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It is if they were the ones putting the ideas out there. ASP has a knack for leaving viewers unsatisfied and less willing to trust her. She's led people on several times, hurting her credibility. Not that it's the only flaw in her writing. Unpopular opinion: I always liked Tristan and wished for him to return for a romantic plot. Until I remember how bad they were at relationship and how good they were at character assassination. In the end, not worth it. I think there was some idealizing after he left though. He was carrying around an image of her 17 year old self when she was 21. People change. He didn't know what was going on in her life when she dropped out of Yale. I don't know about the popularity on this, but I think timing had just as much to do with her going back as what Jess said, or that it was him. I've heard only Jess could get through to her. But she wasn't happy with her life at that point. His timing was lucky.

Right? Because the more she talks about sneaking various guys into her room or pool house, the more I wonder how Chris as the dad is such a sure thing.

I was thinking the same thing, especially after the revival. The more backstory details they mention, the less attached Lorelai and Chris seem to be were when they were young. I thought they were childhood sweathearts or something. Her stories sound like she was pretty casual with several guys when she was really young.

I think it's become popular among viewers, will never be popular with the writers. They're in denial. The Gilmore girls maintain a perfect work-life balance. While housewife/soccer mom is unacceptable, being too career driven merits criticism as well. It's a narrow path to having 'it all' correctly. They weren't exactly planners, in general. But there doesn't have to be a plan to obligate them to deliver. I have huge doubts Luke was an avenue they were eager to go down. Also, they could have had written Tristan out easily enough in a line of dialogue when school started and be done with it. Instead they dealt with the hassle of flying him out from NC to remind us they kissed, adding that he'd like to kiss her goodbye. That left some people hoping he'd come back for that kiss. It's just irresponsible writing to put the idea out there without intention to do something with it later. I'm probably not persuading anyone who's against the idea. But one last point. If there was a Tristan when Rory got to college, would there still have been a Logan in addition? When it originally aired, a dejection sat in when I realized it wasn't just actor unavailability; Logan made Tristan unnecessary.

Is it too late to weigh in on Tristan? Eh, I'm going for it. "Not great" parents was this show's M.O. when they wanted a character to be more sympathetic. They used it on Paris. They used it on Tristan. They used it on Jess- in the Bracebridge dinner when he jumps in the carriage with Rory, the music even gets sadder to signal to us to feel sorry for him. I used to assume Sookie's parents were dead just because she never bitched about them (like Luke, who's parents were dead). When Rory wanted to know why Paris liked Tristan, it was the same time Lorelai asked Sookie about Rachel. Small insights into the lives of guys they weren't dating but potentially could in the future. I missed the first several episodes, so by the time the cute boy is giving the longing look to the girl at the dance, I wanted him to get the girl. I was even confused at the S1 finale, when Dean and Rory were kissing. I knew it was a happy ending for the protagonist, but was distracted by the sad boy who walked away. There was no reason to show him if they weren't going to go somewhere with it one day (think Luke sadly watching Max and Lorelai in the snow). Jess was a stand-in to me, someone who wasn't Dean to root for because I didn't know they were writing Dean like that (annoying) on purpose. But he didn't do anything for me. He didn't watch Dean and Rory from afar wishing he had the girl. I think those vulnerable moments Tristan had- at the piano bench, sad and dumped, sorry for giving Rory a hard time; when they talk after they kiss; and before he leaves, we see that softer side other's have noted. Those were missing with Jess and Logan. It is weird that he was reincarnated (and I know some disagree on whether or not Logan was the continuation of Tristan, but I'm a firm believer), and it hurt the story and Rory's character. If Tristan had stayed or returned, we know Rory didn't take crap from him and saw another side of him. That was missing with Logan. Tristan could have grown up and been less obnoxious (granted, this might have required a writer that was not continuity and character development-allergic ASP); we saw Rory soften toward him, it could have made more sense for her feelings on him to evolve. With Logan, there wasn't a clear indication of why she changed her mind. The way they wrote it, made her look interested when she found out the influential Mitchum Huntzberger was Logan's dad. I know we are not to think such things about Rory Gilmore, but that's how they wrote it. For a while I've maintained that S4 was a kind of gap year in Rory's love life. They couldn't get CMM back and had to resort to reliving the Jess/Dean decision, and had to quickly make up time in S5. Why they bothered wasting time on another doomed relationship with Dean, I don't know. One could point out it was to be the working-class foil to the now more exciting rich in-crowd. But why use Marty for the same ends? It's redundant. And rather than show Logan in sympathetic moments, they just made his family conveniently impressive in the journalism world to save time. Whew! I haven't written a Tristan post this long in forever!

Mr. Burr, sir! : D And not only talk, but, importantly, LISTEN. She fell asleep while that guy in the revival told her why he was waiting in line; she couldn't focus on the guy she was interviewing in Yale for her, admittedly boring story idea- pirated music; she talked to Marty about Chris, then fell asleep when it was HIS turn to talk about his dad. If there's anything going on in her life, she can't focus on what anyone else is saying to her. I even question how observant she is. From the get-go, we were told she wants to be a foreign correspondent, and in the very first episode, Dean said there was a huge fight happening and she was completely obvious with her nose in a book. Further up someone asked if she had any interest in international affairs. No, she didn't. Paris had to drag her to that international club when they were freshmen at Yale. Rory complained about going and said her grades would be enough. She wanted to see what was really going on and be a part of something big. She didn't even want to find out about what was happening in her immediate surroundings. I agree with what someone else said, that she could write what was in front of her, but had no talent or drive to go find interesting stories. She even started in Providence. Rory didn't want to settle for the Providence-Journal, even though she'd be a "big fish" in a small pond. I suppose just because she went to Yale. It amuses me that the Providence-Journal was good enough for A.G. Sulzberger to start out. Rory seemed more interested in the prestige of the institutions she aspired to be a member than digging for the truth. They always praised how wonderful she wrote, but writing can be edited if it isn't up to par. It's the reporting that matters and she wasn't concerned with that. I am right there with everyone who is frustrated that her time away from Yale and the revival didn't face the facts: Rory did not have what it took to write anything important. The show could never admit it or let her explore other options. Normally, I would agree with any suspicion that ASP didn't put enough thought and research into Rory's career aspirations. It was my general stance on this issue. But now that we know how things went down, were always meant to go down, maybe it never mattered that AB (and the writing and directing) didn't pull it off convincingly. Perhaps the purpose of this far-flung goal was to make the "final four words" all the more crushing. And they would have been absolutely crushing if she'd said it while still in her cap and gown. Rory wanted the world, people wanted the world for her. The final 4 kill the dream. It might not have been as dramatic (and utterly depressing) if she'd already decided she'd be happier with a more low-key realistic-for-her-personality career near Stars Hollow. I'm coming round to thinking foreign correspondent aspirations was a ruse the whole time. It never mattered what Rory wanted to be, it was more important to the writers who she was going to be: Lorelai. Might as well make that (apparently inescapable) fate as devastating as possible.

This is exactly what I was thinking. Lorelai didn't seem to understand that a person's experiences informs their opinions, and that Rory's were different from hers. I've wished the show would get to a place where the mothers could accept their daughters for who they are, even though they've chosen to live different lives. But that is not at all what they were going for. In the end, Lorelai is the one who does life right, leaving 'that life.' It's why I have mixed feelings about Emily in the revival. I wasted so much time being frustrated that Rory's dropout arc was such a wasted opportunity. Knowing the big series denouement was Rory= Lorelai, I've reevaluated the whole thing. Was it only about Rory denouncing Richard/Emily and their life the whole time? Was it about validating Lorelai's life choices and worldview? For all Lorelai's complaints of Emily, her emotional fits manipulated Rory, who didn't want to disappoint her mother. No wonder Rory wasn't in a hurry to tell her about applying to Yale. The drama is exhausting.

Lorelai quickly came up with "white lies" all the time. No one really stopped to question if they could trust her, or why she was lying to them. Except that one time she didn't tell Luke about staying over at Chris's. And that was weird. Since when did pancakes become hangover food? She had pancakes with a side of pancakes all the time.

I don't hate Luke, but I don't adore him either, the way many do. I'm not interested in character analysis on him, or his family history. I love Jason, a lot. To a strange degree. Chris Eigeman is just great. I bought 5 movies he was in back in the 90's- the reason there was a Digger Stiles, to my estimation. I like his voice and the way he talks. He was neurotic, but basically a good guy. I don't ship him with Lorelai (partly because I don't ship characters I like with Gilmore girls). For all their being alike, I don't think they would have lasted long if they weren't dating on the down low. Lorelai wouldn't be interested in going with him to functions or hanging out with her parents. I think they worked because they weren't incorporated into each other's lives, which worked for Lorelai, the queen of compartmentalization.

Does anyone know of any fics where Lorelai has another kid and it isn't all sunshine and daisies? I know there are legions of Luke and Lorelai's 'middle' fics where little well-behaved William adores his parents, but are there any where she has a kid who's less like malleable docile Rory and more like her? Or where she struggles to share parental control? She knew when other kids needed discipline (Jess, Gigi) but never recognized when Rory needed some, or could commit to it. She usually caved after Rory froze her out for a while, and Rory refused to be lectured anyway (example: Emily warning her against Jess, she left the room). Are there any fics where Lorelai has to be a mom 24/7? I'm struggling a lot on this, because she hated playing the mom card and had to be the anti-Emily, I don't believe she'd seamlessly segue into a different parenting style. I don't know how she'd handle a kid who needed clearly defined boundaries and doesn't want to be best friends.

I'd put a lot of money on that too. My nitpick for the day: The name of Jason's dog, Cyrus. I think they were mispronouncing Sirius. Lorelai, unimpressed, said, "the perfect name for a dog," possibly with an eye roll. This makes sense when the name means 'dog star' (recall that Sirius Black turns into a dog). A dog named dog isn't very original or creative (as opposed to, say, Paul Anka). King Cyrus founded the Persian Empire. Given the context of Lorelai's response, I've decided the dog's name was Sirius and they were saying it wrong. Strange, since the Palladino's are supposed to be oh so intelligent.

And I’m done. How long was Lorelai expecting to hike? She has so much stuff. Jess, “You didn’t give me that [wifi] password for six months and I lived here.” -Did a lot of people have wifi in 2002? Even if they did, Luke wouldn’t, there wasn’t a computer in his apartment. He doesn’t like technology. My first thought was, Jess stayed at Luke’s within the past 9 years? I’m not into Jess being Mr. All-Knowing-Wise-One. I don’t care that he and Lorelai aren’t buddies, which I know is a cherished dream of shippers. It is a little weird though, that she still rolls her eyes and sounds like they still don’t get along. I’m not offended by it though. Opinions on the Life and Death Brigade are pretty polarized- love it or hate it. I’m pretty neutral. It’s . . . fine. Weird and unreal. Rory has to say “I’ll be damned,” and later “hell no,” making me wish they wouldn’t make her cuss, pretending like that something she casually does. It's probably AB. And the way they wrote the character for the first five years. “You never really needed rescuing, Ace, you know that.” Ha! Haha! Hahahahahahahahaha!!!! Again with the unspecified passage of time. How long is this rift between Lorelai and Rory? Why does Luke still think he would have had to sleep with other women? It’s like when Parker Posey had to ask “What’s ovulation?” in The Return of Jezebel James. Reproductive ignorance in adults is so funny! How does Rory think she’s going to afford an apartment in New York while she’s writing her life story, like it counts as a steady job? Again, what has she been writing, that she’s racked up all those alleged miles (in reference to ASP defending how a self-proclaimed broke person can fly back and forth to London)? Slate is online and in NY. The New Yorker is obviously in NY. She isn’t a correspondent. And why would they ignore that she wrote for a successful presidential campaign? Lorelai acknowledged she married Chris. Why can’t they recall what Rory did right out of college? Something I forgot to bring up about Spring, when Rory asked Logan to ask Mitchum to get her a meeting with Conde Nast. Logan said his dad does this kind of thing for mere mortals all the time. Mitchum Huntzberger? Helping other people further their careers? I was led to believe the man was pure evil. Rory’s conversation with Chris is really rushed. How on earth is he working for the family business? Straub was a lawyer and Chris didn’t go to college. They just needed to give Chris and Logan another superficial way to appear the same. And a sign of weakness, to work for the family, as the family dictates. It’s dumb that Rory requested that he stay away from the wedding. Palladino’s must not have noticed, as the rest of us have, that the Chris and Lorelai idea was put to bed in S7. The marriage put the nail on the coffin. Three 40-something adults ought to be able to get along by now. The last 30 minutes has so much packed in (and 3 of the guest appearances), it makes me wonder why we had to suffer through the 5 ½ hours that came before it. Rory talking to Dean is rushed too. She always longs for the safety she felt with him after she’s tossed him aside for someone else. Michel yelling at Sookie is funny. The waltz reprise was nice, one of the other few things I liked Yes Lorelai, Rory does suck. Soooo much. It was surprisingly bad the first time. It wasn’t better this time, but I couldn’t be surprised by anything. Knowing what was coming softened the blow (except Summer). Watching 45 minutes at a time (some days it was 22) made it a little more bearable. I was still checking how much more I had to go about 15 minutes in though.

According to Lorelai, Richard and Emily's master plan was for her to go to Vassar and marry a Yale man, regardless of what she wanted. We never heard Richard or Emily say this though. And what they do say makes this claim questionable. Richard fondly remembered Lorelai declaring that she was going to Yale when she was young. He was disappointed when Rory was planning tea parties, didn't want her to have Emily's life. Emily did want Lorelai to have a comfortable well-off life, but also didn't want Luke to hold Lorelai back. She's made a catty remark about Lorelai's 'wasted potential.' It's hard [for me] to imagine Lorelai's wasted potential was supposed to revolve around her husband's life. It's safe to assume they wanted her to go to an elite college and have a comfortable upper-middle class life, and of course, get married before having kids (same wish for Rory, and even Lorelai wanted her to have 'it all'). In Richard's case, this article made me think of him. What he wants from his wife isn't what he wants for his daughter. Anyway, as much as Lorelai didn't go to Vassar and marry a Yale man, and then didn't marry Chris, they did not cast her aside for being a teen mom. They didn't kick her out or disown her or cut her off. Lorelai claimed that she was such an embarrassment to them, she had to leave. But they in no way wanted to be shunned the way they were. In the revival, when Lorelai was arguing with Rory over the book of their life, she said Emily called Rory Suzy for two years, but that doesn't ring true. We saw in the flashback, Emily commented that Rory's stroller wasn't lying around for once. We see the devastation in her face when she read the letter Lorelai left, and Richard said Emily stayed in bed for a month after Lorelai ran away with Rory. That doesn't sound like uncaring aloofness that can't be bothered to remember her granddaughter's name. Yes, Lorelai did say she was suffocated and Emily wanted to control her. When Rory was living in the big house, Emily had the audacity to ask where Rory was going when she left and laid out a dress. I mean, the horror. And yeah, they invited the reverend to talk to her about her virtue. I've seen the argument that they have no place not wanting Rory to have sex at their house. Buy my mom wouldn't let my and my sister's boyfriends' sleep in our rooms when we stayed at our parents' house, even when we were engaged. Her house, her rules. As abhorrent as Lorelai finds Emily, she too wanted control over her daughter, but has a different style. She wants to know all the intimate details of Rory's life because they're best friends, so it's cool. Notice, she planned for Rory to go to Harvard when she was an infant and when Rory wanted a break, Lorelai barely spoke to her until the plan was back on track. No matter which side of the plans Lorelai is on, she's the one to do the stonewalling. At some point they decided Logan was Rory's Christopher. So they made up some trivial biographical info to let us know they're the same. Like in the revival, suddenly Christopher has 'caved' and went to work at the family business. Even though that business was the law and he didn't go to college.

Yes! Whao-ah-oh-oh-oooh. :D Yup. Trix dies, no windfall. Chris's dad died, no windfall. Chris's grandpa died, $$$$$$. And just when Rory thinks Emily and Richard wronged her and Luke needs a fire under him to step up with April. Convenient! It's a good idea to stop going down this rabbit hole because yes, it depended on the plot at hand. I almost commented on this after Summer. I felt bad for Logan having to be such a sleaze, telling Rory it didn't have to be an issue for her to stay in a hotel since Odette was there. If what Emily said was true about Mitchum still being a player, then yes, Logan has turned into both his own father . . . and Rory's. That's rough. This full circle BS is brutal. Other than the style of dialogue and Mary Sue-ing Rory, inconsistency is the Palladino's specialty. The cemetery instead of the mausoleum and Emily not knowing Kirk were continuity errors I spotted in the trailer (Emily also found out Lorelai was dating Luke from Kirk). Also, in Fall, Gypsy was fixing Lorelai's jeep and complaining that she should get a new car. Nothing comes of it. Jeep trouble/Lorelai's inability to let it go happened in S7, and helped to get Luke/Lorelai arguing again. We all know the Palladino's were too petty to watch what they didn't write, but I thought I heard that their friends who are superfans filled them in on everything. I also heard there was someone on the set of the revival who they'd ask 'did this happen in S7' and if no, they'd do it. Whichever the case, they repeated it, and without purpose. Unless to show Lorelai standing still, as she said she felt like she was doing. I think it might be because ASP covets total freedom to do whatever she wants, even if it contradicts details she herself wrote at an earlier date. Creative limitation is good, even if a challenge at first. But not something she believes in.

Summer is hands down, most definitely the weakest link. Everything about it is bad. That family dinner was so awkward. It’s been nine years, right? How often does April visit? Did Luke only recently move in with Lorelai permanently? April was stunned by the ‘time machine’ that is Rory’s untouched room. So if she’s come to stay, I guess she had to sleep on the couch? That’s rough, but knowing Lorelai, entirely believable. April's limited screen time and total lack of plot really goes to to show how pointless the S6 spiral was. She hasn't been integrated into the Gilmore world at all. She's like Gigi. An obstacle to keep Lorelai from having 'it all' right as she's about to have it. Lorelai's life is so unfair. Digressing, digressing. Getting back on topic. While drinking scotch with Lorelai, ‘Let’s have another round tonight.’ Hamilton reference? I'm skipping over a lot, you all have already mentioned it. I am confused by the Stars Hollow Pool. It looks like it's in someone's backyard. But there's a sign, so it's definitely a public pool. If they're so disgusted by it all, why go? Oh oh, I get it. It's like when they watch bad movies to mock. I read in a post-revival interview, ASP said the musical was a must for them. If they weren’t able/allowed to do it, they weren’t interested in doing a revival at all. If only TPTB had put their foot down and said no to this, we could have been spared this whole mess. Actually, no, calling that bluff. She was desperately chomping at the bit to do a movie for years. I don’t believe she’d let something so frivolous be a deal-breaker when someone finally gave her her big chance. I don’t understand why it was so important to them. Lorelai knows it’s super bad, and not even in a highly amusing way, so I don’t know why the rest of us have to endure it for so long. The Palladino’s produced Fun Home, if I’m not mistaken. So it’s not like they’re mocking the genre of musical theater. Is it supposed to be funny that everyone else loves it even though it’s clearly a mess and then hate the one quality song? They just look dumb and like they have bad taste. Is it some kind of commentary that the masses like what the Palladino’s perceive as crap? Because they crave the validation they think they deserve for their brilliant writing while lesser mortals achieve success and popularity? They’re bitter like that. I could be reading into it too much. I’m just trying to understand why they put us through that. This episode is so terrible, top to bottom, just about every scene. Luke and Lorelai’s blow up. Rory’s attitude. Bad bad bad.