A Meathead Watches Gilmore Girls (“Concert Interruptus” and “That Damn Donna Reed”)

Notes

Remember that last review, when I got super – and perhaps unreasonably – pissed about Lorelai’s treatment of Sookie? I’m about to do that again.

“Concert Interruptus”

Sookie cooked a beautiful meal for a client, a meal so beautiful that the client inexplicably gave her tickets to see The Bangles. I’m not going to pretend that I understand the idea that getting tickets to see The Bangles is a reward. Instead, I’m just going to go along with that notion, mostly because Sookie is so excited when she tells Lorelai the good news. They’ve got tickets! Four of them! To see The Bangles! And everybody can go: Sookie, Lorelai, Rory, and Lane.

Rory and Lane – both teenagers – are both excited about getting these tickets, despite being born at roughly the time that The Bangles last produced meaningful, noticed music. Unfortunately, Lane can’t go. Her mother, the taciturn Mrs. Kim, forbids it. Who to take, who to take? Lorelai suggests three of Rory’s classmates, which makes approximately zero sense, as Rory has repeatedly made it clear that she is no fan of these three. That they’re stuck together. by a teacher is hardly justification for including them on a “family” outing, surely. But Lorelai presses and Rory agrees.

Only, that’s six people going to a concert that there are only four tickets for. Not to worry, says Lorelai. Rory and her three friends can have the tickets. Her and Sookie will just buy two more.  And why wouldn’t Sookie go along with this plan? After all, it’s not like she’s the one that did all of the work that produced them, and it’s not like she’s the one who proposed the plan in the first place. Err, no, wait a minute. All of those things are true. Lorelai, just two episodes removed from driving a knife between Sookie’s ribs at her lack of a love life now feels so privileged as to give Sookie’s tickets away to three people that her daughter has repeatedly claimed to dislike. Once again, Sookie doesn’t murder Lorelai for her behavior. One wonders if the writers even bothered to think through the ramifications of what their characters were/weren’t doing.

“Hey, if we have Lorelai give Sookie’s four tickets away to people that Rory doesn’t even like, and without having bothered to ask for permission, won’t that make Lorelai look like an enormous asshole?”

“No, whatever, it’s fine.”

The concert goes well enough – would you believe The Bangles managed to get both “Walk Like An Egyptian” and “Eternal Flame” into their set – but two of the girls that Rory has taken with her decide that it makes sense to sneak out of the concert and to a nearby party.

And if I’ve been perhaps a bit critical before, Lorelai’s response here is perfect. She finds the party and drags both girls out, excoriating them for having been so stupid, demanding to know whether they understand how dumb it is to accept drinks from strange men, and if the implications of that comment aren’t clear, they should be. There are moments where I don’t want my response to this show to be gendered but comments like Lorelai’s snap me back to the reality that these characters are growing up in a very different way than I would have. I might have been criticized for sneaking out of a concert, for going to a strange party, and perhaps even for drinking, but there would have been no warning about getting raped. Here, there is. Kudos for the show on including it.

The rest of the show centers on the Gilmore Girls organizing a Stars Hollow rummage sale. Lorelai finds a donated jacket but decides to keep it, wearing it around, including at Luke’s. Luke’s reaction is quite negative. Later, it is revealed that the jacket belonged to an ex-girlfriend who abandoned him, one that Lorelai knew nothing about. (Please note that it makes no sense that Lorelai would know nothing about this woman, as both she and Luke have been in Stars Hollow together for at least 15ish years, at least according to the bits of history we’re given about the Gilmore Girls wanderings after Rory’s birth.) She eventually apologizes for having worn it and Luke takes the jacket back as a token of what’s to come. I mean what has been. Or do I?

“That Damn Donna Reed”

Dean comes over for Donna Reed night, in which the Gilmore Girls watch and guffaw at The Donna Reed Show. Dean thinks that Donna Reed’s devotion to her family is cute; the Gilmore Girls are put off by what appears to be his embrace of a patriarchal, repressive system. And thus, a thousand comment threads were born!

Lorelai decides that Luke’s needs a makeover. This makes perfect sense, as business is fine and everybody seems to love the place. Also, Luke’s family has owned the place forever, and Luke stayed in Stars Hollow because he felt so much a part of building and its history. So yes, change it. Exactly. Anyway, Luke agrees to Lorelai’s proposal, something that nobody expects. Townfolk literally gather to discuss his willingness to do so. Apparently, they’ve all been telling him what a garbagehole his restaurant his, and to show how serious they are about their criticisms, they’ve kept coming back for food and coffee, day after day after day.

Rory eventually ends up spending the night at Lorelai’s next door neighbor’s house. Lorelai doesn’t understand why Rory wouldn’t want to stay at home with her but she agrees to this, not suspecting that Rory has planned to dress up like Donna Reed, act like Donna Reed, and generally be Donna Reed for several hours with Dean. It is a very odd thing for her to do, it makes no particular sense, and the only thing we really end up getting from it is Lorelai’s howls of laughter when she discovers that her daughter spent the night next door so that she could cosplay as a television housewife.

While Rory’s been doing that, Lorelai has been at home, and because of a macguffin, Luke is called over to help. There is a silent misunderstanding about whether Luke’s been summoned to catch a macguffin or because sexytimes, but nothing is said, leaving other characters to try to piece together the motivations. Why did Lorelai call for Luke? And why did Luke come so quickly? (Editor’s Note: Phrasing!) Sookie and then Emily (of all people) suspect they knows the answer to the both but Lorelai shoots these suggestions down. She might as well stick her fingers in her ears and scream, “I’M NOT LISTENING!!!”

Luke and Lorelai end up scheduling a time to paint his store: after closing on Friday. (The night that Lorelai always goes for dinner at her parent’s house, and isn’t this going to take all night, and didn’t Lorelai just bemoan that Rory was spending too much time away from home and whatever, reasons, television, words, short-circuit.) The episode ends with Rory’s father coming to town, where he ends up being invited to spend the night. This was actually a cliff(ish)hanger and a bit of a genuine shock.

students and professionals
cartoon porn Fundamentals Remain Strong Despite A Weak Quarter