Based on what I’ve seen about this one, it should have us all gabbing:
The Prodigal Daughter Returns. A surprise phone call from Christopher (David Sutcliffe, who does not appear in the episode) brings up issues of trust between Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Luke (Scott Patterson). Later, when a person from Luke’s past shows up in Stars Hollow, he has no idea how to tell Lorelai about it. After months of estrangement, Lorelai and Rory (Alexis Bledel) make their first move toward reconciliation and Rory takes major steps to change the direction of her life.
Kelly Bishop, Edward Herrmann, Melissa McCarthy, Keiko Agena and Yanic Truesdale also star. The episode was written and directed by Amy Sherman-Palladino.
Can I just say again how much I despise Christopher? He’s such a lothario. (Not you; you are no lothario.)
Is everyone in shock?
There is a level of hatred I have for the April storyline that surprises even me (and I was spoiled and have spent a couple of weaks loathing it, but hoping it would miraculously go away.)
And then the preview for next week. Is it okay to talk about that here? Because I called the reason for the return of (cough) about six months ago on a forum and I’m pissed I was right.
Anyway, back to this episode. Well. hmmm. I’m glad Rory had a chance to show some initiative, but that bordered on stalking and harrassment, so I don’t know what to think of that. Apparently, Rory only has two speeds: off and on. I also hated that the one guy who gave her a good recommendation is the one she ended up getting hired by, because that means she isn’t branching out… she’s (again) going with what’s relatively safe. This may look like bravada and taking initiative, but she already knew what he was thinking. And I didn’t see anything about that particular paper which meant it was the “best place for her” other than comfort and familiarity, which is a pattern for Rory. Go back to Dean = comfort and easy. Go live with Grandparents when things are tough = comfort.
I thought the fight was very funny and the furniture was funny (she should have moved it to Rory’s old room), and the make-up scene was great, because they talked and we know that being truthful even when it’s really awkward is now going to bite Luke in the DNA.
The kid seemed to be a real find — I thought she was terrific as an actress. Luke’s reaction dead on. And still, hating it with a passion. Feels very aquatic right about now.
See, I didn’t mind the sudden fatherhood that much, although I also didn’t expect it. The kid was really wonderful, not too cute, and not too smug. And as you say, Luke’s reaction was perfectly in character. But I don’t see how it will offer much of a long-term obstacle for Luke and Lorelai (as long as he keeps in mind that it’s never the crime that they get you for; it’s the cover-up). We don’t know whether the mother is remarried, or the circumstances the kid has grown up in. The kid didn’t seem particularly interested in having Luke as her brand new daddy. If anything, I think this new wrinkle could give Luke some sympathy for Christopher’s position, although I can’t imagine either him or Lorelai consenting to have Christopher “provide for” his (first) baby’s mommy.
Speaking of which, doesn’t he have another kid himself to take care of?
As much as the reconciliation at the end of the episode pleased me, it was the scene on the plane that had me really verklempt. Emily always seems to be most emotionally available (with her daughter) when she’s shopping, which I think says a lot about who she is.
No Logan, which is thoroughly welcome; he got on my last nerve last week.
I really liked the scene on the airplane with Emily as well – it fit perfectly in both of their characters.
I thought the whole deal with Rory at the newspaper was a bit weird – it seemed a little forced and all that, but I guess this was Rory getting her mojo back. I also thought the makeup was a little too quick and easy, but that might be just because the fight had dragged out way too long.
I don’t know what they are doing with the kid – the only way this will be a problem is if Luke makes it a problem, so I’m sure he will call off the wedding so he can deal with a kid who seems perfectly fine without him. Ooookay.
As for Christopher, man I really hope that Lorelai just tells him to go have a good life even if he is rich. His whole bouncing back and forth into their lives thing is crazy – she needs to let him just be Rory’s dad and get over the “old boyfriend” thing.
I am way too obsessed with this show!
Echoing comments here. I don’t particularly care for the storyline, but loved the actress they cast and how charming she was.
I also thought Luke way overreacted to the phone call from Christopher — understandably, but I did not like him basically calling Lorelai a liar. He should be past that, even if he still hates Christopher. And the fact that he didn’t tell her that the girl came into the diner after the big chanting No Secrets No Secrets No Secrets scene: troubling. I think he is definitely going to make it an issue for their relationship, one way or the other. But yeah, it shouldn’t be an issue at all, she seemed completely disinterested in him — it would be way more of an issue if he’d found out about it say, six years ago.
Sookie had some great lines in this ep, though Jackson felt off to me. I did love the moment after the fight.
The Rory storyline ended up taking a back seat to me, because the outcome was too obvious. Plucky heroine just persists and gets given nonexistent job. I’d have bought another internship more. Also, couldn’t she just go back to the Yale Daily News? Anyway….
Bill (welcome back!), you so called Emily’s emotional availability while she’s shopping. It’s how she deals.
Potential Spoiler in Paragraph Below:
The stupid previews got cut off on our DVR, just like last week. Anyone care to describe? Do they introduce the (according to the TWOP forums — I am not proud) “woman with enough whatever to be perceived as a threat to Lorelai,” aka Kid’s Mother. I’m hoping the perceived is the key word there.
Gwenda, I lurk on there as well… there are some nice people who lurk in a couple of the GG threads. Otherwise, scary place.
POTENTIAL SPOILERS:
Anyway, no, they didn’t intro her yet. I don’t think that’s going to happen until Jan. or the Feb. sweeps.
I loathe loathe loathe that they made Christopher rich when he came back. I’d said that given how much Amy liked the actor and how much she seemed determined to have him back, coupled with what a jerk she’d made him out to be the last few times he’d been on, the only way she’d get him back is to give him some way to redeem himself, and I suspected that she’d let him have a lot of money. My first thought is that she’d let him have inherit a lot of money from his dad’s will and it just took a long time to probate it, but when the preview said tens of millions, I felt like we’d just pinged (again) into soap opera territory with Christopher suddenly being successful at business. At which point I’ll want to know what brand of crack Amy’s smoking. grrr.
Well, I thought this was an absolutely wonderful episode. Right off the bat, the dialogue made me happy and then I was thrilled with the way all the storylines went. (Minor quibbles: Jackson was a tad dopey and the frictionless insertion of Luke’s kid into the story felt contrived, but both still fun.) The airplane scene with Emily was flat-out beautiful. She’s a person who wants real ties and she feels desperately unconnected to anyone or anything she really cares about, so she might as well go flying off. Gorgeously done.
Luke overreacted in a big way to the Christopher phonecall, but he’s had some reason to build up insecurity over this in the past. Obviously the fight between him and L was a stupid fight, but I was very glad to see it because it showed how the trust between them allows them to do this: to be insecure and overreact when they’re scared, and to understand this in each other and have space within the relationship for that to happen and get worked through. God forbid if it were only Lorelai in that relationship who got upset and emotional over stuff while Luke remained reasonable and calm all the time. I like that Luke has his moments too, that they’re equals in this, and can get pissed off while they still go on taking care of each other.
Tens of millions is a whole lot for one person but not so much for a big company; I don’t think it’s unrealistic that Christopher could finally hit some business success. This is how rich people get it done, right: even when they fail a lot, their social and financial safety nets allow them to spend more and to partner with other people who have and know how to make money. I don’t know how Christopher’s money situation will change things but I suppose it could help Rory and Lorelai swing Yale without help from Emily and Richard, and of course it will probably make Luke more insecure. I’m not on the Christopher-hating train, anyway. I think he’s well-portrayed as exactly what he’s supposed to be in the show: the dear old childhood friend who Lorelai knows to be weak and not good mate material, but who will always have a little corner of her heart, and that’s fine and right tho it’s tough on Luke.
I enjoyed Rory at the newspaper for the same reason I enjoyed her fighting with Emily: because she’s finally staking a claim on some of the emotional/personality territory that’s always been Lorelai’s. This is part of the ongoing problem between them: in addition to the mother-daughter relationship they also have some sibling dynamics, and have grown up splitting certain character traits between them like sisters do. Rory has always been the calm one, the pleaser, the nice girl. And I think part of what was missing in her life was the willingness to be a little rude and develop more of the strong pushy confidence that’s been Lorelai’s style. I see a direct line between Rory finally having enough distance from Lorelai to develop this aspect of her own style, and her having the emotional wherewithal to return to Lorelai without needing to keep pushing her away. We’ll see how it goes.