6x16 Bridesmaids Revisited

[8.3/10] A very funny, well-laid out episode of Gilmore Girls. Let’s take it story by story.

And let’s start with WHHHHHYYYYY LAAAAAAANNNNNEEEE NOOOOOOO! Why would you marry that dope! Him proposing does nothing to obviate the fact that he was being (and has been) an unreasonable, self-centered asshole! I guess you can kind of squint and say that the issue was that he was overly territorial with Lane without actually caring for her himself and this is his commitment to doing so, but that’s a real stretch. This looks and feels like a ring as a bandaid, and if you can’t tell, I’m not the biggest Zach fan in the world, so that moment played terribly to me. He ripped up her band poster like four scenes earlier! He’s bad news, Lane! Where’s Mrs. Kim and her demon curses when you need them?

That said, pretty much everything prior to that was actually pretty great. Zach’s tamborine friend “covering” for him during their bluegrass set was amusing. Gil and Brian’s cover of “Hollaback Girl” during a bat mitzvah was actually really good, and the little bits of bat mitzvah humor they integrated really tickled my funny bone as someone who remembers those all too well. And hell, I even liked Zach’s “I wake up in the morning and I feel bad” speech. For one, you sympathize with him, even though he’s a dope, because you can tell her cares enough to be hurt by what happened. BUT THAT DOESN’T JUSTIFY GETTING MARRIED! ARGH! Lane deserves better.

Speaking of people feeling like they deserve something better, I actually really enjoyed the spat between Rory and Logan, because, as I’ve been harping on lately, it feels true to both characters. Of course Rory would be hurt at the news that Logan slept with a bunch of airheaded rich girls while they were “taking some time,” construe it as cheating, and take it as an indication that he doesn’t really love her. And of course Logan would understand “taking some time” to mean a break-up (hello “We were on a break!” fans), would not get the need to officially break things off, and would think nothing of bedding a crop of women he doesn’t respect.

It’s a conflict that emerges from who they both are, and their differing perspectives on love and romance, and it makes Logan interesting as a suitor, because he’s clearly very right for Rory in how they are when they’re together (as his “You look stunning. Knock ‘em dead” moment demonstrated), but also often very wrong for her in his lifestyle and attitude apart from her much of the time. That makes for compelling drama beyond the usual overwrought romance stuff.

And there’s a lot of comedy to be wrung from Rory being drunk and making Dorothy Parker references and having awkward but amusing interactions with Doyle. And if that weren’t enough, her reunion with Paris, where they commiserate over their grief over their guys, is really touching. I have to admit, I rolled my eyes a little at the show putting Rory and Paris at odds again, but it’s always so heartwarming when they reconcile that I can’t fault the too show too much for it.

Last, but certainly not least, there’s the plot where Rory babysits Gigi for Christopher. I have to say, I would 100% watch “The Lorelai and Gigi Show” as I just died laughing at Lorelai throwing her usual witty bon mots at a three-year-old and receiving nothing but NOs and screeches. The two made for a great comic pairing, and I hope against hope we can get more of it.

Hell, I even liked Lorelai and Chris here. It feels pretty obvious that the show is pointing us toward Lorelai warming back up to Chris again at the same time she’s starting to run cold on Luke, particularly with the contrast of Chris welcoming Lorelai into his daughter’s life at the same time Luke is keeping her at arm’s length with his. But they seem to have actual chemistry this time. Maybe it’s just that Christopher can’t be written by Daniel Palladino, but this episode has a great script, and in moments like when Lorelai and Chris are snickering at the back of a panel on journalism (hello young Leslie Odom Jr.!) you see how they made sense as a pair of rebellious cut-ups back in the day.

Their conflict and resolution works here too. Chris obviously doesn’t want to hear that Gigi is a handful, and Lorelai is understandably annoyed when he disregards her advice on parenting considering their relationship, and it dredges up some old wounds between them. By contrast, Chris’s call and apology, where he admits that he’s still smarting over Sherry bailing and understands how Lorelai must have felt about him is a nice moment of perspective and growth. I’ll give Gilmore Girls this. I’m still not on board the Lorelai-Chris train, but they’ve at least done the legwork at showing how Chris is changing and different from the flake who’s been around in the past, to where he could conceivably be someone Lorelai would warm to.

Overall, if you can just cut out Lane making THE BIGGEST MISTAKE OF HER LIFE, this is a very amusing and well-written episode of the show.