I just wrapped up the second episode of Gilmore Girls: A Year In the Life, and any fears I had about it being too cutesy are out the window. This is pretty good, guys.

Recap

In a move that should have happened about forty years ago, Lorelai and Emily go to therapy together. Turns out Emily is still pretty bitter about that whole Lorelai-getting-knocked-up-at-sixteen-then-running-away-from-home-and-only-coming-back-when-she-needed-money thing. Who knew? Emily then invites Luke to dinner, where she gives him the information he needs to purchase a life insurance policy and also drops the horrible news on him that Richard left him a large sum of money specifically earmarked for the expansion of Luke’s Diner into a multi-location franchise. Well Luke and Lorelai are just livid at this. Livid! Damn those Gilmores. Giving Luke a ton of money to expand and hiring the best real estate agent in town, all to ensure that their daughter and the man she has chosen to spend her life with are taken care of. What a bunch of assholes. Emily eventually gives up on therapy but Lorelai keeps going. Emily takes Luke to see some locations for the first location of the Luke’s Diner empire, which will be run by Cesar, apparently? Lord help those patrons. Oh, and Luke and Lorelai lie to each other so that can’t be good.

Rory’s Very Important Meeting with Conde Nast keeps getting pushed back and her book proposal doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. She and Logan run into Mitchell Huntsberger (still a dick), who offers to make a call to Conde Nast on Rory’s behalf. She demurs, not trusting Mitchell as far as she can throw him (and rightfully so), but later agrees. We’ll see how well that goes. She goes back to Chilton, then to NY. She has a meeting with GQ where they tell her they love her and then offer her nothing. Out of desperation following the collapse of her book proposal, she offers to write a stupid story about Line People or something on spec. So Rory and Lorelai take to the streets of NYC and then get separated for what seems like only an hour, during which time Rory manages to have a one night stand AND go to PJ Clarkes. Which is more unfortunate? You be the judge. After a pep talk from Mom, Rory decides to stoop so low as to agree to meet with Sandee Says about the Sandee Says editing gig. Oh, did this scene hurt my heart. I’m sure some people will read this as Rory getting her comeuppance after being so dismissive of Sandee and whatever it is that Sandee Says—and there is certainly part of that going on here—but I’m Team Rory on this one. Sandee has been begging her to come on staff for months and then makes Rory sing for her supper and humiliates her? Not cool, Sandee, not cool. Also, your CFO is like twelve years old. She can’t be a CPA. Watch those books. Gross though this meeting was, it was apparently the kick in the pants Rory needed…to move home. Hmm. This could be good or it could be really bad.

Oh, and Kurt filmed and screened another short film and it was freaking amazing.

Observations

-Lane: “Look, it’s my dad!” Best joke ever.

-You know who looks good? Like really good? Babbette. Good for you, Sally Struthers. Also, I cannot confirm that I have that same Hello Kitty necklace…but I can’t deny it, either.

-I didn’t realize how large a presence Edward Herman was on this show. I’m definitely missing him.

-Liza Weil continues to be the best thing about this show.

-I’m sorry to see Naomi Shropshire go, if for no other reason than Alex Kingston is a woefully underutilized actress.

-Look! A black kid at a Chilton!

Questions

-Seriously, why is Lauren Graham so pale?

-How amazing would it have been if they hired Chad Michael Murray to play Tristan just for that half-second shot? I would have died. Remember Chad Michael Murray? Remember when he was going to be the BIGGEST thing on the CW? That boy can’t even get arrested now.

-Speaking of Chad Michael Murray, is there a Rory Early Love Interest Curse? First CMM, then Jared Padelecki, then Milo Ventimiglia. Each got a lot of buzz, then a CW pilot, then international fame and fortune! Yes, they each got all that, minus the international fame and fortune. What do you think the culprit is? Too much buzz, too quickly? Milo, at least, seems to be doing pretty well with this whole “This Is Us” thing, so it’s good to know that there is life beyond Rory Boy Toy.

-Rory and Logan are definitely going to end up together, right? Ugh. Just kill me now.

Shenanigans

-Rory, girl, we have to talk. You had a one night stand with a stranger in a Wookie costume? This is not a quarter-life crisis. This is just strange. And your mom’s reaction to it is equally strange. I get it, you’re young and hip and your daughter is only sixteen years younger than you are so you’re more like best friends. If my best friend walked in and announced that she had just had a one-night stand with a Wookie—in the MIDDLE of the DAY—I would probably have something more helpful to say than “was he still wearing the costume?”

-Speaking of Rory, we’re veering into too-familiar territory here and it’s making me nervous. How many times have we seen Rory completely lose her shit after things not going her way? It’s possible I’m watching all this through fresh eyes since it’s been years since the end of the original series but damn, these people really sheltered Rory, didn’t they? Lorelai, Richard and Emily, Luke, everyone at Chilton and Yale, Dean, Jess; basically, everyone Rory ever met did nothing but tell her how amazing she is. So when something bad happens—or, in this case, when nothing happens—she can’t take it and implodes spectactularly.

-Lorelei, we need to discuss how you dress. The big hat/leggings/shirt-that-is-NOT-long-enough-to-wear-with-leggings/boots thing is not working. Rory, on the other hand, is wearing those circle skirts.

Two episodes down, two to go. See you all at the Stars Hollow Secret Bar.

Tweet  Print This Post

Tags: art & entertainment, television // Add Comment »