[7.2/10] This is one of those episodes that’s hard to rate because there’s plenty of stuff I enjoy and plenty of stuff I don’t. It’s again lacking in some of the cohesiveness I like from Gilmore Girls, with more grab bag elements than I generally enjoy, but the whole is roughly the sum of its parts, and some of the parts are quite good!
My favorite scene in the episode is the heart-to-heart between Lane and Rory. The two of them add such perspective to one another’s lives, to where despite the fact that they’re in different places (and perhaps because of it), Rory can be excited about Lane’s tour, and Lane can be supportive of Rory’s sabbatical, and they can talk about things like abstinence and familial rifts openly and encouragingly with one another. There’s something genuinely reassuring about the way that Lane tells Rory that the fight between the Gilmore Girls is just nature finding equilibrium for all the years they didn’t fight, and that this too shall pass. You can tell it’s not just empty reassurance, that Lane genuinely believes it, and it gives Rory something she needs before she faces her mom at the Sookie/Jackson baptism.
Speaking of which, another strong point in the episode is the way that Lorelai and Rory both have this event, and the prospect of having to face each other, weighing on them in stereo. The way each wakes up next to their beaus, clearly a little upset and challenged by what’s to come, and asks which dress goes well with a baby is the sort of parallel I enjoy. There’s something very Emily/Lorelai about it, and it’s interesting to see that generational stamp passed down to another mother and daughter, where they approach the same thing in the same way but from opposite ends.
But that’s where my appreciation ends with the major Rory/Lorelai story here. I got a laugh out of their joint meeting with the minister about being godparents and their loose support of “the good” over any strong religious feeling, and there’s a charge to the scene where they see one another at the steps of the church, but there’s a lot of sitcommy or melodramatic stuff at play.
For one thing, I hate how much a busybody Sookie is here. I like Sookie as a character, and it feels like her friendship with Lorelai would be the kind that would have her invite Lorelai over for coffee and express her concerns about the rift directly, rather than cajoling Luke to make something happen or employing a Three’s Company-esque scheme to get Lorelai and Rory in the same room. Sure, she admits to it in the end, but it feels like the show bending over backwards to make the plot happen rather than being true to the character.
And hell, I like, in principle, the idea that Lorelai is miffed that Sookie was able to call Rory when Lorelai got a dead end, and the misunderstanding that leads to bitterness being renewed when it seemed like things were thawing. But Lorelai storming off in the middle of her best friend’s baptism is just too inconsiderate, too solipsistic, for me to be invested in the standoff and not just aghast that Lorelai would do that to her friend (who, granted, half-tricked Lorelai into this). It’s the show not getting its moral or emotional calculus right, which is typically one of its strengths. And the less said about the last scene, where Lorelai tells us “it’s not the same” while watching a corny Rosie O'donnell movie just in case the audience didn’t get it, the better.
On the other hand, a lot of the comedy in this episode worked. Jackson and Sookie’s arguments go a bit broad, as they often do, but there’s a fun Fred and Ethel vibe that works for them. Jackson’s brother thinking Lorelai’s a nympho is pretty out there, but as a dye-in-the-wool Parks and Rec fan, it’s hard not to be charmed by Nick Offerman despite that, and the payoff -- that he’s right about everything he heard about Lorelai (sans the actual nympho part) -- is pretty funny. Kirk trying to figure out whether he’s a Davey or a Martha, and plenty of other little funny moments in the episode are keepers as well.
But then there’s just another hodgepodge of loose story threads. I continue to loathe Zach and the fact that he blew their nine grand from the tour after being swindled by an obvious huckster of a computer salesman just makes him more infuriating. There’s some good beats to Rory being forced to play hostess in lieu of her grandmother and seeming like she could end up being a natural part of that world. And I particularly like the understated work by Logan, who’s clearly trying to run away from his responsibilities and expectations, in a way that Rory can detect, but that he can’t really confront or be honest about with her. Instead, he just wants her to join in his running.
There’s interesting stuff in all of this, but it’s pretty compartmentalized and glancing. The result is that the episode really rises and falls on its main story with Rory and Lorelai, which is itself a mixed bag. Season 6 continues to be a bit temperamental in terms of quality, but at least this one had some creditable moments that made the show feel like Gilmore GIrls again.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2018-01-06T02:38:49Z
[7.2/10] This is one of those episodes that’s hard to rate because there’s plenty of stuff I enjoy and plenty of stuff I don’t. It’s again lacking in some of the cohesiveness I like from Gilmore Girls, with more grab bag elements than I generally enjoy, but the whole is roughly the sum of its parts, and some of the parts are quite good!
My favorite scene in the episode is the heart-to-heart between Lane and Rory. The two of them add such perspective to one another’s lives, to where despite the fact that they’re in different places (and perhaps because of it), Rory can be excited about Lane’s tour, and Lane can be supportive of Rory’s sabbatical, and they can talk about things like abstinence and familial rifts openly and encouragingly with one another. There’s something genuinely reassuring about the way that Lane tells Rory that the fight between the Gilmore Girls is just nature finding equilibrium for all the years they didn’t fight, and that this too shall pass. You can tell it’s not just empty reassurance, that Lane genuinely believes it, and it gives Rory something she needs before she faces her mom at the Sookie/Jackson baptism.
Speaking of which, another strong point in the episode is the way that Lorelai and Rory both have this event, and the prospect of having to face each other, weighing on them in stereo. The way each wakes up next to their beaus, clearly a little upset and challenged by what’s to come, and asks which dress goes well with a baby is the sort of parallel I enjoy. There’s something very Emily/Lorelai about it, and it’s interesting to see that generational stamp passed down to another mother and daughter, where they approach the same thing in the same way but from opposite ends.
But that’s where my appreciation ends with the major Rory/Lorelai story here. I got a laugh out of their joint meeting with the minister about being godparents and their loose support of “the good” over any strong religious feeling, and there’s a charge to the scene where they see one another at the steps of the church, but there’s a lot of sitcommy or melodramatic stuff at play.
For one thing, I hate how much a busybody Sookie is here. I like Sookie as a character, and it feels like her friendship with Lorelai would be the kind that would have her invite Lorelai over for coffee and express her concerns about the rift directly, rather than cajoling Luke to make something happen or employing a Three’s Company-esque scheme to get Lorelai and Rory in the same room. Sure, she admits to it in the end, but it feels like the show bending over backwards to make the plot happen rather than being true to the character.
And hell, I like, in principle, the idea that Lorelai is miffed that Sookie was able to call Rory when Lorelai got a dead end, and the misunderstanding that leads to bitterness being renewed when it seemed like things were thawing. But Lorelai storming off in the middle of her best friend’s baptism is just too inconsiderate, too solipsistic, for me to be invested in the standoff and not just aghast that Lorelai would do that to her friend (who, granted, half-tricked Lorelai into this). It’s the show not getting its moral or emotional calculus right, which is typically one of its strengths. And the less said about the last scene, where Lorelai tells us “it’s not the same” while watching a corny Rosie O'donnell movie just in case the audience didn’t get it, the better.
On the other hand, a lot of the comedy in this episode worked. Jackson and Sookie’s arguments go a bit broad, as they often do, but there’s a fun Fred and Ethel vibe that works for them. Jackson’s brother thinking Lorelai’s a nympho is pretty out there, but as a dye-in-the-wool Parks and Rec fan, it’s hard not to be charmed by Nick Offerman despite that, and the payoff -- that he’s right about everything he heard about Lorelai (sans the actual nympho part) -- is pretty funny. Kirk trying to figure out whether he’s a Davey or a Martha, and plenty of other little funny moments in the episode are keepers as well.
But then there’s just another hodgepodge of loose story threads. I continue to loathe Zach and the fact that he blew their nine grand from the tour after being swindled by an obvious huckster of a computer salesman just makes him more infuriating. There’s some good beats to Rory being forced to play hostess in lieu of her grandmother and seeming like she could end up being a natural part of that world. And I particularly like the understated work by Logan, who’s clearly trying to run away from his responsibilities and expectations, in a way that Rory can detect, but that he can’t really confront or be honest about with her. Instead, he just wants her to join in his running.
There’s interesting stuff in all of this, but it’s pretty compartmentalized and glancing. The result is that the episode really rises and falls on its main story with Rory and Lorelai, which is itself a mixed bag. Season 6 continues to be a bit temperamental in terms of quality, but at least this one had some creditable moments that made the show feel like Gilmore GIrls again.