Spoilers for "Gilmore Girls" just as soon as I get a permit to open an outdoor diner...Well, that was a little more like it. The pace is still uncomfortably slow, a lot of the humor feels forced, and we're two episodes in with no Richard and Emily (those last two issues are no doubt related), but there were a few promising developments.
First, the act with Rory's fake Asian vacation actually felt like the show, and not just a good imitation of the show. The concept, the banter, even the pacing all felt right. And then the gear shift into Rory's anger felt straight and true.
Second, in that scene and in a number of others, people actually talked about what they were feeling. No more of that suffering silence BS that dragged down so much of season six. No more Idiot Plot where the only way it works is if people aren't honest with each other. That's the worst kind of dramatic device, and the show is much better for ditching it.
I feel bad for Lane: crap honeymoon, crap first time and pregnant on the very first shot? Not that kids aren't awesome, but you should have them when you want them -- and after you've had as much time as you need to do grown-up stuff without the logistical complications of a baby or 12. (Also, hearing about Lane's death-by-discount honeymoon made me feel much less sorry for Rory. Poor little rich girl can't tour all of Asia in a summer? Too bad.)
Not back to standards yet, but a definite step up from last week. The teaser with Luke punching Christopher was better itself than anything in the premiere.
What did everybody else think?
Jeez, Alan, we're at 180 degree opposites so far this season. I hated this episode. Thought the cold open was too predictable, thought the "classic Gilmore" dialogue was forced, and I thought too many people acted in ways you'd never expect them to act (especially Lane with her "sex is bad" speech... she sounded like her mother).
ReplyDeleteI do agree that the pacing was slow and everything felt off, though.
Liz's speech about Luke and Lorelai not being in synch was a nice nod to the fans, especially when she mentioned how his behavior after April came to town wasn't normal. And, of course, "Kirk's" was funny. But to me, this one felt more "off" than the last one.
And funny thing: When I wrote all of the above in my review, someone sent the exact same comment I sent you last week, that I'm looking for things to nitpick. So, I hereby offer my apologies to you Alan. Now I realize what you're talking about... I just realized it on one episode later than you did.
I had some of the same reactions you did -- relieved that the characters started actually talking to each other, and when Rory started complaining about all the things she wanted to see, I said, "Poor Rory, her rich boyfriend can't pay for her world tour."
ReplyDeleteAs for Lane, she had sex once, at most a week ago, so how can the doctor already know she's pregnant?
I thought this episode was fairly predictable -- when I saw Luke angrily driving away, my reaction was, "He's not going to Boston, is he?" and when he pulled up I said, "He's going to punch him." Same with Lane -- I feel fine now, I was throwing up before (which, again, does not happen when you've been pregnant for four days), I had sex once and hated it -- yup, she's pregnant. The other plot points, with Liz and TJ finding out about the breakup and Rory finding out about Christopher, needed to happen at some point. No surprises.
I just don't like GG anymore. I can sometimes enjoy the Lorelei storylines when she's not being a wimp. Rory on the otherhand, from the moment she creeps into a scene dragging her knuckles on the ground from her hunchback and then starts speaking in that horrible monotone, asexual voice she becomes just so annoying that I can't stand it. I just want to scream, "suck it up you spoiled brat and start paying for your own sh*t"!
ReplyDeletei HATED episode 2. everything about it felt odd. the only part that i felt had any relation to the show that i have known and loved these past 6 seasons was the fake asian vacation - but to me even the timing of the banter was off during that. i think what got me the most during this episode was how much it didn't FEEL like a gg episode. when have we ever seen super tight shots in a gg episode? i'm not the type who typically notices camera angles - that is how much the way it was shot , etc. hit me. i agree - where the heck are emily & richard? i loved the first episode. not happy that luke & lorelai aren't together, but the episode felt real and it felt like a gg episode and i thought that for once in a long time all of the quirky, kooky characters of stars hollow were used to their best advantage. i hope they get this show back on track, post haste!
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