[5.2/10] This was pretty much a dog all around. I didn’t like a single one of the storylines here, and one of them was godawful.
I like a good comic relief subplot, but the whole bit about the missing Easter eggs was just an excuse for Taylor, Kirk, and some of the other town oddballs to really overdo it in comic mugging. I also like a good story of curmudgeonly Luke showing an unexpected altruistic side at the last minute, but there’s just too much unpleasant broad comedy from Taylor and Kirk for Luke’s gesture at the end to be able to redeem it.
I am also not at all on board with the Rory/Dean storyline. I’m not necessarily opposed to it in principle, even if it makes both Rory and Dean less likable. Sometimes stories that make your characters less likable can be good -- it exposing faults and flaws that they have to reckon with.
But this just feels like cheap drama. Rory’s right the second time -- it’s not her place to cajole Dean into staying in school, and it’s certainly too much for her to blame Lindsay, a woman she barely knows, for it. At the same time, Lindsay overhearing her bitch to Lane about it in the grocery store is a contrived moment. And was Dean just lurking in an alley waiting for Rory to (hopefully slowly) drive by? Their having a now secret, forbidden friendship is a soapy development that again, just doesn’t work for me.
And then there’s the main storyline of the episode, [spoiler]which sees Digger’s dad Floyd set up a dinner between the Stileses and the Gilmores, which turns out to be a plot and a setup to reveal that Floyd is suing Richard and Digger’s business for violating Digger’s employment contract or whatnot.
Again, it’s some really soapy stuff, in the mold of Dallas or Dynasty that doesn’t feel like it has the right tone or fit for this show. The conflict between father and son over their careers and legacy, the reveal that Richard put up his pension as collateral for his business loans, and Richard screwing over Digger to make a deal with his father could all, in a vacuum, be interesting personal storylines with real stakes. Instead, they’re just a series of crazy twists and turns that go overdramatic and frankly silly when the episode is trying to be serious.
There are a few bright spots. For one thing, it is a decent way to get the Lorelai/Digger relationship out in the open with Richard and Emily, even if it too is a little over-the-top and dramatic. The reactions from everyone are what make it half-work. I love that Emily is quietly seething and hurt because here’s another major life thing for Lorelai that she wasn’t told about. I love that Richard is practically shaking with anger over the combined revelations.
And I especially love Digger here. For one thing, I like how, when pressed about keeping their relationship a secret, Digger never throws Lorelai under the bus. He takes the rap, even though it was her idea, and promises to make things right with Richard on both fronts. I also like him and Lorelai sitting and drinking and commiserating together. At the end of the day, I like Digger, even if I don’t necessarily like him for Lorelai. He’s the anti-Luke in many ways -- fancy where Luke is earthy, cheery where Luke is grumpy, finnicky where Luke is hearty -- but they’re equally good guys. Digger never comes off as anything but a thoroughly decent guy, even in tough moments like this, and it’s an endearing quality.
Still, this is a lesser light for the show, where no storyline fully works, and two out of the three have very little redeeming about them. I’d say skip it but for the fact that it’s so momentous in terms of plot developments.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2017-11-16T02:38:39Z
[5.2/10] This was pretty much a dog all around. I didn’t like a single one of the storylines here, and one of them was godawful.
I like a good comic relief subplot, but the whole bit about the missing Easter eggs was just an excuse for Taylor, Kirk, and some of the other town oddballs to really overdo it in comic mugging. I also like a good story of curmudgeonly Luke showing an unexpected altruistic side at the last minute, but there’s just too much unpleasant broad comedy from Taylor and Kirk for Luke’s gesture at the end to be able to redeem it.
I am also not at all on board with the Rory/Dean storyline. I’m not necessarily opposed to it in principle, even if it makes both Rory and Dean less likable. Sometimes stories that make your characters less likable can be good -- it exposing faults and flaws that they have to reckon with.
But this just feels like cheap drama. Rory’s right the second time -- it’s not her place to cajole Dean into staying in school, and it’s certainly too much for her to blame Lindsay, a woman she barely knows, for it. At the same time, Lindsay overhearing her bitch to Lane about it in the grocery store is a contrived moment. And was Dean just lurking in an alley waiting for Rory to (hopefully slowly) drive by? Their having a now secret, forbidden friendship is a soapy development that again, just doesn’t work for me.
And then there’s the main storyline of the episode, [spoiler]which sees Digger’s dad Floyd set up a dinner between the Stileses and the Gilmores, which turns out to be a plot and a setup to reveal that Floyd is suing Richard and Digger’s business for violating Digger’s employment contract or whatnot.
Again, it’s some really soapy stuff, in the mold of Dallas or Dynasty that doesn’t feel like it has the right tone or fit for this show. The conflict between father and son over their careers and legacy, the reveal that Richard put up his pension as collateral for his business loans, and Richard screwing over Digger to make a deal with his father could all, in a vacuum, be interesting personal storylines with real stakes. Instead, they’re just a series of crazy twists and turns that go overdramatic and frankly silly when the episode is trying to be serious.
There are a few bright spots. For one thing, it is a decent way to get the Lorelai/Digger relationship out in the open with Richard and Emily, even if it too is a little over-the-top and dramatic. The reactions from everyone are what make it half-work. I love that Emily is quietly seething and hurt because here’s another major life thing for Lorelai that she wasn’t told about. I love that Richard is practically shaking with anger over the combined revelations.
And I especially love Digger here. For one thing, I like how, when pressed about keeping their relationship a secret, Digger never throws Lorelai under the bus. He takes the rap, even though it was her idea, and promises to make things right with Richard on both fronts. I also like him and Lorelai sitting and drinking and commiserating together. At the end of the day, I like Digger, even if I don’t necessarily like him for Lorelai. He’s the anti-Luke in many ways -- fancy where Luke is earthy, cheery where Luke is grumpy, finnicky where Luke is hearty -- but they’re equally good guys. Digger never comes off as anything but a thoroughly decent guy, even in tough moments like this, and it’s an endearing quality.
Still, this is a lesser light for the show, where no storyline fully works, and two out of the three have very little redeeming about them. I’d say skip it but for the fact that it’s so momentous in terms of plot developments.