we see Lulu again. I'd like to know more about her.
I totally get Rory's problem, I hate noises, too. But couldn't Tana just turn down the volume a little? That conversation doesn't work at all. Seeing Rory act like a spoiled little kid is always annoying and never fun to watch. At least Lorelai calls her out on it. Though I don't agree with Lorelai talking to Sookie in that scene. Buying a safer car for your baby is not an insane idea.
While the tree storyline is really stupid, I love that we've seen over the last few episodes that Rory has problems adjusting to college and her new living situation. So far she's struggled a little but things usually came pretty easy to her which was sometimes a problem for me, pretty little snowflake and all that. I appreciate that they're changing that up now, it's interesting.
I think the conflict between Emily and Lorelai works pretty well here. We've definitely seen worse. In their respective perspectives, both are justified in the way they act and in being angry or annoyed with the other, without going over board. And that scene between them in Lorelai's living room is really great.
And then it's totally ruined by the last scene between Lorelai and Digger at the end. This part of the story is where most of my problems come from.
First of all, I hate Digger, definitly after this episode. The way he acts towards Emily always and Lorelai at the end? Ugh.
And Richard gets draggied into it as well. He is so clueless here which doesn't fit with the way he behaved so far. We've seen over and over again that he doesn't understand Emily's world, but he knows it's important to her and he will fight for that. And then he goes and does the opposite of that here, without even noticing it.
And that ending. Lorelai agreeing to go out with Digger because her mother would hate it would work at the end of almost literally any other episode, except for this one. Because we just had that great moment in the living room and she went to Digger specifically to yell at him and to defend her mother. And within five seconds she competely turns around. I have no idea what the show is trying to achieve with this whole thing.
I knew before watching the episode that I didn't like this one and that there are a lot of character moments that don't work for me, so I made sure to pay attention to who wrote this episode. I was very surprised to see that it was ASP herself. If these are her main characters, I don't like them.
I think the episode wanted me to think Lorelai was being really mean to Rory by yelling at her about the stupid tree, but I actually thought "FINALLY, Lorelai is telling Rory to get over herself." News flash, Rory: you cannot dibs a tree. And of all the problems Rory might have adjusting to life at Yale, the writers want me to think that she can't find a quiet place to study? Have any of them ever been to a college? Next question: have any of them ever tried to study while leaning up against a tree? It's never as comfortable as you think it's going to be. (This is a personal peeve of mine; you always see people reading under trees in movies and TV and they never show how the bark is itchy and the ants crawl up their feet.)
ReplyDeleteI really liked Lorelai going to confront Digger because it was Lorelai using her craziness for a good cause: to protect her mother. That conversation was Lorelai at her most unselfish; she doesn't mention to Digger that she needed the money for her Inn. Instead, she shows that she really understands Emily and wants to keep her from being hurt.
I suspect your listeners will be starkly divided on the Digger question. Love him or hate him, there's one thing he has that Luke doesn't: he totally, completely understands Lorelai... because they are essentially the same person. (Now, whether that would make him a good dating partner is a separate question.) But it's interesting to contrast him with Christopher, who also had a similar background but lacks ambition and self-assurance. Digger's got drive, just like Lorelai.
Now we just have to find out how he got his horrible nickname.
i liked the line Ed:I have to tell you, Luke, I am never accepting anything free from you again.
ReplyDeleteLuke:What a threat! Boy, you're a real master of fear, there, Ed. Look out, Jason and Freddy. Ed may never mooch off of either one of you ever again! lol its a reference to Freddy Kruger from nightmare on elm street and Jason voorhees from Friday the 13th