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Gilmore Girls 6.13 “Friday Night’s Alright for Fighting”

by Arieanna on May 2nd, 2008

Gilmore Girls 6.13 "Friday Night’s Alright for Fighting"
Original Air Date: January 31, 2006 (Recap date: May 2, 2008)
Recap & Discussion & Video Clips

Discussion Questions:

• Does Luke realize Lorelai is not happy about postponing the wedding?
• Do you think it’s wise for Lorelai to wait, to not postpone the wedding right away? Or, is that only delaying her eventual unhappiness?
• How did Richard know Rory was returning to Yale if neither Rory nor Lorelai are speaking to them?
• Why is Paris so out of control?
• Doesn’t Paris connect her editing with the issues at the paper? Don’t you think Doyle would bring them up?
• Why doesn’t Rory want to talk with her grandparents? Should Lorelai have to be the one to tell them about the Yale money?
• Was Rory snubbing her grandparents?
• Why can’t Richard & Emily see Chris paying as a good thing? Not just that Chris is stepping up, but that Rory won’t have the large debt that she’d promised them she would pay back?
• Does Lorelai like Logan now?
• Why does Lorelai lie about making dinner plans with her parents?
• Why does Paris think everyone on the paper is incompetent?
• Did Luke forget to tell Lorelai the part about her not seeing April? Did he even realize it would be an issue?
• If Rory was calling junior writers in, why didn’t she call Logan? Particularly as he does know so much?
• Is Luke right to keep April to himself for a while? Should Lorelai feel hurt by that?
• Did Logan do everything at the paper for Rory, or is he really a good guy?
• Are Richard & Emily trying to snub Rory, or pretend like nothing is wrong?
• Emily & Richard have always wanted Christopher to be more involved, so why do they laugh at the thought of him being a responsible father?
• How can Emily compare Chris’ involvement trying to break up Lorelai & Luke to paying for Yale?
• Do Richard & Emily honestly not remember Lorelai’s conversation with them about Rory?
• Is Friday-night dinner a truce element? Who "won" that battle, and how?

Gilmore Girls Episode Recap:

Lorelai is up and ready at 6am - up even before Luke is! Luke keeps pushing Lorelai to say where she’s going, so she tells him she was supposed to meet with Sookie to pick flowers for the wedding, and had forgotten to tell Sookie the wedding is delayed. Luke asks if he can help cancel stuff, but Lorelai says she can handle it all. Luke gets up to hug her, it seems, but instead runs into her and bashes her nose. Lorelai says she’ll "see him" and leaves.

Lorelai meets Sookie at the flower mart, where Sookie has been scoping out where to get the best flowers. Lorelai sadly tells Sookie that the wedding has been postponed. Sookie thinks Lorelai got cold feet, but Lorelai tells her about Luke’s daughter and how Luke is in shock. Lorelai applauds that Luke is trying to be a father. That makes Sookie question if Jackson has a love child he doesn’t know about.

Lorelai says Luke is trying to deal, trying to do the right thing by April. Lorelai says it’s ok that they’re postponing, but she has so many people to call now to cancel things. The thought of the church makes Lorelai very sad. The perfect church with only one date available. Lorelai knew there had to be a catch after everything was so easy. Sookie tries to comfort Lorelai, that Luke will get his bearings back soon. Lorelai wonders if she should just wait a bit before canceling things, see how Luke feels in a little while.

Rory is walking through campus with her nose in a book writing something, people scurrying to get out of her way. Logan says "stop" just as Rory is about to walk into a garbage can. Logan has been waiting for Rory by the coffee cart, with her coffee all ready for her. If he hangs there, he’s guaranteed to see her three times a day, so he’s been hanging there all week.

"Yes, it’s sad. I’m officially a wuss. If I saw me doing this, I’d beat the crap out of myself."

And yet, Logan has nothing better to do than to get Rory back. Logan asks about Rory’s promise for dinner, and Rory suggests Thursday. Logan is wary if she means it, but it’s a date.

Lorelai comes home with food for Paul Anka, but he’s hiding after he spent his day knocking books out of the bookshelf. There’s a message from Richard about a mix-up at Yale, that their cheque for Rory’s tuition was returned. Richard has been calling around trying to sort it out, which makes Lorelai anxious. Lorelai calls Rory to say her grandparents are going to find out that it’s not a clerical error. Rory doesn’t feel the need to be nice and tell them herself, and she doesn’t care about the fallout.

Lorelai reminds Rory that her grandparents do have feelings, so Rory says she’ll email. Lorelai suggests a call. While all this is going, Rory is flipping through the Yale Daily News and spots an empty photo box with "photo to come - Paris to approve!!" Rory has to go and deal with that.

Paris is on overdrive at the Daily News office. She’s yelling about everything, from wanting to change the conclusion of a research study to telling people to re-use paper cups. Paris calls everyone incompetent. Rory asks what happened with the paper, and Paris says that two photographers were not able to get good enough photographs. Rory points out it’s a football game, the pictures should be simple and predictable. When the photographers found out that Paris send both of them there, they quit. Rory points out that leaving the area in the paper blank didn’t make them look bad, it made Paris look bad.

Paris drops more revisions for the next paper onto Bill’s desk. The articles have already been locked, as the paper comes out tomorrow. Paris says he needs to track it down and spend hours fixing the articles, that they cannot go into the paper like that. Paris storms off to her cubicle, which she has affixed cardboard doors and a ceiling to. With big "keep out" signs.

Bill comments to Rory that Paris is out of control, a mad dictator. Most of the staffers are out pretending to be sick to avoid Paris. Paris storms out of her cubicle and over to the desk of one of the writers. She stares at him angrily, rips up an article, tosses it in the air, then turns back to her cubicle.

Lorelai is treating herself to a sweet dessert. She cringes and dials to talk with her parents. Both Richard & Emily pick up the extension. Lorelai gets up her courage to tell her parents that the Yale money being returned was not a mistake, that Christopher paid for it. That he’s trying to be a dad, for once. Emily gets so mad she slams down the phone. Richard is still there, so Lorelai asks that they not read too much into this. Christopher wants to contribute, and this is not a snub. She and Rory are both grateful for all the help Richard & Emily have given to Rory.

Lorelai is at Yale for lunch with Rory, disappointed Rory didn’t dress crazy like she did. The girls head for coffee #2, and Rory tells Lorelai that she and Logan are going out for dinner. Lorelai seems pleased that Logan worked his way back in. Lorelai tells Rory about talking to the parents. Rory is glad Lorelai told them and that they know, but doesn’t care about how they took it. Lorelai tries to have a serious conversation with Rory about the crossroads between her and her grandparents, saying that if Rory ever wishes to have a relationship with them again, that someone needs to make the first move.

The first Christmas after Lorelai and Rory moved from Hartford, Lorelai didn’t go to the Christmas party, though Emily & Richard invited them. Lorelai says that one move defined their whole future relationship. Going, though it would have been bad, may have broken the ice. Lorelai reminds Rory that she thought a relationship with her grandparents to be important and doesn’t want the stubborn streak she got from Lorelai to stand in the wya. Lorelai says she made dinner plans with them for Friday. Lorelai says Emily is into it, so Rory can’t back out.

Rory goes to the paper wondering if her article was ok for the latest edition, as she never got a call. Bill tells Rory most people on the paper have quit. Bill is hanging around too, though he quit. Tonight will be the first time, ever, that the Yale Daily News has not come out.

"D-day? The paper came out. Kennedy gets shot? The paper comes out. But three months of the Gellar Reign of Terror, and the whole damn institution comes tumbling down."

Rory tells Bill he sucks and walks to Paris’ "bunker" cubicle. She’s hunkered down in there, the place covered with newspaper clippings. Rory tells Paris that half the staff has quit, but Paris doesn’t seem to care, since she’s convinced nobody works anyway. Paris is convinced she can get the entire paper ready in the next five hours. Paris yells at Rory not to distract her and pulls out ear muffs to work in silence.

Rory walks out of Paris’ cubicle, stunned. She makes a decision and claps her hands for attention. Rory calls everyone to action to get the paper ready for press.

Sookie has come to Lorelai’s to pick up Paul Anka for a "trial run" to see if they can get their own dog, if they’re dog people. Luke has left a message on the machine that April is coming to the diner from 5-8 so that he’ll see Lorelai at the diner "after" 8. Lorelai is as surprised as Sookie is at the decision "they" made about it.

There is a huge line-up for a free sample of hot chocolate from Taylor’s Soda Shoppe. Lorelai goes in there so she can see into the diner through the window. April is at the counter. She sits to watch Luke making April a sandwich. Miss Patty & Babette come to join Lorelai and watch. They know a lot more about April than Lorelai does, and have for a whole week. They think it’s crazy that Luke has a kid. A huge crowd fills in around the table to hear Lorelai’s "scoop" on April. Lorelai excuses herself, so Luke doesn’t see her when he finally notices the whole room of people ogling at him.

Rory has taken a strong but supportive hold of everyone at the paper and is charging forward. Rory manages to get a 1-hour extension from the printer. Rory cuts Bill’s Yo-Yo and tells him to do some work. Bill doesn’t want to help Paris, but Rory says he’d be helping her. Logan comes walking in looking for Rory, and she realizes about their date. Rory goes on and on about everything she’s been dealing with as a result of Paris’ meltdown and the possibility the paper wouldn’t get out.

Logan is surprised Rory didn’t think to call him - he’s on the paper, and also knows it backwards and forwards. Rory had assumed he wasn’t interested. Logan pitches in to edit a technical article and to type in the approved copy. He types 90 words a minute, which surprises Rory. Logan jokes that Rory must have only liked him for his looks.

Logan asks how they’re doing on content, and Rory say’s they’re short. Logan says he has a couple of stories he didn’t give to Paris and that they can cannibalize content for the next edition to fill this one up. Then Logan gives a tip to get Sheila to work with Bill, which will hurt Bill’s ego and make him work faster. Rory smiles at Logan.

Luke is glowing to Lorelai about how impressed he is with April. He had bought a Geometry for Dummies book so he could help April if she asked questions, but he couldn’t figure it out. He knows he’s not April’s teacher, but he doesn’t want April to be embarrassed that he’s her dad.

Luke mentions how mad he was that the town was staring at them. Luke thinks they should understand that he’s trying to get to know April in private. He thinks Lorelai understands that he and April need some alone time. Lorelai says she does, but her tone is very flat.

Rory and Logan are at the front of a group, going over the final details for the paper. Logan says "wow" at the hard work, realizing why he’d been avoiding it all those years. Logan is now thinking of the hundreds of ways Rory owes him, but Rory says he did it for the greater good. Bill gets a call that they’re losing their printer time, that there’s nothing they can do.

Logan tells Rory to keep typing and grabs the phone from Bill. Logan drops his Huntzberger name, yes "those" Huntzbergers. Logan says he’d love to introduce the printer, Russell, to his father. And that he completely understands about printer times, but that they sent the paper in. Logan bluffs that the paper is on the server and they shouldn’t be penalized, all the while stalling so Rory can get it up there. Success!

"That’s how we do it at the Yale Daily News!!!!"

There is cheering and screaming. Rory jumps into Logan’s arms. Paris comes out trying to take a piece of the credit. Rory gives Logan a big thanks for saving her. Her thank-you comes with a big kiss, as well. Sometime in the hectic night Logan has gotten some wine and food and stashed it, so he and Rory can have their dinner date there.

Lorelai and Rory are standing staring at the Gilmore house, Lorelai telling a story while Rory braces herself to go in:

"Once upon a time there was a big house, with thick glass windows and heavy stone walls and a slightly pornographic fountain in the driveway. And all the animals in the forest were scared of the house ’cause they thought that the house was haunted! And so did all the villagers in the small hamlet of Hartfordshire…ville. ‘Maids go in but they never come out!’ they would whisper on the street.

[Rory asks to keep going] One day a beautiful young cowherderess walked by the house…

[The term is questioned, but Rory prompts to keep going] And suddenly she felt the unbearable need for a strand of pearls and a snifter of hundred-year-old Scotch! So, abandoning her cows, she climbed over the high walls and dropped onto the just-redone tiled walkway and rushed toward the enchanted French doors that the Queen had never been happy with because the hardware was not what she had picked and she refused to pay that idiot designer that she hired off of a recommendation and…"

Lorelai gives up. That never worked when Rory was four either. They go in and find Richard in the study. He offers them a drink but then does not get it immediately - he reads his book. When he does, he asks Rory if she would also like a martini, as Lorelai suggested. She says a small one. Emily comes in from the patio where she is working on a painting for the DAR art class showing.

Emily goes back outside to paint and Richard asks the girls what’s new. Lorelai talks briefly about the Inn before Richard excuses himself to get more ice to make a colder martini. Rory rants to Lorelai that Emily is outside painting a moon so she can avoid her. Lorelai admits Emily didn’t say she wanted them for dinner. Lorelai asks Richard if something is wrong, if they are mad. Richard says anger is a useless emotion. 

Lorelai calls Emily in to ask her something. Emily insists on showering and changing first, and Richard says the ice tastes funny. Lorelai yells for them to stop and talk. She tries to explain Yale, then Rory gets up insisting she should say something. Rory says she let Christopher pay for Yale, that he’s her father. That makes both Emily and Richard laugh. Emily is amused that now Christopher is Rory’s "father." That it’s so convenient.  And that when she was in cahoots with Chris, people thought her a villain, but now that Lorelai is, everything is fine.

Rory comes out and admits she didn’t want them to pay for Yale anymore. Emily points her finger satisfied with that "truth". They won’t believe that Christopher came to Rory. Emily says she just wanted to hurt them. Rory confusedly asks, by taking money from her father? They say yes, exactly!

Everyone tries to leave the room in a huff, but Lorelai calls them all to stop. Lorelai yells that nobody is leaving until the issues are worked out.

We then see the argument from Lorelai’s perspective, as Emily tries to throw in Rory’s face everything they did for her. How much it cost, and how Rory never told them to "stop" any of it. They are angry with Rory for leaving without saying anything. Emily says "only children" are so spoiled. Rory apologizes for not leaving a note, but that just gets sarcasm from Emily (that’s how Lorelai did it) for being so "heartfelt."

"I apologize, you don’t believe it. I try to defend myself and you don’t want to hear it. So apparently, there’s nothing I can do here!"

Emily says there are things Rory can do - she can admit what she’s done and apologize. Rory yells back that that’s what she’s doing. The point-of-view switches to Rory’s seat. Lorelai pipes up that Rory was going through something terrible, and people get emotional and don’t think clearly. Lorelai reminds Emily about the plane.

It’s after dinner and Emily is yelling at Lorelai, saying they might not have taken Rory in if they knew the extent of the issue. Lorelai yells back that she tried to tell them, that they didn’t want to hear it. They pretend to not have heard anything about Mitchum. Lorelai then re-enacts that morning, word for word.

By dessert, things are calm. Quiet. Happy.

By coffee, Lorelai and Rory are on their own while Richard privately yells at Emily for the airplane.

By drinks, they are drunk and laughing about what Emily said to Shira Huntzberger. They all get a good laugh at Emily’s ruthlessness, and Lorelai mock-bows to the master. Emily only wishes she had called Shira a cocktail waitress.

"Ooh, woo, that’s my mother’s version of the C-word!"

By the second round of coffees, Rory and Emily are fighting again about whether Rory is quitting the DAR or not. Rory doesn’t want to quit, but Emily wants to kick her out. Rory says she knows the rules and cannot be kicked out. Rory says she’s still friends with people from the DAR. Emily angrily says it is "her" organization. Emily storms out and Rory follows.

Richard asks Lorelai how Luke is. Lorelai bluntly tells him that Luke has a kid.

Later again, Richard and Rory are on the couch while Lorelai and Emily are fighting off-screen. Lorelai is yelling that "we were sixteen" and didn’t want to get married. Emily says people get married when they’re pregnant, that a child needs a mother and a father. Lorelai says "Oh my God" exasperated.

Later again, they are sprawled out exhausted in the living room. Silence. Still later, Rory and Lorelai are leaving, looking quite disheveled. Lorelai says it looks like they’ve officially re-instated Friday night dinner. 

Here is the entire fight sequence:

Tags: gilmore girls, gilmore girls season 6, gilmore girls episodes, gilmore girls recaps, firday nights alright for fighting, huntzberger, yale daily news, friday night dinners, gilmore, emily gilmore

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POSTED IN: Discussions, Emily Gilmore, Gilmore Girls Recaps, Logan Huntzberger, Lorelai Gilmore, Lorelai's love life, Luke Danes, Paris Geller, Richard Gilmore, Rory Gilmore, Rory's love life, Video Clips