(S06E19) While I was watching
this episode, I noticed something weird. Every one of the main female characters in this episode (well, except for Mrs.
Kim) looked absolutely radiant. Keiko Agena looked beautiful. Alexis Bledel looked beautiful. Lauren Graham looked
especially beautiful.Was it the way the episode was shot? Different make-up artists and hair stylists? Nope, it wasn't any of that stuff. Know why everyone looked so good?
They were all smiling.
You remember when the girls on Gilmore Girls used to smile, right? I almost forgot, considering how many episodes had Lorelai, Rory, and, yes, even Lane sport sourpusses over the states of their respective relationships. These normally assertive and independent women were becoming simpering and sullen, letting their beaus give excuses and act like jerks, all in the name of relationship preservation.
Oops. Wait a second. Lane didn't do that. She dumped Zach when he started acting like a jerk, and he responded by asking her to marry him. Their wedding is what is bringing on all the smiles, and is the centerpiece of the episode. Mrs. Kim is frantically preparing, manning the kimchee factory whose smell permeates her house ("Wow, you can almost see that smell," says Lorelai when she enters). But she finds out that her Buddhist mother, who hasn't been out of Korea in 45 years and knows nothing of the Kims' 7th-Day Adventistism, and freaks out. Looks like she's hiding something from her mom just like Lane had done with her (the mother-daughter symbolism in this show is not very subtle, is it?).
So, to satisfy her grandmother, Lane and Zach have a Buddhist ceremony, then, after piling her in a cab (after a fusillade of yelling in Korean between Mrs. Kim and her mother), they run to the church for the 7th-Day Wedding. When Lorelai asks why she's running, Rory tells her and Christopher "Because there are 58 seats and 62 Koreans!"
Christopher? What's he doing there? Seems like Mrs. Kim demanded Lorelai come to the wedding with an escort, even though Luke is still on the trip with April (danger ahead there...), just so Lor doesn't look like a hooker to Kim's Korean relatives. Michel backs out rudely (he probably brushes his teeth rudely) at the last minute to go to a Celine Dion concert. So through some very quick-looking Sidekick communiques between Rory and Chris (he got both of them Sidekicks and used it... often), he steps in.
Everything's going well... all the Koreans leave (after eating kimchee and giving money in a very efficient manner), and Mrs. Kim goes to bed. That's when Kirk's "Yummy Bartenders" take over and the rock 'n' roll portion of the evening begins. Hep Alien plays, Zach is digging the Bhuddist wedding robe he wore, and everyone's still smiling. (Oh, and kudos to whoever designed Lane's dress; it went from traditional to drummer-appropriate with just a few snaps). Then Rory accidentally shows her mother a picture she took with April when they accidentally met at Jess' show in Philly.
Oh, crap.
Smiles? Gone. Happiness? Over. Sourpuss? Back with a vengance. Lor is justifiably pissed that now everyone close to her has met April but she still hasn't, officially. She takes out her anger on a half a tray of tequila shooters (Chris gladly drinks some of the other half) and gets up on stage after the toasts to lament to the crowd about how her daughter's best friend is getting married, and soon will Rory, and then her granddaughter, but nope, she'll never get married. No wedding on June 3 for her.
After Rory and Chris carry Lorelai back home, Rory gets a call that Logan got badly hurt during his Life and Death Brigade Costa Rica excursion and runs out to go to New York to where he was airlifted. The episode ends when a severely hungover Lorelai takes a call from Luke in the middle of the night.
Until Lorelai found out about Rory and April, I was loving this episode. There was no relationship strife, just the old happy-go-lucky Gilmores bopping about Stars Hollow, just like in the old days. The depression that pervaded the last 15 minutes of the episode brought everything to a screeching halt, and that was a shame. It was a startling contrast; I hadn't realized how bad the current state of the show was until I saw the Sourpusses and the Happy Gilmores in the same episode. It made me miss classic Gilmore quite a bit.
I really hope the Palladinos come back next year, something that's still up in the air. They need to see the show to completion, just to reward loyal viewers for sitting through this uncharacteristically difficult season.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-19-2006 @ 12:00AM
Leslie said...
I agree, the first three quarters of the show brought back the good-times feeling of the show. And out of nowhere, Lorelai gets upset over a picture. She should just confront Luke about it and not sulk and mask her pain with tequila. The old Lorelai wouldn't do such a thing. Plus, the stretching out of the April 'dillema' is just agitating. I miss laughing when watching this program. Now, it's just oddly depressing.
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4-19-2006 @ 7:02AM
GMMR said...
I'm hoping that Lorelai's "breakdown" makes it way to Luke. Maybe he will get off his butt and realize he actually has a fiancee.
GiveMeMyRemote.com is going to have to put Lorelai's classic line on a t-shirt: "Lorelai Gilmore: disappointing mothers since 1968"
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4-19-2006 @ 9:36AM
Stephen said...
Is Kirk the hardest working man in show bizness or just the most ambitious?
This was probably the most expensive episode in GG history as all those Korean extras must've cost a fortune!
I still don't know what Lane sees in Zach but it was a great wedding and they even liked Lorelai's pity toast. Thankfully Chris and Rory stopped it before it got worse.
The only thing missing from the episode was Luke. And Babbett's reaction to Koreans running down the street.
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4-19-2006 @ 10:09AM
ALLISON said...
I think this entire season is a set-up for next season -- which is probably the big finale for the "GGs." They're building to Lorelai dumping Luke for being selfish, self-involved and emotionally closed-off. Lorelai needs -- no, deserves! -- better than the way he's treated her. She can't marry a man who won't involve her in his life. Luke will be stunned and won't know what to do. He'll flip out next season when he sees Christopher working his way back into Lorelai's life, but it'll take a while for him to figure out that if he wants her back, he's going to have to prove himself to Lorelai and win back her trust. At some point, Lorelai will have to CHOOSE between the two most constant men in her life, Luke or Chris. That will be the climax of NEXT season! Now, as for Rory, that end story still is much more fluid. I don't see her winding up with a man at all. She's going to get the chance to live her dream --- foreign correspondent for a network news show or major newspaper. So, on the last show of next season, Lorelai gets married and Rory flies off to her new job. The Gilmore Girls finally have it all!
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4-19-2006 @ 11:48AM
Carly said...
I can't believe that no one mentioned lanes wedding cake!! Its was awesome. I don't know if any of you are music fans but her cake had a was a picture of the two of them dressed exactly like the new white stripes album cover. It makes since since way back in a different season, lane is grounded buy rory has to search all over town for the new white stripes album. just a fun fact
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4-19-2006 @ 11:55AM
CL said...
You are a really good writer! I love your entries. You and your colleagues are the Gawker of TV.
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4-19-2006 @ 12:47PM
Jane said...
Nice review, I agree. The wedding was fun and it would have been more fun with Luke there as Lorelai's date.I missed the chance of seeing Scott Patterson in a suit. Actually it should have been Lorelai's and Luke's wedding for some really happiness. Also, I am so tired of the contrived drama-just talk to each other already. Lorelai and Luke have so much chemistry and are so much fun to watch together, but this downer of a storyline is sucking the fun right out of Stars Hollow.
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4-19-2006 @ 1:19PM
Jordan said...
I agree on the factt that the episode was awesome until the end. I was really surprised when Lor took Luke's call in the middle of the night and then looked over to see Chris sleeping on the chair. When Lor saw the picture I think that yea it was okay to be upset but she should also just talk to Luke about it instead of letting it bug her all the time. I think that Jess needs to come back into the picture because I really liked when he and Rory were together. Although I did like Dean- I am guessing that sometime in the future he will show up again also. The episodes need to be the same as they used to be when they were all happy and in love and everything was going well. I miss those episodes. And as far as this website and the write- I love you!:)I adore reading these when I miss an episode every once in a while.
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4-19-2006 @ 1:53PM
Ed said...
something bothered me about the whole michel ditching lorelai thing:
who sneaks pot into a celine dion concert??
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4-19-2006 @ 5:13PM
eggman said...
thought this ep was a big 'this show is for teenage girls' statement. the buildup to the wedding, the bachelor parties, the wedding itself, too silly for me. also thought the depiction of korean tradition was pretty insulting, surprised they took it that far. at least logan took a beating.
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4-22-2006 @ 6:43AM
Keith Demko said...
Guess you've probably heard the sad news about the Palladinos by now .. I hope the show can go on because, in spite of Lorelai's meltdown, I thought Lane's wedding show featured some of the show's best writing yet
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4-22-2006 @ 7:25PM
Luna said...
Lane's wedding was so beautiful.Lorelai totaly embarrassed herself with her pitty speach. I was totaly surprised when luke called and Chritopher was sitting there. I think Lor is going to get back together with him. That would be so sad for Luke and a battle between the 2 men in Lor's life. Not to seem like a snob, but I am glad something happened to Logan. Rory told him not to go. He is a big Jerk. If they get together I will just die. I really wish Lorelai would just meet April already. Luke is totaly shuting her out of his life. She IS his fiance. She really needs to stop complaining about it and do something. She should do what Rory had the guts to do. Jess needs to come back. He was the one she really loved. I can't wait to see what happens next.
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4-23-2006 @ 5:11PM
Patty Higginbotham said...
I agree that this episode was good, I enjoyed seeing Lorlai smile again. The storyline with Rory and Logan is just stupid and I WILL stop watching if they get togrether. Jesse was way better for her and they looked good togrether. The Luke/Lorlai storyline is the best thing to happen to the show and they are destroying it with this April crap. Luke has wanted this for years and he is going to lose her he is being stupid. I would love to see them get married and maybe even a baby, but from the way things are looking that will not happen.
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4-23-2006 @ 6:30PM
Heather said...
I really enjoyed the show, totally agree with you about the smiles. I am, like everyone else disappointed in both Luke and Lorelai, they need to talk and get it out in the open. Enough of this already. I still wish that Marty will show up with a fabulous job at a famous newspaper and wisk Rory away to work with him both in their private and professional lives. I will miss Amy and Dan and can only hope that the new writer/producer is able to keep the original story lines going.
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4-23-2006 @ 6:32PM
Heather said...
I hope Luke hears all about Lorelai's "toast" and feels really really bad. Thanks for listening. Heather
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4-29-2006 @ 1:56PM
faizal said...
what is the title of the song that was playing when they were showing the wedding cake? i remembered watching the camera panned slowly to rory and kirk talking about the yummy bartenders... it's an old song... totally forgot what and who sang it... anyone could recall?
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5-22-2006 @ 11:50PM
tesily said...
I am so tired of the Gilmore Girls whining ALL THE TIME! one point that hasn't been brought up is that Luke did wait for Lorelaito reconcile with Rory, but as soon as she is asked to return the favor, she acts like it's the end of the world. I really hope that Dean and Jess don't come back into the picture. It seems to me that the writers are too lazy to bring any new charactors into the plot so they just keep bringing in old ones.
The wedding was cute though...What was that song???
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