mstaken

Welcome back, lulu!!! WE missed you in the Guess the Episode thread game...you missed a lot of Luke pictures I think you might enjoy :) Taryn, I totally know about 12 feeling a little 'off'...they kind of exaggerated Lorelai's response purely so they could then have Emily remind Lorelai and the audience that there's something between her and Luke...something they won't act on for 3.5 more seasons ;)

I'm OK, You're OK...the show was no longer OK :)

I can't stand pretty much every single thing I know of Mandy Patinkin, and I think his acting can be obnoxiously stagy and over the top...but my UO is that I think Gideon was a really interesting, layered character who added a lot to the show. I personally prefer Joe Mantegna as an actor and think Rossi is a more likable guy, but as much as I hate to admit it, whenever I rewatch S1 and even S2 I'm reminded that the deeply flawed but brilliant Jason Gideon was part of what made CM unique for me, and somehow the team dynamic and overall show has never been quite as interesting to me since he (and Elle!) left.

Hee---as long as we're indulging our CM fantasies, I'll take S2 Emily (a little more adorkable, cerebral, just a touch 'nerdy', etc.), S1 Elle (a little more...sane ;) Plus, I can't deal with her S2 haircut!), and fanfic Blake (because I liked her well enough, but she had so much potential that I think was sadly ignored on the actual show and explored far better in fanfics I've read). S1 Hotch was my very favorite as well...and, on a shallow note, when TG was IMO at his most gorgeous :) Who are some of your fantasy guest stars, and what roles would you ideally have them play?! (Old friends or family members of the team, Unsubs, suspects who turns out to be innocent, members of a different branch of law enforcement...etc.)

You're right, Taryn---as always!

Does anyone need a hint? It's from S1 :)

I'm so torn on this one! I actually find the case and profiling very interesting in this one. On the other hand, I find Garcia pretty insufferable here. The 5-10 S1-S4 episodes I'm least likely to rewatch: Natural Born Killer, What Fresh Hell?, Revelations (a very good episode---just one I find torturous to actually watch!), Distress, Jones, Penelope, The Crossing, Brothers in Arms , Amplification, To Hell...and Back I have an inexplicable (albeit mild) fondness for The Performer, but otherwise a lot of these would make my list of least favorite post-S4 episodes as well.

I find Gideon compelling and really like what he added to the show (because of his myriad flaws, not despite them!), but I'd pick Elle by a surprisingly wide margin. If Emily had been gone after just one or two seasons, I might have felt differently, but she got several seasons to shine---and to be written in ways that felt inconsistent and/or generally disappointing to me :) Elle, though, was on just long enough to make me fall in platonic love with her and to leave me wanting more. I'd also love to see how she's recovered from the issues that plagued her in S2 while still retaining her quintessential Elle-ness.

I love that there's one other viewer on the planet who likes Homor Among Thieves! Yes, the case is an absolute mess, but I adore the scenes between Emily and Elizabeth and wish we'd seen more of them. I also agree that Open Season is a sneakily good episode---compelling, atmospheric and thought-provoking in that special S1-S2ish way :) I adore these as well. The Rossi/Caroline stuff was a tiny bit overwrought and would have had more resonance if we'd known her prior to those episodes, but I loved getting to see Rossi do something other than murmur about That One Old Case that still haunts him and remind us that JM---er, I mean, Rossi---supports our military! And, yeah, The Crossing is definitely among my very least favorite S1-S4 episodes! Which is another question...which 5-10 S1-S4 episodes would you guys most readily ditch?

Here's another one: If you could bring back just one core team member, who would it be and why?! (Gideon, Elle, Emily, Seaver, Blake...?)

Girls in Bikinis!

I'll go with 9 and 10 :)

3. Luke and Lorelai play cards and flirt while Luke musters the courage to ask Lorelai out (Double Date) 4. Luke makes Lorelai a Santa Burger to cheer her up (Forgiveness and Stuff) 5. Luke closest the diner immediately to drive Lorelai to the hospital (Forgiveness and Stuff) 6. Luke and Lorelai huddle in the corner and have a 'moment' while planning to paint Luke's diner (That Damn Donna Reed) 7. Luke tells Lorelai about his dad (TDDR) 8. Luke comes by to search for Lorelai's lost chick (TDDR) 9. Lorelai shops on Luke's behalf and buys him a new wardrobe (P.S. I Lo...) 10. Luke shows up at a ridiculously early hour to fix Lorelai's porch (Love and Daisies and Troubadours) 12. Luke brings ice and they share a hug. Rory's Birthday Parties. 13. Luke calms Lorelai down when she wants to kill 'the bagboy.' Kiss and Tell 14. Lorelai gives Luke the blue hat. Forgiveness and Stuff 15. Lorelai tells Luke she was a rat when she stands him up for the painting date. Christopher Returns 16. The "you always look good scene" in the hospital - Forgiveness and Stuff 17. Luke and Lorelai on the bench at the Firelight Festival - SCLAOS Our easiest first round ever has come to an end, and 1, 2 and 11 are history! Since the list is relatively short, we can already shift to voting against just TWO :)

LMLD!

The softer side of Paris...

It worked this time :) Haunted Leg!

Nolie, your picture didn't come out!

They Shoot Gilmores!

Ha! Actually, I think that's absolutely awesome. If I could figure out how to do a spreadsheet, I'd probably do the same thing :) Seriously---S1 was even harder to narrow down than s4 for me. Extreme Aggressor and LDSK were, like, THISclose to making my final three as well, but the competition was too stiff! (I'm also always tempted to pick A Real Rain, which I think is an underrated gem,) I was close to picking this one as well. That ranks right up there with Ashes and Dust as my favorite episodes for Hotch's character, even though overall my very favorite season for Hotch (for most of the characters, for that matter!) is S1 :)

No, but you're fairly close! It's from the VERY beginning of S4...

It's fun swimming in the shallow end of the pool! While Lorelai always looks especially gorgeous in pink or red to me, IMO Rory looks stunning in blue. I love her hair in this episode as well: ...I probably could have found a prettier shot from this same scene, but this is such a Rory-ish expression that I couldn't resist :)

A-T, A-T!

I actually have mixed feelings about the dress, but in general I think Lorelai looks stunning in pink, I love the necklace, and I love her hair when it's in soft waves like this:

Presenting Lorelai Gilmore :)