Gilmore Girls – Recap – Episode 6-5

Archive

Parties have been dangerous for the Gilmores lately. Last season, when Richard & Emily renewed their wedding vows (Wedding Bell Blues), there was the whole blow-up with Lorelai & Christopher and, inevitably, Lorelai and Emily. We’ve Got Magic to Do centers around the return of the evil Huntzbergers, and the ugly truth that the Gilmores Senior refuse to acknowledge.

The episode begins with Lorelai and Luke returning to the diner from shopping. Luke insists he didn’t need a new wallet. Shoots back Lorelai, “Your old wallet has velcro”. Then she gets a call on her cell phone (NO CELL PHONES!) from Sookie: the oven’s on fire. “She’s been Scarlet O’Hara for two hours,” snaps Michel.

The other Gilmore girl, Rory, is busy saving the D.A.R. meeting – by taking on the responsibility of saving the benefit dinner for the troops. Does Emily look a little threatened? I think so…

Dinner for four at Jackson & Sookie’s. Love the digs on the recent glut of procedural dramas:

Jackson: Did anyone see that new show on TV last night?
Lorelai: The one where they were solving crimes by cutting bodies open and poking their organs?
Sookie: The one where they’re solving crimes from thirty years ago by going to graveyards and cutting open bodies and poking their organs?

Davey’s got the TV too loud, Jackson’s talking out loud about anything in his head before tending to Martha, and Lorelai gives Luke a pitying/worried look as he sits alone eating at the table.

Sookie misses her stove. So Lorelai has to use dear ‘ol dad for insurance purposes. A very harsh conversation ensues, in which Lorelai brings up the Hamburgers (Huntzbergers) and how they treated Rory, and Richard continues to brush it off.

Rory’s coordination meeting is interrupted by a phone call from Logan, and a visit from a destitute Paris – who is broke. So Rory offers her a job working at the benefit, which she will surely regret. When the topic comes up at dinner, Emily is shocked to hear that Rory’s USO-themed event is sold out. So much for the salmon puffs…

Lorelai, sure that Luke is already bored to death doing things with her, sends him off to the woods for some solitary camping (random note: Luke needs a guy friend). She, meanwhile, attends the 28th Annual Miss Patty’s School Grand Recital with Sookie, which you just knew was going to be funny. The opening number, with annoyingly gleeful kids dancing into the crowd, prompts Lorelai to utter, “I hate when they come into the audience”.

“It’s just so damn beautiful,” remarks Sookie during the ballerina recital. And what could close Miss Patty’s show more fittingly than Kirk’s very own 20th Anniversary rendition of “The Journey of Man”

Lorelai: It’s moments like these that make life worth living…

During Kirk’s shining moment, Lorelai sees that Luke has returned from the wilderness to the diner, so she pays him a visit.

Lorelai: Camping is something you wanna do
Luke: No, it’s what you wanted me to do…

Luke feels banished. “I like doing things with you…I can mock stuff” I don’t want to overdue the quotes, but this is really good writing.

Now let’s get to the heart of the matter. Welcome to Hollywood Canteen. While it seems like Rory has put together quite a swinging party, it’s still a little disturbing watching her in action at times. One of the D.A.R. members comments, “She’s so poised, like you Emily”.

Things start to unravel when the Huntzbergers show up, unannouned. Rory is suddenly a panicked kid again, especially when seeing Mr. Huntzberger. “If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have…” But she doesn’t tell all to Paris, and pulls herself together.

Rory’s completely unaware of the real drama taking place, with heated exchanges between Richard and Mitchum, and then Emily and Shira.
“It’s all true, all of it. Everything (Lorelai) told us,” Richard blurts out to Emily after his confrontation. It’s wonderful that Richard & Emily are standing up for Rory. Too bad they aren’t good people, either. Just slightly better than the Huntzbergers. The look on Richard’s face as Rory gives her thank yous at the end of the evening (and episode) is pretty chilling. He looks completely drained.

Whether Richard & Emily actually learn anything from this remains to be seen. If Rory’s good enough for Logan, why isn’t Luke good enough for Lorelai? The most important thing is that Gilmore Girls bounced back in a big way following a shaky effort last week. Daniel Palladino’s officially 2-for-2 for those scoring at home. The episode just zipped along, almost as quickly as Kirk’s “The Journey of Man”…