In ‘Bon Voyage‘, Rory accepts a job going on the road with Barack Obama as he campaigns for the Presidency. This means she’s going away in just 3 days - no special roller coaster trip with Lorelai, no lingering moments in Stars Hollow… and she could be gone for a long time! Rory, who wasn’t very happy to hear about the re-enactment graduation party that Stars Hollow had planned, now plans to leave Stars Hollow without a goodbye party.

Photo Credit: Bruce Birmelin / The CW ©2007 The CW Network. All Rights Reserved.

Luke, in a particularly intuitive moment, realizes that Stars Hollow needs a chance to say goodbye to Rory, as much as she needs a better way to say goodbye to all of them. It’s very unlike Luke to spearhead any town activity, particularly one of this size and with this kind of rush. We all know he loves Rory like a daughter, but what prompted Luke to make a big Stars Hollow party?

Why was it so important, even when rain threatened, for Luke to throw this party? Why didn’t he want credit for it? How much, if any, of the party idea was Luke’s way of getting Lorelai back? Or was that just an afterthought?

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

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.

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.

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 ‘Introducing Lorelai Planetarium‘, there’s so much to talk about it’s hard to know where to begin. So, instead of once again talking about Lorelai marrying Christopher, and why she’s so nervous about telling Rory about it, let’s talk about Luke!

In this episode, Luke & April seem to be getting along great as dad & daughter. He seems to take an honest interest in her life, even the boring school gossip. In a way, it reminds me of how much like a “friend” Lorelai is to Rory. Then, in this episode, April gets sick…. and the first person Luke calls is Lorelai.

I’ve always wondered about that - why doesn’t Luke call Anna?Is it because he trusts Lorelai? Or that she’s been on his mind? And, when Luke calls, why does Lorelai go to him at the hospital? This last one is perhaps a little obvious, since Luke has always been there for Lorelai when Richard ended up in the hospital or other bad things happened.

When Lorelai did show up, Luke seemed so happy to see her. Maybe he was hoping that things would improve between them again. And then to see Lorelai’s wedding ring… *sigh*

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

In, ‘That’s What You Get, Folks, For Makin’ Whoopee‘ Lorelai confesses to Sookie that she didn’t want to tell Luke about Christopher, but she thought it was the only way Luke would believe it when she said “no” to his proposal to go elope. Lorelai truly does not believe that Luke wants to marry her. Of course, it doesn’t help that Luke is already calling Christopher Lorelai’s boyfriend and saying he’s “over it.” Put perhaps Luke has doubts too… doubts that Lorelai really wanted to marry him if she was so quick to return to Chris.

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

Meanwhile, Lane is back from her honeymoon, admitting that it was quite a disaster of a trip. She realizes she married “that man” and is feeling sick and horrible. Well, we know why she’s feeling sick, but it sucks for her that she didn’t at least enjoy the process of getting that way on the honeymoon

So, why does Lorelai have her doubts? Do actions speak louder than words? Or is she doubting herself too? And later, was Luke mean to her as payback for Lorelai’s infidelity during their fight? Or is he just dealing with his own doubts and jealousies again? And is Lane now doubting her marriage too? Or is that purely hormones?

Watch “Gilmore Girls” ‘That’s What You Get, Folks, For Makin’ Whoopee’

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.

This episode, like others in Gilmore Girls, has a subtle theme built into it. I’d like to say that theme is about moving on. In ‘I’m Ok, You’re Ok,’ we contrast three different relationships all in stages of “moving on”: Mrs. Kim & Zack/Lane, Luke & Lorelai and Rory & Logan.

In the case of the Kim drama, Lane has accepted Zack’s proposal, but Mrs. Kim doesn’t know anything yet. Zack goes to tell Mrs. Kim - and, though she’s initially put off, Mrs. Kim does not throw him out. Instead, she helps him plan his music career. This is a huge step for her, after the life she’d wanted for Lane is clearly falling apart. Mrs. Kim is getting over her own prejudices and lost dreams - she’s moving on and realizing how to just support Lane.

With Logan & Rory, Logan persuades Rory to believe he didn’t cheat on her. She says ‘I guess’, but you can tell her heart isn’t ready to believe or to forgive Logan. So she hasn’t moved on, though clearly she wishes she could.

And lastly, with Luke & Lorelai, we see a different kind of “moving on” in their future. Lorelai is very hurt by Luke’s distancing in their relationship, though she’s trying her best to be understanding. She’s especially hurt when Luke lets Anna give him a new bag, when he told Lorelai not to get him one. It makes Lorelai feel like an outsider even more.

It’s clear that neither Rory nor Lorelai are ok. Yet neither are willing to admit it to themselves yet. Why do you think this is?

Watch “Gilmore Girls” ‘I’m Ok, You’re Ok’:

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Why is Luke so angry in ‘A Vineyard Valentine‘? The episode, to me, is an essay in comparison of two relationships that are teetering on the future. Of Rory, looking brightly to her future with Logan, even considers that he may be “the one” for her. Of Lorelai, having to fight Luke at every turn with grumpiness and fearing that her own wedding just won’t happen. But the thing I never figure out - why is Luke so angry on the trip?

My huge list of ideas: Luke’s jealous of Logan’s money, he’s jealous of how easily Rory & Logan seem with each other, he worries about being away from April for the trip, he’s sad he’s never had a trip with his own daughter, he’s worried that Logan isn’t good enough for Rory, he is overwhelmed by lack of control in his own life (April, Lorelai), or… what are your ideas?

And why did Luke suddenly feel better about life after Logan gave Luke the present for Lorelai? How did that change his outlook on the whole weekend?

Watch “Gilmore Girls” ‘A Vineyard Valentine’

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