Gilmore Girls 1.21 “Love, Daisies and Troubadours”

by Arieanna on December 5th, 2007

Gilmore Girls 1.21 "Love, Daisies and Troubadours"
Original Air Date: May 10, 2001 (Recap date: December 6, 2007)
Photos, Recap & Discussion

Gilmore Girls 1.21 Love, Daisies and Troubadours

Discussion Questions:

Why is Luke being Mr. Fix-it at Lorelai’s?
Why does Rory want to get back together with Dean? Did her mother’s recent conversation about love influence that?
Why doesn’t Rory consider going to the concert with Tristan?
Is Luke avoiding Rachel? Why? Do you think he no longer cares for her?
Did you notice that the ring pop Max gave Lorelai is on her ring finger?
Does Rory’s speech refer to when she couldn’t tell Dean she loved him, or her attempts to talk to him since?
Does Rachel help Luke realize he cares for Lorelai?
Does Luke mean to tell Lorelai everything that night, before being interrupted?
Why does Lorelai not answer Max’s proposal?
Tristan walks away, instead of getting angry. Is he recognizing defeat?
Do you think Lorelai is more swayed by the daisies or the affirmation of love?
Does Luke realize the news Lorelai has?

Gilmore Girls Episode Recap & Photos:

Lorelai gets mad at Rory for sleeping through the hammering. Luke is over, at 6:30am, fixing the railing on the porch. Unasked for. Lorelai throws a fit. But then finds she accidentally locked herself out. But Rory and Babette think Lorelai is crazy because, when they come out to see why she is yelling, Luke is not there.

Both Michel & Sookie are suffering from ennui. Sookie because she ‘absorbs’ the ailments of others. Max calls and is all lovey-dovey. Lorelai becomes "off-ui" and cures Sookie.

Rory and Lorelai try to remember the guy who worked at the autobody shop - whose name is not Shorty McFat. Lorelai consults Luke, who is fixing her roof! Rory comes across her Dean box - instead of getting mad, she decides to revisit her memories.

Rory decides to go to Doose’s when Dean is working. She is tired of the unhappy Rory and is considering getting back with Dean. Her meandering attitude in the store makes Taylor think she’s a shoplifter. Rory asks for the box boy, but Taylor brings her a non-Dean one.

Tristan is perceptive enough to notice that Rory likes PJ Harvey and gets tickets as a means to ask her out. Rory doesn’t want to go - it would ’seem like a date.’ He says it is - Rory says she cannot date him. Tristan jokes that he ‘gives her permission’ which annoys Rory; she walks off. Paris, Madeline and Louise see the tickets and Tristan gloats to them that Rory is going out with him. Paris is furious.

Rachel can’t find Luke and says he’s been missing their lunch dates. Rachel says he’s been mostly at Lorelai’s. And the troubadour now has competition!

Luke had broken into Lorelai’s house to ‘prove it was a cheap lock’ and Lorelai confronts him for avoiding Rachel. He says he’s not used to having someone living with him. He’s a loner. And not used to someone expecting him to be anywhere. That reality is not living up to his fantasy of being with Rachel. He even says he feels like he’s "settling", and doesn’t sound so in love. Lorelai encourages him to give it a fair chance.

Rory is standing outside Dean’s house. But gets nervous when she sees Dean’s sister and instead pretends to be a Girl Scout. Rory interrogates the girl as to whether Dean ‘has or had’ pictures of Rory in his room. Rory makes Clara cry. Rory runs away when she hears Dean, but he sees her.

Max has come over for the town meeting - and has provided the candy for the Gilmores. The troubadour brings up the issue of the second troubadour and there not being enough room for the two of them. Lorelai confuses Taylor any time he gets annoyed about her eating. Rory keeps looking at Dean, and is not afraid to let him see her do it. The troubadour does not accept money for his songs, so it’s not about that. Taylor asks why the troubadour would do it. Rory jumps up and says:

"Because sometimes you have something you need to say but you can’t because the words won’t come out or you get scared or feel stupid. So, if you could write a song and sing it, then you could say what you need to say. And it would be beautiful. And people would listen. And you wouldn’t make a complete idiot out of yourself, but all of us can’t be songwriters, so some of us will never be able to say what we’re thinking or what we want other people to know that we’re thinking, so we’ll never get the chance to make things right again. Ever."

And everyone stares at her. So she finishes with "And give this guy a license" (to be official troubadour). Taylor designates "mystique guy" official town troubadour.

Luke comes back to the diner - Rachel has her bags packed to go. She says it’s because of another girl. He is a little freaked at first, but she says it’s another girl for him. Luke says she and Lorelai are friends only - but Rachel says he told her that once, and he could barely get it out. And can’t this time either. Rachel tells him not to wait too long to tell Lorelai.

Paris confronts Rory about betraying her - using her. Rory denies she and Tristan are going out. Paris gloats over Rory that she got the editor job on the paper for the next year - and will have the power to determine what sections Rory will cover. And sarcastically tells Rory to have a good summer.

Luke comes by to pick up his tool box from Lorelai’s. He tells her about Rachel, but not specifically why. Max comes over for their date and Luke has to watch them kiss. Max and Luke have a little pissing fight over Lorelai - subtle yet obvious. He bids Lorelai goodnight and that he’ll see her tomorrow at the same time for coffee. Max says it might be later (inferring he’ll make her tired) but Luke quips with:

"Doesn’t matter what time. I’ll always be around."

Max doesn’t realize he and Luke were ‘swinging their things around‘ as Lorelai put it. But does confront Lorelai asking if she dated Luke while they were apart. That there was a vibe. She denies dating him. Max is honest that he had some ‘get down soul train’ type dating when they were apart. So Lorelai swings back that she slept with Christopher.

"Why do we do this. Why do we let it get weird between us just when it’s getting good again. I don’t like it. And I’m sick of it. We can’t keep getting this close just to have something completely derail us again. And frankly there’s only one thing that I can think of that could solve it."

"Break up?…" - Lorelai

"We should get married."

Lorelai says nothing to that - she says that a proposal has to be something more than a desire to end a bickering match. Lorelai says it should be magical. With music and subtle build up. And a thousand yellow daisies and candles. Just more than ‘this’. Max agrees. They put it behind them. On her way out, Lorelai says goodbye to Luke’s toolbox.

Tristan confronts Rory to go with him to the concert - even tries to steal her books to get her to go. Outside, Dean is there waiting for Rory. And gets the wrong idea about seeing her with Tristan. Rory tells him to say what he came to. And it comes out that he has a Rory box. But Rory chickens out of admitting she said those things at the meeting because of him, or that she came to see him. He makes to leave.

"Dean. Stop."

"Why"

"Because I love you, you idiot"

They kiss. Tristan sees - is angry, but instead just leaves Rory’s books and walks away.

Michel is arguing with Kirk about a delivery of flowers they did not order. The order says Lorelai has to be there. And Lorelai realizes what they are. She walks in and can barely talk. With tears coming down her face, she says:

"A thousand of them. A thousand yellow daisies"

Lorelai calls Max. He tells her he couldn’t find a horse then apologizes again for proposing at the wrong place and time. But tells her that he proposed, not because they were fighting, but because he loves her. That they are in a bad pattern and have to break it. Lorelai is crying.

Max tells her about teaching the great literature - characters who let opportunities slip by - but that he teaches lessons in life. And he must follow his own lessons. He tells her he doesn’t want an answer then - he wants Lorelai to think about it.

"I love you Lorelai Gilmore. And I know this to be true."

Lorelai runs into Luke’s looking for Rory, who is supposed to meet her there. Luke notices her impatience. Lorelai admits to "big, potentially life-changing things" going on. But won’t tell him anything until she tells Rory. He makes sure she is happy about the news - Lorelai says she might be. That it’s a "wow, I can’t believe this is happening to me" moment. She gives him a daisy - the whole town will get one.

Lorelai and Rory run to each other from opposite ends of the street. We pan out to them jumping up and down and hugging.