BuddyTV recently put together a list of “TV’s 50 Coolest Dads“, counting down such TV dads as Al Bundy, Homer Simpson

Coming in on the list at #37 is Luke Danes on Gilmore Girls! But even higher, we have Christopher Hayden at #8!! So, I’m guessing “coolest” doesn’t mean “best” dad

Photos: TheWB.com & Patrick Ecclesine/The CW /©2006 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Why did they choose Luke? “Somehow his daughter became a genius, but Luke is at his coolest when he’s the surly proprietor of greasy food and bottomless cups of coffee.”

Why did they choose Christopher? “He might not always be there for his kid, but Christopher is cool whether he’s on a motorcycle or in a family-friendly sedan. He’s young and hip and can banter with the best of them, an important skill to have when you’re surrounded by Gilmores.”

What do you think of making Christopher more ‘cool’ than Luke?

Also making the list is Harry Wilson on 90210, played by Gilmore Girls alumn Rob Estes.

In ‘Farewell My Pet‘, which was perhaps one of the better episodes of Season 7, things have obviously fallen apart between Lorelai & Christopher. After seeing Luke at the hospital, after finally getting there, Chris had disappeared for two days. Chris is very angry that Luke was there and that Lorelai didn’t send him away. Lorelai is angry that Chris took “time off” their marriage.

Although Chris later admits he shouldn’t have taken off, he can’t let go of the Luke issue (just like Luke was also irrational about Chris). He is, however, taking some of the blame on himself (finally) for not giving Lorelai enough time or space to get over Luke. He’s ready to give up on their marriage, but Lorelai wants to work through their issues. Chris doesn’t buy it, and maybe he is right in supposing that Lorelai’s not being honest with herself.

Lorelai admits to Sookie, later, that she still has feelings for Luke. She considers cutting Luke out of her life, but Sookie asks Lorelai a good question: would Chris be “the one” if there never had been, or never would be, a Luke? All day, Lorelai grows more somber with that thought until, finally, she comes home and has this conversation with Chris:

Lorelai admits that Chris was always a possibility in her life, but that it doesn’t feel right - Luke or no Luke. As much as she wants to love Chris, she can’t. The “you’re the man I want to want” is incredibly touching. Why do you think it is that Lorelai can’t love Chris? And I mean, outside of Luke, since Lorelai is now realizing that Luke isn’t the only reason she can’t love Chris.

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Photo: Scott Humbert/The CW ©2006 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

In ‘I’d Rather be in Philadelphia,’ I’ve always thought we were meant to compare this episode to the Season 1 ‘Forgiveness and Stuff‘, both of which involve Richard in the hospital. However, the real comparison (for me) is about how the men in Rory & Lorelai’s lives are there - or not there - for them during these stressful times.

Luke - in Season 1, Luke was there. He even drove her to the hospital. He’s there for her completely, even getting her coffee stolen from the nurses lounge. It was a big step in their friendship - and relationship - for him to be her rock in this time of stress. Again with Season 7, when Luke hears that Richard is in the hospital, he goes right over to help - despite their estranged relationship. He is a huge help to both Emily and to Lorelai. No matter what happens, Luke is showing that he’ll be there.

Christopher - we didn’t see Christopher in Season 1 much, but in Season 7, he’s absent from the hospital. Lorelai has been frantically calling him, but because of their fight, he was ignoring his phone. Lorelai’s messages get more and more upset, saying that he should be there for his wife and that Richard’s heart attack is bigger than a fight. It’s clear Chris isn’t even checking his messages. When he finally does arrive, he immediately starts sulking because Luke is there. He’s not grateful that people are there to help Lorelai, nor does he attempt to comfort her. He cannot get over his own selfishness to comfort Lorelai.

Logan - it’s our turn to see how Logan reacts to stress. Just like Rory dropped everything to be at his bedside after his accident, Logan is putting Rory ahead of his business needs. Turns out, he even flew there by helicopter. Just like Luke, he’s doing what he can to help out the whole family.

In this episode, we see not just the contrast between Luke & Christopher, but also how like Luke that Logan has become. I think this is the first time I made that comparison. I think Rory & Lorelai are meant to see what it means to have someone support them fully, no questions asked. Do you think so?

Watch this episode of Gilmore Girls on TheWB.com here.

Photo: Patrick Ecclesine/The CW ©2006 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

In ‘To Whom it May Concern,‘ we get to hear the results of the reference letter Lorelai writes for Luke, who is trying to get partial custody of his daughter, April.

In the previous episode, Lorelai had a really hard time writing the letter. In the end, Rory had advised Lorelai to simply write what she feels. Meanwhile, Lorelai was hiding from Christopher the fact that she was writing the letter - Lorelai says that it’s because Chris is on edge about Luke. The completed letter had Lorelai filled with a look of pride, sadness and satisfaction.

As we see in this episode, the judge reads out Lorelai’s letter to the courtroom. At the same time, we see that Christopher has found a copy of the letter and reads it to himself, shaking his head either in anger or hurt. Chris accuses Lorelai, later, of writing something that “reads like a love letter”, saying their marriage is just marking time.

Is Christopher jealous of how much a father figure Luke was to Rory? Is he upset that Lorelai shared feelings with Luke? Or is he seeing truth in her words, that Lorelai does see Luke as a part of her world forever… maybe something she doesn’t feel about Christopher?

Aside from all that Christopher was being crazy immature about being her “rebound guy.” When she hopped into his bed hours after breaking it off with Luke, that should have been pretty clear.
Watch this episode of Gilmore Girls on TheWB.com here.

In ‘Merry Fisticuffs‘, it seems like Lorelai is doing everything she can to downplay her marriage to Christopher. When she meets with the planner that Emily has hired for the wedding party, for example, Lorelai tries to refer to it as “just a party.” Considering how much Lorelai loves parties, I’m surprised that her own wedding is just a party.

Photo: Scott Humbert/The CW©2006 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Perhaps Lorelai is downplaying it as “just a party” because it’s one of “Emily’s parties”, which Lorelai hates. But Lorelai continues to nearly “regress” in her emotional state - whereas she was keen on marrying Luke and having kids with him, Lorelai tells Christopher she “doesn’t know” if she wants another kid. Chris seems to sense something is off about their relationship.

When Emily springs on Lorelai that she wants the couple to exchange vows at the “party”, it’s clear that Emily is really planning another wedding. Lorelai doesn’t want to do it, like getting married again is a huge deal to her. And maybe it is - maybe that’s the point. While Lorelai married Christopher in Paris on the spur-of-the-moment, actually planning out a wedding… well, that’s a different level of commitment. I think Lorelai may be afraid to admit to herself that she was hasty with Chris. What do you think?

As if there’s evidence of more trouble: Luke & Christopher fight again. And Emily (!!) notices that the relationship is not good and warns Lorelai not to let things fall apart.

Watch this episode of Gilmore Girls on TheWB.com here.

In the episode ‘Knit, People, Knit‘, we start off with Chris and Lorelai over for dinner with Richard, Emily & Rory. The whole big Gilmore gang. Richard & Lorelai have a gift for the newly-wedded couple… and it’s a painting. The painting, by real artist Kiki Smith, is called “Wolf Girl”. The original painting was done by Kiki in 1999 for her series “Blue Prints.”

What research I’ve done indicates that Kiki was known for her “reflection on human existence” and on “women’s anonymous creativity throughout history.” In addition, she covers “rites of passage” in her art - perhaps rites like marriage. I’m not an art critic, so I don’t know what “Wolf Girl” is supposed to say about Lorelai & Christopher. Do you have ideas?

But I will ask - if Emily & Richard were going to give Luke & Lorelai a house… what does the painting say in comparison?

Watch this episode of Gilmore Girls on TheWB.com here.

Image: Kiki Smith, used for informational analysis only

In ‘French Twist‘, I’m left wondering, did Lorelai mean to marry Christopher, or was she simply swept off her feet?

Photo: Scott Humbert/The CW ©2006 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Chris gave to Lorelai the most romantic trip to Paris anyone could dream up. He reminds Lorelai of how they had always dreamed of going to Paris together, and there they were. He gives her a private romantic dinner at a restaurant all to themselves. And Lorelai is being wrapped up in perfect words and perfect deeds - perfectly content herself to let them sweep her along. When Chris tells Lorelai he doesn’t “wanna wait”, and Lorelai says it’s too soon, Chris just reminds her that it’s taken them 25 years to get to where they are now. Put that way, how could Lorelai argue?

I think Lorelai was just too tired to think. She had spent so long trying to do everything the right way, that Christopher simply offered Lorelai a way to shut off her thoughts and just let someone else do the thinking. But we know Lorelai, and we know that she is governed by her head as well as her heart, so perhaps this all foreshadows the inevitability of this relationship not working out. Indeed, when Lorelai comes home, she seems confused by what she’d just done…

Watch this episode of Gilmore Girls on TheWB.com here.

In ‘Go Bulldogs!‘, Christopher is very excited about going to Parents Weekend at Yale. Now that he’s firmly dating Lorelai - his idea of familial perfection - it seems that Chris is keen to do all the ‘Dad’ things for Rory. To finally give Rory the “Parents” she never had - not just a Mom and a Dad, separate, but a joint entity.

Photo: Patrick Ecclesine/The CW /©2006 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Lorelai is a little off-put by the experience, since Emily & Richard are there, but Christopher is having an amazing time with the whole thing. They even drop in on Rory at the Yale Daily News, where Chris tries to be the “cool Dad” by inviting everyone to lunch with them. He seems to be trying really hard to impress everyone - a little too hard. Overcompensating??

So, is Chris trying to make up for Rory’s childhood? Does he realize that Rory is already an adult, and perhaps his efforts are too late? Is that why he is maybe trying so hard while he still can?

Check out this episode of Gilmore Girls on TheWB.com here.

BTW, what do you think of the new design here at GilmoreGirlsNews.com?? It’s not quite done, but it’s getting there! I hope you like it! And don’t forget to follow GilmoreNews on Twitter too!

In ‘Lorelai’s First Cotillion,’ Lorelai confesses to not having told Emily directly about her breakup with Luke. She’s worried Emily will be mean about the news. However, when Lorelai drops the news, Emily disinterestedly says “that’s too bad,” while Richard only says “Hmm.”

Photo: Scott Humbert/The CW ©2006 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

The conversation moves so quickly from the topic of Luke that Lorelai seems almost affronted. Mad that they didn’t fight her. She tries to bring it up, to get it all into the open, but Emily & Richard say they’ve moved on. Lorelai gets even more offended. Later, at home, Lorelai admits that she may need her parents’ freakouts to “know I’m doing what I wanna do”.

Does Lorelai need Emily’s anger to justify her actions towards Luke? Should Lorelai be questioning her likes and dislikes because of her new revelation that they may be based on doing whatever displeases her parents? And how, if at all, does all of this lead to Lorelai returning to Christopher?

Watch “Gilmore Girls” ‘Lorelai’s First Cotillion’

Check out Gilmore Girls on TheWB.com here.

Today we begin some discussions related to Gilmore Girls Season 7! First off, in the premiere, ‘The Long Morrow‘, we see Lorelai waking up in Christopher’s bed (*shudder*) after she ran to him after Luke “let her walk away.” Oh, there’s so much wrong here (and shame on Christopher for taking advantage of Lorelai!).

While Rory’s fears re-ignite about Logan’s fidelity while he’s away for the next year, it’s Lorelai who has jumped into bed with another man just seconds after her “break up” with Luke. It was so fast there’s no chance for it to just be a “fight”. And this reminds me a lot of Logan jumping into bed with Honor’s friends when he thought he was broken up from Rory.

So, did Lorelai pull a Logan? Did she move too quickly, without seeing what the fallout with Luke would be? Without giving him a chance? Lorelai obviously has regrets the next day about sleeping with Christopher, so part of her must know it was wrong. Lorelai has always know that Luke needs time to think - to digest - big news. Heck, they’ve fought about it before. So why did she assume her ultimatum would get an immediate reaction out of him? Should Lorelai have waited for Luke to digest her pain (which she’d been hiding for months), which he ended up doing? And, knowing that he’d need time, what does Lorelai’s lack of waiting say about what she wants?

If you want to learn more about the “love rocket” in the episode, you can see my post here.

Watch “Gilmore Girls” ‘The Long Morrow’

Check out Gilmore Girls on TheWB.com here.

Photo: Markk Liddell / The CW©2006 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.