[9.3/10] The biggest takeaway on this one for me is Chris. He annoyed the hell out of me in his first two appearances on the show, but he really clicked here. Maybe it’s just that his prior two appearances (particularly the lousy “Christopher Returns”) were written by Daniel Palladino, whose episodes I tend to find a little weak. But whatever it was, not only was he downright charming here, but he and Lorelai had an ease and a familiarity that made them feel like old flames rekindling something and not just characters thrown together by fiat.
Some of that is the nice interlude of ballroom dancing. Some of that is the improved repartee between Chris and Lorelai. Some of it may be me falling under the same spell that Lorelai is -- Chris has a car, and a job, and is meeting his responsibilities rather than shirking them and lying about it, which easily makes him more likable. The sense that he’s putting his life together, and most importantly, being there for Rory when she needs him, makes him much more understandably attractive to Lorelai, and I like the subtext of that.
I’ll admit, Lorelai inviting him to come by more often feels awfully quick to me, but I suppose it’s a necessary entree to introducing the plot obstacle of his new girlfriend. It’s a bit of a cheesy development, but (and I’m going to sound like a broken record to anyone who follows these reviews) Lauren Graham really saves the moment. Her reaction of feeling stung but trying to be cool about it, and her palpable but subtle resentments of the situation when she’s talking with Rory about it in the diner are perfectly pitched.
Speaking of perfectly pitched, the show introduces a real conflict between Emily and Richard for (I think) the first time, and it’s marvelous. It’s interesting to get to see the two of them as people who haves lives outside of Lorelai and Rory, and to have their be bumps along the road. For one thing, the episode sets up Richard as a grump and someone being fairly unreasonable about his wife’s understandable requests, but then he gets a moment of insecurity, revealing that it’s all a bout of frustration from him suspecting he’s being phased out at his job. It’s the sort of thing that would completely unmoor a steady man like Richard.
On the other side, though, you have Emily, who feels like the Gilmore are being derelict in the part of their lives that she’s in charge of, and (legitimately) like her husband is being totally unresponsive to her concerns. I am a complete sucker for any situation in which conflict arises from two people’s understandable but conflicting worries, and this fits to a tee. Again, the show has great empathy for Emily, giving us a look at her world and how she feels marginalized, ignored, and aggrieved.
But Lorelai has empathy too, and that’s the crowning moment of “Presenting Lorelai Gilmore.” The final scene is understated, with no grand confessions or overwrought expressions of gratitude. It’s simply Lorelai, being there for her mom when she doesn’t have to be, and Emily, never saying as much, but clearly appreciative of the gesture. As much as the relationship between Rory and Lorelai, the relationship between Lorelai and Emily is foundational to the show, and it’s nice to see it being so nicely developed and matured here.
And hey, the Debutant Ball that provides the title is pretty darn good too, even if it’s mostly to provide context or comic relief for the other stories. For one thing, I appreciate the continuity of it. I loved the moment when Rory and her grandparents are going through an old photo album and the conversation goes cold at a picture of Lorelai in her debutante dress, so I like that it’s seen by Emily as a way to right the ship here and now.
That works for a myriad of reasons. For one, it means that both Richard and Emily are participating in a living reminder of past shames, which are at the forefront of their minds when they’re already frazzled. (Note both Richard’s “has she ever listened to a word you said” comment to Lorelai and Emily’s “that should have been you” comment to her as well.) It’s also an event that Lorelai and Chris participated in together, and so it helps create that locational sense memory that helps dredge up their romantic past as well, making their flirtatiousness all the more easy to spill out.
And it’s a nice source of color and comedy to boot. I got a big kick out of Libby, the other debber who’s going on her fifth coming out party, and high strung like a kite in a redwood. (I love Chris’s line after Rory recounts Libby’s statement that if he were her stepdad, she could steal him away -- “She’s got a good life ahead of her, that Libby.” Hah!) On top of that, Rory and Dean are pretty adorable between Dean’s reluctance to wear a tux (even if Neil Young does it) and Rory struggling to ballroom dance. Plus, Rory’s desire to make her grandmother happy is always a good look for her. And even Luke and Jess jousting minorly is good for a laugh.
Overall, it’s the show firing on all cylinders. I’d dock it a few points for moving too fast with Chris & Lorelai, but otherwise, there’s great performance, complex character work and emotional material, and some great comedy as well.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2017-08-24T01:53:02Z
[9.3/10] The biggest takeaway on this one for me is Chris. He annoyed the hell out of me in his first two appearances on the show, but he really clicked here. Maybe it’s just that his prior two appearances (particularly the lousy “Christopher Returns”) were written by Daniel Palladino, whose episodes I tend to find a little weak. But whatever it was, not only was he downright charming here, but he and Lorelai had an ease and a familiarity that made them feel like old flames rekindling something and not just characters thrown together by fiat.
Some of that is the nice interlude of ballroom dancing. Some of that is the improved repartee between Chris and Lorelai. Some of it may be me falling under the same spell that Lorelai is -- Chris has a car, and a job, and is meeting his responsibilities rather than shirking them and lying about it, which easily makes him more likable. The sense that he’s putting his life together, and most importantly, being there for Rory when she needs him, makes him much more understandably attractive to Lorelai, and I like the subtext of that.
I’ll admit, Lorelai inviting him to come by more often feels awfully quick to me, but I suppose it’s a necessary entree to introducing the plot obstacle of his new girlfriend. It’s a bit of a cheesy development, but (and I’m going to sound like a broken record to anyone who follows these reviews) Lauren Graham really saves the moment. Her reaction of feeling stung but trying to be cool about it, and her palpable but subtle resentments of the situation when she’s talking with Rory about it in the diner are perfectly pitched.
Speaking of perfectly pitched, the show introduces a real conflict between Emily and Richard for (I think) the first time, and it’s marvelous. It’s interesting to get to see the two of them as people who haves lives outside of Lorelai and Rory, and to have their be bumps along the road. For one thing, the episode sets up Richard as a grump and someone being fairly unreasonable about his wife’s understandable requests, but then he gets a moment of insecurity, revealing that it’s all a bout of frustration from him suspecting he’s being phased out at his job. It’s the sort of thing that would completely unmoor a steady man like Richard.
On the other side, though, you have Emily, who feels like the Gilmore are being derelict in the part of their lives that she’s in charge of, and (legitimately) like her husband is being totally unresponsive to her concerns. I am a complete sucker for any situation in which conflict arises from two people’s understandable but conflicting worries, and this fits to a tee. Again, the show has great empathy for Emily, giving us a look at her world and how she feels marginalized, ignored, and aggrieved.
But Lorelai has empathy too, and that’s the crowning moment of “Presenting Lorelai Gilmore.” The final scene is understated, with no grand confessions or overwrought expressions of gratitude. It’s simply Lorelai, being there for her mom when she doesn’t have to be, and Emily, never saying as much, but clearly appreciative of the gesture. As much as the relationship between Rory and Lorelai, the relationship between Lorelai and Emily is foundational to the show, and it’s nice to see it being so nicely developed and matured here.
And hey, the Debutant Ball that provides the title is pretty darn good too, even if it’s mostly to provide context or comic relief for the other stories. For one thing, I appreciate the continuity of it. I loved the moment when Rory and her grandparents are going through an old photo album and the conversation goes cold at a picture of Lorelai in her debutante dress, so I like that it’s seen by Emily as a way to right the ship here and now.
That works for a myriad of reasons. For one, it means that both Richard and Emily are participating in a living reminder of past shames, which are at the forefront of their minds when they’re already frazzled. (Note both Richard’s “has she ever listened to a word you said” comment to Lorelai and Emily’s “that should have been you” comment to her as well.) It’s also an event that Lorelai and Chris participated in together, and so it helps create that locational sense memory that helps dredge up their romantic past as well, making their flirtatiousness all the more easy to spill out.
And it’s a nice source of color and comedy to boot. I got a big kick out of Libby, the other debber who’s going on her fifth coming out party, and high strung like a kite in a redwood. (I love Chris’s line after Rory recounts Libby’s statement that if he were her stepdad, she could steal him away -- “She’s got a good life ahead of her, that Libby.” Hah!) On top of that, Rory and Dean are pretty adorable between Dean’s reluctance to wear a tux (even if Neil Young does it) and Rory struggling to ballroom dance. Plus, Rory’s desire to make her grandmother happy is always a good look for her. And even Luke and Jess jousting minorly is good for a laugh.
Overall, it’s the show firing on all cylinders. I’d dock it a few points for moving too fast with Chris & Lorelai, but otherwise, there’s great performance, complex character work and emotional material, and some great comedy as well.