Cordia's Review of S3E8 - Let the Games Begin

Let the Games Begin

Season 3, Episode 8

Original airing: November 19, 2002

My Rating: 78

The Good:

·         Luke’s protective parent rant in the apartment is great fun. He has two teenagers to feel responsible for in this situation and he obviously thinks he’s got everything under control. It’s reminiscent of his earlier assumptions about how easy it would be to turn Jess around when he first arrived. And while he hopes Rory will have a good impression on Jess, he is also worried that Jess will have a bad impression on Rory.

·         I really like Rory checking in with Lorelai about how she’s going to treat Jess. She’s fully aware of Lorelai’s preferences in the boyfriend department, so it makes sense that she would want to know how Lorelai intends to behave in this new post-Dean world.

·         Richard’s ability to keep the real reason for the trip to Yale under his hat is pretty impressive. Especially when he’s so awkward when the moment comes for the interview. His bit about looking at his watch and being surprised that it happens to be 3:00 is excellent. While I’m frustrated with him as an audience member, I felt this was perfectly in character. He didn’t trust that Lorelai would allow the meeting to happen if there was forewarning, so he just does it without her leave.

·         The inter-Gilmore fights were great. Everyone had perfect reasons for feeling the way they did in this moment. Richard knows he can help Rory get in to Yale and that Lorelai will oppose him. Rory is frustrated that she wasn’t given the opportunity to provide the best first impression possible. Lorelai is frustrated that one of her parents has again duped her and overstepped their bounds as grandparent to Rory. And Emily is frustrated that Richard was sneaky and drove another wedge between the grandparents and Lorelai and Rory. It’s very easy to see everyone’s side of the situation and empathize with them all, even if I don’t sympathize with Richard.

·         It’s interesting to see Rory and Lorelai giving Yale some serious consideration at the end of the episode. This potentially sets up some intriguing conflicts about which school Rory might end up at and how she will react to this very personal decision after going to Harvard has become so much a part of who she is as a person. And there are the additional stakes of the grandparents possibly pushing for Yale and Christopher possibly pushing for Harvard, due to proximity. We could get some very interesting stories out of this concept.

·         While I thought Rory going to apologize to Dean was premature and smacked of the show wanting the audience to forgive Rory, I really liked how Dean handled the situation. I was glad he didn’t forgive her instantly and put the show back on a nicey-nice level. It was actually very emotional to have him close the window in her face and gave him one of his most real moments on the show.

The Bad:

·         It’s become unfortunately common for Stars Hollow to have its own time vortex. There were several timing issues in this episode including the question of if the first two scenes happened on Sunday morning right after the dance marathon, or Monday morning the next day. Lorelai mentions the Dean and Rory break up happened the night before, but Rory seems to be headed to school. We also have a direct jump to Friday Night Dinner after this which means Rory and Jess didn’t see or speak to each other for the entire week. That seems pretty unlikely.

Favorite Moment:

·         It was adorable, sweet, and completely realistic to have Rory and Jess awkward with each other in their first couple of scenes. They need to reestablish how they interact now that they can freely express their feelings and be together without any barriers. It was really sweet seeing them fumble in the apartment, hold hands, and just whisper “hi.” It felt like a new beginning.

The Bottom Line:

·         This was a very good episode. It feels like it could have been a season opener with the way it’s setting up new possibilities and reestablishing relationships between multiple characters. I greatly enjoyed it.

Cordia's Review of S3E7 - They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They?

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.

Cordia's Review of S3E6 - Take the Deviled Eggs...

Take the Deviled Eggs…

Season 3, Episode 6

Original airing: November 5, 2002

My Rating: 66

The Good:

I thought this was an overall good episode. Nothing stuck out as particularly stellar or particularly bad.

I enjoyed most of the storyline with Jess’ car. I liked the opportunity it provided for Luke to realize how out of control he is in this situation with his nephew. He often states that he has the power in the relationship and we know as viewers that this is generally not true. Luke’s attempts to discover Jess’ secret shows how far he is willing to go, from grilling Gypsy for information to hunting through Jess’ sock drawer.

The pay-off scene when Luke learns Jess is working at Wal-mart was excellent. We got to see their relationship balance out a bit through some merciless teasing, which felt appropriate to their style of interaction.

Rory’s side of the story with Jess didn’t work quite as well, but I found it believable that she would transfer her frustration and anger about Jess and Shane on to his car. While she always sided with him that the accident in season two was an actual accident, it made sense that this would be an excellent outlet for her feelings.

I really liked that the car storyline allowed for a very funny scene between Gypsy and Jackson. I had never thought about these two interacting, but it was brilliant. Gypsy is a wonderfully caustic character and her wit and humor about Jackson’s truck repairs was perfect.

The highlight of the episode for me actually centered on the small vignettes with the townspeople. I loved everyone’s interest in Miss Patty’s date, Gypsy and Jackson are a great pair, the reverend and the rabbi did an excellent job of bringing Taylor down a few pegs, and the final protest fell apart in a very appropriately Stars Hollow manner.

The Bad:

My biggest struggle with the episode was the Sherry storyline. While I think the show is doing a pretty good job of making Sherry a more three dimensional character, it boils down that I just don’t care very much about her or her pregnancy. She’s still overall pushy in this episode. Practically forcing Lorelai to attend the shower was way too much.

I care more about how the pregnancy is affecting Rory and her relationship with Christopher, but we really don’t get to see that. The biggest bit from this is Sherry unintentionally driving Lorelai crazy and Lorelai’s understandable frustration, even though her chosen catharsis was extremely childish.

Favorite Moment:

I was really touched by the entire town meeting oohing and aahing over Miss Patty’s newest man. It was incredibly sweet and even Luke was smiling and getting in to the action.

The Bottom Line:

While we got some forward momentum on some story lines, nothing struck me as particularly dynamic.

Cordia's Review of S3E5 - Eight O'Clock at the Oasis

Eight O’Clock at the Oasis

Season 3, Episode 5

Original airing: October 22, 2002

My Rating: 58

The Good:

The highlight of this episode was definitely Rory and Jess’ scene at the end. Not only were they displaying some incredibly intense eye contact, but it was nice to see them being friendly again. I really liked Jess stepping in to help out when Rory obviously wasn’t going to ask him. And I found it very intriguing that he took the nice guy route and turned the water back on so Dean could play the hero. In the past, he probably would have hung around and made a big deal about saving the day before Dean arrived. But here he actually gets out of the way to help Rory avoid a fight.

Other moments I really enjoyed in this episode were both of Michel’s scenes and Richard protecting Emily’s lifestyle.

Michel got to actually do something a bit significant this episode and it was very enjoyable. I wasn’t at all surprised to find Michel not only enjoys auctions but sees them almost as a sport. He has specific requirements to help maintain his focus and strategies for when to bid.

I always enjoy the small moments when Richard displays just how much he cares for Emily. We’ve had a few of these in the past where he seems to just understand her and her needs in a way that only a long married couple can do. While I think he’s phone call to Lorelai was abrasive and he’s attempting to handle the matter in a very heavy-handed manner, the fact that he is attempting to handle the matter at all was significant. He doesn’t care about Emily’s first cup of tea except for the fact that she cares about it. And he’s going to do whatever he has to do to help her be happy.

Some specific moments I enjoyed revolved around a lot of the characters teasing each other in different scenes. I thought the dialogue was particularly good this episode for many people.

·         Rory teasing Luke about the breastfeeding child

·         Rory teasing Lorelai about liking the guy at the auction and her ridiculous phone conversation

• Emily teasing Lorelai about what will be in the auction
• Emily and Rory ganging up on Lorelai at the first Friday Night Dinner to tease her about liking Peyton
• Richard teasing Emily about all of the antique furniture in their house

The Meh:

While there wasn’t anything particularly terrible in this episode, I did feel like both major plot storylines were just not very funny. Jon Hamm was unfortunately not very engaging in his short interaction with Lorelai. I actually felt like he was brushing her off, so it was weird to see her pursuing a date so intently.

I thought the new neighbor, Dwight, was the type of over-the-top Stars Hollow that we get at times. He really lays it all out there immediately about his miserable life before the Oasis and how greatful he is to Lorelai for watering the lawn. There’s absolutely no subtlety to this storyline which becomes more and more apparent when we get inside the themed home and have to hear the very loud and abusive voicemail left by his wife.

Favorite Moment:

My favorite moment is definitely Jess turning the sprinkler back on in silence and stepping out of the way. It was surprisingly sweet to see him do that.

The Bottom Line:

Overall, I enjoyed some moments of this episode, but it just didn’t hit for me in the way I think it was intended. It seems like this was supposed to be a very funny filler episode and I mostly snoozed through it waiting for the Jess and Rory scene at the end.

Cordia's Review of S3E4 - One's Got Class and the Other One Dyes

One’s Got Class and the Other One Dyes

Season 3, Episode 4

Original airing: 10/15/2002

My Rating: 67

The Good:

Lane really got to shine this week. She’s joined Dave’s band after the last episode and is pseudo-rocking out in the music store. Her sad panic attack about her mother hearing them from blocks away is wonderfully soothed by Dave. I love when he tells her she won’t be the band’s Pete Best, an excellent Beatles reference saying he won’t leave her behind.

Lane’s attempts to tell her mom about the band were perfectly cut short by Mrs. Kim’s stack of curated college applications. I loved watching Lane channel a small part of Mrs. Kim as she tries to work up the courage to get off the stairs. Her tone of voice and facial expressions when she orders her feet to move really match Mrs. Kim’s style of speaking to her daughter.

All of this spins wonderfully in to Lane’s relatively impulsive decision to dye her hair. It is an excellent rebellion idea because she can’t hide it the way she hides her CD collection in the floor. She undergoes pain and fear in the process of dying her hair and is thrilled with the results. But in the end she realizes she’s not ready for this step and sends Rory back to the store for black hair dye. Her panic when she hears her mother come home is spot on and beautifully acted. I also love how she holds on to the sense of rebellion when Rory points out that her hair may be black, but it’s still dyed.

A few other good things were going on in this episode. It’s always nice to see Luke and Lorelai engaging in heavy flirtation and we got a small bit of illumination on Jess’ feelings about the Rory situation, but both of those stories had more dragging them down than lifting them up.

The Bad:

The biggest problem with Lorelai’s storyline was that it didn’t seem to have a point. We’re introduced to moms and students we’ve never seen who are hyper aggressive in all of their actions. Lorelai is asked to speak because of her success, she comes prepared to discuss her job, and then handles the barrage of personal questions as well as can be expected. After being attacked by some very brazen students, she’s then attacked on the street by those student’s Stepford moms. She stands up to them, as can be expected, and that’s it. What was the point again?

My problem with the Jess, Rory, and Shane storyline stems more from focus issues than anything else. We get lots of repeat information. We already know Rory is uncomfortable around Shane and jealous of her. We also already know she’s struggling with her feelings for Dean. We got an almost exact duplicate conversation with Lane as the one Rory had with Paris in S3E1 “Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days.” Lane and Paris both point out how lucky Rory is to have a nice guy she loves who loves her back and Rory avoids commenting on this both times. It’s not that any of this is inherently bad, we’ve just seen it before and very recently.

I was particularly thrown off by Rory’s interaction with Shane in the beauty shop. She’s incredibly mean and rude to an extent that I don’t think even an upset Rory would be with a virtual stranger. We’ve seen her express some serious frustration at her mom before, but to this random girl whose only link to Rory is that she’s Jess’ new kind-of girlfriend? It doesn’t sit right and I think that’s because this doesn’t feel like something Rory has any remorse about doing.

The show has done this kind of thing with Lorelai several times where she behaves badly and never apologizes or demonstrates an understanding of her poor behavior. Sometimes it feels like the show wants the audience to support a Gilmore girl being mean, cruel, obnoxious, or otherwise poorly behaved just because she’s a Gilmore girl. That’s not really a good reason and it would be nice to see that Rory realizes how awful she was to someone who really didn’t deserve it.

Favorite Moment:

Lane’s story excelled over and over again in this episode, but one of the moments that struck me as the most perfect was Lane’s attempts to talk herself off of the stairs. Keiko Agena does such an amazing job of channeling Mrs. Kim’s mannerisms and showing a little bit of where Lane’s independence and strength comes from.

The Bottom Line:

While I felt Lorelai’s story was forgettable and Rory’s story was largely a retread, Lane’s story really elevated the episode for me. This one is worth watching for the beginnings of the band and the highlights of what Lane will do to achieve her dreams of living her own lifestyle.

Cordia's Review of S3E3 - Application Anxiety

Application Anxiety

Season 3, Episode 3

Original airing: October 8, 2002

My Rating: 62

The Good:

There was a lot to like in this episode with the progression of the Harvard storyline, Luke and Taylor’s battle, and Lane’s band storyline.

It’s nice to see Rory going through the steps of achieving her dream to attend Harvard. She’s been preparing for a long time by being a good student and getting in to Chilton. We’ve also seen her work on additional aspects of her education including the school paper and volunteering to help build a house. It’s nice to see it all coming together as her application arrives in the mail.

I wasn’t a huge fan of how we got to the Springsteen lunch (See The Bad), but I liked what resulted from it. The Springsteens were an over-the-top depiction of what life could be like surrounded by highly educated people. They’re over-excited about all things intellectual and it was very interesting to watch Rory be simultaneously drawn in by the conversation and a bit repulsed by the attitudes and mannerisms. It all combined very nicely with her conversation with Carol.

Carol makes Rory think about some really excellent points. Why does she really want to go to Harvard? Is it because it’s been Lorelai’s dream for her since she was born or does she really want to attend? It was nice to see Rory state her intentions but I hope we also see her continuing to ponder this as the stress continues.

Luke and Taylor’s storyline was extremely entertaining. I loved everything from Taylor’s not-so-sneaky photo taking to his underhanded use of Stars Hollow’s impressionable young men to his ridiculous “professional” diorama with the gigantic horse and tiny Jackson. It was all that perfect level of crazy that we sometimes get from Stars Hollow residents. I really liked the tiny moment where Luke gives in on everything because Lorelai gives him puppy eyes and says she wants a soda shop. And the cherry on top was Kirk asking for a job at Luke’s fictional skateboard and bottle shop AND the soda shop. Any opportunity to work for minimum wage, eh, Kirk?

Last, but definitely not least, was the continuation of Lane’s band storyline. Her passion becomes clearer and clearer as we see her blending her love of all styles of music with her drumming. I don’t think she was in a single scene in this episode where she didn’t reference at least a half dozen different bands. Keiko Agena is able to inject such a vibrant love of all things music in to every line she speaks and it’s wonderful to see the character being given opportunities to shine. The introduction of Dave Rygalski was the perfect “meet cute” for the pair. This is an incredibly natural way for Lane to meet her next love interest and creates a perfect reason for her to keep this relationship secret from her mom after the last one blew up in her face concerning Henry.

The Bad:

While I enjoyed some of the, I believe, unintended consequences of the Springsteen lunch, I was not a fan of how the show brought us to that storyline. The most unfortunate part of this is that it feels quite similar to the Season 2 episode – Hammers and Veils. We have the same idea of Rory suddenly discovering she needs an additional edge to get in to Harvard. The frustrating thing about this take on the story is that it seems like Rory would already have significantly researched applying to Harvard and would have known for a long time what she could do to improve her chances of being successful. It just doesn’t fit her academic personality to assume that she hasn’t looked in to what will be an incredibly significant step in achieving her life-long dream.

It also really bothered me that the exposition for this storyline came from the panelists. Their presentation made them seem quite cruel and uncaring about the young people they were supposed to be helping. Their comments are demeaning and heartless.  

The other thing that bothered me was Rory and Dean’s conversation at the end of the episode. This feels like the show pointing out more things that are falling apart in their relationship. While I don’t disagree that this is an important conversation, it just didn’t feel to me like one that they were going to have with the level of communication in their relationship. I didn’t find it believable that Dean would bring this up in such a blunt manner and force Rory to discuss it.

Favorite Moment:

I really enjoyed Lane and Dave’s introduction. It was very sweet when she blurted out “I love you! I mean, I love that about you!” They are extremely adorable together.

The Bottom Line:

I loved the subplots in this episode and I thought there was some very interesting subtext to the main plot, but the overall story of “Rory is panicking about Harvard, again” didn’t play out.

Cordia's Review of S3E2 - Haunted Leg

Haunted Leg

Season 3, Episode 2

Original airing: October 1, 2002

My Rating: 71

The Good:

This felt like a continuation of the season opener. I was happy to see some direct addressing of the Lorelai/Christopher situation and the Jess/Rory situation.

Emily’s self-involvement in Lorelai’s relationship with Christopher felt very true to her character. I liked that she inserted herself in a way that she probably viewed as helpful, but also stood up for Lorelai when she really needed it in the final scene.

I was a little bit proud of Christopher for forcing a conversation about the situation since we know Lorelai and Rory have both been avoiding his phone calls. I was surprised and happy to see him arrive during Friday Night Dinner! But it didn’t last as he also stayed true to his character and wasn’t there to discuss the events, but to make accusations. It was really powerful to see Rory tear him down for breaking his promise to her within minutes of making it. Her comments cut very deeply.

I was also very in to Jess and Rory’s final conversation. The set up scene in the diner was a good small reminder of exactly where they stand. Neither of them will look at each other and we have the wonderfully awkward kiss between Jess and Shane where he pulls away. It was excellent for setting the stage for their scene in Doosey’s Market. I liked that they danced around the issue for a while. This seems like the first words they’ve exchanged in about three months since Rory left for Washington DC. So it makes sense that they might each have to work up the nerve to address the tension between them.

I appreciated really getting to hear Jess’ perspective. It was exactly what I suspected it would be; Rory hurt him by running away and not communicating for three months, so he presumably moved on with his life. However, it would seem he hasn’t and Shane is likely more of a distraction for him than a real interest. This develops way more interest in the Rory/Jess/Dean storyline because it gives Rory real, understandable reasons for staying with Dean versus pursuing Jess. Their mutually injured feelings and pride are the source of conflict.

Kirk’s story was particularly well-handled. It was a big surprise to have him ask Lorelai out on a date and yet makes perfect sense. Kirk is awkward, but he’s also an adult. He has an attraction to Lorelai based on their mutually crossing paths (much of which we’ve seen in various episodes). So his dinner suggestion is really quite reasonable. And while the storyline is largely played for laughs with his voice message and everyone mocking Lorelai, it’s handled quite delicately. It was good to have Lorelai have a considered, kind, and compassionate response to Kirk. This story was an excellent opportunity to expand Kirk’s character and remind us of a few reasons why we love Lorelai.

The Bad:

I’m less enthusiastic about the Chilton bits of the episode, but I thought they were ok. Of course it’s entertaining to see Paris in a position of power and how quickly she takes complete and utter control of her position. But I felt the Francie-side of things was lacking. Her threat is a retread of Season One Paris – a mean girl who’s purpose on the show is to make Rory’s school life uncomfortable. Her vocalized threat to ruin Rory and Paris’ relationship is just frustrating. If the show returns to that well for a third time, it will feel beyond tired and clichéd. If the writers find a new angle for this, I think it could be interesting. But it’s not a terribly promising start.

The other bit of the episode that frustrated me was Emily’s bait and switch at lunch. This was another retread that felt unnecessary and wrong. Emily may have pulled this earlier in her and Lorelai’s relationship, but at this point I think she knows it wouldn’t result in Lorelai being willing to listen to anything she has to say.

Favorite Moment:

I was really impressed by the small scene of Lorelai trying to decide if she would save a seat for Emily with her purse. She holds a pretty long joke moment of picking up her purse and putting it back down with aplomb. Her facial expressions as she goes through the pros and cons of each decision were very engaging. The kicker was Emily arriving with the bag off the seat and commenting on Lorelai’s lack of courtesy.

The Bottom Line:

This episode did a great job of kicking off season three with a momentum that was lacking last week. The main storylines were very strong and engaging, as was Kirk’s dinner invite. The Chilton storyline is really more of an unknown, so I’ll have to wait and see how that develops. Overall, I greatly enjoyed this week.

Cordia's Review of S3E1 - Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days

Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days

Season 3, Episode 1

Original airing: September 24, 2002

My Rating: 65

The Good:

This was a pretty mild emotional opening for season three. We spent a good amount of time catching up with characters catching up with each other.

I liked the resolution of Lorelai’s Christopher relationship as it stands at the moment. I’m glad this was addressed in the episode between Lorelai and Rory. It’s completely understandable for both of them to be upset enough to cut Christopher off for a while. It was a pretty huge event in all of their lives and they need time to recover.

I really liked Emily and Richard’s response to Lorelai’s news about Christopher. I expected them to be upset, but I didn’t really know how that would manifest in the show. It was a surprise to see it turn in to an argument between them instead of a united front of disappointment against Lorelai. I felt both Emily and Richard’s reactions fit their characters very well and will allow for a natural continuation of the storyline in several episodes to come as they come to a full confrontation with Lorelai.

What I liked most though was how the Friday Night Dinner scene led in to the resolution of Luke and Lorelai’s fight which began in S2E19 – Teach Me Tonight. Luke still seems upset with Lorelai, but one of the biggest pillars of his character is how he will yield to her needs and happiness. That’s not necessarily a good thing for balance in their relationship, but it’s consistent to have him finally give in and be a support for her again. I hope we see even more of Lorelai returning the favor this season. I liked that their scene, interactions, tone, and conversation were all very mild. They didn’t need to have another big blow up and it was a good adjustment after the anger displayed at the Gilmore Manor.

I found the subplots of Kirk and Sookie well-suited to the episode. They didn’t feel out of place and brought a nice dash of humor.

Rory and Paris wrapped up their final days in Washington, DC for their summer program. It was excellent seeing Paris get a date without realizing it was occurring. Her typical focus on academia led to this very cute scene with the tall and not-overly-dashing Jamie. I really liked this entire story as it led to great moments between Paris and Rory. It’s easy to see how their relationship has blossomed over the past seasons. They are at a point of confidences and emotional support that I’ve been hoping they’d reach for a while now. I enjoy them much more as friends than I do as enemies.

It was also interesting to see all the little hints about Rory’s emotional state over the summer. She’s obviously pulling away from Dean. Her discussion with Paris about compatibility seems to be all about Jess. And her unfinished letter is addressed to him as well. The big moment is when Dean signs off the phone with “I love you” and Rory is conveniently distracted to avoid saying it back.

I felt they show even had a moment in the airport when Lorelai was picking Rory up from her flight home. Lorelai mentions arranging the evening so Rory can spend it alone with Dean and Rory’s physical reaction is to tense up, open her eyes very wide, and look quite terrified. This was all really excellent to put it out there how Rory’s Jess attraction is affecting her relationship.

The show hits it home even harder when they’re at the festival and a dressed-up Rory spots Jess kissing another girl. This leads in to the inevitable fight with Lorelai who learns about the kiss at Sookie’s wedding. Lorelai was going to find out eventually and I knew there would be a big fight about it. I didn’t fully expect Lorelai’s position to be “choose whomever you want, but choose!” I expected her to be more fully on Dean’s side, so it was nice to see her more on the side of treating everyone with respect no matter what Rory chose to do. Dean’s sudden arrival again showed Rory being off-balance and uncomfortable. And her lingering glance to Jess during her hug with Dean was really quite upsetting.

The Bad:

All of this preparation is why I was really disappointed by the end of the episode. Rory’s decision to recommit to her relationship with Dean doesn’t really make a lot of sense, except as a way to keep the love triangle storyline full of extra drama. After seeing Rory’s reactions to Dean throughout this episode, it doesn’t feel like she really wants to be with him anymore. Regardless of if she chooses to pursue Jess, she just doesn’t seem that interested in Dean anymore.

Favorite Moment:

I greatly enjoyed the entire pre-date scene with Paris and Rory. Paris’ unnecessary panic was accentuated by her stunning appearance and obvious desire for things to go well. Jamie invited her out after hearing how she enjoys crushing opponents during debates. He’s pretty aware of, and attracted to, her strong personality. So she really has nothing to worry about if she would just calm down and be herself.

It was great having Rory give Paris the mental slap of sanity to help calm her down. And it was sad and adorable when Paris asked Rory to hide in the closet and then thanked her through the door. I also enjoy vulnerable Paris moments and this was a lovely string of them.

The Bottom Line:

This was a good episode, but it didn’t leave me super excited or emotionally affected overall. I’m a bit annoyed by the ongoing confusing presentation of the Rory and Dean relationship, but not enough to have any lingering annoyance once I finished the episode.

Cordia's Review of S2E22 - I Can't Get Started

I Can’t Get Started

Season 2, Episode 22

Original airing: May 21, 2002

My Rating: 72

The Good:

In an episode presumably about Sookie and Jackson’s wedding, we got to see a relatively small amount. What we did get was quite lovely, though. I greatly enjoyed Jackson’s reaction to his kilt and Sookie’s pre-wedding freak out. She looked amazing in her dress trying to de-pink the cake. And the wedding guests at the piano were wonderful. Kirk attempting to sing a sexy song was gold.

Mixed in around this madness was some more good stuff. I really liked Luke and Lorelai’s scene in the diner. She attempts to make nice and move on and he’s obviously still not ready. I’d like to know what was in Lorelai’s apology note. My guess is that she only apologizes for having the fight, not for her unfair anger directed at Luke.

But Rory and Jess’ story was definitely the highlight of the episode for me. I really liked that Jess went back to Luke’s first and asked permission to move in. This felt like a really mature move from him when he could have just shown up and said “I’m here.” I’m interested to possibly see their relationship develop in to something more familial, which seems to be what Luke has been trying to do from the beginning.

And, of course, Rory and Jess’ scene at the wedding was phenomenal. The lack of conversation is interesting and really allows them to speak with the energy they have between them. They’ve always been good at looking at each other and that continues here until Rory just can’t handle it anymore. This is a great follow up to last episode when they didn’t talk about why Rory really visited Jess in New York. After her step forward in the relationship, he takes the next one and comes back to Stars Hollow. I don’t blame her at all for getting swept up in that and kissing him.

It’s an excellent kiss, for sure, and long coming. And I’m able to enjoy it for what it is despite the fact that it means Rory is cheating on Dean. I don’t like Dean, but I don’t think anyone deserves to be cheated on. However, as I mentioned above, it’s perfectly understandable that Rory’s emotions drive her to this point. What saves it is how she pulls back so quickly and obviously freaks out. Then she literally runs away and makes the decision to keep running to Washington DC for the summer. IT should be interesting to see how Dean and Jess get on in her absence.

The Bad:

On the smaller side of things, I wasn’t a huge fan of the Paris storyline. It felt convenient so that Rory would have somewhere to go after kissing Jess and avoid her feelings for a while. It’s a good story by itself and perfectly in character. Of course Paris wants to be student body president and of course nobody wants to vote for her because she’s scary. But with the rest of the episode staying connected to the wedding and things surrounding it, this random bit of Chilton life felt out of place.

My big problem was with Christopher and Lorelai. While I totally by Rory jumping the gun and kissing Jess in a moment of passion, Christopher and Lorelai sleeping together felt quite calculated. And while Christopher says he’s having problems with Sherry and thinking about looking at moving out, he’s still in a relationship with her. Neither Lorelai nor Christopher address this when they make the decision to sleep together and the choice to attempt their own relationship.

I was already struggling with this lack of awareness of the situation outside of themselves when the pregnancy bomb was dropped. This just made the whole story even worse because I felt like it was a really unbelievable reason for Christopher to have to break up with Lorelai. First, I found it strange to think that Christopher, a man who has already experienced one accidental pregnancy, and Sherry, a woman who’s primary characteristic in her last appearance was her extreme ability to organize every aspect of her life, would find themselves accidentally pregnant. It didn’t feel believable from the start. But then I really didn’t like that Christopher assumes the only way to do the kid thing right this time around is to toss Lorelai and Rory aside to run back to Sherry and the baby. There is no nuance or interest in this story; it’s just about trying to create drama that isn’t that interesting.

Favorite Moment:

While I was onboard with Rory’s story and pretty annoyed by Lorelai’s, I still really thought the final moment hit it out of the park. It was a striking image to see Lorelai and Rory standing next to each other, both in a state of stunned heartbreak, and completely unaware of what the other has just experienced.

The Bottom Line:

This was a pretty strong season finale. It set up some very interesting plot lines for Season Three. How will Dean and Jess fair over the summer? Who or what will Rory want when she returns? How will Lorelai recover from this latest blow from Christopher? Will Paris rule the school with an iron fist? I can’t wait to find out.

Cordia's Review of S2E21 - Lorelai's Graduation Day

Lorelai’s Graduation Day

Season 2, Episode 21

Original airing: May 14, 2002

                     

My Rating: 67

The Good:

I really enjoyed the way the stories tied together in this episode. The set up for Lorelai’s graduation led very naturally in to some sweet moments with Lorelai’s parents. And it fed perfectly in to Rory missing a big event in Lorelai’s life and opening up the conversation about Jess.

I adored the scene at the Gilmore manor when Rory invited Emily and Richard to the ceremony. It was very impressive to see her balance her mother’s wishes against her grandparents’ feelings. I like how calmly and nicely she lays out the idea that Emily and Richard should only attend if they genuinely want to see Lorelai graduation and will be bringing a spirit of goodwill with them. She doesn’t accuse anyone of being spiteful on purpose, but makes it clear that they will not be welcome if they can’t be happy for Lorelai. I especially love how Rory shuts down Emily’s small bit of temper when Emily asks why Lorelai didn’t invite them herself. It’s because Lorelai would expect her parents to act exactly how they are acting when they first hear the news. Now they have some time to get their heads on straight and at least attempt to enjoy the event.

Of course, even when they do arrive they are initially more concerned with propriety than anything else. Emily must have the perfect recording of the ceremony and Richard can’t help but complain about the commencement speaker. But it’s all wiped away when Lorelai steps on stage. The sudden emotion in Emily and Richard’s faces is fantastic. They both look like they’ve been hit by a truck as they realize they are proud of their daughter. And I absolutely love that Lorelai sees them from the stage. She gets to spend one perfect moment basking in their adoration of her accomplishment.

After the ceremony, the good feelings continue with Lorelai asking for a picture with her parents. I love that their photo taken as a family is done with Lorelai’s disposable camera and not one of Emily’s fancy cameras brought by her cameraman. It’s down to earth, simple, and very Lorelai.

Meanwhile, Rory’s divergent storyline with Jess is practically perfection. The show does a great job of making her arrival in New York and ability to find Jess quite believable. He name drops Washington Square Park which is much smaller than Central Park. Being able to wander up to his bench worked really well. I like that they can’t seem to really talk about what happened or what’s going on back in Stars Hollow. Jess can barely even say Luke’s name. They’re time together is sweet and based on mutual interests, not rehashing an accident neither could control. The sparks and smiles are extremely strong as it feels like they’ve been separated for weeks.

But my favorite part was after Rory got back on the bus. Jess waits until the last moment to ask her the big question – why did she come to find him? It felt completely in character for him to take this risk after she was safely distanced from him. All they have is eye contact and their voices and their able to put themselves out there just a little bit. Their goodbyes are incredibly sweet and painful.

The reconnection of the stories didn’t work quite as well as other things in this episode (See The Bad). But I did like the second half of the final scene. I thought this was a great way for Rory to finally admit that she likes Jess. She’s in full on denial now which should be interesting for future scenes involving Dean. And it made sense for Lorelai to forgive Rory missing her graduation. Rory is obviously distraught about disappointing Lorelai and her confusing feelings for two boys at the same time. Lorelai is able to forgive her and see things much more clearly now. I was really proud of Lorelai for stepping in and trying to tell Rory it’s ok to be confused at this point. She’s not a bad person for liking two guys; it’s really going to come down to how she handles it. And Lorelai even implies that if this means the end of Rory’s relationship with Dean that would be okay as well. That’s a pretty powerful concept, especially coming from Dean’s biggest supporter.

In the background, I liked that Lane is continuing to practice her drumming and I liked that we had a small scene showing that Lorelai and Luke are still on the outs. I don’t want these things to be forgotten by the show.

The Bad:

While I really liked the second half of the final scene, I thought the first half was flubbed. It was fine for Rory to focus on missing the graduation and try to avoid talking about Jess, but it went on rather excessively long for me. And it felt like it was supposed to be funny with the manner that she delivered an on-going list of self-punishments. But that all fell quite flat for me. I think this could have been shortened a great deal and it would have been a better lead in to the meat of the scene (See The Good).

I was also not a huge fan of Paris’ rant. While she’s a generally fun character, I thought her involvement in this particular scene was distracting. Rory is making the decision to skip school and go to New York in this moment and instead of paying attention to that, I’m listening to Paris complain about her math teacher.

But those are relatively minor complaints. The really bad part of this episode was the mini subplot of Lorelai trying to fit in with the other graduates. Liza and Zak were completely random characters and extremely annoying. Again, I think this is intended to be funny, but it’s not. They’re rude to each other and hateful about everything Emily is doing. They don’t come across as nice people and I don’t understand why Lorelai is supposed to be concerned with what they think of her. This was an irritating and confusing part of the episode.

Favorite Moment:

My favorite moment was Jess and Rory finally saying goodbye at the bus station. It was extremely bittersweet.

The Bottom Line:

This was a pretty solid episode with some great development of Lorelai’s character and the Rory and Jess romance storyline. It had some failed humor, but the preponderance of strong moments at the end really lifted the whole thing up.

Cordia's Review of S2E20 - Help Wanted

Help Wanted

Season 2, Episode 20

Original airing: May 7, 2002

My Rating: 60

The Good:

I really enjoyed seeing Lorelai and Richard’s interactions this week. Lorelai stepped in to help her father and he got to see a whole new side of her. Their interactions in the office were entertaining, to a point. I did get a little annoyed when Richard started to treat Lorelai as an employee. But I do think it fit with Richard’s personality to put himself in charge and be hurt when Lorelai pushed back on his assumptions. It was nice to see them make up at the party and have this not be a two steps forward, ten steps back storyline.

Lane’s discover of her passion for drumming is a good thing. I found it kind of strange in retrospect that she’s never tried playing drums before. I suppose it has to do with starting to be more and more comfortable rebelling against her mother as she gets older. Of course, it only goes so far; it’s extremely cute when she asks Sophie to turn off the lights so she can play in the dark. The best part of this storyline is how natural it feels for Lane to start playing rock and roll. It suits her perfectly.

It was a small scene, but really funny, when Kirk tried to get a job at Sophie’s Music. He’ works everywhere else in town! He probably just assumes he’ll have good references.

I also thought the scene of Lorelai annoying Michel was pretty cute. You can tell he’s planning to never return to that diner ever again.

On Rory’s side of things, I liked her standing up for herself. She’s trying to take responsibility for her part in the accident (it was her car and she chose to let Jess drive it), but no one will let her take ownership of her choices. It was great to see her exert her own agency. She’s a young woman now and she can be held responsible for her actions. She wasn’t driving, but she was part of the situation.

The Bad:

I was really disappointed with how the show handled telling Dean about the accident. I thought the letter was a weird choice and having Dean read it while Rory stood there watching him was extremely awkward. It felt to me like it was intended to be a humorous scene with Dean’s constant “Whats?!” but it fell really flat for me. I would have vastly preferred to see an actual conversation between them where we got to see what Rory chose to tell Dean and what details she chose to hold back.

While I appreciate the touch of having a musician play Sophie (the theme song writer, Carole King!), it didn’t really work well. The character seemed strangely written and it all just felt disjoined. She went from insisting Lane keep her hands to herself to insisting Lane sit down at the drums in four seconds flat. And she caved at the end rather abruptly as well. In the end, I just didn’t feel like Sophie and Lane played off each other very well.

The biggest disappointment in this episode was the general lack of pop. It felt like the whole thing was missing the spark that makes a Gilmore girls episode really engaging throughout. A lot of the humor fizzled for me and the drama surged past too quickly.

Favorite Moment:

I really liked the final scene where Rory and Luke were able to connect on a simple level. After being crushed under the weight of expectation all day by the town, Rory is able to rather simply express herself to Luke and he acknowledges her. It’s nice to see the only two people in town who cared about Jess bonding together.

The Bottom Line:

This wasn’t a bad episode, but it wasn’t great. There were plenty of strong stories, but there were several general things that just didn’t fall in to place.

Cordia's Review of S2E19 - Teach Me Tonight

Teach Me Tonight

Season 2, Episode 19

Original airing: April 30, 2002

My Rating: 82

The Good:

When I asked for forward progression on the triangle between Rory, Jess, and Dean, I certainly didn’t expect Jess to be on the losing side! And Dean wasn’t even there!

This was a really interesting twist. Rory finally lets her guard down and Jess immediately (though accidentally) hurts her. This feels like an extremely literal representation of the damage Jess could do to Rory’s feelings if they actually pursued each other.

The lead up to the car crash was very good. Jess is flunking in school because he doesn’t care, so Luke asks the one person Jess respects to be his tutor. Luke’s reasons for asking Rory are pretty much spot on. She’s smart, she’s studious, Jess respects her, she’s on the educational path that Luke wants to encourage Jess to take… it’s all perfect on paper. Of course, in reality, Jess just wants to spend time with Rory and he’d rather do that without the distraction of studying.

Lorelai continues to use her keen mom senses and is against Jess studying with Rory, but her reason is pretty much “I don’t like Jess”. At that point, it’s hard to argue with her simple desire to protect her daughter. But her reverse logic of “I was right because Jess proven me right by hurting Rory” is naturally flawed. Because of this, I was able to be on board with Luke’s defensive nature when Lorelai is yelling at him. The crux of the matter is the car accident was an accident. Rory and Luke know that, but Lorelai doesn’t care. Everyone’s responses to the situation were really good and made excellent sense for their stance on Jess as a person. As an audience member, I empathized and supported everyone at the same time.

I found it very interesting that Rory asked Lorelai to lie to Dean for her. Lorelai seems to oppose it as a means to convince Rory that she shouldn’t be spending time with Jess. She doesn’t seem to acknowledge what Rory actually says about Dean. She states that they both know Dean wouldn’t be happy with Rory spending any time in Jess’ presence. We now have another example of Rory avoiding Dean’s anger by lying to him. We saw it in S2E15 “Lost and Found” about the missing bracelet and again in S2E16 “There’s the Rub” when Dean found Jess and Paris at the Gilmore house. Is the show finally acknowledging that Dean’s responses can be over the top?

I absolutely adore Christopher’s response to the situation. He drops everything, drives through the night, and tracks down his daughter to be at her side. It’s incredibly sweet and shows he can be a good dad when the chips are down. I’m really glad the show resolved the fight Christopher and Lorelai had in S2E14 “It Should Have Been Lorelai”. At the time, I wondered if it would just be ignored depending on the amount of time that would pass before we might see Christopher again. It appears that it has been a persistent issue of Lorelai and Christopher refusing to speak to each other since then.

This was a good way to handle it. With Rory injured, both Christopher and Lorelai realize that nothing else really matters very much. They make up and move on with what needs to be done to help Rory.

The movie story line was very cute and an excellent nonsense background to the heavy drama. Taylor’s glee when he drops the literal book on Lorelai’s movie choices was palpable. It was kind of nice to have a story where Lorelai eats her words by the end. Of course, Kirk gives her the perfect fuel to put her own spin on the occasion. One has to wonder which came first – the idea of making a movie with Kirk in it to put in the show or the actor who played Kirk presenting the movie already made and the show finding an excuse to use it.

The Bad:

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this episode. The things that annoyed me were small and rather insignificant. For example, I rolled my eyes when I saw that the hospital was actually called Stars Hollow Hospital. We know that this town is basically the square and some outlying houses and everyone knows everyone else. So the idea of our tiny setting having a hospital is a bit crazy. Why couldn’t this hospital just be in Hartford?

It was also strange to prove Jess is skipping class by having him sneak in to class 15 minutes before the end. Why not show him actually skipping class?

The other little thing was the presentation of the information that Jess has left town. Miss Patty and Babette gossiping about this was fine, but would they really be so incredibly insensitive as to do it five feet from the Gilmore girls? I would have found it more believable if Babette had walked up and asked Lorelai about it directly, perhaps assuming she had more information.

The Unknown:

Of course, with Dean gone, I can’t help but wonder what his reaction will be to the events of this episode. The car he built for Rory was smashed while being driven by his rival and Rory was injured in the process. Which will win? Anger at Rory for being with Jess? Anger at Jess for injuring Rory and crashing the car? Concern for Rory’s injury? I honestly have no idea.

I’m also curious to see Emily and Richard’s reaction to Rory’s broken wrist. They often disapprove of Lorelai’s parenting. Will this be a wedge between them?

It was a surprise to hear that Jess was on a bus out of town. After Luke’s speech concerning family, it was an unexpected twist. Was it Jess’ idea? Why did Luke give up on getting Jess to graduate high school? Is Jess going back to his mom? Will she send him right back to Stars Hollow?

Finally, what’s up with Christopher avoiding Sherry’s name like the plague? He wouldn’t even say it out loud and deflected Rory and Lorelai when they brought her up. Trouble in paradise?

Favorite Moment:

The moment that touched me the most was the visual of Lorelai sleeping in Rory’s room, only to awake and find Christopher next to her. It was incredibly sweet.

The Bottom Line:

This was a pretty exciting episode. A lot happened which will likely have some wide repercussions. I enjoyed what occurred with Rory and Jess as well as the events connected to Christopher, Lorelai, and Luke, but I’m also really excited to see how these events continue to affect the characters.

Cordia's Review of S2E18 - Back in the Saddle Again

Back in the Saddle Again

Season 2, Episode 18

Original airing: April 23, 2002

My Rating: 51

The Good:

I thought the Chilton storyline was an interesting continuation of Richard’s season arc. His retirement is not treating him well and it was good to see Emily point that out. He does seem lost and it’s nice to see him getting back on track with something he can sink his teeth in to. It was great fun having him working on the project with equally-invested Paris.

Madeline and Louise were a delight, as usual. Their silly back ground antics and looks of shared dismay were right on point. And Brad’s return was very good. Coming back to face his fear of Paris and the other intense kids at Chilton will hopefully result in more great moments, such as this week’s robot exchange.

I also enjoyed Sookie’s wedding invitation debacle. Deadlines are starting to approach and the regularly scattered Sookie doesn’t handle setbacks very well.

Michel’s mom coming to visit was particularly enjoyable. The two of them are truly peas in a pod and each scene of Michel and his mother lovingly sniping at each other was delightful.

The Bad:

Dean continues to disappoint as his personality is once again dictated by the needs of the story. Suddenly, he has become extremely needy and clingy. This is a pretty new development and comes across as quite excessive. Rory is obviously extremely turned off by his behavior, and I can’t blame him. He left fourteen phone messages in an hour? He won’t stop coming by her house just on the off chance that she’ll be home? This is legitimate stalker behavior and it’s not ok. It’s extremely painful to watch.

As Dean is recreated every week in to the person that episode needs him to be, I find myself less and less invested in him and his relationship with Rory. I’m ready for her to move on from him and start dating Jess. I think the show is trying to create sympathy for Dean and the apparent ending of his relationship, but all they’ve managed to do is drive me away as a viewer.

It also makes me question again and again Lorelai’s insistence that Dean is still the perfect boyfriend for Rory. She hasn’t been present for any of his anger explosions (that I can remember), but it’s quite clear that Rory is not happy with the current standing of things. And I think Lorelai has definitely picked up on Rory’s attraction to Jess, even though I still don’t think Rory is completely aware of it herself. It’s difficult to understand why Lorelai is still pushing for Dean and Rory when it seems blindingly obvious that her daughter is unhappy.

Finally, I was really disappointed in Lane’s scene. We haven’t seen her in four episodes and all she gets is a joke monologue. I want more Lane.

Favorite Moment:

The physical comedy of Sookie flinging meringue across the kitchen when her wedding invitations arrived was fantastic. It was unexpected and exuberant and the large glob that landed on her shoulder was the cherry on top. I laughed out loud.

The Bottom Line:

This isn’t really a bad episode, but it’s not terribly engaging. The Chilton storyline was the best stuff but it’s painfully overshadowed by the ongoing terrible Dean usage. 

Cordia's Review of S2E17 - Dead Uncles & Vegetables

Dead Uncles & Vegetables

Season 2, Episode 17

Original airing: April 16, 2002

My Rating: 76

The Good:

I really enjoyed this episode for the world-building it gave us. We had some wonderful interactions between several characters. It was particularly great to see Lorelai being a supportive friend to Sookie, Jackson, and Luke. We’ve seen them go above and beyond for her in the past, even when she’s being quite annoying at times. So I’m really glad the show spent an episode focusing on how the friendship is reciprocated.

Lorelai and Rory stepping in to help Luke in the diner was fantastic for multiple reasons. It showed that they really are friends with each other and it let us see our girls in aprons, which they rocked. It also allowed for Lorelai’s diner talk, which was particularly amusing. Finally, I greatly enjoyed how it set the stage for Emily to poke Lorelai about her relationship with Luke. Maybe one of these days, Lorelai will listen to her mother.

It was great to see the whole town turn out to support Luke. Lorelai is the only one at the funeral, but when the reenactors march over the hill, it’s a very sweet moment. And seeing the town gathering in the diner to support Luke and remember Louie was excellent.

Sookie and Emily’s story was pretty interesting. Seeing these two interact was great as they fed off each other’s excitement and energy. I think Emily believed she was doing a nice thing for Sookie, but it was still very Emily for her to disregard cost despite Sookie’s limited funds.

Taylor’s story with the farmer was also quite good. The farmer really lets Taylor tie himself up in knots as he maintains a cool, relaxed vibe himself. It was a lot of fun to see Taylor battling with another person who is so different from his normal opponent – Luke.

The Bad:

While I liked the concept of Rory forcing Jess to pull his weight in the diner, I felt like it wasn’t very well delivered. Rory just seems annoyed and overbearing the whole time, even though she’s encouraging good behavior. I think this could have been done in a different way that would have been more the cute aspect I believe the writers were trying to achieve.

Favorite Moment:

I greatly enjoyed the sub-text of Luke walking in to the diner slightly out of breath and still buttoning his shirt right after Emily has been calling Lorelai out on her feelings. Emily’s raised eyebrows were perfection.

The Bottom Line:

I loved seeing Lorelai be ultra-supportive of her friends in this episode. It was a reminder of why the audience loves her so much.

Cordia's Review of S2E16 - There's The Rub

There’s The Rub

Season 2, Episode 16

Original airing: April 9, 2002

My Rating: 68

The Good:

This was a good episode for some serious character and story development. Emily and Lorelai had one of the first real conversations about their relationship that we’ve seen. And the Rory/Dean/Jess triangle was pushed way forward with some great moments from Paris.

The Emily and Lorelai storyline didn’t start off great as we treaded back over old ground with Emily being overbearing and Lorelai being visibly annoyed. We’ve been here and seen this a lot. There’s some variation of doing it in bath robes and sheets, but it’s really not that funny or exciting.

Then they sneak off campus for dinner and things get good! It’s really nice to see them having a cocktail and laughing together. And the one dance with Chad the Silver Fox was quite fun. I completely understand Emily’s anger during the slow dance. The cheek to cheek dancing was too intimate and Emily allowed herself to end up in that position, albeit with some aggressive body language from Chad. Where Emily goes wrong, of course, is blaming Lorelai for the situation. Emily was the one who could have pulled away more strongly from the man. But having been put extremely out of her comfort zone, Emily lashes out, which is a perfectly understandable reaction.

And it leads to a great conversation in the hotel room. Emily asks the question “Why can’t we have a good relationship?” but she doesn’t really want to hear the answer. She gives reason after reason why the way she raised Lorelai was proper. But the idea of being friends obviously appeals to her and it’s great to see her run with it when Lorelai suggests stealing the robes.

Meanwhile, the younger generation was getting in to all kinds of interesting hijinks.

The best stuff was with Paris. When push comes to shove and Paris is worried about her grade, she’ll overlook all else to find a good study partner. All of her conversations with Rory were excellent, witty, and the perfect amount of quick that these two actresses are just getting better at doing. And the number of moments Eliza Weil had to shine in this episode were numerous. Some of my favorites were seeing her eyes light up when she learned there was mac and cheese, her excitement to be asked to dinner, her hesitant hope that perhaps she and Rory are kind of some realm of friends, asking if they were having a sleep over, and her quick reversion to threats if Rory freezes her bra. It was all brilliant and great fun to watch.

Jess was also cute all over the board. Showing up at the house was extremely presumptuous, of course, but the heat going on in the kitchen with Rory was not all from the food! It’s really fun to watch these two fire back and forth with their tangible chemistry. I liked how the cinematography emphasized their conversation with quick cuts back and forth on their faces. It definitely amped up the tension.

Jess is really pulling off the sexy vibe in this episode. Every scene with Rory has him slightly in her space, just enough to raise an eyebrow. And watching her shove him out the door was surprisingly cute considering it was easy to guess that Dean was about to catch him leaving the house.

The Jess and Paris overlap was great. Having Jess, Paris, and Rory sit around and eat food while debating literature was a scene this show was born to do. These three characters have needed to be in a room together since Jess was introduced and it was utter perfection. On top of that, it highlighted even more how much Jess and Rory have in common. Dean would have never kept up at that dinner table.

Speaking of Dean, I was onboard with the second half of his story. I thought his anger at finding Jess at Rory’s house was completely reasonable. She told him she wanted to be alone and then he came over (which was annoying but see The Bad for those thoughts) and found Jess of all people being hurriedly shoved out of the house. I think anyone would be upset by that.

I also really liked Dean’s response to seeing Jess and Rory in the diner the next day. For the first time we got to see a reaction from him that wasn’t over the top anger and jealousy. I actually felt slightly bad for him and touched by his question to Lorelai, “Rory wouldn’t lie, right?” And I also believed Lorelai’s answer. Rory wouldn’t lie and, personally, I don’t think she is. I think she finds Jess fun and interesting, but I don’t feel like she is aware if she finds him attractive. I think she’s still devoted to Dean and doesn’t fully realize how her behavior is starting to veer in the other direction.

Finally, I’m glad to see the show is going forward with the diner expansion storyline in a tangible manner. It would have been easy in TV world to just say it happened and the next time we see Luke’s apartment, it’s significantly bigger. I like seeing them go through the motions and it allowed for a very cute moment of Jess giving Rory the umbrella.

The Bad:

In terms of what I didn’t like, aside from finding the first half of the Lorelai and Emily storyline a bit boring, I was mostly rolling my eyes at Dean. He continued his habit of dismissing Rory’s requests and generally being a pain about the whole thing.

I was really annoyed with his reaction in the kissing scene. While I can understand a teenage boy being a bit upset that he can’t spend an unsupervised night with his girlfriend, I thought his reaction was extremely childish. First, I can’t imagine that he thought it would be ok to hang out at the house with Lorelai gone. Sure, Lorelai was encouraging Rory to do something slightly crazy (for Rory’s standards), but I still don’t think she would be thrilled with the idea of Dean being there. Secondly, who cares what he wants in this situation?! If Rory says she wants a night alone, that is not an unreasonable request. And Dean’s unconvincing “I’m not mad’s” with the severe pouty face didn’t endear him to me. The worst was his line “I’m a saint”; just irritating.

But what I really found disappointing was the show tacitly acknowledging that Rory has to lie to Dean to avoid fighting with him. We had a hint of this in the last episode when Rory’s response to Dean seeing the missing bracelet was to lie about a rash. But it was really explicit in this episode. Paris has to literally save Rory with a line about liking Jess and Rory has to lie to Dean’s face. And while I like how this feeds in to Paris and Rory’s relationship, I really don’t like that the show is still pushing Dean as a great guy while seeming to point out that he’s a controlling boyfriend who doesn’t listen to or respect Rory. In this way, I don’t blame Rory for lying. Dean was obviously unwilling to hear anything else and Rory’s flinches and crossed arms hugging herself showed pretty well that she was terrified of his anger.

Favorite Moment:

I absolutely loved Paris’ face breaking in to a gigantic smile when Rory invited her to stay for dinner and she saw mac and cheese on the table. It was extremely sweet.

The Bottom Line:

Overall, I enjoyed the second half of this episode a lot more than the first and I really appreciated how we got a lot of focus on two on-going storylines. It felt like a good step for Lorelai and Emily and there was definite progression on the Dean/Rory/Jess love triangle.