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 ‘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.

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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, ‘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’

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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’

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

In the Season 6 finale of Gilmore Girls, ‘Partings‘, was both one of my favorite episodes of the season and also one of my least favorite. I loved the explosion of troubadours in Stars Hollow, but so much went wrong with the relationships in this episode. Lorelai realizes she needs to either push to get Luke or she needs to walk away - and in the end, she walks away… and into the arms of Christopher. And Rory, meanwhile, must take her own parting from Logan, who is going to London for the year.

What I want to discuss is… did Lorelai get good advice from Carolyn, the psychologist Emily tried to fix up with Christopher? Lorelai talked about her fears of being married and of her communication issues, but how she feels stupid now for believing she would get her wedding. She wants that - to start the next phase of her life, and Carolyn says:

“Only you can make you wait. Nobody else can. You need to decide what you want and what you’re willing to give up to get it, and then you got to be okay with that, or you got to be okay with waiting….

You won’t get anything unless you ask for it. And if you ask for it and you don’t get it, maybe it wasn’t worth having in the first place. Some things are just never meant to be, no matter how much we wish they were.”

So later, Lorelai pushes Luke into a confrontation, giving him an ultimatum. Considering she’s never spoken a word about her anxiety and her wants, that’s a lot for Luke to handle. So, did Lorelai push in the wrong way? And, when that fails, why does Lorelai go to Christopher?? I know that’s outside the discussion, but I had to put it there.

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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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