“Apple down! We have an apple down!”
September 28, 2004
So, last week as I wrote my review I spent many the minute trying to remember the two shining examples of pop-culture reference. The one I remembered, a Lord of the Rings reference was, while veiled, a fairly easy shot. However, the one that impressed me was when Rory asked her mother: “What’s your damage, Heather?” Such an innocuous line that would only cause those not in the know to say: “Um, but I thought that was Lorelei.”
Anyway.
The most inspired moment in the entire episode comes very near the end, during a make-up movie pig-out night between our beloved Gilmore Girls. Rory tells her mother that she has home movies from her trip with Emily to Europe, then promptly turns on a Merchant Ivory film with Helena Bonham Carter and Maggie Smith that does bear more than a striking resemblance to her conversations with her grandmother in Rome. Delightful.
So we’re seven weeks further on down the road, as evidenced by Dean’s haircut. Luke is still tending the Renaissance Faire stand for his sister and laid up brother-in-law who keeps insisting that Luke speekith in Faire-ese to the customers or beware the wrath of the secret Faire police. Thus, proving further that Renaissance Faire people are from a very special subset of geekdom. Though I s’pose such could be said about us all. Ah, me. Huzzah!
Rory begins the episode still snarky with her mother. An act that just annoyed me as seven weeks have in fact passed. The redemption comes shortly after, though when she calls to ask Lorelei to deliver a letter to Dean, explaining her position on the whole big mess. Lorelei, while hesitant, is clearly thrilled that Rory has chosen to bring her back into her confidence. So am I. They’re not fun when they’re fighting. For isn’t that the big thrill of the series. And I’m not being ironic when I say that I like to see a mother and daughter getting along well. It’s such a nice alternative to the other view media so often displays to us, such as the horrifying relationship in the movie 13 which made me not only never want to have kids but to have a vasectomy just to be sure it can’t happen accidentally. So there’s your creepy little glimpse into my world. (Though Jerry Maguire always knocks that kid desire outta the ballpark.)
Lane is having drama of her own, as she thinks she’s fallen in love with one of her roomies/band mates. Specifically the one that hangs around Luke’s, glomming free fries and waxing philosophically and pseudo-intellectually on things he’s learned from reading The DaVinci Code.
Both Lorelei and Sookie are in meltdown mode as they haven’t left the inn for very long, well, since they opened. Sookie throws out one barbed remark about the help acting like they worked for Emily Gilmore. OOOH! BURN! Well, this is enough to snap Lorelei back to her senses and they go out for a girl’s day which, apparently involves spa treatment, shopping and talking about boys. They stumble upon a very public argument between Dean and Lindsay over Rory’s letter which she happened to find. Thus, Dean’s marriage is on very shaky ground.
Thus, I’m in a quandary. As much as I’d love to see Rory happy, it’s kinda like the whole Cordy/Angel thing. Dean and Rory don’t belong together. They’ve been through stuff, sure, but that ended. And Dean got married. And I don’t approve. No sirre. But here I am, talking about these people like they’re my friends. (DON’T TELL HIM DIFFERENT!)
This episode was very transitional in feel. Like they’re moving from last week’s plot to next week’s plot. That said, it had some truly spectacular back and forth banter between Lorelei and Luke, some nice moments seeing them together too. You get that feeling of destiny around them. Too bad something’s gonna fall out of the sky and destroy it. Not Clark Kent. I’m talking proverbial sky. Proverbial. It is the WB after all, but I’d be skeptical if they tried aSmallville crossover. Then I’d riot. If it’s good enough for LA, it’s good enough for Dave.
Four out of five cookies for banter and plot. Too bad there wasn’t a whole episode’s worth of story here. Though, Emily’s eccentricities are reminding me more and more of certain control freaks I know. Delightful.