7:15 - I'm a Kayak, Hear Me Roar
0 Comments Published by Alexandria on Saturday, February 24, 2007 at 10:23 p.m..
This week's episode was called "I'm a Kayak, Hear Me Roar," based on an analogy Emily makes.
Show summary: Lorelai drives to Yale to tell Rory that she and Christopher have broken up. There, she runs into Paris and Doyle doing yoga -- the only humerous part of the opening sequence.
So Lorelai and Rory go for a drive during which Lorelai tells Rory that her marriage to Rory's father has ended after only a few short months. Rory's reaction? Not only is she not surprised, she apparently "knew" that her parents weren't right for each other. The car runs out of gas and Lorelai and Rory have to walk to the gas station.
At Friday night dinner, Lorelai is supposed to tell her parents that she and Christopher have split up but when she and Rory arrive at the Gilmore house, there is already tension because Richard doesn't want to come down for dinner as he's watching an important golf game. The house is now also dry because Richard can't drink alcohol so Emily has removed all the alcohol from the home and is serving mocktails, which only frustrates Lorelai. During dinner, Lorelai fails to find the right time to tell her parents of her marital breakup. Rory encourages her mom to tell Emily and Richard before Emily proceeds further with the wedding celebrations, telling her mom "Save the cornish game hens" (the 400 or so birds that were apparently to be served at the reception).
At Luke's Diner, Babette and Miss Patty are having an encrypted conversation about the breakup of Lorelai and Christopher's marriage, using the analogy of a hen/beagle/rooster/peguin/ostrich. Kirk overhears and takes offence to a rooster and a penguin getting together and mating.
The following day, Emily calls Lorelai at home because the pharmacy will not deliver Richard's medication and she wants Lorelai to pick up the prescription. Upon arriving at the Gilmore house, Lorelai finds everything in chaos. The maid Aurora is in hiding and the chef has quit because he is fed up with the challenges of cooking to Richard's dietary needs and Richard failing to eat the food he's cooked. Lorelai stays and helps at the house, which includes sorting out some of her dad's finances.
In Richard's office, Emily finds some alcohol and proceeds to pour herself and Lorelai each a drink. Lorelai tells her mom about her marital breakup, to which Emily says, "I hardly know what to say."
Emily makes the analogy that she is like a canoe: She and Richard are in the canoe and they have to work together to steer the canoe. She takes care of the house so that he can earn a living and take care of her. While Lorelai is like a kayak: She steers the kayak herself and doesn't need anyone to help her, even a man. Lorelai's reply is "I'm a kayak, hear me roar." It seems like mother and daughter have bonded when the following day things return to normal: Emily takes a jab at Lorelai for only getting 60% of her deposit back for the wedding reception.
Rory meanwhile decorates Logan's New York apartment based on all the themes of her childhood birthdays because he missed out on such birthdays. But Logan comes home and announces that his dad wants to take them out to dinner. At dinner, while Logan is away from the table, Mitchum asks Rory what she thinks the next step in Logan's life should be. Then he implies that together he and Rory have been plotting Logan's life for him and that he is currently a success because of the two of them. Back at the apartment, when Rory tells Logan about the talk, Logan shirks it off, telling her that she's been "Huntzbergered."
Logan then gets a phone call from a colleague saying that their new internet investment has fallen through, and that essentially Logan has lost his $3 million trust fund.
Luke's sister Liz arrives with TJ and baby Doula in tow. Their place is being fumigated and they need to bunk at Luke's place for a few days. While staying there, Liz asks Luke if he's contacted Lorelai since Richard's heart attack. This starts a conversation about Lorelai. TJ doesn't think that Luke should get back together with her because he thinks that she's all about drama while Liz thinks that Luke should call her, even if only under the guise of how her father is doing as a concerned friend. Later, lying in April's bed, he can overhear Liz and TJ discussing him and Lorelai.
My commentary: Firstly, I was really bothered by Rory's reaction to the news of her parents breaking up. How did Rory know exactly that her parents weren't meant for each other? She was hardly at home during the brief length of her parents marriage since she was either away at school or in London with Logan over the Christmas holidays. And when she was around, she was the one questioning why her mom was keeping secrets from her dad (like writing the character reference for Luke), and advising her that "honesty was the best policy." Not to mention that Lorelai wasn't exactly forthcoming about the details of her and Christopher's marriage, how much did Rory actually know about her parents' marriage? And since Rory was the one advocating such a policy while Lorelai was insistent on keeping such things a secret, why did she not once ask about how Christopher was doing or where he was? Whether you're a Christopher fan or a Luke fan it should be pretty clear that Christopher was head over heels in love with Lorelai and that when they broke up, he must have been heartbroken even if he "understood" the reasons why. Rory had to have known that her dad was heartbroken over the marriage, yet she didn't give a second thought to her father and how he was doing. The only emotion Rory seemed to show regarding the end of her parents' marriage was during Friday night dinner when she advocated her mom to "Save the cornish game hens."
I also found Alexis Bledel's performance in the opening sequence during the car drive rather unconvincing. She didn't seem particularly consoling of Lorelai regarding the break up, even if her words were.
As for Emily's reaction, maybe part of it can be blamed by the booze, but I don't think all of it can be. Twice this season alone we have seen Emily lecture/advise her daughter about marriage being hard work and how she thinks that Christopher is the best for Lorelai even if he sometimes does things Emily does not approve of. Yet her daughter announces that after only two months her marriage is breaking up and Emily has not a single word? Emily who always has a word about everything even when she's not asked has nothing to say when her daughter announces that her first marriage is breaking up?
And even Emily does not ask how Christopher is or where he is. Emily and Richard have both always liked Christopher; the Gilmore and Hayden families go back for decades and the Haydens are important social ties for the Gilmores. And as appearances are so important to Emily you'd think that if she didn't care about the marriage breaking up, she might care about how the marriage break up might look to her DAR friends.
The next day it seems that things are back to normal with Emily reading the newspaper when Lorelai arrives for breakfast and the only thing Emily says is that she can only get 60% of her deposit back. But that doesn't justify the lack of reaction to the marriage breaking up.
The canoe/kayak analogy is an interesting one, and to some extent I think it's true. But on a practical level, I think there must be something in between. It's not good to be completely in Emily's position and to not know how to do things for yourself should you need to, but it's also not good to be completely in Lorelai's position and to be so independent that you do so much for yourself that you don't need others. In relationships people like to feel needed.
It seems to me that now that the writers have Christopher out of the picture, they are trying to rush things along to get Lorelai and Luke back together as soon as they can. Now that Christopher is out of the picture they don't want to waste a single minute dwelling on him so they are cutting him out altogether, including his relationship with Rory. Yes, there were no scenes between the two of them in this episode, but certainly Luke's longing look as he lay in April's bed by himself is a sign that he's thinking of Lorelai.
The broader strokes of this storyline have also not been dwelled on by the writers. This storyline isn't just about the end of a marriage between two people. Rory and Gigi are also a part of this equation, as are Richard and Emily and Francine (Christopher's mom, even though we never see her) are, too. Gigi moved into Lorelai and Rory's home. For a brief time Lorelai was her step-mother and the only mother figure she's had in a few years. That's significant for a four year old. And Lorelai's words at the beginning about Christopher and Gigi always being in Rory's life felt hollow because clearly they won't be, not on the same level.
This also affects Christopher and Rory's relationship. They've come a long way since the first season and Rory unequivically siding with her mom on the end of the marriage means that she'll never see her dad in the same way.
And so this episode marks the beginning of my David Sutcliffe withdrawal. It was such a treat to see him every week, and now that he's gone, I'll miss the spark he added to the show and the chemistry he and Lauren Graham shared. Someone at my GG forum has mentioned that he is in negotiations to do three more episodes. I presume that one of them will be when Christopher comes back for Rory's graduation from Yale. I guess Lorelai and Luke will be back together by then, too. I will need to drink when that inevitable reunion airs.
Show summary: Lorelai drives to Yale to tell Rory that she and Christopher have broken up. There, she runs into Paris and Doyle doing yoga -- the only humerous part of the opening sequence.
So Lorelai and Rory go for a drive during which Lorelai tells Rory that her marriage to Rory's father has ended after only a few short months. Rory's reaction? Not only is she not surprised, she apparently "knew" that her parents weren't right for each other. The car runs out of gas and Lorelai and Rory have to walk to the gas station.
At Friday night dinner, Lorelai is supposed to tell her parents that she and Christopher have split up but when she and Rory arrive at the Gilmore house, there is already tension because Richard doesn't want to come down for dinner as he's watching an important golf game. The house is now also dry because Richard can't drink alcohol so Emily has removed all the alcohol from the home and is serving mocktails, which only frustrates Lorelai. During dinner, Lorelai fails to find the right time to tell her parents of her marital breakup. Rory encourages her mom to tell Emily and Richard before Emily proceeds further with the wedding celebrations, telling her mom "Save the cornish game hens" (the 400 or so birds that were apparently to be served at the reception).
At Luke's Diner, Babette and Miss Patty are having an encrypted conversation about the breakup of Lorelai and Christopher's marriage, using the analogy of a hen/beagle/rooster/peguin/ostrich. Kirk overhears and takes offence to a rooster and a penguin getting together and mating.
The following day, Emily calls Lorelai at home because the pharmacy will not deliver Richard's medication and she wants Lorelai to pick up the prescription. Upon arriving at the Gilmore house, Lorelai finds everything in chaos. The maid Aurora is in hiding and the chef has quit because he is fed up with the challenges of cooking to Richard's dietary needs and Richard failing to eat the food he's cooked. Lorelai stays and helps at the house, which includes sorting out some of her dad's finances.
In Richard's office, Emily finds some alcohol and proceeds to pour herself and Lorelai each a drink. Lorelai tells her mom about her marital breakup, to which Emily says, "I hardly know what to say."
Emily makes the analogy that she is like a canoe: She and Richard are in the canoe and they have to work together to steer the canoe. She takes care of the house so that he can earn a living and take care of her. While Lorelai is like a kayak: She steers the kayak herself and doesn't need anyone to help her, even a man. Lorelai's reply is "I'm a kayak, hear me roar." It seems like mother and daughter have bonded when the following day things return to normal: Emily takes a jab at Lorelai for only getting 60% of her deposit back for the wedding reception.
Rory meanwhile decorates Logan's New York apartment based on all the themes of her childhood birthdays because he missed out on such birthdays. But Logan comes home and announces that his dad wants to take them out to dinner. At dinner, while Logan is away from the table, Mitchum asks Rory what she thinks the next step in Logan's life should be. Then he implies that together he and Rory have been plotting Logan's life for him and that he is currently a success because of the two of them. Back at the apartment, when Rory tells Logan about the talk, Logan shirks it off, telling her that she's been "Huntzbergered."
Logan then gets a phone call from a colleague saying that their new internet investment has fallen through, and that essentially Logan has lost his $3 million trust fund.
Luke's sister Liz arrives with TJ and baby Doula in tow. Their place is being fumigated and they need to bunk at Luke's place for a few days. While staying there, Liz asks Luke if he's contacted Lorelai since Richard's heart attack. This starts a conversation about Lorelai. TJ doesn't think that Luke should get back together with her because he thinks that she's all about drama while Liz thinks that Luke should call her, even if only under the guise of how her father is doing as a concerned friend. Later, lying in April's bed, he can overhear Liz and TJ discussing him and Lorelai.
My commentary: Firstly, I was really bothered by Rory's reaction to the news of her parents breaking up. How did Rory know exactly that her parents weren't meant for each other? She was hardly at home during the brief length of her parents marriage since she was either away at school or in London with Logan over the Christmas holidays. And when she was around, she was the one questioning why her mom was keeping secrets from her dad (like writing the character reference for Luke), and advising her that "honesty was the best policy." Not to mention that Lorelai wasn't exactly forthcoming about the details of her and Christopher's marriage, how much did Rory actually know about her parents' marriage? And since Rory was the one advocating such a policy while Lorelai was insistent on keeping such things a secret, why did she not once ask about how Christopher was doing or where he was? Whether you're a Christopher fan or a Luke fan it should be pretty clear that Christopher was head over heels in love with Lorelai and that when they broke up, he must have been heartbroken even if he "understood" the reasons why. Rory had to have known that her dad was heartbroken over the marriage, yet she didn't give a second thought to her father and how he was doing. The only emotion Rory seemed to show regarding the end of her parents' marriage was during Friday night dinner when she advocated her mom to "Save the cornish game hens."
I also found Alexis Bledel's performance in the opening sequence during the car drive rather unconvincing. She didn't seem particularly consoling of Lorelai regarding the break up, even if her words were.
As for Emily's reaction, maybe part of it can be blamed by the booze, but I don't think all of it can be. Twice this season alone we have seen Emily lecture/advise her daughter about marriage being hard work and how she thinks that Christopher is the best for Lorelai even if he sometimes does things Emily does not approve of. Yet her daughter announces that after only two months her marriage is breaking up and Emily has not a single word? Emily who always has a word about everything even when she's not asked has nothing to say when her daughter announces that her first marriage is breaking up?
And even Emily does not ask how Christopher is or where he is. Emily and Richard have both always liked Christopher; the Gilmore and Hayden families go back for decades and the Haydens are important social ties for the Gilmores. And as appearances are so important to Emily you'd think that if she didn't care about the marriage breaking up, she might care about how the marriage break up might look to her DAR friends.
The next day it seems that things are back to normal with Emily reading the newspaper when Lorelai arrives for breakfast and the only thing Emily says is that she can only get 60% of her deposit back. But that doesn't justify the lack of reaction to the marriage breaking up.
The canoe/kayak analogy is an interesting one, and to some extent I think it's true. But on a practical level, I think there must be something in between. It's not good to be completely in Emily's position and to not know how to do things for yourself should you need to, but it's also not good to be completely in Lorelai's position and to be so independent that you do so much for yourself that you don't need others. In relationships people like to feel needed.
It seems to me that now that the writers have Christopher out of the picture, they are trying to rush things along to get Lorelai and Luke back together as soon as they can. Now that Christopher is out of the picture they don't want to waste a single minute dwelling on him so they are cutting him out altogether, including his relationship with Rory. Yes, there were no scenes between the two of them in this episode, but certainly Luke's longing look as he lay in April's bed by himself is a sign that he's thinking of Lorelai.
The broader strokes of this storyline have also not been dwelled on by the writers. This storyline isn't just about the end of a marriage between two people. Rory and Gigi are also a part of this equation, as are Richard and Emily and Francine (Christopher's mom, even though we never see her) are, too. Gigi moved into Lorelai and Rory's home. For a brief time Lorelai was her step-mother and the only mother figure she's had in a few years. That's significant for a four year old. And Lorelai's words at the beginning about Christopher and Gigi always being in Rory's life felt hollow because clearly they won't be, not on the same level.
This also affects Christopher and Rory's relationship. They've come a long way since the first season and Rory unequivically siding with her mom on the end of the marriage means that she'll never see her dad in the same way.
And so this episode marks the beginning of my David Sutcliffe withdrawal. It was such a treat to see him every week, and now that he's gone, I'll miss the spark he added to the show and the chemistry he and Lauren Graham shared. Someone at my GG forum has mentioned that he is in negotiations to do three more episodes. I presume that one of them will be when Christopher comes back for Rory's graduation from Yale. I guess Lorelai and Luke will be back together by then, too. I will need to drink when that inevitable reunion airs.
Labels: Gilmore Girls
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