Since I had a lot of thoughts about the revival, and my last post went a lot longer than I thought, I figured I’d do another post! I got a lot of my main thoughts out of the way, but there is a lot I wanted to talk about.
Tag Archives: gilmore girls
Spoilers Ahead For The New Gilmore Girls Episodes: Part 1 Of 2
I did an initial non-spoiler post on what I thought of the new Gilmore Girls episodes, so I thought I would do a post with spoilers. I’m not going in any particular order, but know that there are major spoilers if you haven’t seen all 4 episodes. Click Here For Spoilers
Currently Obsessed With: November 2016
Currently Obsessed With is a once-a-month (but sometimes more) feature where I talk about my favorite things from the last month.
November was a busy month! There was definitely a lot going on, so let’s get started!
Crochet:
Not much happened with crochet! I participated in NaNoWriMo, and a lot of my usual crocheting time was taken up by writing. I did crochet a little, mostly when I needed to recharge and take a break but still do something creative. Now that NaNo is over, I’ll definitely be picking up my yarn and hooks!
Books:
I most definitely did not buy any books last month- in fact, I barely read during the month of November. I haven’t even figured out what audio book to get with my Audible credit.
T.V./Movies:
This I actually did! I watched the new Gilmore Girls episodes on Netflix, which I talked about here. I do have a couple more posts about the new episodes in the works that will have a lot more spoilers. They should be coming out in the next week or so.
I also watched Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them! I’ve been looking forward to it, and I really liked it. I wasn’t sure what to expect, because this is the first time we get a Harry Potter/Wizarding World movie…with no idea what’s going to happen! Eddie Redmayne was such a good choice for Newt, and I was reminded of Luna, Hagrid and Neville. I think he’d get along with the three of them really well, and I can’t wait to see the other movies. I just realized I never did a post about it! I’m not sure if I’ll do a post about it, but I might.
Around The Internet:
I meant to link to this before, but here are 5 good reasons to add translated books to your TBR.
I tend to stay away from New Adult books, and this list of patterns is a big reason why I stay away from the genre. I like the idea of it, but it tends to be not what I’m looking for. Which I know is unfair, but maybe in the future I’ll read more of it.
I am a proud Hufflepuff, and I just love seeing posts like this one. Embrace your inner Hufflepuff!
Time recently selected the 100 most influential photos, and they’re fascinating to look at! A lot of the images are very familiar, but the stories behind them aren’t as familiar. You can explore them via Time, but if you want a straight list, then Bored Panda is your best bet.
November Stuff:
- Fantastic Beasts, which I mentioned! I think I might do a movie review post after thinking about it for a few seconds.
- Gilmore Girls, which I also just mentioned.
- Thanksgiving! It was a good day, and there was the Macy’s Parade and food, and it was nice to see my family.
- NaNoWriMo. I wrote 55,000 words last month, which means I won for the 11th year in a row. I’m not even going to attempt counting novels, since there were quite a few years where I did multiple novels. I talked about it here, here, here and here. I have one last post planned for NaNo updates, and then I’m pretty much done talking about it until next year.
Things Happening In December:
- Christmas! I’m excited about Christmas, and I think it’ll be fun. The shopping won’t be, since I have to go into stores, and this is my least favorite time to go shopping. But I can’t avoid it, since I (unfortunately) can’t get everything online. Maybe I just need to plan better and do all of the in-store stuff before Thanksgiving.
- Getting back to reading, crocheting, and blogging. They all took a hit last month, and it’ll be nice to do those things again. I do want to keep writing the story I was working on, so that may or may not continue. We’ll see after taking a small break.
Music:
I was going to do a playlist of the music I listened to last month when I was writing, but I just feel lazy right now. I’ll try to share something fun next month.
Have a great weekend!
It’s Back: The No-Spoiler Edition Of My Initial Thoughts On The Gilmore Girls Revival
As a Gilmore Girls fan, today was a HUGE day, since 4 new episodes dropped on Netflix. I’ve been insanely excited ever since I heard there were going to be 4 new episodes! I was really glad that I had requested today off, since it meant I could spend the day watching it.
I will do my best to stay spoiler-free as I talk about my initial thoughts…but if that doesn’t work, I will definitely be sure to warn you with a spoiler alert, since I know not everyone is able to watch it right away.
Heading Into The New Episodes:
I definitely was planning on watching at least season 7, but sadly, I never got around to it. I knew I wouldn’t be able to make my way through the entire series before these episodes came out, but season 7 seemed doable. I will go back and re-watch the series one of these days. I essentially got lazy with the recaps I was doing of the show, and even though I randomly think to myself that I should start doing that again, I never follow through on it. Maybe I’ll bring it back, but I’m honestly not sure if I want to commit to it, at least on a regular basis.
I’ve actually been avoiding all of the random articles about the new episodes, which is rare for me, because I generally don’t care. But with the new episodes? I didn’t want to go in knowing anything.
My Initial Thoughts:
As I’m writing this, I have finished watching all four episodes, so everything is really fresh! There are 4 episodes, and each are around 1.5 hours. Each one focuses on a season, but everything is blurring together, so I’ll start off with winter, and then do the other 3 seasons.
Winter:
It was really nice to be back in Stars Hollow, and Winter was a good way to start things off. It definitely is setting things up, and we’re getting drawn back into this crazy town. We see everything that’s been going on with the characters since we left them years ago.
I definitely felt like this was for the fans, and in this episode in particular, it felt like there were a lot of nods to the series, especially the first 6 seasons. There was some acknowledgement of season 7, and it was interesting to see how they dealt with it. This goes for all 4 seasons, but they acknowledged stuff that happened but at the same time, they did sort of gloss over that season and these 4 episodes. I’m not sure if that makes sense, especially without spoiling anything.
Spring/Summer/Fall:
Summer and Fall broke my heart. All four episodes were very emotional for me, but Summer and Fall in particular were really emotional, and I cried during pretty much the entire episodes for Summer and Fall. Not to the point of being dehydrated (which happened when I saw both The Fault In Our Stars and If I Stay), but I do feel really tired and a little bit drained. Some things surprised me, and others didn’t, but I loved being on the crazy roller coaster that is the Gilmore family.
Three Things I Was Wondering Prior To These Episodes:
There were three main things I was wondering going into the new episodes, and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one with these three major questions:
1- How would they deal with the passing of Edward Herrmann?
2- How would Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino deal with season 7 (which they weren’t a part of)?
3- What are the final 4 words?
So, here are some non-spoilery thoughts.
#1: The Death Of Edward Herrmann
He was amazing as Richard Gilmore, and it was hard watching the show without him and seeing all three Gilmore Girls deal with his passing, particularly Emily and Lorelei. I don’t consider this a spoiler, since it’s been a couple of years, but I thought they handled it very well.
#2: Dealing With Season 7
I mentioned this a little bit, and I thought certain things we saw in the revival acknowledged season 7, but in a passive way? Like I said, I’m not sure how to describe it with no spoilers, but they sort of glossed over how certain characters got to where we see them in the new episodes. Not that they need to explain what happened, and you can sort of figure it out, but…I don’t know. Passive acknowledgement? It’s the best way to describe it, I think.
#3: The Final Four Words
I think any fan of GG knows that Amy Sherman-Palladino (ASP) knew the final 4 words. Which, of course, we never got, since she and her husband left the show after season 6. But man, I was floored and speechless. I still am, at least a little. I really didn’t know what to expect, and I’m sure people had a lot of guesses (that I tried very hard to stay away from). But I was not expecting THOSE final 4 words. It just makes me wonder…spoiler-y things. I’m definitely surprised. And that is all I’m going to say.
Other Thoughts:
There were some other things I wanted to talk about it, and then I’ll wrap it up.
I think something else everyone was wondering was Rory’s love life. I know I’m not the only who was wondering if Rory would end up with one of her boyfriends (Dean, Jess or Logan), if she would be with someone new, or if she would be single. I know a lot of people are Team Jess, and for the longest time, I was team Logan, before switching to team Rory. I don’t know who’d I’d pick now, if I did have to pick one of them. I was glad to see it resolved, and man, I want to talk about it more, but I won’t, because I’m trying not to give spoilers. That would be best saved for another post, I think.
I actually related to both Rory and Lorelei a lot in these episodes, but especially Rory. Particularly when you think you have everything worked out, and then life doesn’t go the way you thought it would. Something about these episodes really hit home for me, and I think I just need more time to process it.
I wasn’t paying a lot of attention to the references, but I really liked the ones I picked up on. And there’s one reference that is my favorite reference in this entire revival. It was hysterical, it really was. I don’t want to give it away, though. I will say, in regards to all of the pop culture references, that they were a lot more current than I expected. I remember not picking up on a lot of the references from previous seasons because they were a bit too old for me, and I really expected it to be the same this time around. I’m sure there are a bunch I missed for that reason, but I really was surprised that I actually knew a lot of the references.
I loved seeing all of the characters we know and love- I was surprised that we didn’t see one character (unless I missed it which is possible, but unlikely), and there were a couple others that were mentioned but never appeared (and I thought they would). And this is a little bit spoiler-y, but I was surprised to see one character. Really surprised. I’m sort of glad, but at the same time, I wish we didn’t, and it was definitely a nod to the original series. There was one thing we learned about a character that didn’t surprise me, but I also didn’t want to assume things either, so I’m glad they actually mentioned it, because it was implied before. And it seemed like they were maybe going to go in the same direction for another character, but they didn’t.
I was glad Melissa McCarthy’s character Sookie, popped up, and I was wondering if she would make a brief appearance, given McCarthy probably has a busy schedule. I just loved seeing what all of the characters were up to- Michel, Lane (and Hep Alien), Paris, Doyle. Let’s just say Doyle was particularly awesome. Well, everyone was awesome, but I just loved it when Doyle showed up.
Did I Love The Episodes?
It’s hard to say. I mean, there was a lot I LOVED. There’s a lot of really interesting elements in these episodes, particularly when you tie them into the previous seasons, and I really loved that too. I was really excited, and I didn’t want to get my hopes up, because what if I didn’t like them? I really did love them, but part of me has mixed feelings too. I am excited that we get more Gilmore Girls, even if it’s four episodes, and that definitely plays into the initial love I have for these episodes. In a way, this first watching is to take it all in, and I do want to watch them again, with maybe a slightly more critical eye.
For now, I love the episodes, but I also have some mixed feelings about some of what we see. I’d love to see what everyone else thinks, but please keep your comments spoiler-free for everyone who hasn’t seen the episodes yet.
Have a safe and happy weekend!
Top Ten Tuesday: Fall T.V. Freebie
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish. Every week, bloggers share their own bookish top ten lists based on the topic of the week. You can check out Ten Tuesdays here.
Top Ten Favorite Shows
I talk about books a lot- of course I do, but I also like watching t.v. (a lot), so in honor of fall t.v., I’m talking about my ten favorite t.v. shows. Recommendations are also good, I’ll give anything a try, and it doesn’t even have to be similar to the shows on my list (although that would be helpful but not necessary).
- Basically anything by Shonda Rhimes. Scandal is super-dramatic, you never know what’s going to happen on How To Get Away With Murder, and I love Grey’s Anatomy so much it isn’t even funny.
- Once Upon A Time. I love this weird take on fairy tales/Disney characters- which is pretty much what happens when the guys behind Lost decide to do a show about fairy tales.
- The 100. I have a really good friend who loves this show, and I basically started watching it so I would know what she was talking about, because she loves it so much. And then I got hooked, and the new season needs to start now.
- Walking Dead. I’ve never read the comics, but I love the show, and you never know what’s going on.
- Gilmore Girls. I’m looking forward to the revival SO MUCH, and it’ll be nice to see what’s going on in the lives of the Gilmore Girls. I’m sad that Edward Herrmann won’t get to be a part of the revival, because it won’t be the same without him.
- NCIS. I can’t help it, I just love it. I’m curious to see what the show is going to be like now that the character of DiNozzo is gone, speaking of which, I still haven’t seen the last couple of episodes of the last season, so I should probably catch up on them before the new season starts.
- Reign. I know it’s not the most historical accurate show, but it’s dramatic and entertaining, and I’m enough of a history nerd, especially where Tudor history is concerned, that at some point, I’ll probably actually getting around to reading the shelf of books I have about the time period.
- Sleepy Hollow. It’s Ichabod Crane meets the apocalypse! And I can’t wait for season 4, especially with how things ended for a particular character. That took me off guard, and had the show been cancelled, it would have been a good ending point for the show. But since it’s coming back for a 4th season, I want to know how the show is going to go forward.
- Blacklist. I tend to watch this show on Hulu, but I’m a season behind since it wasn’t airing on Hulu for some reason. It’s still good, though, and I really recommend it, especially because James Spader is amazing on this show.
- iZombie. I watched the 1st season on Netflix recently, and I’ll definitely be watching when it comes back on!
Gilmore Girls 3×19: Keg! Max!
Keg! Max! originally aired April 29, 2003. This episode was written by Daniel Palladino and was directed by Chris Long.
This episode opens with Rory and Lorelei not knowing what to do on a Friday night now that they’re not going to Friday night dinner. They’re having trouble remembering what they did on Friday nights, because they’ve gone to Richard and Emily’s for so long.
Lorelei gets a letter from Chilton, saying that Rory’s time there is coming to an end, and so is Lorelei’s. Lorelei decides to help out the Booster Club one more time. Jess agrees to go to the Stars Hollow High Prom with Rory, and Lane and her band are practicing for a gig at a party. Lorelei has to keep laying people off at the inn, until it’s all repaired, and Lorelei offers to have Nicole stay in one of the few open rooms since he can’t meet them for breakfast over the weekend.
The booster club organized grad night on a yacht, and Lorelei was voted in as treasurer. Max comes in as the faculty advisor for that meeting, and acts like everything is fine between him and Lorelei. In a conversation with Sookie, Lorelei says that he treated her like the other parents, and even though she’s still seeing Alex, she’s not sure where Max stands, which seems to imply that she might want to get together with Max.
Jess tries to get prom tickets, but finds out he can’t, since he’s missed so much school he’s not able to graduate- meaning Jess will have to repeat his senior year.
At the party, we find out Young-Chu is still pretending to be Lane’s boyfriend, and that he’s at the party because he has nowhere else to go. Dave wants to know when Lane is going to end things with Young-Chu, and isn’t happy that Young-Chu has feelings for Lane. She’ll make prom happen for them somehow. Jess wants to leave after the band plays a set, but Rory wants to stay, and ends up promising that they’ll go after the band is done playing for the night.
Jess and Rory run into Dean and Lindsay, and Lindsay recognizes him as the kid who used to go to their school. Lane sees that Young-Chu is still at the party, and starts drinking some beer that someone’s cousin brought over.
Rory looks for Jess at the party, and finds him in one of the bedrooms upstairs. They start making out, and Jess wants to go further but Rory doesn’t, and he ends up getting mad because he didn’t invite her up there. Rory leaves the room upset and crying, not sure of what she did wrong, but Jess seems to realize that he did something wrong and goes after. Rory goes by Dean, who notices that she’s upset, and Jess notices Dean asking Rory if she’s okay. Dean and Jess (not surprisingly) end up getting into a fight.
Meanwhile, Lane calls her mom (drunk) and starts telling her mom that she likes Dave and wants to go to prom with him, amongst other things. Dave overhears part of Lane’s call and hangs up the phone for her.
While the party is going on, Lorelei is at another Booster club meeting, where Max is not there as the faculty advisor. She ends up finding him in his classroom, and he doesn’t want to see Lorelei again, because he can’t trust himself around her. And if he weren’t back at Chilton, he’d be seeing someone he met in California, so things are officially, officially over between them.
The episode ends with the cops showing up at the party, and Jess leaving.
What I Thought:
Honestly? This is one of the episodes where I don’t understand why people love Jess and Rory together so much. I know that Jess is a smart guy who’s into music and reading the way Rory is into music and reading, but Jess can be such an ass sometimes.
I know that we know he’s acting like a complete jerk because he can’t get prom tickets because he ditched so much school, and that Rory doesn’t know that Jess couldn’t get prom tickets, but still, I was really angry with Jess! It’s totally not fair that he took it out on Rory. At least he seemed to realize that he did something wrong…until he saw Dean trying to figure out what was going on with an upset Rory, and got into a fight with Dean about it.
I get why Rory wants to go to the Stars Hollow High prom, but it still seems a little weird to me. Maybe because I was not the least bit interested in going to my own prom.
As for Lorelei and Max, it seemed like Lorelei was maybe interested in getting back together with Max. Maybe she wasn’t ready to get married before, but I honestly don’t get this story line at all, because her interest in him seems a little too random. And I completely forgot about Alex- he was never mentioned after whatever episode he was last in, so it was quite the surprise that Lorelei was still kind of seeing him. Maybe I assumed they broke up, because Lorelei doesn’t have the best of luck with guys.
Favorite Line:
Nothing for this episode
Pop Culture:
Prince, Milli Vanilli, Lord Of The Rings
Let’s Rate It:
I thought this episode was okay- it does set up a couple things that will happen in the next few episodes, but overall, not a memorable episode. Keg! Max! gets 2 mugs of coffee.
Gilmore Girls 3×18: Happy Birthday, Baby
Happy Birthday, Baby originally aired April 22, 2003. This episode was written by Amy Sherman-Palladino and was directed by Gail Mancuso.
This episode opens with Richard cooking Friday night dinner. Rory and Lorelei tell Emily and Richard that Rory’s going to Yale, and Emily and Richard don’t react right away. In fact, they act like everything is perfectly normal…until they are really happy, and go off to call their friends.
At the Inn, construction is underway, and has to be done in 10 days, when guests are scheduled to arrive. Lorelei is having an emergency staff meeting with Sookie, Michel and Tobin, the night manager. Lorelei is looking for ideas to keep the inn going, and Michel suggests a B & B. Lorelei and Sookie shoot it down, but Tobin agrees with Michel and suddenly, Lorelei is willing to consider it. Michel doesn’t want Tobin’s help, and Michel isn’t happy that Lorelei said she’d reconsider when Tobin agreed. Tobin got Lorelei an early birthday present, and Michel and Tobin have this weird glaring/looking at each other weird moment. Michel and Tobin try to one up each other throughout the episode with birthday gifts getting more awesome, and Tobin with a bunch of ideas on what to do with the inn that Michel doesn’t like.
Rory is busy planning Lorelei’s birthday party- from a cake at Westin’s, to the world’s largest pizza. The pizza has some issues throughout the episode, and while Rory is getting soda, Jackson talks to Rory about how Sookie’s crying because Rory didn’t ask her to make the pizza, or ask him for vegetables for the pizza toppings.
While all of this is going on, Lorelei meets with Richard for lunch, where she gets a very large check. Richard had made an investment in real estate when Lorelei was born, and got a letter saying that the complex was sold, so she is now getting the check. She’s really excited, and we see her and Rory trying to decide what to do with the money.
Then, we have another Friday night dinner, where Lorelei pays back Richard and Emily for Rory’s tuition at Chilton. She’s very thankful for what they’ve done, but Emily doesn’t take this well at all. She thinks they don’t need her anymore, and that she doesn’t want the money. Emily also thinks that Lorelei was unkind to use her birthday to tell them that Friday night dinners are over, and even though Lorelei never said it, Emily believes the check got the point across. Richard never told Emily about the investment he made, and paying them back was one of the first things she thought of. Richard told her that Emily wasn’t supposed to know, and Lorelei is confused, since he didn’t specifically tell her not to say anything. However, meeting in secret was how Lorelei was supposed to know. Emily tells her that they are released from their obligation of Friday night dinner.
In Stars Hollow, Rory wants to know why Lorelei did it the way she did it, and that Lorelei had to have known they wouldn’t want the money back and that Emily wouldn’t take it well. According to Lorelei, Rory doesn’t know how hard it’s been for Lorelei to go to her parents for help with Rory’s tuition, because Lorelei decided that she didn’t want their help a long time ago. She did go to them for help because of Rory and doesn’t regret that. Rory thinks she could have done it differently (but isn’t sure what that would be) and Lorelei talks about how her relationship with her parents is very different than the one that Rory has with them. Lorelei isn’t going to let anyone make her feel guilty for paying back a loan that she always intended to pay back, and certainly doesn’t want Rory to judge her for doing so. Rory apologizes but Lorelei says it’s fine.
The episode ends with Lorelei seeing the party Rory planned for her, and loves that Rory did that for her.
What I Thought:
The check that Lorelei gets…I have so many thoughts on this! It’s one of those things where I get everyone’s side- well, mostly. I get why Emily acted the way she did and I don’t blame her for not taking it well. I do agree with Rory that Lorelei could have done it differently, and I get why Lorelei not only went to her parents for help but also why she wanted to pay them back.
I did find myself irritated with Richard for not explicitly saying “don’t tell Emily.” It is very like Richard to have a meeting shrouded in secrecy where said secrecy implies that Lorelei not say anything. But subtlety doesn’t seem to work well with Lorelei, and Richard really should have been more clear.
I also got annoyed with Lorelei when she and Rory were back in Stars Hollow after her birthday dinner with her parents. One thing I’ve thought since starting up with the re-watch ages ago is that we get a very one-sided picture of Lorelei’s relationship with her parents, and while I know the show mainly focuses on Lorelei and Rory, I really wish we saw more of what her parents side is. I was definitely reminded of that towards the end of the episode. I get she doesn’t have a good relationship with her parents, and I just really wish we got more of Emily and Richard’s side (instead of just what Emily says once in a blue moon). And that Lorelei was more specific about why they were horrible parents.
I would like to randomly add that Rory didn’t have to go to a fancy, expensive private school that Lorelei really couldn’t afford. I don’t know if Chilton offers scholarships, or if that would even be enough to cover tuition. And I know it’s there so Rory can get to Harvard (at the time) and so that Emily and Richard are around, but still…it just seems weird to me.
Favorite Line:
Michel: “I don’t eat bagels. They are like glue in your intestines.”
Pop Culture:
Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Clash, Gangs Of New York
Let’s Rate It:
I liked this episode, especially given there are no more Friday night dinners. I didn’t completely love it, because I found Lorelei and Richard to be slightly irritating, but overall, I feel like we’ve hit the point where the story line that leads up to the season finale is set in motion in this episode. Happy Birthday, Baby gets 3 mugs of coffee.
Gilmore Girls 3×17: A Tale Of Poes And Fire
A Tale Of Poes And Fire originally aired April 15, 2003. This episode was written by Daniel Palladino and directed by Chris Long.
This episode starts off with Rory and Lorelei working on a pro-con list in Luke’s Diner- the pro-con list that will determine which college Rory should go to. Luke is confused is to why they’re working on a pro-con list when everyone knows it’s going to be Harvard. Kirk is also selling t-shirts that have a topical headline of stuff he’s seen around town.
The Poe Society is in town, and Jess gets Employee Of The Month At Wal-Mart. Luke is confused about how Jess is working a 40 hour shift, and after talking with Lorelei, Luke isn’t sure if Jess is going to school- between the diner, Rory and school, how is he picking up so many extra hours?
The Poe Society is having an event at Miss Patty’s studio and there’s a weird vibe in the room. Lindsay (Dean’s girlfriend) gives Rory weird looks, and Nicole (Luke’s girlfriend) gives Lorelei weird looks. Lorelei tells Rory that Yale has a good drama department, so that’s a pro for Yale. Lorelei needs a pen, and ends up borrowing one from Nicole. Lorelei thinks Lindsay needs to mellow, and Rory points out that Nicole definitely has Lindsay’s attitude. Miss Patty wants to know why they’re wasting their time on the pro-con lists when everyone knows it’s going to be Harvard. Lorelei says that if it’s Harvard, the lists will reflect that.
Then, Lorelei gets a call in the middle of the night that the Inn caught fire, and she and Rory rush over there. No one was harmed, but Lorelei promises to make arrangements, and she, Sookie and Michel get things going. Sookie is cooking for guests at Luke’s, and Michel set up emergency headquarters at Miss Patty’s. The nearby inns are all booked, so some of the townspeople offer up their houses for guests to stay at if they can’t get home.
At Chilton, Rory asks Madeleine and Louise if they’ve heard from Paris, since Paris has missed a few days of school after the meltdown speech. They didn’t even know Paris was absent, so Rory goes to see Paris, to drop off her assignments. Paris is in bed, watching soap operas, and knows Rory got into Harvard. She hasn’t talked to her parents or to Jamie, and knows where she went wrong in her interview. Being Paris, she recorded the interview, and even plays a clip for Rory. Rory, by the way, hates that Paris is torturing herself, and starts telling Paris what to do. Paris says there’s no alternative to Harvard.
Rory and Lorelei are getting Rory’s room for their house guests, and are talking about Rory’s big decision. Lorelei believes the pro-con lists have changed, and that Yale is where Rory should go. Rory isn’t done collecting data, and her wall very much says Harvard. She also knows Lorelei was resistant to Yale, and doesn’t want Lorelei to hate the school she’s going to. If it’s right for Rory, it’s right for Lorelei.
Some new guests show up at Lorelei’s, so she goes to stay at Luke’s. We learn that Nicole is sensitive where Lorelei is concerned, because of Luke’s first date with her, where he kept talking about Lorelei.
The next day, Lorelei gets a call, saying that she can get into the inn. She and Sookie meet Michel and the fire chief at the inn. They go inside to find the inn pretty destroyed. While you see Michel, Lorelei and Sookie at the inn, Rory is in her room, looking at her Yale wall.
What I Thought:
We finally get Rory’s college decision! This is easily the most interesting thing in the episode. I know Harvard is something they’ve wanted a long time, and in particular, Lorelei really seemed to want it. As a fan of the show, I knew Rory would go to Yale, but this time around, it seemed really obvious that once Yale came up, Rory would be going there.
I thought everyone’s reaction to the pro-con lists to be annoying. Yes, Rory has talked about Harvard her whole life, but deciding which college to go to is a really big decision! I actually thought the pro-con lists were an interesting way to think about the good and bad things about each school. And honestly? Just because Rory has talked about one school her whole life doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s the right school for her. People change, and things change, and sometimes, a school that Rory has talked about her whole life isn’t going to be the right school for her.
As for the inn, which is the other big thing going on…it hit me a lot more this time around. Especially in contrast to Rory’s decision…and it really got me emotionally. The scene at the very end, where you know Rory’s going to Yale, and where Lorelei is in the middle of the lobby…I have no idea how to explain how it made me feel. I definitely felt like Rory’s story had a new beginning, while things at the Inn are up in the air.
I also wanted to touch on the Lindsay/Nicole stuff for a second. I get why Nicole is sensitive where Lorelei is concerned, because it is a very Luke thing to talk about another woman (especially one who is not a relative) on a date with someone. And I did get this vibe that maybe Lindsay and Nicole (okay, definitely Nicole) feel threatened by Rory and Lorelei. I know Rory’s moved on with Jess, but…she was with Dean for a long time, so maybe there’s something going on there that we don’t see.
Favorite Line:
Courtesy of Michel: “I’m looking for my cyanide capsule, have you seen it?”
Pop Culture:
Edgar Allen Poe, Trekkies, Gumby
Let’s Rate It:
Overall, I liked this episode. It definitely resolved the college decision, while starting an issue with the inn, leaving it’s future up in the air. I didn’t love it, but it’s what I’ve come to expect for pretty much any Gilmore Girls episode. This episode gets 3 mugs of coffee.
Gilmore Girls 3×16: The Big One
The Big One originally aired February 25, 2003. This episode was written by Amy Sherman-Palladino and was directed by Jamie Babbit.
This episode starts off with Rory and Lorelei waiting for Rory’s college acceptance letters. Kirk is the new mail carrier, and is taking his time delivering the mail, sorting it as he goes along his route.
Luke has changed the menus at the diner. They get completely redesigned, and he’s even added a few new dishes, as well as get rid of dishes that no one ordered.
Meanwhile, the Chilton bicentennial is coming up, and there is going to be a speech aired on C-SPAN. Paris thinks that her winning the speech contest will be more satisfying if she beats Rory- which leads to Rory entering the contest. At the inn, Lorelei and Sookie realize that people sending back Sookie’s food because it tastes awful means that Sookie’s pregnant. Sookie tells Jackson, but he crunches numbers, which leaves Sookie feeling like it didn’t go how she wanted it to go.
Lorelei stops to get some allergy medicine on her way to Friday night dinner and runs into Max, who asks about Rory. He’s in town for the Chilton bicentennial events. Lorelei arrives at the Gilmore house to find that Emily is visiting some of her DAR friends who are in the hospital, which means it’s going to be Richard, Rory and Lorelei for the evening. Lorelei tells Rory that she ran into Max. Rory didn’t know he was back in town, since he was on loan somewhere, but she does think Lorelei didn’t treat him well.
Lorelei goes to visit Sookie to see how things are going, and tells her about Max. Sookie agrees with Rory in that he’s a good guy and Lorelei didn’t treat him well. Rory and Paris had such great speeches that they are going to combine their speeches into one awesome one. When working on the speech, Paris announces that she and Jamie had sex, and wants to have a healthy debate with Rory so she can figure out how she should be feeling about it. Paris asks if Rory’s gone all the way with Jess and Dean, which gets Paris wondering why it’s right for her but not for Rory. Rory tells her that it’s different because they’re different, as are Jamie and Jess, and that what’s right for Paris isn’t going to be right for Rory. Lorelei comes in with pizza during this conversation, listening in, before making it obvious she’s there.
And when the C-SPAN-aired speech rolls around, Paris is nowhere to be found until minutes before the speech starts, looking disheveled. We finally learn that Paris didn’t get into Harvard, and she thinks she deserved to get in because of how she’s worked, but is now being punished for having sex.
Also: before the speech starts, Lorelei sees Max and apologizes for not calling him. She feels bad for not talking to him since the engagement was called off, and she really wanted to explain why she called it off. He appreciates it, but it’s not necessary, since he’s moved on and has time to think while he was teaching a class at Stanford.
After Paris has her meltdown, she and Rory are talking. Paris thinks they must really have not liked her if she didn’t get in, especially since generations of Gellar’s have gone to Harvard. She also thinks Jamie won’t think she’s special because she didn’t get into Harvard. Rory knows Paris will do great at whatever schools do accept her and that maybe it’ll be good for her to go to a different school. Lorelei runs into Max again, and they kiss before he leaves. Lorelei and Rory go home to find that Rory has several college acceptance letters.
What I Thought:
There is so much to talk about! Rory getting accepted to everywhere isn’t surprising, but Paris not getting accepted to Harvard is. I actually feel bad for Paris in this episode, mostly because of comparing herself to Rory and because of how Jamie won’t think she’s special. And because not getting into Harvard is a punishment. Although…if Jamie doesn’t think she’s special anymore, than he’s an idiot Paris doesn’t need.
And Paris comparing herself to Rory…I don’t know what to think about this. I mean, it’s very Paris, since she and Rory are on the same level for many, many things, but Rory also makes a good point that they’re different. There is a part of me that thinks maybe Paris isn’t ready to have sex if she needs data to back things up and if she needs to have a debate with Rory to figure out how she should feel. At the same time, though, it’s very Paris to need data and to debate things, and as book-smart as she is, Paris is also kinda socially awkward, which makes it hard to sort out my own feelings about it.
Max and Lorelei is the last thing I wanted to talk about before wrapping things up. I felt like it came out of nowhere, since we haven’t seen him in forever. This around, I’m kind of confused as to why he’s suddenly popping up. It’s nice he’s moved on, and didn’t need the closure, but I found that Lorelei apologizing for not talking to him after she broke off his engagement was odd and annoying. Mostly because it is pretty typical of Lorelei to do what she did and then apologize later. I guess his absence was explained by teaching at Stanford, but what high school English teacher goes from teaching high school English to a class at Stanford? Especially on “loan?” Granted, I’m not in the education field, so my random thoughts about how weird Chilton and Stars Hollow High are could be wrong, but this is another instance where a high school teacher being loaned to a college cross-country seems really out-of-place.
Favorite Line:
Lorelei: “It was comforting, like deep-fried ham soup.”
Pop Culture:
Into The Woods, plus other Broadway references
Let’s Wrap It Up:
Overall, this episode is wavering between me thinking it’s okay and me liking it. There are some really interesting conversations and things that happened, but the Max thing really seemed to come out of nowhere, and it seemed a little bit unnecessary. The Big One gets 2.5 mugs of coffee.
Gilmore Girls Interlude: The Gilmore Girls Project Is Back!
I recently did a top ten list where I shared my top 10 favorite T.V. shows…and of course, Gilmore Girls made the list as one of my favorite shows.
It was then that I realized that it’s been quite a few months since I actually watched an episode of the show and recapped it! Basically, the absence of Gilmore Girls-related posts amount to me being lazy and not watching episodes…or even recapping an episode I apparently had notes for.
But after that post, I realized how much I missed watching it pretty much every week, and how much I miss talking about it pretty much every week, so I’ll definitely be getting back into the swing of things as far as this project goes. I really didn’t realize how much a part of my life it was until I started re-watching. I’ll definitely be posting new recaps every 1-2 weeks, starting next week. And I’m definitely going to be posting new episode recaps every 1-2 weeks. Preferably every week, of course, but I’m also hesitant to make any sort of guarantee, because of the several month gap between episode recaps.
I will say that it’s actually been interesting to re-watch the entire show from the very beginning, because there have been so many things that I never picked up on or thought about until this re-watch. And I know the show is chock-full of pop culture references, many of which go right over my head. Like, I’ll be watching an episode, and a character will say something, and I just know it’s a reference to something…but it drives me crazy, because I’m not getting the reference is. (I’m positive there’s something out there…I may have to research this).
I’m really looking forward to picking this project up again, and I’ll be back next week with Episode 16, The Big One.
Reading Books With Coffee 