In ‘Unto the Breach‘, so much happens that it’s hard to decide what to talk about in this discussion post! But, among all the things that we could discuss, I’ve decided to ask just this: Why does Logan propose at Rory’s graduation party?

Photo Greg Gayne/The CW © 2007 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved

Logan proposing - obviously a HUGE deal. Though Logan had told Rory to not factor him into her decision about what to do with her future, he’s evidently changed his mind (ok, that’s a whole other discussion, I know). Perhaps he’s scared of losing Rory, I don’t know. After asking for Lorelai’s permission in the previous episode, we’ve been waiting for him to pop the question to Rory ever since.

Where Logan chooses to propose to Rory…. at the graduation party that Emily & Richard throw for Rory! Of all places! The proposal (written out here) is truly very sweet. But should Logan have done it in front of so many people, some of whom Rory barely knows?

Why did Logan propose at this exact time? Was it just about the ‘grand gesture’? Did he perhaps feel he was losing time? Do you think maybe that social pressure was involved? That Logan perhaps thought Rory would be more likely to say ‘yes’ if her family were there to witness it? I’d love to know what you think motivated Logan to choose this place and this time for his “grand gesture.”

Here’s the scene where Logan proposes to Rory:

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

In ‘Hay Bale Maze‘, Rory is confronted by a difficult decision about her future. She’s offered a job with the Providence Journal Bulletin, one of the “best jobs” out there for journalists just starting out. But, it’s not the best. It’s not the 6 week unpaid Reston Fellowship with the New York Times.

Photo Bruce Birmelin /The CW © 2007 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved

Rory seems to have all her confidence back now - fully sure she’s in the running for the Reston Fellowship. Logan encourages Rory to “screw the 401k” and gamble on the Fellowship. Lorelai, who thinks Logan is financially irresponsible (doing a business deal behind his dad’s back, only now dealing with bills, and expecting his ‘contacts’, not ‘work’, to get him back ‘on top’), reminds Logan that “gambling is his thing, not her thing.”

Rory tries to sit down for a pro/con list, but it seems to be frustrating her, rather than calming her. A big issue for Rory is Logan - should he be a factor on the list? Logan tells Rory that she should do what she wants, that he will “factor her in” after (ahem, does he forget saying this later??). And then Rory decides to take the risk and say no to the job offer.

I’ve never understood why Rory didn’t accept the job offer. If she’d gotten the Fellowship, should could have ‘changed her mind’ and dropped the job, after all. But that’s beside the point I was trying to make - I’m curious if Logan, and his risk-it-all personality, have influenced Rory’s decision to go for the Fellowship?

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

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 ‘The Great Stink’, there are a number of things that seem to trigger a more serious relationship between Logan & Rory.

First off, Logan surprises Rory by not only coming back home (granted, he’s there on business), but setting up a romantic dinner on the roof. He has flowers, candles and her favorite foods. Logan is nearly a different man, so self-assured and seemingly pleased with his new career - not like the disaffected rich boy he was before.

The second indication of seriousness is when Rory joins Logan and his business partners for dinner. She meets Bobby, who turns out to be a sexy older woman who is obviously well-admired. And Rory didn’t know Bobby was a woman. She gets jealous, also wondering why Logan didn’t tell her more about Bobby or the fact that she was a woman. Bobby, to Rory, seems to be pretentious and Rory becomes suspicious of Bobby’s intentions towards her man.

But, in the end, Rory admits her jealousy to Logan and they become even closer. Here’s that reconciliation:

So, to me, it seems like a) Logan’s confidence and b) Rory’s jealousy did wonders for their relationship. What do you think?

Watch “Gilmore Girls” ‘The Great Stink’

Also don’t forget to check the deleted scene for this episode here!

Check out Gilmore Girls on TheWB.com here.

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

In ‘The Real Paul Anka,’ Jess comes to Rory’s rescue again. When he visited Rory in Stars Hollow, Jess helped Rory realize that her life was off-track and that she needed to return to Yale and pursue her dreams. And in this episode, he helps Rory realize that she’s still in love with Logan.

Rory is still very unhappy with the state of her relationship with Logan, and Logan knows it. She even wrote his story for the Yale Daily News, saying she had “no faith” he’d meet his deadline. Logan, frustrated that his mistakes are being held against him, decides to go base-jump in Costa Rica with the Life & Death Brigade boys.

Rory, full of anger and disapproval and hurt, decides on a whim to go to Jess’ bookstore open house. The invitation came at a good time. When she gets there, aside from running into Luke & April, Jess is very happy to see her. Perhaps he reads something into her visit. When Rory lingers in the store, Jess asks if everything is “fixed”, perhaps also implying the mess with Logan (who he thought wrong for Rory). I think Rory knew what he meant (don’t you?) when she agreed it was all fixed.

Anyway, Jess kisses Rory, and she kisses back. But then she gets up suddenly and calls herself a jerk. She says she can’t cheat on “him” the way he did on her. Jess is hurt that Rory is still with Logan, since he’s fixed up his crap and obviously wants to get back with her. Rory says that, despite everything, she’s in love with Logan.

So, I think kissing Jess solidified things for Rory. She realized that Jess wasn’t the one for her, that Logan was. No matter what her brain was telling her, her heart was saying “Logan”. And Rory knows she has to let go of her anger if she wants to be happy. So, again Jess helped. What do you think of this theory?

Watch “Gilmore Girls” ‘The Real Paul Anka’:

Check out Gilmore Girls on TheWB.com here.

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In ‘Bridesmaids Revisited‘, Logan’s sister Honor is getting married, and Rory ends up helping her get ready for the wedding. While there, Rory learns how Logan spent his time away from her during their break-up… and that involved spending his time with “a room full of girls you had sex with,” in Rory’s own words to Logan later.

To me, this episode harks back to Friends and Ross & Rachel’s similar fight over what happened during their “break“. Logan fooled around with all three girls during the time when Rory was still recovering from their break-up (which she didn’t even know was a real break-up). Rory says he “REALLY cheated” on her, though Logan doesn’t see it that way. He insists they were broken up and that telling her after would just hurt and upset her unnecessarily.

“I was depressed. I was lonely. I was upset. I’ve known these girls forever. It was just companionship, OK? It meant nothing.”

But does it mean something? Though Logan regained his perspective and realized how much he loved Rory, is that enough to erase how quickly he slipped back into his old ways? Do you think Logan cheated?
Can you break up with someone and not tell them, as Logan insists?

Here’s my favorite scene from this episode, which involves Rory & Doyle getting drunk to wash away their sorrows:

Watch “Gilmore Girls” ‘Bridesmaids Revisited’

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In ‘You’ve Been Gilmored‘, a series of events lands Rory on Logan’s doorstep, so to speak. And I’ve always thought this a little odd - she just took him back, after all!

The board has voted Paris off as Editor of the Yale Daily News, and Rory is the one to break it to her. Why Paris was made Editor and not Rory, I’ll never know, but it did provide for some humorous Paris madness (the bunker!). Anyway, the staff decide that Rory would be their perfect new editor, so she took over right away. Of course, Paris now thinks Rory was lobbying for this all along and has piled all her stuff out in the hall.

There are no places left to live on campus, or off, so Logan casually invites Rory to live with him (ok, there was a tiny bit of hesitation, but not much given Logan’s history). Logan tries to treat it lightly, though Rory says it’s a big step. Rory agrees to go - not calling her mom at any point. Given their reconciliation, I would have expected Rory to freak out and call Lorelai right away. Chris finds out before Lorelai does, like Rory is ashamed of her decision to live with Logan.

When Rory and Lorelai finally talk about it, Rory wants to know Lorelai’s thoughts. Lorelai reminds Rory to do it only for the right reason, not for a housing shortage. Rory says she loves Logan and then it moves onto Lorelai wanting tips for when Luke moves into her place.

Is it a big deal for Rory to move in with Logan? Why was he ok with it? Why does Rory hesitate before telling Lorelai?

Watch “Gilmore Girls” ‘You’ve Been Gilmored’

Check out Gilmore Girls on TheWB.com here.

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In the episode ‘How Many Kropogs to Cape Cod?‘, Rory begins her internship at Mitchum Huntzberger’s paper but, nearly as importantly, Logan is invited to dinner with the Gilmores. All because Rory went to the Huntzberger house and there was a social window to reciprocate. Leaving aside that whole mess at Logan’s house, Emily wants to be sure her dinner is exceptional.

So, there are high expectations here. And Rory and Lorelai both know that it’s a big deal for Rory to bring a boyfriend over to visit Emily and Richard. Richard & Emily feel so too, gushing about how perfect the couple are together (ah, yes, money talks). So, when Logan pulls Rory aside to tell her about the Life & Death Brigade tradition of stealing knick knacks from rich people and replacing them with other ones, and Lorelai sees, things don’t go well. Logan wasn’t too private about the whole thing, wanting to brag about it to Rory and not caring if Lorelai heard.

So, I’d like to know why? Rory is obviously unimpressed, as is Lorelai. Given he presumably wants to impress both the Gilmore girls, not to mention Emily & Richard, why does he flaunt his prank? The senior Gilmore couple are willing to ignore or dismiss anything potentially bad about Logan because of his name, but Rory & Lorelai are not like that. In the end, he made himself look bad and made Rory feel guilty for his behavior.

Watch “Gilmore Girls” Episode ‘How Many Kropogs to Cape Cod?’:

Check out Gilmore Girls on TheWB.com here.

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You’ve seen the trouble coming since the start, but now it’s hit the fan. In ‘To Live and Let Diorama,’ Rory realizes that she’s very unhappy in her casual relationship with Logan. But at the same time, Luke realizes that perhaps he’s ready to take the next step with Lorelai. Today we contrast the changes in these two relationships...

In the previous episode, Rory made Logan jealous by going with Robert to Finn’s birthday. Logan is honest with Rory, saying that he is bothered that Rory is on a date. Since then, Logan was calling twice a day and was setting up dates. The ball is in her court. And yet, by this episode, Rory is again waiting for Logan to call her. She’s moping around on the weekend hoping he’ll decide to do something with her - doubtful, since his voicemail indicates he’s going club hopping with the boys. Rory takes Paris back to Stars Hollow and gets drunk on Patty’s punch. That night, Rory is on the floor crying, asking why Logan doesn’t like her and why isn’t he calling her.

Meanwhile, Luke is salivating over the old Twickham house after Old Man Twickham dies and after the Stars Hollow Museum is done its 2-month run in his house, as per the will. Luke tells Taylor he wants the house, has always dreamed of that house to raise his family in. Dean tries to freak Luke out, saying he and Luke are alike and that Stars Hollow won’t be enough for Lorelai (despite how long she’s been there!). That aside, I think Luke is finally trying to make positive steps toward his future with Lorelai - plans, things more solid than just picturing it.

Here are some scenes from this episode, ‘To Live and Let Diorama’:

Check out this episode to watch in full (for a limited time) on TheWB.com here.

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I don’t know about you, but anything surrounding Lorelai & Luke breaking up just kills me. I hate these episodes. So, ‘Say Something‘ is a bittersweet episode for me. So, rather than dissect more of their details behind the break-up, I’m going to switch to talk about Logan & Rory instead. More fun, right?

Rory, not aware of the seriousness of the issues between Luke & Lorelai yet, is more concerned with Logan and the post-makeout-session (that could have been more than just making out) that was interrupted by her family. Did he freak out? Does he want to see her? After getting advice from Janet and Althea, Rory decides to call Logan to ask for something casual, to just hang out - to show she’s not too much drama.

Logan simply smiles when Rory tries to stammer she’d like to hang out. Does he suspect Rory is trying to act casual? Is he setting her up by not telling her he already has plans for friends to come over? Or is Logan simply taking Rory’s offer at face value?

Nonetheless, after Rory falls asleep and gets the call from Sookie that Lorelai is a mess and Rory needs to come home, Logan steps up to get her there quickly. Like he was paying attention to her and her needs. Later, he admits to Rory that his only choices were to say no to her call or to invite her there with friends. He reminds Rory that it’s not just sex that’s an option for them and Rory feels guilty for being angry. After they kiss and make-up (casual, right!), Logan heaves a big sigh after Rory leaves. (Does that mean he’s falling for Rory? Or know Rory can’t be casual, like she claims?)

So, what part of this is a game to Logan? What is he trying to accomplish? To show Rory he’s not a one-girl guy? Or is he also proving to himself that Rory is no big deal? What does that last sigh mean?

Watch “Gilmore Girls” ‘Say Something’:

Check out Gilmore Girls on TheWB.com here.

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