Category Archives: The Gilmore Girls Project

Gilmore Girls 3×3: Application Anxiety

Posted in Season Three, The Gilmore Girls Project by

Application Anxiety originally aired October 8, 2002.  This episode was written by Daniel Palladino and was directed by Gail Mancuso.

Gilmore Girls Season 3 Graphic

We open this episode with Lorelei and Rory watching one of the Brady Bunch variety shows.  Rory’s application to Harvard comes in the mail, and Rory can’t believe she was watching the Brady Bunch Variety Hour when her application came.

Rory has a lot of application anxiety, and she and Lorelei spend some looking over her application and talking about it, while Lane is working on a drummer-seeks-band ad.  On the interests section, Rory has to decided to circle everything except sports and is going to do her essay on Hilary Clinton.  Paris organizes a seminar and the two people invited to speak talk about how circling everything in the interests section shows the student is trying too hard because one can’t be interested in everything.  One of the panelists is a college admissions person, and talks about how he can’t read another essay on Hilary Clinton.  They have all of these do’s and don’ts, and they pretty much describe Rory.

We also have a Friday night dinner, where we learn Emily has been collecting college-issues of magazines for Rory, and Emily’s stories are stressing out Lorelei.  Lorelei and Rory have a few moments of insanity in Richard’s study before calming down enough to be near Emily for the night.

Lorelei talks to Headmaster Charleston, who suggested a meeting with someone who went to Harvard.  Lunch gets set up, and we meet Darrin and his family.  They’re big on meal-time quizzes, and at one point, Rory excuses herself to go to the bathroom. She meets Darrin’s third child, who isn’t on the Ivy League conveyor belt.  Her parents made it seem like she was on drugs or something, instead of not going to an Ivy League school.  When Lorelei finally comes looking for Rory because she needs to get a question right, Rory thanks her for not putting her on the conveyor belt.  Darrin calls a couple days later, and leaves a message saying that Rory is made for Harvard.

Lane also finds a band and Taylor brings up the idea of a soda shop, which the town agrees to.

Thoughts:

I thought this episode was really interesting, and it’s pretty much because of Rory’s application anxiety.  Rory’s reaction during the college application seminar was interesting, because they really were describing Rory so well.  I get why Rory was upset or whatever, because she was doing everything they were talking about.  But, Rory really is the type of student to do what people want to hear.  And with so many people applying to Harvard, and the conversation about how they all have the same classes so they have the same GPA’s and they all have same extracurricular activities, so they all kind of blend together…like…I know Rory wants to go to Harvard, and she’ll do what she thinks will get her in, but at the same time, I don’t see Rory doing something interesting to separate herself from all of the other people who are also applying.

I do think that the lunch with Darrin and being able to ask him questions and talk to him helped (even though we never see it).  I do like that Lorelei is happy with whatever Rory wants to do, and that she actually talked to Headmaster Charleston to figure something out.  It’s Chilton, so you’d think a private, expensive, and fancy prep school would have more stuff in the way of college applications but we never see it.

Favorite Lines Or Scenes:

Nothing jumped out at me in this episode

Pop Culture:

All of the Brady Bunch Variety Shows, Sylvia Plath’s suicide, Charlie Rose, the Beetles, the Brat Pack, Ted Williams being frozen, the discussions the Kennedy’s had during meals, Urkel, Wu Tang Clan

Episode Rating:

I liked this episode, and Rory’s college application anxiety is very her, but I’m glad she was able to work through it.  This episode gets 3 mugs of coffee.

Gilmore Girls 3×2: Haunted Leg

Posted in Season Three, The Gilmore Girls Project by

Haunted Leg originally aired October 1, 2002.  This episode was written by Amy Sherman-Palladino and was directed by Chris Long.

Gilmore Girls Season 3 Graphic

This episode opens with Friday night dinner, where things are still weird between Emily and Lorelei.  Rory tries to get a conversation going between all three of them, but it doesn’t work until Lorelei looks at the paper and sees that someone she knew killed her husband after she found him cheating on her.

In this episode, it’s back to school for Rory, who is busy with student council.  Francie, the senior class president, wants the skirts to be raised an inch-and-a-half, and Paris will “consider” it.  Which doesn’t go over well with Francie, because she pulls Rory into the bathroom, and tells her that she can make Paris ineffective as student body president, because Francie has more power than Paris, and Rory needs to make sure that Paris does what Francie wants.  And naturally, Francie has her own spin on what happened in the bathroom.  Rory convinces Paris to give in on the hemline issue, because no one is going to remember it by the end of the year.

Kirk asks Lorelei on a date, and she turns him down.  She also has lunch at Emily’s, where we learn that Emily called Chris, and that Chris still wants to be with Lorelei. Emily wasn’t going to sit by and watch things happen, because Chris and Lorelei belong together, and Sherry is just a complication.  Lorelei wants Emily to stay out of it, because Sherry is more than a complication.  Lorelei leaves the diner.

We have another Friday night dinner, in which Chris shows up to talk to Lorelei.  She hasn’t returned his calls, and him showing up at Emily’s is the only way for him to talk to her.  He never thought he would keep Rory from him, because he was always able to talk to her no matter what was going on between him and Lorelei.  This is when Rory comes in and tells him that Lorelei didn’t push her into this this, and they he promised at Sookie’s wedding that it would work, and he betrayed that.  She doesn’t need him because she has Lorelei and he can go be someone else’s dad.

Chris wants something different, but since Sherry is still pregnant, and Chris is still with her and planning on marrying Sherry, so things will have to stay as they currently are.  Emily asks Chris to leave, and he does.  Lorelei and Rory go back to Stars Hollow and decide to have a junk-food filled night at home.  Rory doesn’t want to go to Chris’ wedding but Lorelei tells her that she might want to reconsider because she might regret it one day.

Rory runs into Jess, who doesn’t seem to like that Rory is put out by him and Shane because she never wrote him letters or called him, and she was still with Dean.  He also wasn’t going to wait around for her like Dean would have.  The episode ends with Rory and Lorelei going home.

Thoughts:

I really liked this episode.  As usually, the really interesting stuff doesn’t happen until the end.  It’s not surprising Emily would call Chris and I don’t blame Lorelei for being upset about this.  It has to be hard seeing Chris have what they never did.  But I think Emily did go a little overboard with it, even though her intentions were good.  And I think Lorelei might not have seen that Emily does what what’s best for her and Rory, even if they have very different ideas on what that is.

I also don’t blame Rory for not wanting to talk to Chris after what’s happened.  I am pretty irritated that he’d blame Lorelei- although I suppose I can understand why he’d think it was her doing.  Because it’s understandable that he’d mess up one too many times, and that eventually, Rory would get tired of understanding.  I think Lorelei was spot-on when she said Rory would forgive Chris eventually.  She is Rory, and she does have a pretty good capacity for forgiveness.

Rory and Jess: I don’t have much to say, but Jess does have a point when he said he wasn’t going to wait for her like Dean would.  Also: she is with Dean, so Rory shouldn’t be put out or annoyed that Jess is with someone else.  And while she may have started a letter to Jess, she clearly never called or sent anything to Jess.

And it’s been a while since I’ve said this but: what kind of school is Chilton?  I mean, I don’t remember student council ever having the ability to change much of anything. Granted, I was never involved in student council in school. but it just seems weird that they’d be able to get the librarian to resign or change the hemline of the school-required skirts.

Favorite Moment:

Emily looking at her watch during Paris’ speech

Pop Culture:

Jimmy Carter, Margaret Thatcher, Charlie Sheen, Annie Oakley, Noam Chompsky, Freaky Friday, the ice-skating scandal involving the French judges

Episode Rating:

This is a pretty good episode, and I’m glad there’s some resolution to the Chris/Lorelei thing.  And the whole thing with Emily and Lorelei was done really well, even though it irritated me a little.  This episode gets 4 mugs of coffee.

Gilmore Girls 3×1: Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days

Posted in Season Three, The Gilmore Girls Project by

Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days originally aired September 24, 2002.  This episode was written and directed by Amy Sherman-Palladino.

Gilmore Girls Season 3 Graphic

This episode opens with Lorelei having a dream that she’s with Luke and is expecting twins.  She calls Rory for a dream analysis, and at first, Rory jokes about how Lorelei is secretly in love Luke and wants to have his children.  But then Rory tells her that it’s probably about how Lorelei is still upset about Chris having a child with Sherry.

There is an end-of-summer festival planned, and Sookie wants to re-decorate her house because she thinks it’s too girly for Jackson.  He insists the house is fine the way it is, but Sookie doesn’t believe him.

Rory is still in Washington, D.C. for her leadership thing, and there’s some sort of mixer or something with members of Congress.  Senator Barbara Boxer and Congressman Doug Ose make appearances as themselves.  Paris gets asked out on a date and doesn’t realize it until Rory points it out and is later seen freaking out when she’s getting ready.

Kirk is selling a skin-care line that turns out to go horribly wrong, and Lorelei gets Rory out of Friday night dinner.  Rory and Lorelei still aren’t talking to Chris, and they don’t know when they’ll talk to him again.  Lorelei still hasn’t told her parents about her and Chris not being together.

At the end-of-summer festival, Rory is looking around, and finally sees Jess making out with some blonde girl.  Rory is really upset with this, and this is when Lorelei finds out Rory kissed Jess.  Lorelei pretty much tells Rory to make up her mind, because Rory is being really unfair to Dean and is treating him like dirt because he doesn’t deserve it.  Dean manages to get back in town earlier than Rory expected, as he shows up when Lorelei and Rory are talking about the kiss with Jess, and Lorelei gives them some alone time.

Lorelei goes to Friday night dinner, where she tells her parents that she isn’t with Chris because he’s back with Sherry because she’s pregnant.  Emily wants a solid, adult reason for why Lorelei and Chris can’t be a family,, and how it affects Rory. Which Lorelei is aware of and isn’t something she’s taking lightly.  The right thing for Chris to do is be with Lorelei and Rory because they’re his family, not Sherry and his child with her.  It is agreed on that Chris is going to do the right thing with someone who will let him.  According to Richard, that’s something he never had with Lorelei, because she pushed him away.

Lorelei leaves while Richard and Emily are talking and she goes into Luke’s to have a cup of coffee.  Lorelei is pretty upset about everything and can’t believe that this is the second time she let herself hope for love and security and the whole package.  The time with Max was her fault, and this time, with Chris, the universe conspired against them.  And now, Chris gets to be there for Sherry while she’s pregnant, and he’ll be there for his child with Sherry.  Luke thinks she’ll find someone.  She goes home to Rory, who agrees that Lorelei is right and she was unfair to Dean, and wants to make things right with him.

Thoughts:

I totally want to talk about the Emily-Lorelei conversation and the Lorelei-Rory conversation in this episode, because those are the two things that I found really interesting.  I think I’m going to tackle the Rory-Lorelei conversation first.  So, I’m not the biggest fan of Dean, but I think Lorelei does have a good point in that Rory needs to make up her mind, and that Rory isn’t being fair to Dean.  He really doesn’t deserve it, and while I think Dean is a little too insecure/jealous of any guy that Rory talks to, he does have some pretty good qualities that I tend to ignore.  And at this point, I feel like it’s pretty obvious that Rory likes Jess but doesn’t want to admit it.

As for Friday night dinner…Amy Sherman-Palladino really likes to throw in some doozies, doesn’t she?  It’s not that big of a surprise that Emily wants Lorelei, Chris and Rory to be a family, and she’s never liked the idea of Chris and Sherry, so it’s no surprise that Emily would think that Chris should be with Lorelei and not Sherry.  it would be ridiculous to not be with Sherry after all of the stuff that’s happened with Lorelei.

While Richard and Emily (but mostly Emily) still think Chris and Lorelei should be together because of Rory, is it really that good of an idea? It never seems to work out for them, and if it hasn’t worked out yet, it probably isn’t going to happen.  Also: Richard and Emily are being kind of unfair.  I get the whole thing was really embarrassing for them, but Lorelei apparently didn’t want Chris involved in Rory’s life. I don’t know how accurate their statements are, but I can see a 16-year-old Chris potentially not being involved with Rory’s life…but now I’m not sure what to think of Lorelei not wanting Chris involved in Rory’s life.  Again, I kind of wish someone would straight up say what happened, as opposed to all of the hinting and the different sides to everything.  Or maybe this just goes to show that sometimes, there are different perspectives and that there is no one (really easy) answer.

Favorite Lines/Scenes:

Paris, to Rory, when Jamie comes to pick her up: “Now get in the closet.”

Congressman Ose seeing Paris and sneaking back out

Pop Culture:

Senator Boxer and Congressman Ose appearing as themselves, Archie Bunker’s chair at the Smithsonian, Bono, Carson Daly, Freddie Prinze, Jr.

Episode Rating:

Amy Sherman-Palladino can really be counted on to make things interesting, especially at the end of each episode.  This season premiere starts off the season really well, and gets 4 mugs of coffee.

Gilmore Girls: Season 2 Wrap-Up

Posted in Season Two, Season Wrap-Up, The Gilmore Girls Project by

I finally finished Season 2!  It feels like it took forever…because it kind of did, but now it’s time for my season recap!

Numbers Time!

There are a total of 22 episodes, 2 of which got a rating of one mug of coffee, and 6 got 4 mugs of coffee.  Looking at season 2 overall, nothing really blew me away.  Or came close to blowing me away, which is probably why Season 2 got 2.81 mugs of coffee overall.

Also looking at overall ratings, this season was more on the side of meh.  It had some great moments, and some not so great moments, like anything else.  Which is interesting, because I felt like I enjoyed it even though it was more meh than I remembered/was expecting.

Relationships:

I am not a Rory/Dean fan, which I think is pretty evident.  I think Dean has a tendency to be super-jealous and sometimes I think he over-reacts to things.  But that’s just me…and if you have a different opinion, I’d actually be really interested to hear why.

Lorelei and Max only lasted a few episodes before Lorelei called off the wedding, which wasn’t a big surprise, because it seemed like there was a hint of getting married because it was expected.  I don’t doubt her feelings for Max, because it did seem like they were there.  It just felt like he was more interested in commitment than Lorelei ever was, so I’m actually glad she called it off before actually getting married and then realizing she didn’t want to be married.  Assuming that’s what was going on, because who knows if that’s what was really going on?

Also: Lorelei and Chris.  It just never seems to work out for them, in terms of timing. Although, I don’t like them as a couple, but I get that if they ever get together without something happening, they’ll be the family they should have been.

Other Stuff:

There were things that made no sense whatsoever.  Like, Lorelei’s bachelorette party. Why on earth would she have it a place where her 16-year-old daughter is old enough to attend?  Never mind the fact that Rory gets in for the sake of the episode, but considering how close they are, and that they’re best friends, you’d think Lorelei would take that into consideration.  Also, what would have happened if Rory couldn’t get in?  Would they have to go do something else, or would Rory go home?

And there’s Mia, who owns the Independence Inn.  I get that this was probably the best place to introduce her, but for someone who is so important to Lorelei, why is it that she’s never mentioned until now?

One of the biggest questions for me was why Emily and Richard never tried to bring Lorelei back home.  And why Mia never sent Lorelei home.  I can get Lorelei being resistant to not going home, so did Mia try to but decided not to push it, or did Mia just accept it, no questions asked?

The whole Jess thing: I feel like I’ve said everything I’ve wanted to say.  At least, from what we’ve seen so far.  Jess has issues, and he didn’t make a good impression on the people from Stars Hollow, and to some degree, I feel like they see what they want to see.  We do see a few moments where Jess is actually sort of nice, and I (sort of) wish people gave him a chance.

Bonus Features:

It didn’t occur to me until a few weeks ago, but I think it would be fun to watch all of the bonus features, and talk about them.  At some point, I’ll do season one, which really could pop up at any time.  There’s a compilation of the different arguments throughout the season, the film by Kirk from a few episodes ago, a few deleted scenes, and Gilmore Girls translated into other languages.  And one of the episodes had random trivia throughout the episode, which I haven’t watched yet.  The thing about Gilmore Girls being translated was really interesting, because how do you translate some of the pop culture stuff that’s specific to the U.S.?  Some of it doesn’t seem to translate well, and some stuff just doesn’t translate well to begin with, so it was interesting to see how Gilmore Girls was translated into French, Italian and German.

The most interesting deleted scene was from Sadie, Sadie, the first episode of the season.  Rory is making a pro/con list of why Lorelei should marry Max, and wants Lorelei to consider it.  It is a pretty big, serious, important decision, and Lorelei (understandably and responsibly) doesn’t want to make her decisions based off of a list of Rory’s.  What’s most interesting is that even in this scene, Lorelei doesn’t seem completely sure about getting married, and it seemed to me that her getting married because people expected her to say yes was a factor.  Or I’m reading too much into it.  So who knows?

Final Thoughts:

I already gave my overall rating for the season (2.81 mugs of coffee in case you’ve forgotten) and I think I’ve said pretty much everything I’ve wanted to say.  I do feel like I’ve gotten better at summarizing/recapping episodes and at balancing my thoughts with what happened in the episode.  Also, I feel like quite a few pop culture references went over my head.  It is fun to try to figure them out, but sometimes I feel like they are a bit too obscure.  At least for me.

I’ll be taking a break from all Gilmore Girls-related things next week, but my Season 3 recap will start on September 2.

Gilmore Girls 2×22: I Can’t Get Started

Posted in Season Two, The Gilmore Girls Project by

I Can’t Get Started originally aired May, 21, 2002.  This episode was written by Amy Sherman-Palladino and John Stephens and was directed by Amy Sherman-Palladino.

Gilmore Girls Season 2 Graphic

This episode opens with Sookie, Rory, Lorelei and Michel listening to the song that Sookie wants to walk down the aisle to.  A couple seats have opened up, so Sookie asks Lorelei and Rory if they have anyone else they want to add…and Lorelei says she’ll see if Richard and Emily want to come.

Friday Night Dinner: Lorelei talks about two funny words: oy and poodles.  She coins a new catchphrase: “Oy, with the poodles already,” which is the result of putting oy and poodles in the same sentence.  She also invites Richard and Emily to Sookie’s wedding, and they both think it’s a pity invite because somebody canceled a week before the wedding.

Lorelei finally makes her way into Luke’s, after taking over half an hour to get inside, but Rory and Dean ordered breakfast without her, and are ready to go by the time Lorelei sits down.  She apologizes to Luke for freaking out, which I kind of forgot about, but Luke was never mad at her.

Paris is running for student body president, and needs Rory to run as her vice-president so that she’ll get elected.  Paris pulls the Harvard card, knowing it’ll get Rory to run for vice-president.  Rory does agree, but isn’t sure about spending the summer in Washington D.C. for a leadership conference.  Rory also gets her cast off.

At the rehearsal dinner, we learn that wearing a kilt is a family tradition, and Jackson isn’t happy that Sookie is going along with it.  We also learn that Chris is having problems with Sherry, which is why he’s been around a little more.  The night before Sookie’s wedding, things change between Lorelei and Chris, and it seems like things are actually going to work out between them.  Or: things are headed in that direction.

At the diner, Luke goes up to his apartment, and finds Jess.  Jess actually wants to come back to Stars Hollow, and knows that things are going to have to be different. Mostly because Jess proved everyone right when Luke took Jess in.  As Jess leaves, Luke tells him that Rory and Dean are still together and that things are going well between them.

We finally get to Sookie’s wedding, where Emily and Richard do show up, because not attending would be rude.  Also: Sherry is pregnant, and any chance of Lorelei and Chris being together is effectively ruined.  Because Chris wants to do the right thing, and be there for this child.  He never forgave himself for missing out on being a part of Rory’s life, and so he goes back to Boston.

Rory sees Jess, kisses him, and then runs off, freaking out and not wanting Jess to say anything.  Rory shows up, tells Lorelei she’s going to Washington D.C. and the season ends with Lorelei and Rory walking down the aisle.

Thoughts:

We’ve finally arrived at the season finale!  I can’t believe I’m headed to season 3.

Oy with the poodles already!  This, for me, is a classic Gilmore Girls line, and I feel like it’s a secret handshake or something, because this is one of the most memorable lines of the entire series.  You know someone’s a Gilmore Girls fan if they understand what you mean when you say it.

Also: Rory kissing Jess.  I don’t know what to think, especially after the end of the last episode, where Rory is convinced that Dean is going to be her only boyfriend.  Even though Rory seems to feel something for Jess, it’s still a little weird to me that she would kiss Jess.  However, I understand not wanting him to say anything, and for her reaction afterwards.

However: Lorelei and Chris.  As for Chris not being around when Rory was growing up, I do sort of wonder how much of it was Chris being a 16-year-old and how much of it is Lorelei.  Because we know their parents wanted them to get married, and I’m pretty sure it’s been said that Chris wanted to get married but Lorelei didn’t.  Did Chris flake out, or did he not know where to find Lorelei after she left home, or did she not want him super-involved or something?  Actually, it seems like it took Chris a long time for him to get his life together, so that could be it.  It happened, and part of me wants to know why, but I don’t think we’ll get that question answered.  I get Lorelei being upset, because it did seem like things were going to work out between them for once, but I don’t blame Chris for wanting to do the right thing with Sherry. Especially after not being a part of Rory’s life for so long.

And one last thing: how on earth is Rory able to run for student body vice-president at the last minute?  It seems like something you have to do ahead of time, and not a few days before the actual election because Paris wants to better her chances of winning.

Favorite Line:

Lorelei: “Oy with the poodles already!”

Pop Culture:

Girl Interrupted, Little Debbie, Disney Princesses, Sleepless In Seattle, “Whatcha talkin’ ’bout Willis?”

Episode Wrap-Up:

It’s a pretty decent season finale, and we are ready to go for season 3!  Things were wrapped up pretty well, but there are some things that will make season 3 pretty interesting.  I Can’t Get Started gets 4 mugs of coffee.

 

Gilmore Girls 2×21: Lorelei’s Graduation Day

Posted in Season Two, The Gilmore Girls Project by

Lorelei’s Graduation Day originally aired May 14, 2002.  This episode was written by Daniel Palladino and was directed by Jamie Babbitt.

Gilmore Girls Season 2 Graphic

This episode opens with Rory and Lorelei going to Sookie’s for breakfast.  Lane wants to practice drumming on their pots and pans, and Lorelei suggests giving out aspirin as the wedding favors.

This episode is all about Lorelei’s graduation from her community college.  Lorelei invites Sookie and Jackson, in addition to Rory, but she’s also hesitant to invite her parents.  Rory ignores this and talks to Emily and Richard, giving them the invitation. Lorelei doesn’t think they’ll be interested in coming, since she never graduated from high school, went to college and got married and because she humiliated them when she got pregnant with Rory.

While Lorelei is focused on her graduation, Rory gets a call from Jess…and then ditches school to go visit him in New York.  She finds this awesome present for Lorelei, but forgets it on the bus.  That bus turned out to be a local bus (and not an express bus) so Rory missed Lorelei’s entire graduation ceremony.  Emily and Richard do attend the ceremony, and Lorelei does seem glad they came- even getting a picture with them after the ceremony.  Emily goes overboard and has a camera guy filming the entire ceremony.  A couple of Lorelei’s classmates (one of whom is played by Seth MacFarlane) comment on Emily and her “precious” child.

Rory is waiting for Lorelei at home, and clearly feels bad about missing Lorelei’s graduation.  Lorelei is very hurt by this, because she and Rory are close, and Rory is the reason why Lorelei did the graduation ceremony in the first place.  Rory is upset that she missed it because she was acting selfish, and starts punishing herself.  Lorelei thinks that Rory went to New York to see Jess because Rory is falling for Jess, and that Rory ditching to see Jess does mean something.  Rory is convinced that Dean will always be her boyfriend, and doesn’t want to hear that she may like Jess.  The episode ends with Lorelei deserving to go out with Rory to celebrate her graduation.

Thoughts:

I don’t have a lot of thoughts on this episode.  One random thing: I was quite surprised to see Seth MacFarlane in the opening credits, but managed to figure out his character in a minute or two.  I know Jon Hamm makes a cameo later on the series, but I can’t remember which season.  Like, I wonder how many people have made appearances on this show that I totally missed because I wasn’t paying attention?  I may have to be on the look-out for this, but I have the feeling that some of them might go over my head.

Getting back on topic: I get why Lorelei doesn’t want her parents to attend, and why she thinks they won’t attend the ceremony.  But missing her high school graduation…wouldn’t that be more reason for them to attend this one, even if it is a community college?  Maybe I’m just being too hopeful.  She does seem glad they came after the ceremony is over, and Richard and Emily did show up, which has to count for something, right?

Also: Rory ditching school to see Jess in New York.  I think there is something to what Lorelei said about it meaning something, Actually, given how Lorelei feelings towards Jess over the last couple of episodes, I’m surprised Lorelei was fairly calm about Rory seeing Jess.  I don’t know if it’s because they’ve exhausted this particular conversation, or if Lorelei decided to not make an issue of it because she’s upset that Rory missed her graduation or if it’s something completely different.  But I’m glad Lorelei didn’t make a big thing about it, because Rory clearly felt bad about what happened.

I kind of expected more to happen, considering the next episode is the season finale, but with a lot going on the last couple episodes and with the upcoming finale, maybe this odd mix of filler that sort of moved things along was necessary?

Favorite Lines And/Or Scenes:

Nothing stood out to me in this episode

Pop Culture:

Sting, Mick Jagger, The Graduate

Final Thoughts:

I have nothing else to add.  It’s a pretty decent episode, and has a few moments that are memorable enough.  This episode gets 3 mugs of coffee.

Gilmore Girls 2×20: Help Wanted

Posted in Season Two, The Gilmore Girls Project by

Help Wanted originally aired May 7, 2002.  This episode was written by Allan Heinberg and was directed by Chris Long.

Gilmore Girls Season 2 Graphic

Help Wanted opens with Lorelei and Rory going to Luke’s, only to find it’s closed.

Here’s the deal with this episode: Richard’s secretary from his old firm isn’t willing to leave the firm because he’s not able to match her salary.  He and Emily talk about not going forward with Richard’s own business, and don’t consider hiring someone until Lorelei mentions it.  She offers to help out until he gets a secretary hired.

Dean finds out that Jess is gone and what happened.  Rory is surprised that Dean didn’t yell or otherwise cause a scene and Lorelei tells Rory that she should be glad things are okay.  And with Jess gone, Rory and Dean can start over.  Rory apologizes to Taylor for hitting the bench that had a sign for his store on out, and tries to explain that it was partially her fault.  Taylor, however, is only the first to say that it’s completely Jess’ fault, as he was the one driving.

Richard has a launch party for his new business, and this is when Emily learns that Rory has a fractured wrist.  Emily wants to talk about it at the party, even though Lorelei clearly doesn’t want to.  You’d think Emily- who’s pretty concerned about appearances and the proper time to do things- would want to wait.  Emily, naturally, thinks Lorelei was being irresponsible, which is when Rory interrupts to say that she and Jess should be blamed equally.

Rory and Lorelei have a fight/conversation in the hallway about how Rory is tired of everyone acting like she’s a mindless idiot being led around by a guy and that she’s tired of everyone acting like she had no role in the accident.  Lorelei believes that since Rory wasn’t driving, she isn’t to blame at all- if she is, the blame she gets is miniscule in comparison to Jess.  We can’t forget about how an accident wouldn’t have happened if Dean were driving, because Dean’s a more responsible driver than Jess. Rory makes an interesting point that Lorelei doesn’t know how Jess was driving, and makes a snarky-to-me comment about how Jess is the Anti-Christ and wanted them to get into an accident.

This is when Lorelei says that Jess is going to be blamed no matter what, and that Lorelei wins because Jess has since left Stars Hollow.  Jess isn’t Rory’s friend, and that Jess is a kid who is out-of-control and has no respect for her or Luke.   Rory goes home, we see Lane in the new music store…and Luke is back from a fishing trip.  Rory has some coffee, and tells Luke that it wasn’t Jess’ fault, which Luke knows.

Thoughts:

I have quite a few thoughts on this episode!

I TOTALLY get Rory’s frustration.  I mean, people are acting like it’s completely Jess’ fault, and they are not at all willing to hear her side.  I also understand Jess was the one driving, and why he’s getting all the blame for it.  I also understand that Jess has a certain reputation in town…and that it’s not a good one.  I understand that it’s easier to blame the bad kid who gets into trouble.

But it’s frustrating, because they don’t know what happened.  I’m really frustrated with Lorelei in this episode, because I think she’s being really unfair.  For all she knows, Jess could be a really good driver who just happened to get into an accident. I just think Lorelei is not willing to look past her dislike of Jess, and is looking for reasons to not like him.

Yes, Rory got hurt in an accident that happened while Jess was driving, and I understand Lorelei isn’t happy about this.  But I also think she’s going overboard with the whole “I win because Jess is gone” thing.  Also: I very much dislike that what Rory has to say doesn’t matter at all.  It’s pretty honest of Lorelei, but accidents can happen regardless of how responsible the driver is.  If anyone else were driving, everyone would have moved on already, and it wouldn’t be a big deal.  The only reason why it’s a big deal is because Jess was there.

Favorite Lines/Moments:

Waitress: “We don’t have a coffee bowl, sorry.”

The closing scene, when Rory tells Luke that the accident wasn’t Jess’ fault

Pop Culture:

Wu Tang Clan

Episode Wrap-Up/Rating:

I thought this episode was a pretty good episode.  There are definitely a few things to think about, especially the thing in the hallway at the party.  Help Wanted gets 4 mugs of coffee.

Gilmore Girls 2×19: Teach Me Tonight

Posted in Season Two, The Gilmore Girls Project by

Teach Me Tonight originally aired April 30, 2002.  This episode was written by Amy Sherman-Palladino and was directed by Steven Robman.

Gilmore Girls Season 2 Graphic

This episode opens with Rory and Lorelei waiting in line at Taylor’s market.  The town movie night is coming up, and when Lorelei learns that Taylor’s showing The Yearling again.  Lorelei annoys Taylor into letting her pick the movie.

This episode…doing a short summary of this episode is going to be hard.  Good thing I didn’t get too used to doing short episode recaps, but I’ll do what I can!

The short version: Lorelei is planning the big movie night in the town square.  I think it’s the annual movie “festival” but movie night seems much more appropriate given there’s only one movie being shown, with a short film by Kirk before the movie.  Jess isn’t doing well in school. because he has really bad attendance and doesn’t do his homework when he does bother to show up.  So Luke enlists the help of Rory, because Luke thinks Jess might actually listen to Rory, instead of a professional tutor. Dean is out of town, because he really needs to visit his grandma in Chicago, and Rory is worried about telling him that she’s studying with Jess.  Lorelei thinks that Rory shouldn’t tutor Jess if Rory feels the need to hide it from Dean.  Jess and Rory go out for ice cream on the condition that Jess studies when they get back…and that is when the shit hits the fan.

They get into a car accident, and Rory has minor wrist fracture.  Lorelei is- very understandably- upset that Rory is the emergency room because of a car accident in which Jess was driving.  While Rory is getting checked out one last time, Lorelei goes in search of Jess.  She obviously blames Jess, since he was driving, but she also blames Luke for bringing Jess to Stars Hollow, because his nephew almost killed Rory, which would not have happened had Luke listened to a town full of people who don’t like Jess and who think Jess is a whole lot of trouble.  She talks about he kept pushing Jess and Rory together even though he knew it made her nervous and that she (and Luke, for that matter) should have put a stop to it.  Especially Luke, because he had an obligation to not only the town, but to her.

Luke is clearly sorry about Rory, but finally tells Lorelei that at least she knows where Rory is okay and where she is, and he has to go find Jess and make sure he’s okay. And that it’s too bad if it cuts into her screaming time.  Luke finds Jess at the dock, and they just sit there.

Rory makes it home, we see the very strange short film by Kirk, followed by The Yearling.  And it is at the move in the square that we learn that Luke took Jess to the bus station in the middle of the night and sent him home.

Thoughts:

I have quite a few thoughts about this episode.  I kind of agree with Lorelei when she talks about how if Rory has to hide it from Dean, maybe she shouldn’t be tutoring Jess. They have been having some issues lately, and it seems like her friendship with Jess is a major part in that.  Yes, Rory is a good kid and wants to help Jess, but she does it even though she knows it won’t go over well with Dean.  At the same time, she shouldn’t have to turn it down because of Dean, so I’m not completely sure what to think.  Although…would Rory have agreed if Dean were still in town?

Also: I get Lorelei being really worried about Rory, and I get her being upset in an accident that happened while Jess driving.  I get that Lorelei being upset is why she went to the diner and said and did the things she did.  I get blaming Luke is just as easy as blaming Jess, so even though I think Jess almost killing Rory is an exaggeration and calling Jess Luke’s punk nephew is a bit…excessive, I totally understand where she’s coming from.  Although…Lorelei has hated Jess from the beginning, and she’s not willing to get past that.  I am the first to admit that Jess has major issues, and why people don’t like him and he’s easy to blame, but I was sort of glad when Luke finally brought up how she knows Rory is okay.

Favorite Lines/Scenes:

Chris, about making Lorelei some coffee: “One bag of coffee per cup of water, right?”

Pop Culture:

Steely Dan, The Clash, School House Rock

Episode Wrap-Up:

The only thing I have to add is that I really liked this episode!  It’s what happens after the accident that I find really interesting, and so Teach Me Tonight gets 4 mugs of coffee.

Gilmore Girls 2×18: Back In The Saddle Again

Posted in Season Two, The Gilmore Girls Project by

Back In The Saddle Again originally aired April 23, 2002.  This episode was written by Linda Loiselle Guzik and was directed by Kevin Dowling.

Gilmore Girls Season 2 Graphic

This episode opens with another Friday night dinner, where a hungry Lorelei and Rory are waiting for Richard to join them.

In this episode, Rory is working on a school project- the school business fair.  Rory, unsurprisingly, is working with Paris, Madeleine and Louise, but is also working with a couple others on this project too.  Every group has to come up with a product for teens, and their final project will be presented at the school business fair.

Michel’s mother is in town, Sookie is having issues with her wedding invitations, and things seem really awkward between Dean and Rory.  Plus, Dean seems to be randomly showing up at the house and is calling Rory a lot.

This episode is really about Richard being the parent advisor for Rory’s project.  He initially declines, but ends up changing his mind, and realizes that he doesn’t like being retired.  Which is no big shock, considering he’s mentioned that he’s always wanted to work.  What seemed to be the turning point was Rory’s group not winning.  Paris isn’t happy about this, because, well, that’s Paris.  Richard isn’t happy either, and even though Rory says it’s fine that they didn’t win, Richard still goes up to the headmaster and has a talk with him.

As for the Rory and Dean stuff…Rory tells Lorelei that everything is fine, and there have no more incidents.  She’s also not sure why Dean is feeling insecure, since she spends so much time with him.  Lorelei has a talk with Dean later on, and tells him that maybe he should give Rory some space, and relax on all the phone calls and visits.  She thinks he should let Rory go to him for a change.  The episode ends with Dean sitting on the porch, with one question/statement: “She likes him, doesn’t she?”

Thoughts:

I know my recap is a bit scattered, but it seems like the best way to recap everything.  Plus, I hit the major points of the episode, which is really good if I’m going to share my thoughts.

I don’t really have anything to say about Richard not wanting to be retired, but I do want to talk about the Dean/Rory stuff.  I’ve definitely been hard on Dean sometimes, and I do wonder if I’m a bit too hard on Dean.  He does seem pretty clingy and jealous at times, and for me, he also seems to over-react at times.  I’m not sure if Dean’s talking about Rory liking Jess as a friend, or if he thinks Rory is into Jess, or if he thinks Jess is into Rory.

I honestly can’t remember what I originally thought about Dean and Rory’s relationship, but at the same time, I’m pretty sure I wasn’t paying too much attention to it.  This time around, I’m not really liking Dean and Rory together.  Dean does have some good qualities, like being loyal and calling when he says he’s going to, and watching Rory shop for books even though he’s not into reading like Rory is.  I know this is going to sound horrible, but I think Dean is kind of going the teensiest bit overboard.  I understand why he’s acting the way he is, but…for some reason, it’s really starting to bother me, and I’m not normally not bothered by boyfriends who act clingy and jealous.

Pop Culture/Favorite Moments:

I’m sad to say that I wasn’t paying enough attention to get a favorite line or moment.  As for pop culture references…I know they’re there, they just went over my head this week!

Episode Wrap-Up:

I have nothing to add, and I’m sort of amazed that this is another short one!  I was expecting more to happen, but this one seems like another filler episode.  It was an okay episode, but things that happen in this episode will play out over the last few episodes of this season…and show up in season 3.  This episode gets 2.5 mugs of coffee!

Gilmore Girls 2×17: Dead Uncles And Vegetables

Posted in Season Two, The Gilmore Girls Project by

Dead Uncles And Vegetables originally aired April 16, 2002.  This episode was written by Daniel Palladino and was directed by Jamie Babbit.

Gilmore Girls Season 2 Graphic

We open this episode with Emily calling Lorelei and leaving several voice mails about the DAR meeting at the end.

We next find ourselves at the Inn, where Emily is tasting soup for a DAR event.  She talks to Sookie about her wedding while Lorelei is talking to Luke, whose Uncle Louie died.  Let’s see…Emily arranges all sort of samples and other wedding things for Sookie while Lorelei is helping out at diner while Luke is taking care of his uncle’s funeral.  And a guy opens up a produce stand across the street from Taylor’s market.  Jackson is worried about Sookie, because their wedding went from simple to completely nuts.  Luke asks the town Revolutionary War re-enactors to come to Louie’s funeral because he was a veteran, but they tell Luke they’re not coming because Louie was mean and rude and didn’t participate in town stuff.  Sookie eventually realizes that her wedding plans are completely ridiculous and decides it needs to go back to normal.

Lorelei is at the diner when Emily arrives.  Emily, of course, isn’t happy because Sookie changed all of her wedding plans back to normal, and blames Lorelei.  Lorelei thinks Emily was planning Lorelei’s wedding, which is something Emily gave up on a long time ago.  Emily wanted a Russian-themed wedding for Lorelei, but pretty much says it’s irrelevant because she’s probably standing in the reception hall.

The funeral does happen, but it’s just Luke and Lorelei, when the re-enactors come.  They go back to the diner, where there’s the usual  post-funeral lunch…all for Luke, of course.  The episode ends with people telling stories about Louie.

Thoughts:

I think that’s the shortest recap I’ve ever done…if only they were always so easy to recap!  I honestly don’t have any thoughts about this episode.  I really don’t.  It was an okay episode, and I can’t even muster up any thoughts on Emily and Lorelei’s conversation at the diner!  If there’s anything that I’d rant about, you’d think it would be that.  I actually forgot about this episode until I watched it again.  There were some funny moments, but not the most memorable episode.

Pop Culture:

The Romanov’s. I Dream Of Jeanie

Favorite Conversation:

 Emily, to Sookie: Is she always this scattered?

Sookie: She’s the sanest person I know.

Emily: That’s very sad.

Episode Wrap-Up:

The only thing I have to add is that this episode is just…kind of…there.  It’s like a filler episode or something, since the last 4 will be dealing with the season finale arc.  Well, I’m assuming the last 4 are dealing with the season finale arc, but it’s been a while…so anything is possible at this point.  This episode gets 2.5 mugs of coffee.