Why Does Bickering Help?
June 29, 2009 by Arieanna
On ‘It’s Just Like Riding a Bike‘, Lorelai decides to take the first step in restoring her friendship (or relationship?) with Luke by returning to Luke’s Diner. However, Lorelai and Luke end up awkwardly talking about the weather before Lorelai gives up and leaves with her coffee.
Determined to make progress, despite their history, Lorelai takes Sookie’s advice and asks for Luke’s help to pick out a new car, after her Jeep breaks down. They don’t seem to know how to act with each other, and Luke gets frustrated by Lorelai needing to ‘get the feeling’ of a car (why this should surprise him, I have no idea). All of this ends up turning into non-stop bickering, which is apparently what they needed. Lorelai looks radiant!
Lorelai tells Sookie that the bickering was more ‘normal’ to them, something better than the frustration they were feeling. It was something that got them past the ‘hump’ in their relationship. Luke, though we don’t see his reaction as immediately, seems to feel the same way. It’s like he realized that the memories that Lorelai had for her jeep were the most important thing – so he finds a way to get Lorelai a new engine for her old Jeep!
Why do you think bickering got Luke & Lorelai back on track? What was the ‘hump’ in their relationship that needed to be gotten over?
Watch this episode of Gilmore Girls on TheWB.com here.
Photo: Bruce Birmelin/The CW ©2006 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
I think each couple has their ‘thing’. It might seem weird to outsiders, but to the couple it is what makes them clique, smile, laugh, and overall get along. For some reason, Luke and Lorelai’s ‘thing’ is bickering. Ya know? So, for them to bicker means they have that certain je ne sais quoi back.
The ‘hump’ in their relationship was the break down of their love relationship. Lorelai sleeping with Christopher was the hump,or you could say christopher was the hump.
When they went car shopping and start bickering it relaxes them back into the way it used to be. that was how their relationship was before it went belly up. they both realise that if they can bicker like that then maybe everything isn’t lost.
I think that bickering is something that we only do with people that we’re totally comfortable with. The bickering between Luke & Lorerlai demonstrated that they had got back to a comfortable place with each other.
This is my favorite scene from season 7, it makes me laugh every time I see it! It reminds me of the way Luke and Lorelai used to be, even before they started dating. I love it when they bicker about stuff, especially when it’s over one of Lorelai’s “bits.” I think the bickerng was part of their relationship. When they bickered about the way she wanted to buy a car based on a “feeling” and him thinking that’s no way to buy a car, it helps them get over the awkwardness they are feeling and back to the way things were. It worked too, because later that evening Luke shows up at Lorelai’s house to tell her that he found a way to get her Jeep fixed so she could keep her car.