Season 4

[txhorns79]

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I think season 4 was also when I started to like Rory less but because it became painfully obvious how extremely dependent on Lorelai she was socially and that, without Lorela to bounce of off, she's very boring and uninteresting. 

In retrospect, it was a little sad that Lorelai essentially had to come and rescue Rory from social oblivion on her first night at Yale.  It was very kind of Lorelai to do that, but it does she you how dependent she was on Lorelai. 

[junienmomo]

Rory was Lorelai's mini-me, and Lorelai liked it that way. One example of millions of kids who please their parents but founder when faced with the independence of college. 

She desperately needed a new best friend. In many ways Paris made a great roommate, because she motivated Rory to do things, but wasn't really trying to be her friend outside of their high school boundaries. 

It would have been nice if some of the takeout party girls had befriended Rory. I wonder what would have happened if Olivia and what's her name had come along in S5.

Wait, sorry, I drifted into s5. I'll respond better in the future.

Edited May 3, 2016 by junienmomo

[moonb]

I'm not sure the series ended with us knowing who Rory was, aside from her career aspirations. Probably not odd for an early 20-something, however. 

Her college drifting makes so much sense in retrospect, though: Rory did extremely well with Chilton, but Chilton was all about structure and expectations, which Rory excels at. Since college lacks all that, it's no wonder Rory had fits over losing her study tree. 

[Taryn74]

10 hours ago, moonb said:

Her college drifting makes so much sense in retrospect, though: Rory did extremely well with Chilton, but Chilton was all about structure and expectations, which Rory excels at. Since college lacks all that, it's no wonder Rory had fits over losing her study tree. 

 

That's a good point.  Rory, not being quite as anal as Paris, just wasn't able to transition into that kind of self-policing without going off the rails for a bit.  It's an interesting thing to consider, especially since her high school years were so well-organized.  Maybe having a goal (to get into Harvard) was what helped keep her so grounded in high school.  And then once she was in college she no longer had that kind of goal.  Interesting.

My daughter went and toured a college last week which was very highly structured (I was really surprised, not having any experience with that kind of college at all, ha) and absolutely fell in love with it.  She, like Rory, really needs that kind of structure to keep from floundering and feeling completely at a loss, so this school will be a great fit for her.  Plus, they have cats on campus, which pretty much sealed the deal, tuition costs be damned.

[JaggedLilPill]

There's just something about S4 Rory that makes her seem even more naive, innocent, and sheltered than in other seasons.

Yes, of course, freshman year of college is an adjustment, but some of her reactions to situations...yeah, Rory, your roommates might not be thrilled with your best friend staying in your already close quarters suite for an unknown and prolonged period of time! Shock! No matter how helpful Lane was being with running errands, cleaning up, etc.

I also roll my eyes at her surprise when the ballerina didn't love her scathing review. Rory, if you're going to write a harsh review, own it. You're indeed allowed to write a review that isn't in favor of the production or the cast, but guess what? The people you are reviewing also are allowed to have a reaction. Granted, writing "die, jerk," on someone's door is a little extreme, but the confrontation with the ballerina? Jeez, Rory. Here's a shovel. Just keep digging yourself deeper into that hole. She could have said, "Look, I wrote how I felt. I am sorry it offended you, but deal." No, instead she brings up the fact that most people left, but she stuck it out, and beyond that, people don't like reading about the ballet.

I know she subsequently felt bad about it after Lorelai, Emily & Richard's reactions, but, I don't know. Rubbed me the wrong way that big time Rory-going-to-be-a-journalist-Gilmore didn't think beforehand that it might have some negative consequences. 

And don't even get me started on the study tree and William, the laundry room guy.

[cuddlingcrowley]

1 hour ago, JaggedLilPill said:

There's just something about S4 Rory that makes her seem even more naive, innocent, and sheltered than in other seasons.

I'd add to your list her reaction to Paris dating Asher Flemming. Yes, I get it, there's a certain icky factor to your nineteen year old friend dating someone who's as old as your grandfather but why did Rory have to act like that relationship was a personal offence for the entire duration of it? There were times she seemed to be two seconds away from crying out: cooties! I can only imagine how immature she must have seemed to someone like Flemming, being so awkward around him just because he's involved with her friend.

Edited May 3, 2016 by cuddlingcrowley

[elang4]

9 minutes ago, cuddlingcrowley said:

I'd add to your list her reaction to Paris dating Asher Flemming. Yes, I get it, there's a certain icky factor to your nineteen year old friend dating someone who's as old as your grandfather but why did Rory have to act like that relationship was a personal offence for the entire duration of it? There were times she seemed to be two seconds away from crying out: cooties! I can only imagine how immature she must have seemed to someone like Flemming, being so awkward around him just because he's involved with her friend.

I never got her reaction when Asher died either. Asking Paris whether he died during sex was a bit insensitive considering it was obvious she was upset. It just didn't seem like Rory. Although Rory did make it up by letting Paris hold a wake and helping her organise it.

[JaggedLilPill]

44 minutes ago, cuddlingcrowley said:

I'd add to your list her reaction to Paris dating Asher Flemming. Yes, I get it, there's a certain icky factor to your nineteen year old friend dating someone who's as old as your grandfather but why did Rory have to act like that relationship was a personal offence for the entire duration of it? There were times she seemed to be two seconds away from crying out: cooties! I can only imagine how immature she must have seemed to someone like Flemming, being so awkward around him just because he's involved with her friend.

Yeah, the Asher thing was odd. On the one hand, yeah, I probably would be icked out, but just say, "it's none of my business and I would rather not hear about it." On the other hand, Paris got annoying by doing that whole "stay after class so I can watch my boyfriend without people knowing," which would have gotten on my nerves too eventually.

But then Rory thinks he gave her an A on the paper because of Paris? And tells him that? Granted there were times that I was like "wait, I got that good of a grade?" but I never pretty much asked a professor if I got it due to their sexual relationship with my friend. I mean, awkward.

My last S4 Rory gripe was talking loudly about Lindsay in the market. That was just....dumb. It's Stars Hollow. Not a big metropolis where there are a multitude of grocery stores to shop in. Even if Lindsay wasn't there, other townspeople were, and it was where Dean worked at times. Proclaiming how awful your ex-boyfriend's wife is when you live in a small town like that where it's bound to get back to her is another doh moment for Rory.

I should say I do really like Rory as a whole, but sometimes I can't seem to reconcile her actions in S4 with any of the other seasons' Rory's, if that makes sense.

It's like here's Rory season 1-3, then 4, and then 5-7.  Season 4 Rory is a standalone. 

[Guest]

15 hours ago, JaggedLilPill said:

There's just something about S4 Rory that makes her seem even more naive, innocent, and sheltered than in other seasons.

Yes, of course, freshman year of college is an adjustment, but some of her reactions to situations...yeah, Rory, your roommates might not be thrilled with your best friend staying in your already close quarters suite for an unknown and prolonged period of time! Shock! No matter how helpful Lane was being with running errands, cleaning up, etc.

I also roll my eyes at her surprise when the ballerina didn't love her scathing review. Rory, if you're going to write a harsh review, own it. You're indeed allowed to write a review that isn't in favor of the production or the cast, but guess what? The people you are reviewing also are allowed to have a reaction. Granted, writing "die, jerk," on someone's door is a little extreme, but the confrontation with the ballerina? Jeez, Rory. Here's a shovel. Just keep digging yourself deeper into that hole. She could have said, "Look, I wrote how I felt. I am sorry it offended you, but deal." No, instead she brings up the fact that most people left, but she stuck it out, and beyond that, people don't like reading about the ballet.

I know she subsequently felt bad about it after Lorelai, Emily & Richard's reactions, but, I don't know. Rubbed me the wrong way that big time Rory-going-to-be-a-journalist-Gilmore didn't think beforehand that it might have some negative consequences. 

And don't even get me started on the study tree and William, the laundry room guy.

Yes, yes, yes.  Especially about Die, Jerk.  If they had played it like she realized she shouldn't have written those things because they were too harsh, it would have made more sense. But to play it off like an 18 year old didn't know that comparing a ballerina to a hippo was mean, that talking about a roll of fat would insult the ballerina, "regretting how evolution had led man to stand on two feet, because it led to this night," etc.  It was like she couldn't handle someone not thinking she was perfect, so she went over the top with the review to please Doyle and then tried to backpeddle it because of the ballerina. By the time you reach adulthood, even young adulthood, you should know that that doesn't work!

[Kohola3]

Plus she was there to write a review of the ballet, not the ballerina.  At least that's how it's done in the "adult" world of theater review. While a comment might be made about the skill level of an individual prima ballerina, it would never be written like a grader schooler making fun of someone (you're a fattie, neener, neener....).

[Eeksquire]

Oh man, I am glad the rewatch is approaching Season 4.  Raincoats and Recipes is the first episode of Gilmore Girls that I ever watched.  (Then I watched S5 in real time and then went back to the beginning.  Gives you a different perspective on the whole series!)

[lulu1960]

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Oh man, I am glad the rewatch is approaching Season 4.  Raincoats and Recipes is the first episode of Gilmore Girls that I ever watched.  (Then I watched S5 in real time and then went back to the beginning.  Gives you a different perspective on the whole series!)

That is exactly how I did it. I watched Seasons 1-3 during the summer on ABC Family. Watched Season 4 (when they reran them before the Season 5 premiere). Totally made me a L/L shipper from the get go. How could you not be if the first episode you ever watched ended with the Dragonfly kisses?

[Eeksquire]

I think I started with Season Five, and then (after a TERRIBLE breakup), my friends loaned me the earlier seasons on DVD, so I had something to do.  

[TwirlyGirly]

On ‎5‎/‎3‎/‎2016 at 10:24 AM, Taryn74 said:

 

My daughter went and toured a college last week which was very highly structured (I was really surprised, not having any experience with that kind of college at all, ha) and absolutely fell in love with it.  She, like Rory, really needs that kind of structure to keep from floundering and feeling completely at a loss, so this school will be a great fit for her.  Plus, they have cats on campus, which pretty much sealed the deal, tuition costs be damned.

Just curious - being that both my daughter and I are cat lovers - which college was it?

[Taryn74]

30 minutes ago, TwirlyGirly said:

Just curious - being that both my daughter and I are cat lovers - which college was it?

LOL.  Hendrix in Conway, Arkansas.

[katha]

On 3.5.2016 at 3:38 AM, txhorns79 said:

In retrospect, it was a little sad that Lorelai essentially had to come and rescue Rory from social oblivion on her first night at Yale.  It was very kind of Lorelai to do that, but it does she you how dependent she was on Lorelai. 

I always thought they should have done more with this, or should have had Rory really realize and confront this aspect of her personality. As it was, you had foundations of this plotline through seasons 4 to 6, yet IMO it was never properly explored. Rory as a character at Yale in her first year lacked any kind of dynamic aspects, everything was passive and dull. She had difficulty socializing, she had difficulty adapting to the fact that she wasn't the smartest kid in the room anymore...all the rooms at Yale were full of smart kids. And many of those kids had more drive and focus than her. And it did turn into a crisis for Rory again and again (dropping that one course, falling back into Dean because she was drifting and lonely, trying to fit in with Logan and his friends, Mitchum meltdown, dropping out of Yale), but IMO it never really translated into self-awareness about her own behaviour. Of course that many people around her enabled her and constantly told her that she was perfect and never at fault for anything didn't help. Lorelai tried straight talk on big things, Paris tried, Logan and Jess tried, sometimes they got through, sometimes they didn't.

[Eeksquire]

Ok, not to be too terribly shallow, but I'm going to admit it here in the hope that someone will know something about an article of clothing on the show: I re-watched The Fundamental Things Apply tonight and the sweater that Lorelai is wearing while watching Casablanca with Luke is AMAZING.  First of all, this whole episode made me nostalgic for college, but that sweater (which is a black crew neck with faux tattoos on the back and biceps) is awesome and I really kind of want it.

 

... I am a little ashamed of myself.

[JaggedLilPill]

2 hours ago, Eeksquire said:

Ok, not to be too terribly shallow, but I'm going to admit it here in the hope that someone will know something about an article of clothing on the show: I re-watched The Fundamental Things Apply tonight and the sweater that Lorelai is wearing while watching Casablanca with Luke is AMAZING.  First of all, this whole episode made me nostalgic for college, but that sweater (which is a black crew neck with faux tattoos on the back and biceps) is awesome and I really kind of want it.

 

... I am a little ashamed of myself.

LOL.

Well, I'll join you in being shallow because I always loved what Lorelai was wearing on her Casablanca night with Luke too!

If it makes you feel better, I also like the shirt she's wearing in "Ballrooms and Biscotti" when Luke is helping her pack up the truck and he tells her about Nicole and him getting married on the cruise.

Then again, I am very much a jeans and a t-shirt gal.

[hippielamb]

I love the pink coat Lorelai wears this season. There's also an argyle sweater and glasses combo coming up. I can't remember which episode. It looks like their clothing budget was increased, Lorelai and Rory both look more fashionable this season. /shallow clothes talk 

[lulu1960]

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I love the pink coat Lorelai wears this season. There's also an argyle sweater and glasses combo coming up. I can't remember which episode. It looks like their clothing budget was increased, Lorelai and Rory both look more fashionable this season. /shallow clothes talk 

When I went on the WB Studio tour they had a gift shop/small area of show items. The argyle sweater was there.

For the longest time I would say that Season 2 was my favorite season but then I noticed that if I wanted to pop DVDs in for a GGfest, nine times out of ten  I'd grab the Season 4 set.

The movie night is a favorite scene for me. Lorelai is so giddy. Plus when she keeps looking at Luke and he knows an important scene is coming up. My husband does that too.

[elang4]

32 minutes ago, lulu1960 said:

When I went on the WB Studio tour they had a gift shop/small area of show items. The argyle sweater was there.

For the longest time I would say that Season 2 was my favorite season but then I noticed that if I wanted to pop DVDs in for a GGfest, nine times out of ten  I'd grab the Season 4 set.

The movie night is a favorite scene for me. Lorelai is so giddy. Plus when she keeps looking at Luke and he knows an important scene is coming up. My husband does that too.

And at the end when Rory comes home and they both put the blanket over him. Love that scene. :)

[hippielamb]

23 hours ago, lulu1960 said:

When I went on the WB Studio tour they had a gift shop/small area of show items. The argyle sweater was there.

For the longest time I would say that Season 2 was my favorite season but then I noticed that if I wanted to pop DVDs in for a GGfest, nine times out of ten  I'd grab the Season 4 set.

Oh how cool! :) 

I know some people don't like season 4 because of the Rory at Yale storyline but I really enjoy everything that happens. It's a contest between season 1 and season 4 for my favourite rewatch. I like parts of other seasons but these two are the ones I will watch just for the pure enjoyment of it. 

[junienmomo]

Ballroom and Biscotti

"Hello boys!" Rory's  greeting her clothes is really very very cute moment.

"Plus, he really seems to like Nicole."

"Yeah, he does. "

I really like how Rory is the voice of reason this episode. Lorelai is busy compartmentalizing everything, first she blocks Friday night dinner out of her list, then she glosses over how much Rory thinks Luke likes Nicole.

 

Geez. Why didn't they just give Luke some biscotti? They were discussing the problem with biscotti in their hands.

The OTP of Luke and Lorelai is now open. Lorelai has started looking weird and asks pointed questions, followed by affected nonchalance.

Hey! Luke's not completely dumbed down yet. He knows what the salon set is.

Given how Luke was talking about the cruise and being on the water as a 'boat' and 'weird,' it's hard to reconcile that with his fishing and his father's boat, not to mention season 7. One has to know boating before one decides to build his own, so it's reasonable to expect that a) Luke knows the difference between a boat and a ship, and b) he's not going to think floating on the water is weird.

Emily - I love this evening with Emily. At long last, she can have the FND the way she wants, without Lorelai constantly trying to rush through the dinner. Sure, she doesn't tell Richard about it, but heck, they don't communicate all that well either.

After six weeks without her grandkid, Lorelai should understand Emily's position, but she doesn't of course. It's not funny how Lorelai's compartmentalization hurts both her and others. 

[JaggedLilPill]

I don't see it as Lorelai compartmentalizing at all. And I saw Emily as being extremely petty once she found out Lorelai wasn't there.

She didn't skip dinner because she simply didn't want to go. She skipped it so she could finish getting all of Rory's stuff, which Rory fails to mention. Way to throw your mom under the bus, Rory. To be honest, I hate Rory in this episode. "She won't let me leave!" Good grief. Get a spine and tell your grandmother that it's getting late and you're moving into your dorm tomorrow and you're tired. 

It's not that difficult.

But no, she calls Lorelai and has her do the dirty work. 

And it was Rory's screw up in the first place. 

Mileages vary, but I can't fault Lorelai for how she handled this particular situation. It was either go to FND and rush through it or let Rory go while she finished the remaining tasks. 

[lulu1960]

Quote

 

I don't see it as Lorelai compartmentalizing at all. And I saw Emily as being extremely petty once she found out Lorelai wasn't there.

She didn't skip dinner because she simply didn't want to go. She skipped it so she could finish getting all of Rory's stuff, which Rory fails to mention. Way to throw your mom under the bus, Rory. To be honest, I hate Rory in this episode. "She won't let me leave!" Good grief. Get a spine and tell your grandmother that it's getting late and you're moving into your dorm tomorrow and you're tired. 

It's not that difficult.

But no, she calls Lorelai and has her do the dirty work. 

And it was Rory's screw up in the first place. 

Mileages vary, but I can't fault Lorelai for how she handled this particular situation. It was either go to FND and rush through it or let Rory go while she finished the remaining tasks. 

 

I agree. The way Rory said that Lorelai had errands to do. Why couldn't Rory say that Lorelai was doing stuff for her because she (Rory) wrote the date wrong. That annoyed me as well.

[shron17]

5 hours ago, junienmomo said:

After six weeks without her grandkid, Lorelai should understand Emily's position, but she doesn't of course. It's not funny how Lorelai's compartmentalization hurts both her and others. 

Spending time and having conversation with Rory is one thing; bringing out tons of videotapes to watch with her is something else.  It was so obviously done to get back at Lorelai for not showing up.

27 minutes ago, JaggedLilPill said:

Mileages vary, but I can't fault Lorelai for how she handled this particular situation. It was either go to FND and rush through it or let Rory go while she finished the remaining tasks. 

I don't fault Lorelai either.  I do think she and Rory had an unspoken agreement to avoid sharing with Emily when either one makes a mistake--remember how Rory's shortcomings are always Lorelai's fault?--so I don't fault Rory either.  Although yes, it seems like she should have been able to find an excuse to leave without needing to be rescued. Lorelai was compartmentalizing a little in that she only saw how Rory moving away for college as affected her rather than everyone else in her life.  But I do see how it was probably crucial for Lorelai to compartmentalize when she moved out, had to find a job and be a good mom but also keep parts of her life separate from Rory.  Maybe she just kept going with what worked for her from the beginning.

Edited June 20, 2016 by shron17

[katha]

1 hour ago, JaggedLilPill said:

She didn't skip dinner because she simply didn't want to go. She skipped it so she could finish getting all of Rory's stuff, which Rory fails to mention. Way to throw your mom under the bus, Rory. To be honest, I hate Rory in this episode. "She won't let me leave!" Good grief. Get a spine and tell your grandmother that it's getting late and you're moving into your dorm tomorrow and you're tired. 

It's not that difficult.

But no, she calls Lorelai and has her do the dirty work. 

And it was Rory's screw up in the first place. 

Mileages vary, but I can't fault Lorelai for how she handled this particular situation. It was either go to FND and rush through it or let Rory go while she finished the remaining tasks. 

Season 4 is where the mix of Rory's natural personality and parts of her upbringing (the extreme sheltering she got from both Lorelai and her grandparents) really start to manifest in not so great ways. There were inklings of it in the first three seasons as well, but since she still went to high school it wasn't as obvious. She tends towards passivity, seems reluctant to take responsibility for her own actions and since she's used to constant praise she has trouble dealing with criticism. And so you get floundering and trying to hide behind Lorelai, grandparents, Paris, Logan, take your pick. Such a good potential storyline: Rory addressing these issues, but somehow it never really happened. IMO a missed opportunity.

It's somewhat understandable that Rory turned out that way, she craved security and structure and everyone around her reinforced that and reinforced her people pleasing, head ducking and mostly docile ways. I think the aftermath of the Jess car crash is the most extreme example of basically everyone conspiring to deny her agency, and you see her unhappy and suffocating under it, but at the end resigning herself to the situation. I think that's one of the saddest episodes of the series, you can almost see all energy draining out of her. And I could perhaps see that there might have been smaller situations going in the same direction throughout the years. If your first instinct isn't "fight it out" anyway, as it's not for Rory, then positive reinforcement for keeping in line might play towards that timidity some more. And when Rory misbehaved or made wrong decisions, she ran away from that as well and didn't want to face the consequences.

[JaggedLilPill]

1 hour ago, shron17 said:

Spending time and having conversation with Rory is one thing; bringing out tons of videotapes to watch with her is something else.  It was so obviously done to get back at Lorelai for not showing up.

I don't fault Lorelai either.  I do think she and Rory had an unspoken agreement to avoid sharing with Emily when either one makes a mistake--remember how Rory's shortcomings are always Lorelai's fault?--so I don't fault Rory either.  Although yes, it seems like she should have been able to find an excuse to leave without needing to be rescued. Lorelai was compartmentalizing a little in that she only saw how Rory moving away for college as affected her rather than everyone else in her life.  But I do see how it was probably crucial for Lorelai to compartmentalize when she moved out, had to find a job and be a good mom but also keep parts of her life separate from Rory.  Maybe she just kept going with what worked for her from the beginning.

Exactly. It was way over the top. Hours upon hours of ballroom dancing and Richard had gone to bed. Definitely intentional on Emily's part.

And yes, that is true. They probably did have an unspoken agreement to keep each other's mistakes from Emily. And you're right; Lorelai was compartmentalizing there a bit. So I shouldn't have said she wasn't compartmentalizing at all because that was false. I also agree it was what Lorelai was used to. I think when it came to Rory, Lorelai mostly had the best of intentions. Like in the scene in The Fundamental Things Apply when they are talking about how neither of them have ever really dated, it made sense that Rory wouldn't know about the guys Lorelai just had some "fun" with, as referenced back in season 1 when Lorelai tells Max she's "dated, but never dated," in their house. 

But she could be very shortsighted when it came to Rory and her relationship with her grandparents and she didn't always take into account their feelings about Rory and having not been a big part of her life so of course they enjoy the time they spend with her. However, in this situation, I kind of feel like Rory simply stating "There was a mix up with the date and mom is finishing up getting what I need for tomorrow," would have sufficed because then Rory wouldn't necessarily be telling Emily that she screwed up and it would have emphasized that Lorelai wasn't missing dinner as a way to gloat about no longer being financially obligated to them.

17 minutes ago, katha said:

Season 4 is where the mix of Rory's natural personality and parts of her upbringing (the extreme sheltering she got from both Lorelai and her grandparents) really start to manifest in not so great ways. There were inklings of it in the first three seasons as well, but since she still went to high school it wasn't as obvious. She tends towards passivity, seems reluctant to take responsibility for her own actions and since she's used to constant praise she has trouble dealing with criticism. And so you get floundering and trying to hide behind Lorelai, grandparents, Paris, Logan, take your pick. Such a good potential storyline: Rory addressing these issues, but somehow it never really happened. IMO a missed opportunity.

It's somewhat understandable that Rory turned out that way, she craved security and structure and everyone around her reinforced that and reinforced her people pleasing, head ducking and mostly docile ways. I think the aftermath of the Jess car crash is the most extreme example of basically everyone conspiring to deny her agency, and you see her unhappy and suffocating under it, but at the end resigning herself to the situation. I think that's one of the saddest episodes of the series, you can almost see all energy draining out of her. And I could perhaps see that there might have been smaller situations going in the same direction throughout the years. If your first instinct isn't "fight it out" anyway, as it's not for Rory, then positive reinforcement for keeping in line might play towards that timidity some more. And when Rory misbehaved or made wrong decisions, she ran away from that as well and didn't want to face the consequences.

I wholeheartedly agree with this. I think in the first three seasons we did see glimpses of her being sheltered, but season 4 really shines a mirror on it. We have the season 4 premiere when she doesn't mention the real reason Lorelai isn't there. Then when Emily pretty much breaks in to her dorm and furnishes it, she ends up chickening out of saying something. Then the episode with the study tree. I love Lorelai's "You are going to suck it up!" 

She didn't even need to be harsh with Emily. Look, I admit I shy away from conflict and avoid trying to hurt anyone's feelings, which usually ends up hurting me more than others to be honest, but I think I even would have said something along the lines of "Hey grandma, this has been really great, and I am looking forward to next week, but it's getting late and I do have a big day tomorrow...."

[Kohola3]

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Exactly. It was way over the top. Hours upon hours of ballroom dancing and Richard had gone to bed. Definitely intentional on Emily's part.

And so totally random it was like a sledge hammer.  Never before or after did Emily make any reference to ballroom dancing.  Bam, bam to the viewer's head - "look at mean Emily"!  A little more subtlety wouldn't have been unwelcome.

[junienmomo]

Rory started out in Ballroom and Biscotti as a rational straight man for Lorelai as they arrived home and executed their plans the first day or so. She even got the gumption to push back on Taylor. 

But somehow when she got to dinner with her grandparents, she became a doormat unable to express a wish. I suspect it had more to do with their paying for Yale than anything else. She should have let Emily know that she had a time limit that evening, and preferably should also have said that Lorelai was doing her errands because of the mixup.

If Lorelai hadn't compartmentalized her relationship with her parents, she would have picked up the phone a day earlier, said that she couldn't make it because of the mixup, and done the responsible thing. That would have been a reasonable behavior when one has an invitation, especially a standing one. But no, she was too busy delighting in the thought that she didn't have to go.

Emily had every reason to feel that she could relax that evening and just enjoy her relationship with Rory. That was Rory's or marginally Lorelai's responsibility to inform her otherwise.

[JaggedLilPill]

Except I just do not see Emily being that reasonable. Even if Lorelai had called - and IIRC she was planning on going until they realized the next day how much they got and still needed to get - Emily would have been pissed/passive-aggressive. Emily has good qualities, but I think she would have called bullshit and thought this was Lorelai's way of getting out of FND. And it really wasn't. She probably would have thrown little barbs Lorelai's way vis a vis Rory the whole time, because that's Emily's coping mechanism when it comes to feeling hurt by Lorelai.

Again, relaxing is one thing, but that wasn't why she was doing it. As it's been mentioned, Emily never had an interest in ballroom dancing. Emily is extremely manipulative and I think she expected Rory to call Lorelai and then Lorelai would come hence Emily getting what she wanted. 

Unfortunately, no matter what, Lorelai would still get the blame for Rory's error. 

[junienmomo]

Quote

As it's been mentioned, Emily never had an interest in ballroom dancing. 

Actually she did, but it's apparently described by that new word I learned here yesterday: retcon, or retroactive continuity.

Emily said she's been taping ballroom dance competition since 1978, and she really talked it up as they watched. That's an impressive effort, possibly surpasses Lorelai's interest in pop culture. Lorelai shouldn't have been surprised either, since she started taping when Lorelai was a little girl. 

Whether premeditated or not, Emily called Lorelai out that evening. The interchange on both sides was bitter. Afterwards, Lorelai undercut her own point by staying there when Emily had fallen asleep. They could at least have gone home and watched Sophia die a few times.

LOL, I always forget that it didn't even matter. Rory was going 22.8 miles away. It might be further to Hartford. They could have run those errands any time. Lorelai could have run them on Saturday after dropping Rory off. Lorelai DID run more errands after dropping her off. Rory could have spent Saturday night at home. There were a dozen solutions that didn't involve ticking Emily off. 

[solotrek]

They could have easily both gone to dinner,  told them about the mistake and requested a shorter dinner with a chance to prolong it the following week. Emily and Richard knew they had just returned from Europe  and Rory had move in the next day and Rory's education and Yale always came first for them. There are tons of easy solutions that would make everyone happy.   Heck go shopping on Sunday. They don't kick you out of the dorm for not having everything the first day. 

[txhorns79]

Quote

Emily and Richard knew they had just returned from Europe  and Rory had move in the next day and Rory's education and Yale always came first for them. There are tons of easy solutions that would make everyone happy.   Heck go shopping on Sunday. They don't kick you out of the dorm for not having everything the first day. 

Yeah, I didn't understand why Lorelai was acting as if Rory had to have everything she would need the first day.   I would have just gotten the essentials (sheets, blankets, toiletries, etc.)  and then continued bringing other necessities in during the week. 

[Leonana]

9 hours ago, junienmomo said:

Actually she did, but it's apparently described by that new word I learned here yesterday: retcon, or retroactive continuity.

Emily said she's been taping ballroom dance competition since 1978, and she really talked it up as they watched. That's an impressive effort, possibly surpasses Lorelai's interest in pop culture. Lorelai shouldn't have been surprised either, since she started taping when Lorelai was a little girl. 

Whether premeditated or not, Emily called Lorelai out that evening. The interchange on both sides was bitter. Afterwards, Lorelai undercut her own point by staying there when Emily had fallen asleep. They could at least have gone home and watched Sophia die a few times.

LOL, I always forget that it didn't even matter. Rory was going 22.8 miles away. It might be further to Hartford. They could have run those errands any time. Lorelai could have run them on Saturday after dropping Rory off. Lorelai DID run more errands after dropping her off. Rory could have spent Saturday night at home. There were a dozen solutions that didn't involve ticking Emily off. 

And wasn't there an episode previously where Lorelai set Emily up with a VCR? She couldn't have been taping it since 1978, since she didn't own a VCR until over 20 years later.

[andromeda331]

14 minutes ago, Leonana said:

And wasn't there an episode previously where Lorelai set Emily up with a VCR? She couldn't have been taping it since 1978, since she didn't own a VCR until over 20 years later.

DVD player. It was in the Dear Richard and Emily. Lorelai bought her DVD player and some of her favorite musicals to watch.

[Leonana]

18 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

DVD player. It was in the Dear Richard and Emily. Lorelai bought her DVD player and some of her favorite musicals to watch.

In Dear Richard and Emily, when Lorelai asked Emily what she did in the evenings when Richard was gone, Lorelai suggested watching TV. Emily stated she didn't watch much television and didn't need a dvd player. If Emily had a VCR and was watching and recording ballroom dancing, you'd think she would have mentioned it at this point. I suppose you could argue that a VCR is different than a DVD player, so that's why Emily didn't mention it when Lorelai suggested dvd's. But the scene in S4 gave the impression that Emily was a stranger to pre-recorded television.

Edited June 21, 2016 by Leonana

[readster]

2 hours ago, Leonana said:

In Dear Richard and Emily, when Lorelai asked Emily what she did in the evenings when Richard was gone, Lorelai suggested watching TV. Emily stated she didn't watch much television and didn't need a dvd player. If Emily had a VCR and was watching and recording ballroom dancing, you'd think she would have mentioned it at this point. I suppose you could argue that a VCR is different than a DVD player, so that's why Emily didn't mention it when Lorelai suggested dvd's. But the scene in S4 gave the impression that Emily was a stranger to pre-recorded television.

Keep in mind when Richard said he wanted to Google Emily and she thought it was something dirty. Emily was depicted as either being oblivious to modern items or so diverse in items it put others to shame. It was classic: "write the character fit the plot even if it doesn't make sense." 

[Guest]

I really dislike the girls' behavior in the first two episodes. They are both bratty, inconsiderate, and rude on multiple occasions. 

Lorelai driving to E&Rs to retrieve Rory was ridiculous and such a waste of time.

In episode 3, Sookie's freak out is over the top but also makes sense to me. A pre-parenthood freak out is normal. She just took it to the extreme. They didn't need to have her ruin the party to get there. :/

[junienmomo]

The Lorelais' First Day at Yale

One of the nicest things about this episode is that most of the selfishness and irritating behavior of the GG is directed between themselves. 

Luke's truck is, of course, a glaring exception, but I'd forgotten about this little gem:

Quote

LUKE: What is she doing?
RORY: Well, she, uh, backed the truck out of our driveway all fine and everything, but once she hit the road, she couldn't get it out of reverse, so she -
LUKE: Backed it here?
RORY: Slow but steady.
[Luke walks outside to the truck]
LORELAI: Something's wrong with your truck.
LUKE: Nothing's wrong with my truck. Stop the truck.
LORELAI: It won't go out of reverse.
LUKE: You can't drive a stick.
LORELAI: I can't drive an uncooperative stick.
LUKE: My stick's not uncooperative. Come on, hit the brakes.

That deserves a Dirty!

After the cringe-worthy arrival at Yale, where they once again irritate various Yalies, there's the sweet sweet moment of the do-over of entering the dorm for the first time. 

I laugh every time at the ancient Dewey, Cheatham and Howe joke, just because of SP's delivery. 

Tana is almost certainly smarter than Rory. Funny how that never occurred to me before. She's probably the smartest person on the show. 

Aah, Lorelai exposes her absurd standard that made them do all the shopping before Rory left for Yale: "I want you fully outfitted and settled for your first night or I won't sleep." Stupid, but at least she's self-aware.

Great L/L banter throughout the episode, a great improvement on season 3. 

Did I ever mention that S4 Luke is so much hotter than S3 Luke? Wonder if SP was making a film or something during S3 that required him to bulk up. That that the time of the first SAW movie?

 

 

 

 

[junienmomo]

First Day at Yale nitpicks.

----

"I've never shared a bathroom with anyone except you!" (Rory)

Duh, except for Paris in Washington and ten jillion people in youth hostels in Europe.

----

Suddenly Lorelai insists on ordering Indian food after refusing to have it in her house.

----

Edited June 22, 2016 by junienmomo

[Smad]

45 minutes ago, junienmomo said:

Did I ever mention that S4 Luke is so much hotter than S3 Luke? Wonder if SP was making a film or something during S3 that required him to bulk up. That that the time of the first SAW movie?

LOL. The first SAW movie Scott was in was SAW lV and that didn't come out until 2007.

47 minutes ago, junienmomo said:

Great L/L banter throughout the episode, a great improvement on season 3.

They really dialed that down after S1. They still had scenes in S2/3 but they were either Jess or Nicole related. At least there was some nice bantering and heartfelt moments in S2. But S3 really didn't have much. Same in early S4 until the network message about ratings dropping and get these two together, hence the increased scenes starting middle of S4. The show is just not the same for me unless I either see these two sparring or having a heart to heart.

[junienmomo]

1 hour ago, Smad said:

LOL. The first SAW movie Scott was in was SAW lV and that didn't come out until 2007.

They really dialed that down after S1. They still had scenes in S2/3 but they were either Jess or Nicole related. At least there was some nice bantering and heartfelt moments in S2. But S3 really didn't have much. Same in early S4 until the network message about ratings dropping and get these two together, hence the increased scenes starting middle of S4. The show is just not the same for me unless I either see these two sparring or having a heart to heart.

Amen, sisterfriend on the banter. It was the highlight of the show most of the time. I love how Luke was a balance to Lorelai's OTT optimism/absurdity. He was often the voice of pragmatism and reality, frequently needed in SH.

Was there really a publicly-known network message/instruction/whatever? Fascinating. 

[lulu1960]

Not sure about the bulking up in season 3 but I know SP commented that he looked heavier in season 2. You can kinda tell in A Tisket. A Tasket. I love the banter in TLFDAY. The mattress bit is still one of my faves. I use the line, "I recognize that tree." a lot.

[amensisterfriend]

Her college drifting makes so much sense in retrospect, though: Rory did extremely well with Chilton, but Chilton was all about structure and expectations, which Rory excels at. Since college lacks all that, it's no wonder Rory had fits over losing her study tree.

That's a good point.  Rory, not being quite as anal as Paris, just wasn't able to transition into that kind of self-policing without going off the rails for a bit.  It's an interesting thing to consider, especially since her high school years were so well-organized.  Maybe having a goal (to get into Harvard) was what helped keep her so grounded in high school.  And then once she was in college she no longer had that kind of goal.  

Just tiptoeing in to wholeheartedly agree with the above. (Awesome discussion all around, by the way!) That's why I've always disagreed with the idea that Rory is devoid of flaws---she's incredibly rigid, socially awkward, averse to change, incapable of coping well with the unknown and with rejection...etc. (Some of this also points to why I have trouble seeing her as an international correspondent, but I digress!) Sharing a lot of scenes with someone as extraordinarily neurotic as Paris can sometimes make Rory seem blandly normal by contrast (next to Paris, nearly everyone would seem normal by comparison!), but Rory always had these issues, even back in S1 when she seemed to have a stronger sense of self. I actually think the show was pretty consistent with that even when the actual execution---yacht stealing, etc.---was subpar. And it makes sense that it's in S4 when she's really thrown for a loop: College is a big transition even for people who cope with change and uncertainty better than Rory does; it's her first year living away from her beloved mom and without a  steady boyfriend; and she's no longer surrounded by familiar love and support from a doting community full of adults eager to help her and shower her with praise at every turn. So Rory's deer-in-headlights floundering in S4 made a lot of sense to me. 

I'm also that one person who likes Die Jerk----it's the type of journalistic dilemma that way-too-eager-to-be-liked Rory would realistically encounter, and I take it as one of many signs that she was meant to reevaluate her long ago chosen path as a journalist, which in my weird little head and unfinished fanfics she totally did ;)  

[JaggedLilPill]

I definitely rate season 4 as one of my favorite seasons. Might be right behind season 1. 

I've been quick to jump on Rory in her first year of college, but I think it was very realistic as well that it was the beginning of her floundering. And not that it excuses it, but yeah. It makes sense that Rory would find herself drawn to Dean again because he represented a safe time in her life. 

Speaking of Dean, "Chicken or Beef" is difficult to watch his scenes because there could not be more red flags that he is about to make a colossal mistake.   Not that I condone his choices at all. He obviously should have gotten out before sleeping with Rory. But in a weird way, I feel bad for him. If only this was his last episode and at least one could imagine he was happy.

Another thought I had while watching this episode is how did nobody ever throttle Taylor? Aside from Luke coming close. Taylor has got to be one of the most insufferable characters in this town of many insufferable characters. Really, an obnoxious a-hole.

But I did like Lorelai thinking Luke would put up this big fight and instead he's like "Sure, he can park his truck in the street."

Hee-Hee!

[FictionLover]

58 minutes ago, lulu1960 said:

Not sure about the bulking up in season 3 but I know SP commented that he looked heavier in season 2. You can kinda tell in A Tisket. A Tasket. I love the banter in TLFDAY. The mattress bit is still one of my faves. I use the line, "I recognize that tree." a lot.

I thought he looked a little chubby in season 5, especially during the Fiddler on the Roof episode (can't remember the name). Some of his wardrobe was so bad and unflattering though. He did look good in his swim trunks in season 7.

[Smad]

1 hour ago, lulu1960 said:

I use the line, "I recognize that tree." a lot.

Bad TWoP flashbacks. Boy was that phrase abused...a lot.

28 minutes ago, FictionLover said:

I thought he looked a little chubby in season 5, especially during the Fiddler on the Roof episode (can't remember the name). Some of his wardrobe was so bad and unflattering though. He did look good in his swim trunks in season 7.

Wardrobe always hid him except in S1. I mean Scott was pretty much working out daily in the gym. Shame to hide that body. Kinda sad how much they took away from S1 Luke. Not only his intelligence but also his wardrobe. I liked the jeans shirt with t-shirt underneath combo. Or even just the unbuttoned flannel over the t-shirt.

[junienmomo]

1 hour ago, Smad said:

Bad TWoP flashbacks. Boy was that phrase abused...a lot.

Wardrobe always hid him except in S1. I mean Scott was pretty much working out daily in the gym. Shame to hide that body. Kinda sad how much they took away from S1 Luke. Not only his intelligence but also his wardrobe. I liked the jeans shirt with t-shirt underneath combo. Or even just the unbuttoned flannel over the t-shirt.

After the HotLuke PR pictures and the crazy good sexual tension in S1, they had to tone him down when they realized they wanted to put off the LL pairing as late as possible. It wouldn't make sense for a hot guy to be seen with Lorelai every single day while she chose the Maxes and the Jasons of the world to date. (and we know how much the writers prized making logical choices)

Add Jess to that in Season 2 and that would be a winning combination, rivaling the hotness of the GG.

Here's a PR pic to prod your memory. 

[lulu1960]

Oh yes. I remember those pictures well. My little icon is from that same shoot. (I may have them still saved on my computer.)

Edited June 22, 2016 by lulu1960