(S07E02) Holy out-of-character, Batman! This is what fans were afraid was going to happen during the new Rosenthal regime: a slowish episode where people do and say things that no one has ever seen or heard them do, punctuated by forced "classic Gilmore" dialogue that neither flowed right nor made much sense in the context of the episode.I've got to say, I was immensely let down here, in more ways than one. How many ways, exactly? Well, right now I can count five:
1. Predictability - As soon as the cold open started and we saw Luke driving in his truck with a map in his hand, we knew exactly what was going to happen.
I mean, the thought that popped into my head was "Oh, so he's going to go punch Christopher now?" And that's exactly what he did. Nothing at all unpredictable happened; Christopher didn't duck, he didn't come back at Luke, Luke didn't cock his fist then think better of it, nothing. He just got off the elevator, knocked on Chris' door, punched him, then got back on the elevator. Then the credits rolled. Not good. Also, something else happened in this scene which leads me to problem number two...
2. Dumb behavior - Why didn't Chris look through the peephole before he answered the door? You'd think if he did that and saw Luke there, he wouldn't have bothered to even turn the knob. But I guess that would have killed the oh-so-unpredictable cold open, right?
Another issue was how idiotic Luke sounded when he encountered Lorelai as they were crossing the street. "I'm OK," he said idiotically. "So we're not getting married; I guess I don't think it's as big a deal as you do. I mean, you were the one who proposed." As much pain as Luke was in, I don't think the Luke of the Palladino era would say something stupid, even if he was just trying to protect himself and hurt Lorelai.
Of course, he realizes later, when he's with T.J. and Liz, that the two of them weren't right for each other, but when he just "happens" to see Lorelai in the frozen foods section of a huge supermarket, he goes ahead and tells her that, too. "You can just go back to being Lorelai Gilmore and I'll just go back to being the guy behind the counter who pours you your coffee." I don't know. It just seems too easy. It's only been a couple of days, but even a hard-shelled guy like Luke would be more sensitive than that, no?
Oh, and T.J.'s just an irritating idiot. But he's always been like that. I just wonder why Luke isn't taking the insurance money and getting a real contractor to do the work on the diner rather than have him and T.J. do it. I guess if he did that, we wouldn't have an excuse to bring back Liz and T.J....
3. Lane has been replaced by a lame Lane-alike - Lane was always one of the most underrated characters on the show, because of her alt-bubbly enthusiasm, her love of music, and her constant fight to not be like her mother. Then she gets married and becomes her mother. She has clumsy beach sex with Zack and she decides that she hates sex and that every woman who has said sex is good is part of a conspiracy. Then she gets pregnant (Lucky shot, Zack!) and frets that she won't be a good mother. What happened to the confident Lane that we saw as recently as last season? I want to see her back.
4. Extreme Gilmore-ness - I'm talking about when Lor decides to decorate her house in a kitschy Asian motif; she did so to make Rory, who wanted to go to Asia with Logan, happy, but it looks like she was running an Oriental novelty shop out of her living room. Don't get me wrong, Lor and Rory have ventured into this kind of nuttiness before, but it seemed to be a little much here, especially when they had the whole discussion about "dessert sushi". Something about it didn't flow right, and it just brought the scene to a halt. When Rory finds out about Chris and Lor -- Chris leaves a message as they're watching a Bruce Lee movie -- the moment doesn't have the emotional punch it should have, maybe because it was in an odd spot. Or it could have been because of Alexis Bledel's limited acting range; I'm not sure.
I did like the picture of Sandra Oh right next to the one of Mao. Why was she up there? "Well, she's a goddess," says Lorelai. I wholeheartedly agree.
5. No Richard and Emily - Not even a mention of them. Granted, they're not in every episode, but just the mere notion that they're involved in every decision Lor makes, whether she thinks so or not, just isn't evident here. That opposing force is necessary for the show to drive in the direction it does; without it there, it's aimless. And, also, the snappiest dialogue often comes during the scenes between Emily and Lorelai; the absence has been palpable in the first two episodes.
I do think what Liz told Luke, that he and Lorelai were never really in synch, was necessary. It sounded like Rosenthal and the writers addressing the fans through Liz, but at least someone had to acknowledge that Luke's behavior when April came into his life wasn't normal. The "space-time continuum" stuff (and T.J. pulling "string theory" out of his ass) was just a goofy bow on the package. But I knew as she started talking about Luke and Lorelai being on "different planes," she was going to mention The Lake House. So maybe this should go under item one on my list.
The only thing I really liked about the episode was Kirk's opportunistic business venture: Kirk's, an outdoor diner that looked suspiciously like Luke's, down to the backwards cap and flannel shirt Kirk was wearing. The scene was too long, but at least it was funny. That's more than I could say about the rest of the episode, which moved with a pokiness that I haven't seen on this show before. It was written by Rebecca Rand, and I wonder if Rosenthal did any major rewrites like AS-P used to do. It doesn't seem like it; the rhythm of the episode was just off from the beginning, which is something Rosenthal would have probably fixed given the chance.
We'll see how the rest of the season goes; Christopher will come back in the picture next week. But the optimism I had about the seventh season last week is starting to waver a little.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-03-2006 @ 10:32PM
george c said...
It's funny. I find myself liking this season for (one many levels) the lack of the quirkiness that characterized the show in the last few years. While its utrarealism was its charm, the situation the show is in means that realism is even better. It's fitting they are submitting this show as a drama, because that is exactly what it is. With the comedic aspects, here and there.
Better than I expected.
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10-03-2006 @ 10:36PM
Tammy said...
This episode bugged me, but for a reason not on your list: the closeups! After six seasons of closeups being banned by ASP, it's hard to get used to those characters filling up my television screen.
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10-03-2006 @ 10:56PM
Claire said...
Definitely agree - this was the Imposter Perfume version of GG. All the retconning of L/L's relationship is crap. He was never just the 'coffee guy.' The direction, pacing, lighting -- all of it was off.
And what a stupid set-up for the Lorelai/Christopher relationship. Lorelai gets another free pass on her stupidity when Luke lets her off the hook.
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10-03-2006 @ 11:08PM
Katie said...
Tammy, I thought the exact same thing! The camera shots were really weird. These bizarre, borderline jump-cut closeups, and then these wide/far shots of Luke and Lorelai. I guess it was supposed to illustrate how they've grown apart. But it just seemed weird. And I did have high hopes after last week! We'll have to see how next week turns out.
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10-03-2006 @ 11:33PM
Regan said...
I have to agree with the sentiment that the show was just "off." It was slower, the references were clumsy and not as smart-- especially evident in the scene with Lane and Rory discussing "Blanket" and "Apple" (as well as in several other locations). It's like one of the other comments said-- it was like GG knockoff perfume. The packaging looks similar, but the whole essence is wrong. The witty banter has been replaced with dialogue that screams "hey, look, we're having quasi-Gilmore banter!!" The references aren't as clever, either. Compare the whole "Speed" conversation to something as mundane as Rory's quip in the bar last year during bridesmaids revisited: "...does Dorothy Parker know about you?" I am afraid that some of the "higher-brow" references will fall right out the window. Hopefully it gets better, otherwise, I say kill the show after this season, or bring the Palladinos back.
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10-03-2006 @ 11:42PM
Pamela said...
I think that Luke saying he would go back to being just the guy that poured her coffee was proof that he is devastated and hurting beyond comprehension. When he became the part of the couple of L/L, he was over the top. After all, Lorelei is a big fish in a little pond in Stars Hollow, and they were the talk of the town. He bought a house to renovate, he was going to be Lorelei's husband, and Rory's stepfather. He was part of something big. He can't believe it's over, and he's saying all these dumb things to protect himself. He will go off the deep end soon. And Lorelei will not stop loving him but she is so ashamed of herself. It will take awhile but they will get back together, after many episodes of agony.
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10-03-2006 @ 11:52PM
Rich Keller said...
Whew! I thought it was just me. The whole show just didn't feel right, especially the constant pop culture references. It just felt very forced. I did like the scene where Luke is told that he and Lorelai where not part of the same space-time continuim (sp?).
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10-04-2006 @ 12:25AM
Cher said...
I loved every bit of it. It's time for GG to grow up and deal with real life. I cannot wait for what is to come.
Guess I was growing tired of ASP not facing things with her making the big things small. Sometimes the big things are big and need to be addressed.
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10-04-2006 @ 3:34AM
cc said...
Overall I liked the episode, I liked that Luke punched Chris and left (I thought it was hot, what can I say?) and I liked the dessert sushi scene. The dialogue was a little sluggish and forced in places, but I expected worse. What I absolutely hated were those closeups of Liz and Luke during the space-time continuum talk, and that apartment! Arg, it felt like the edges of a bad sit-com, not pleasant at all. Lane was strange, but the characters often went in odd directions, so I'm hoping she'll come back - I'm sure Zach will not put up with a sex-less marriage! and yes, I need a shot of Emily and Richard! I give the episode a B+.
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10-04-2006 @ 6:45AM
pw said...
I think that the media hype surrounding the change in writing clouds people's opinion.
I am confident that if Amy Sherman-Palladino (ASP) was still writing the show these two new episodes wouldn't be so criticized. Evidence of this is the criticism that people are doing things they don' t normally do... Huh? ASP always wrote odd character changes - ex: Rory leaving college - stealing a boat, Lorelai and her reaction to Max- Luke at least twice- Christopher more than twice, Luke and the new daughter... the list is pretty long.
My suggestion is that people are looking for reasons to not like the new writing. I laughed more at last night's episode than most of last season's shows.
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10-04-2006 @ 9:44AM
courtney said...
Very well stated. Horrible imitation of the real thing. Coupled with crummy, forced writing was the odd lighting and direction that made the show look and feel flat. Those close ups are really appalling.
My head is not clouded by anything other than years of watching the original thing (a number of times I might add). All anyone needs to do is pop in a DVD of Season One's Foregivess and Stuff or That Damn Donna Reed or Emily in Wonderland and watch them for two seconds. Not one bit of similarity to be found.
This is a different show. And, predictable is exactly the right word. This show was never predictable and that is what made it so unique.
ASP said that Lorelai, Rory and Luke all had characteristics of her and husband. So, not only is the writing team gone from the show, the inspirations for the characters and their actions are gone from the show.
Luke never would have said something as stupid as he did in that first run in in the street - especially after pouring his heart out to her earlier when she spit out that she slept with Chris.
They should have ended this show when ASP/DP decided to walk. This is really sad to watch.
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10-04-2006 @ 10:43AM
ALLISON said...
I never thought I'd say this about GG, but say it I must -- it's jumped the shark. I wanted to believe that Rosenthal would be able to continue Amy and Daniel's whimsical souffle of a show, but he's just all thumbs. Nothing flows right. It seems forced and awkward. Are they going to let Suki out of the kitchen this year? Where are her kids and Jackson? Wouldn't it have made sense for her to parallel Liz's dialogue to Luke, telling Lorelai that she and Luke were never in synch? The oriental palace for Rory was over the top in a bad way -- not to mention the fact that in a previous scene Lorelai made waffles for breakfast. Are you kidding me? She doesn't make breakfast ever. And it is strange that Emily hasn't called yet, especially since she was making noises about moving last season. Where are we with that storyline, Dave? Finally, the Lane-Zach development was just the worst. Really -- where can they be going with that? At least if Mrs. Kim had been in the episode, we might have had a few laughs. As it was, their reaction to the honeymoon was just sad. Is Rosenthal anti-romance? When only Liz and TJ are a happy couple, you know you're in trouble. I'm sooooo down. This will definitely be the sunset for GG. My only suggestion would be for WB to see the error of their ways, bring Amy and Dan back for the second half of the season and ask them to wrap it up right.
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10-04-2006 @ 11:14AM
rani said...
Pamela's right on the mark. Luke is sour grapes-ing this whole thing, to cover his profound hurt. We're not meant to be fooled. They're both fronting. I really like how they are handling that so far. And I never wanted to strangle Kirk more! That aside, yeah, some things are a problem. It seems too early for Lane to know she's pregnant; I think it's only been two weeks since the wedding. That's pushing the limit of when it's possible to tell, so it felt forced that it showed up so soon. I was glad Rory was angry at Lorelai for the whole Christopher thing--it gave her something to do this episode. The characters weren't as natural together as they used to be, but that was a flaw that started last season, in my mind. It wasn't a bad beginning, but not great either. Bring back Emily!!!
Can someone please have those aerie girls stifled??? They are trying hard to ruin the Gilmore experience. The viewers of this show are not mostly teenage and don't need to be annoyed by these twerps on a weekly basis. Listening to them made me want to pull a Lane and start hurling... and showed me that the WB thinks American viewers of GG are morons. The network people responsible for those ads probably don't get the usual Gilmore references themselves, and maybe they're the ones who insisted on dumbing it down to obvious stuff like this week's. Heck, I don't get more than half on a given day, but the fun is in learning something from enjoyable network television, so I look things up. Please, WB, don't take away my joy.
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10-04-2006 @ 11:26AM
Allison said...
Agreed about the pop culture stuff. It was too easy and surface level. I'm used to not getting half of it. How many references to Gweneth Paltrow do we need in one episode? I liked the stuff with Liz, TJ, and Luke, but everything else was blah.
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10-04-2006 @ 11:29AM
me said...
Actually, I thought everyone was back to their old characters, not like the last half of season 6. Luke always has been insecure about his place in Lorelai's life: that is nothing new. Lane is not turning into her mother, it's only her FIRST EPISODE BACK, for christ's sake. Richard and Emily are still on the European trip. It's only been a couple of days since the season 6 finale, remember?
I do agree the tone is off, slower and not as sharp. The first episode was better to me in that regard. But I think we just need to give the writers a minute to get it down. These last 2 eps have been no worse than a good (not great) episode of the old Gilmore Girls.
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10-04-2006 @ 12:25PM
Michael said...
The whole episode could have been saved if the scene at the grocery store would have included Lorelei telling Luke that she was sorry and that she still loves him.
Assuming that the Luke character is consistent with the past years' character,(I just say that because it seems the writers are doing their very best to change the characters), he knows he loves Lorelei more than life itself and would have found a way to forgive her.
But thats not what the last season and this season thus far has been about-it's been about anguish and despair and ugliness. And while these things have a place in television and in real life, they get old very, very quickly. There is nothing wrong with seeing television characters happy, in love, and enjoying each others company. Sure it might get sickening after a while, but so does all of the ugliness. Let's see some balance for God's sake. It doesn't have to be all doom and gloom.
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10-04-2006 @ 2:02PM
tamara said...
For me what ruined this episode is the two Gwenyth Paltrow references. You can't have double references!
All of this aside, I watched this episode and the second episode of last season at the same time. They were the same (other than GG are talking to each other this season). The changes can't happen overnight and Rosenthal is just continuing what was there. Now, just wait until the dramedy clock turns to Halloween and leaves this week we've been stuck in for three weeks.
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10-04-2006 @ 2:23PM
Jan said...
Thanks for hitting the nail on the head. I felt a deep sadness after watching this episode and the previous one. It is all off, for all the reasons you listed above. Its the same faces, but the soul is gone. Its never going to be the same. I feel severely bummed.
The worst, probably, is the Lane thing. How happy she was at her wedding! And now she's supposedly regretting it? Not OK.
And Rory has been sounding like an idiot. Something about the voice she's been using... its too cute. Also, you can tell Lauren Graham isn't happy- she's not putting herself into this new storyline. I don't blame her.
Anyway, it seems like the better thing to do would be to kill off the show when the Palladinos left. At least we could then make up a happy ending for ourselves. Its too hard to watch it go out like this.
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10-04-2006 @ 4:52PM
j perkins said...
BooHoo. Where are all the arcane references you only got if you have two brain cells to rub together. And the poster of Fahrenheit 9/11? That's not cool.Give me Confederancy of Dunces anyday.
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10-04-2006 @ 7:23PM
Noële Filius said...
My humble opinion: Liz missed a golden opportunity to call Luke on his crap when he confided in her last Thanksgiving about April and tried to convince himself by trying to convince her that "Lorelai did not need to know" and Liz kept silent. Her opinion now is too little too late but I am sure that this is all for the sake of the plot. Luke and Lorelai were very much on the same plane until season 6. Again it was the Palladinos’ choice to put them on different ones and David S. is going along with that as if he never saw the previous seasons where their chemistry exploded on screen.
Again for the sake of the plot(story) nobody is giving either one of these two people - who are deeply in love with each other - the advice that they need to get back on track. Sookie is her best friend and yet she is not addressing the matter with Lorelai as a true friend should. Maybe that will come later. Good for Rory to speak her mind for once, but I don't trust her because she has given terrible advice to her mother in the past, like when she told her to conceal from Luke her tequila evening with Christopher.
Lorelai is in dire need of therapy and before she runs to Christopher she should run to a psychiatrist, not a psychologist and certainly not the one who gave her that ill advice in the back seat of her car. Luke to some extent needs that too. But that is not convenient for whatever the writers have in mind so it won’t happen.
The writers are putting stupid words and therefore all the wrong words in the mouth of Luke but that is not new, the Palladinos have done the same on many occasions. Luke could be such a great guy, it’s right under the surface and some fan fiction has exploited that to create beautiful compelling stories even about the current events, but the writers are making him dumber and dumber, it's a wonder what Lorelai would find attractive in him the way he is portrayed. I am a Luke fan and therefore a L/L fan and I am beginning to be turned off. It’s as if it was the aim of the writers to make Christopher a more attractive prospect for Lorelai than Luke. They never portrayed Christopher that way, a little weak maybe, that’s all and therefore he is gaining a following. If that's the plan than it is definitely a totally different show and it's anybody's guess if the Luke fans are going to stick by that storyline and buy it whole. However different Luke and Lorelai are there are more sparks between them then between Lorelai and Christopher. At least it used to be the case. It's their show and so far our loss.
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